Share The Article

We all love a good deal—but we at Travel Off Path have learned something after years of covering destinations, trends, and traveler advice: the splurges you remember forever usually aren’t “fancy for the sake of fancy.” They’re the ones that remove friction (stress, lines, fatigue, logistics) and replace it with time, comfort, and wow.

If you’re going to go big at least once, these are the 5 travel upgrades that tend to pay the best “memory dividends.”

1) A True First-Class Flight (On a Long-Haul Route)

If you’ve only ever flown economy (or even standard business), it’s hard to explain just how different a top-tier first-class cabin can feel—because it’s not just “a nicer seat.” It’s a totally different experience where the flight becomes part of the trip.

What makes it worth doing once:

• Real privacy (think: suites with doors on some airlines)
• Arriving rested instead of dehydrated and wrecked
• Ground perks that can erase airport chaos (private terminals, fast-tracked processes, chauffeur transfers depending on airline/airport)

If you’re going to splurge, do it on the kind of flight that normally leaves you feeling like a zombie the next day.

2) A “Skip-The-Line” Private Guide Day in a Major City

Europe (and big global capitals in general) can be magical… and also exhausting. The splurge here isn’t the fanciest hotel. It’s buying back your time and energy with a private guide for one day.

This is the upgrade that turns:

“We waited in lines all day” into “We actually experienced the city.”

Best places to use this splurge:

• Rome (Vatican/Colosseum days can be brutal without a plan)
• Paris (museum + neighborhood day with someone who knows the shortcuts)
• London (history walks that make everything click)

Pro move: schedule your private guide day early in the trip. It’ll help you get oriented fast—and the rest of your days feel smoother.

3) An Ultra-Luxury All-Inclusive Where You Don’t Have To Think

Not all all-inclusives are created equal. The “worth it once” version is the kind where the food is actually a highlight, service is personal, and you’re not playing Hunger Games for a pool chair at 8am.

If you want a perfect example of what this looks like in real life, check out how an ultra-lux Cabo stay can work in this insider guide to ultra-luxury all-inclusives in Cabo—and yes, there are properties where the on-site dining is on another level, like this Cabo all-inclusive with a Michelin-starred restaurant included.

Why this splurge hits so hard:

• You’re paying to turn your brain off
• Great service removes tiny annoyances that add up (reservations, timing, decisions)
• It’s one of the few trips where you can come home feeling more rested than when you left

4) A Real Wellness Retreat (Not Just a Massage)

A single spa treatment is nice. A true wellness splurge is the kind of place that changes your nervous system back to “calm human.”

A few versions of this splurge that travelers rave about:

• A Japanese ryokan stay with hot springs + multi-course dinner
• A thermal spa escape where the whole day is designed around recovery (like our experience at Adler here)
• A resort wellness program that includes movement, sleep support, and quiet

The key is this: don’t overbook your wellness trip. The splurge only works if you actually give it time to do its job.

5) A Once-In-A-Lifetime “Access” Adventure

Some experiences are expensive because they’re hard to do well—and paying more often means smaller groups, better guides, better safety, and better access.

Bucket-list “access” splurges include:

• A small-ship polar expedition
• A high-quality safari (the right guides make all the difference)
• A private charter day in an iconic destination

And if you want an “access splurge” that’s both cinematic and surprisingly doable with the right planning, Los Cabos is a great example: you can pair luxury resort time with a boat day—either a yacht-style experience like this Four Seasons luxury yacht option in Cabo, or (even better in winter) plan around nature.

How To Pay For The Splurge Without Blowing Up Your Budget

Two strategies we see smart travelers use constantly:

• The “high-low sandwich”: go budget on the parts you don’t care about, splurge on the one thing you’ll talk about forever.
• Points and miles: some of the wildest “luxury” flights aren’t paid in cash—they’re paid in points (plus taxes/fees).

If you’re only going to splurge once this year, pick the upgrade that fixes your biggest travel pain: sleep, stress, crowds, or logistics. That’s the one you’ll remember.