Defined as pleasurable, elegant and indulgent, the noun ‘luxury’ has become something many are striving to experience, as its perks assure pampering, quality service and for a short time the feeling of being special. With the increasing demand for luxury travel, the advice of luxury travel bloggers has become the ultimate authority. One such blogger is Carmen Edelson, founder of Carmen’s Luxury Travel. While always enjoying luxurious hotels, first-class plane journeys and decadent spa treatments, Carmen is also distinguishing herself from other luxury travel bloggers by redefining what luxury travel means. For Carmen, luxury travel is a trend towards responsible travel which permits travellers to build in-depth experience of local communities, instilling a value voyeurs don’t usually see.

Having spent the first three decades of her life travelling within the USA, Carmen came late to the global travel club and even then, it almost didn’t happen. Deciding at the very last minute to accompany relatives on a journey to Spain, Carmen was introduced to the luxury way of travelling. At this time, she was lucky enough to have been upgraded to transatlantic first-class; seeing first-hand the attentiveness of stewards, the high-quality of food and, more importantly, the large space passengers had to sleep while soaring through the clouds. When asked what impression this left on her, the response was resoundingly positive, sharing that it was in this moment that she realised she had so much of the world left to see. Passion for luxury, determination to experience it all, and an embedded desire to learn more about the planet’s inhabitants have motivated her every day since.

Indeed, Carmen explains that the more she saw of the world, the more she shared on Facebook. At the love and encouragement from her audience to see more luxurious destinations, she was inspired to start a luxury travel blog. It was the sense that she could help and add value to other people’s travels that eventually sold her on the idea, explaining she wanted to “share my experiences with people because if they were going to go, then at least they’d have some form of guidance”.

Taking this to heart, Carmen isn’t shy about highlighting the nitty-gritty work that goes on behind the scenes, revealing that a typical day consists of editing photos and videos, brainstorming for article ideas that best serves her audience, while diligently answering every email and responding to comments. While it is a lot of work and time consuming, Carmen declares “this stuff is really important because the happy experiences shared from people who’ve stayed or been to where I’ve recommended is rewarding”.

Indeed, many consider luxury travel to include spacious leather airplane seats that convert into beds as conscientious stewards provide celebratory glasses of champagne, or all-inclusive resorts where private chefs, butlers and attentive staff make guests the number one priority. These factors play a heavy role in Carmen’s definition of luxury, explaining that it is the experience – where staff go out of their way to take care of guests – that is luxury.

However, Carmen doesn’t just follow this luxury travel trend, she’s now making new ones. She states luxury travel is a 5-star hotel and first-class service, but it is also synonymous with responsible travel. When asked to clarify this definition, Carmen reveals that she perceives luxury travel to be about building an in-depth local experience, going into local communities and becoming one with their livelihood and traditions. Put simply, Carmen is encouraging her devoted followers to no longer be voyeurs but to instead learn about the history and cultures of each travel destination and to travel with the intent of helping and supporting local communities.

Carmen has it right, in that “travelling gives us access to the rest of the world which makes us fortunate”, and so educating people to travel responsibly is a no-brainer for her. Perhaps it’s this notion that luxury travel is acquiring moments of genuine and diversified experiences that are impossible to achieve at home or on the tourist route, that lends a refreshing depth and realism to her luxury travel blog. But it’s much more than creating a new luxury travel trend for Carmen, it is a project close to her heart.

One such passion project is bringing awareness to Yampu Tours. Her aim is to highlight how they offer profound experiences that leave travellers with a newfound knowledge and appreciation of Peru and its natives’ vibrant character and lifestyle. Here, being immersed in natural environs and authentic interactions is unavoidable, as Yampu Tours take travellers on journeys through Peru’s delectable cuisines, varied landscape and distinct and archaic cultures. From introducing their guests to resident artisans and craftsmen, sharing with them meals cooked in traditional styles, and exploring architectural intricacies of its most famous sites, are a few ways Carmen believes Yampu Tours allows travellers to actually live and breathe, rather than just see, Peru.

Carmen herself had many such enriching experiences with Yampu Tours, as she enthusiastically recounts the many small towns outside of Cusco that welcomed her into the community. Here, she was taught about how the local women shave the sheep, dye the wool with certain plants, before boiling and hanging it to dry and then weaving it into blankets and sweaters. This is their source of income and according to Carmen, it is this concentration on cultural, off the beaten path and bespoke experiences that lets travellers return to their homes enriched, having been fully emerged in a new way of life. Luxury travel with the intention of learning about communities is taking travel as a form of escapism to the next level!

Looking to the future, Carmen is already working with the Peru tourism board to come up with ways to help get more tourists there and to raise awareness about the South American history. Not limiting herself to promoting South America, however, Carmen is also selecting to work with and promote brands that are helping communities sustain themselves. Even during the Covid pandemic, Carmen is paving the way for this new definition of luxury travel, by supporting and encouraging others to acknowledge that, if they have the means to do so, they should be supporting their local businesses.

Unsure of where the future lies for luxury travellers, Carmen is waiting and patiently watching for when the time is right to once more breach the boundaries of her front door. First on her bucket list is India. Until then, Carmen continues to use her role as a luxury travel blogger and her Instagram, Facebook and immersive YouTube travel videos to speak out about how luxury travel should be responsible travel. A luxury, responsible travel that should include bespoke and enriching cultural experiences and the intention of helping communities across the globe. This goes some way to explaining why Carmen’s Luxury Travel Blog has been ranked as one of the Top 100 Travel Blogs in the world for her travel inspiration and novel advice.