Why Super Yachts Are the New Luxury All-Inclusive

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The Gatsby super yacht in Stabia, Italy. Photo credit: Kim Orlando

The writer was hosted.

If you’ve already checked the boxes on five-star resorts, private villas, and first-class cruises, it’s time to look toward the luxury travel option: a chartered super yacht.

For travelers who value experiences over itineraries and privacy over crowds, a super yacht offers something different: a fully customized, all-inclusive escape where every detail – from chef-prepared meals to private excursions – is tailored to your preferences.

According to luxury travel network Virtuoso, demand for private yacht charters has surged more than 50 percent since 2021, fueled by travelers seeking privacy and personalization. HELM, the charter brokerage company that hosted my husband and I along with a group of writers, reports record bookings every year since 2022.

Five Destinations, No Repacking

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Twilight view of the boats along the Amalfi coast. Photo credit: Kim Orlando

Being HELM’s guest on the Gatsby, a private super yacht that sailed Italy’s Amalfi Coast, completely changed how I think about luxury and all-inclusive experiences.

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What I Loved

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My cabin on the Gatsby with king bed surrounded by windows. Photo credit: HELM.
  • No unpacking and repacking. My husband and I settled into our stateroom once and woke up in a new destination each day: Stabia, Amalfi, Positano, Capri, Naples.
  • Everything was handled. Helm provided airport transfers, custom excursions (including hiking Path of the Gods), crew, water toys, gourmet meals and honored dietary preferences.
  • Stress-free mornings. No tour buses at 7am. No luggage-lugging. No checkout lines.
  • Morning coffee chats, solo sunbathing, impromptu hat games (literally called HAT), and sunset cocktails on the upper deck all happen naturally.
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My private deck aboard the Gatsby super yacht. Photo credit: HELM.

Why It Works for Families and Groups

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Large living room with seats for 10 in the Gatsby super yacht. Photo credit: Kim Orlando

Traveling with adult kids or close friends is a luxury in itself. Schedules are hard to coordinate.  A super yacht creates space for connection, without forcing it. On a super yacht, you’re not just traveling together, you’re being together.

There are limited distractions, plenty of open sea, and no agenda. You’re all off-grid with just enough time together and room to retreat when you need it.  

Some of our favorite moments were the unplanned ones like dinghy rides through Capri’s Faraglioni arches, spontaneous swims, or a granita stop at Il Chiosco del Sentiero degli Dei in Nocella along our Path of the Gods hike.

Custom Meals, Chef Included

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Charcuterie and fresh fruit spread on the deck of the Gatsby super yacht. Photo credit: Kim Orlando

All meals were made fresh by the onboard chef and tailored to the preferences our host selected.

Highlights:

  • Grilled salmon, aged Italian beef, fresh figs, and stunning cheese boards.
  • No buffets or dining reservations.
  • Meals served wherever we wanted—dining room, upper deck, or poolside.

SheBuysTravel Tip: Ask for regional Italian dishes when booking. Our meals were more continental than local.

The Gatsby: A Floating Boutique Hotel

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Espresso Martini with Amalfi coast as backdrop aboard the Gatsby super yacht. Photo credit: Kim Orlando

This yacht lives up to its name with sleek interiors, open sun decks and multiple lounging areas that offer sun or shade, fresh breezes or A/C.

Amenities included:

  • Paddleboards and two seabobs for water adventures.
  • Plush beach towels.
  • Spacious cabins with private baths and room to breathe.
  • Full crew.  Professional, warm, and genuinely invested in making the trip memorable, the crew also had good recommendations for excursions and restaurants for each stop
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Rome and Kim Orlando in Amalfi, the first stop on the Gatsby cruise. Photo credit: Kim Orlando

Click here to learn more about how much it costs and how easy and customizable it is to book a luxury yacht through HELM.

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Kim Orlando, founder of SheBuysTravel, is a lifelong traveler, an entrepreneur and a sought-after social media and marketing consultant. She has made hundreds of appearances on TV and in digital and print media, sharing advice and tips built on decades of travel experiences. Hailing from the hills of Kentucky and taking her story to New York, Los Angeles, and beyond, Kim built an online platform, the original TravelingMom, that has reached millions of moms and empowered them to explore the world with their families. Today, TravelingMom has evolved into SheBuysTravel. Kim has been featured on “News Nation,” “Today,” “Good Morning America” and on numerous satellite media tours. She has contributed travel guidance to outlets including The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and more. (Read more about Kim’s media appearances here) Her travel mantra is simple: All travel counts. “You don’t have to go far. Leaving your home is travel,” Kim says. “Wherever you go, even just to the next town over, you can learn something new, see someone and something you haven’t seen before. “It’s good for the brain and good for the soul.” An epiphany in early parenthood started Kim on the journey that led to SheBuysTravel. She’d been a fan of a newsletter for women travelers, and she saw an opportunity. “I thought something like that for moms could be extraordinarily helpful,” she said. “I was traveling for work, traveling for fun, and I was looking for support.” That seed grew into the award-winning website TravelingMom, created as a resource for traveling families of all stripes. Today, TravelingMom has evolved into SheBuysTravel, with an expanded mission to serve women travelers at any stage of life. Millions of readers have visited the site for trip planning help, travel secrets, destination information and gear recommendations. What sets SheBuysTravel’s content apart, Kim says, is its foundation in real-world experience. “Our writers and editors have actually gone out there and done this stuff,” she says. “They’ve booked the flights, tried the tour, tested travel clothing, visited that new hot spot to see if it’s worth the hype. It’s all real.” Memorable Adventures A 2022 tour Kim guided to Bhutan was a particularly standout experience. “Bhutan sounds so exotic, of course,” she said. “But the part where my heart just glows and warms is thinking of the people we met – amazing women doing amazing things in Bhutan.” Their ranks included a former police officer whose ventures into food science helped mitigate food insecurity for residents of Bhutan’s highlands. Top Tips Planning for travel can be daunting, Kim acknowledges. “I always say: Go anyway. No trip is going to be perfect. There’s always going to be something you didn’t expect, something that doesn’t go the way you pictured or planned it. And that something is what’s going to make it a great trip.” And on a practical note: “Go early! Getting to the airport or hitting the road just an hour earlier relieves so much stress.” Kim’s Background Kim, a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, holds degrees in finance and entrepreneurship and has deep experience in developing and running businesses. Her previous work includes developing and running communications workshops and overseeing document management for corporations. SheBuysTravel hits a sweet spot where Kim’s two loves of travel and entrepreneurship meet. “The longer I work in this field, I only want to do more,” she says. “I find the travel world so exciting – not just the trips, but the whole online world of travel. There are still so many opportunities.” The World Awaits “The ‘best trip ever’ probably won’t be the same for an empty-nester or mom of three versus a single woman celebrating a bachelorette party with her friends,” Kim says. “We want to keep it real for traveling women, no matter what their age, life stage, where they came from or where they’re going. “We want to inspire women to travel in any shape or form.” In her free time, Kim enjoys visiting her adult kids, creating trips and traveling with her BFFs to explore the world. Her most recent adventures can be found on InstagramFacebook and LinkedIn.
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