The Upgrade List: 02
A luggage-maker you should know about, increasing traffic to Antarctica, and the verbification of Airbnb.
It’s been over a week since either of us traveled. Weird opening sentence, we know. Even we’re a little surprised.
But being home brings focus to one of life’s essential truths: distance makes the heart grow fonder. Or in our version: travel gives you an appreciation for home. That appreciation, of course, has a shelf life…and ours is nearing the expiration date. Good thing we have flights on the books very soon.
In the meantime, please enjoy this week’s Upgrade List. We’re bringing in a little bit of gear talk (do you want more of that?), sharing some thoughts on travel in Antarctica, and questioning whether Airbnb can pull off its ambitious extension into anything and everything.
Thanks, as always, for reading!
GLOBE-TROTTER LUGGAGE
The luggage market feels more homogeneous than ever. It’s something that probably deserves a dedicated newsletter to fully unpack, but today, we’re simply putting you on one maker that stands apart from the rest. In our recent IG video breaking down the brand, we put it plainly that Globe-Trotter luggage truly exists outside the “sea of sameness” that is the luggage world. And we believe that’s really worth something!
We could keep the argument to the product alone. It’s very good—each piece built by hand with unique materials in a factory in the UK. We could talk about the historic figures that carried Globe-Trotter over its 127 years of history—like Queen Elizabeth II or Sir Edmund Hillary (the first man to conquer Everest). But how the brand really captured our attention was a stroke of marketing genius from over 100 years ago…
The 'Elephant Test' was an experiment performed at the Zoological Garden of Hamburg in the early 20th century. An elephant was persuaded to stand atop a Globe-Trotter case to test the extremes of its strength—and the trunk held strong! The resulting advertisement landed in the company’s 1912-13 catalogue: a resounding testament to the durability of the product.
You know we’ve always loved vintage advertisements from the golden age of travel. This one pre-dates them all and really makes us smile. And the message still holds up today: if an elephant can trust it to hold up, you can trust it with your travel chaos. Pick one up here if you’re into it!
ANTARCTICA VISITS DATA
We were just invited to set sail in Antarctica later this year with a major luxury cruise line [clue: alliteration]. Adam has visited the white continent before, back in 2023, and it’s been high on my list as well—especially after hearing tales of the harrowing Drake Passage crossing. And who wouldn’t want that story to tell? But it also made us curious about the pace with which broader tourism & cruising to Antarctica are increasing…so we inquired about the figures.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) was kind enough to share with us its total visitor numbers over the last ~decade, which you can take a peek at below. The numbers are broken down by “Landed” (passengers on vessels carrying less than 500 passengers that make landings on the continent) and “Cruise Only” (passengers on vessels carrying 501+ passengers that do scenic cruising only, no landings).
The growth is staggering. A ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ destination has become more than three times (3x) more likely in under ten years. But with that said, Antarctica is still remote. In our experience, the growth in access hasn’t impacted the grandeur of being in one of the most remote places on earth. You’re still unlikely to see another ship! Those who travel to Antarctica are stewards of the land that come home with an even greater appreciation for the planet. So may the trend continue—for now.
AIRBNB’S SUMMER RELEASE
Airbnb recently announced a major expansion. So major it could be called a reinvention. This month, it will start the first stage of launching Airbnb Services (think Catering, Photography, Spa) and Airbnb Experiences (think museums and food tours hosted by locals). The initial rollout will include offerings from over 10,000 vendors across 30 countries, all bookable through the platform. Airbnb leadership is touting the expansion as a first step toward owning all elements of the travel experience—like some kind of super-concierge.
“Airbnb is very profitable. We’ve kind of, mostly, nailed vacation rentals. But we can do more.” – CEO Brian Chesky
But is more…better?
The majority of travelers that we speak to are hotel people. It’s not that going with an Airbnb isn’t a better option from time to time—it’s that it represents an obvious unpredictability in the travel experience (we have stories for another time!). In our view, the unpredictability pain point will only be exacerbated in the realm of services and experiences: people-centric offerings rather than products.
It’s easy to see why Chesky has fallen in love with the goal of verbify-ing Airbnb and extending the platform. But actually pulling it off is a tall order. We’ll stick with our beloved hotel stays for now.
That’s all for today. If you made it this far—we sincerely thank you for your support. Drop us a note in the comments and say hello (we read every one!). And if you’re into this kind of thing, give it a heart so others know it’s worth a read.
As always, smooth skies to the lot of you!
Damn, for some reason, my mind has never gone to Globe-Trotter as a carry-on suitcase, but that thing looks NOICE.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/07/antarctica-tourism-overcrowding-environmental-threat/674600/
Antarctica is an exclusivity driven travel which is as harmful to the land as it gets. Folks come back home, brag about it and send more tourists its way. No stewardship. Just vibes of stewardship in thoughts and prayers.