Life\u2019s luxuries may make sense for most on\u00a0your list, but there\u2019s always one person who seems impossible to please. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve tossed the budget in search of\u00a0the most rarefied experiences and exotic goods.<\/p>\n
Consider these 10 items your best chance\u00a0at finding the upper hand in any gift exchange.<\/p>\n
A Utopian Vision of Mars<\/strong><\/p>\n Elon Musk can\u2019t have all the Martian fun. As the P.T. Barnum of Futurism\u00a0whips up excitement for sending\u00a0SpaceX colonists to the Red Planet by 2024\u00a0(and shooting his midnight-cherry\u00a0Tesla Roadster into orbit), your billionaire can take a more contemplative approach with a historic globe that imagines what life is like out there:\u00a0\u201cMars efter Lowell\u2019s Glober 1894-1914.\u201d<\/p>\n The hand-inked and -colored manuscript orb was made by Emmy Ingeborg Brun, a Danish socialist and astronomer, from mistranslated drawings by Giovanni Schiaparelli that interpreted \u201ccanali\u201d (natural channels) as man-made canals, evidence of a now-dying Martian population. In those lines, Brun saw evidence of a cooperative society and promoted Mars as a potential site for a socialist Utopia (not so unlike today\u2019s\u00a0space race).<\/p>\n To spread the gospel, she started sending\u00a0copies of the globe to museums and academic institutions around the world; only eight, including this one, have endured. The varnished, papier m\u00e2ch\u00e9 globe comes on a bronze base inscribed with the words \u201cFree Land. Free Trade. Free Men.\u201d It\u00a0would make a handsome mantelpiece item for\u00a0any earthbound corner office.<\/p>\n Cost: $81,000 (R1 million).<\/strong><\/p>\n An Expedition to the North Pole<\/strong><\/p>\n Naughty or nice is beside the point when you can skip the letter to Santa and go straight to the source instead. For those short on time, there\u2019s a\u00a0three-day helicopter flyover (from $20,995); for those long on insanity, the North Pole Marathon will take place on April 9, 2018 (entry fee:\u00a016,000 pounds).<\/p>\n For everyone else, Quark Expeditions offers two-week, all-inclusive trips\u00a0aboard a Russian, nuclear-powered icebreaker to the geographic North Pole. (True magnetic north is a different\u00a0point that\u00a0constantly wanders and is\u00a0best left for\u00a0the on-board scientists to explain.)<\/p>\n What to expect? Blissful days unplugged from the internet, 24-hour sunshine, the surreal seascapes of Franz Josef Land, an occasional, helicopter-borne scouting mission, and the chance to spot polar bears, walruses, seals, and\u00a0whales. Daily lectures by marine biologists, climatologists, and glaciologists will address the\u00a0region\u2019s essence. Once at 90\u00b0N\u2014there\u2019s no land here, just forever shifting, meters-thick sea ice\u2014Quark will arrange\u00a0a barbeque, Champagne toast, and (weather\u00a0permitting)\u00a0a hot-air balloon ride.<\/p>\n The truly brave can even dunk in the frigid water. Sure, accommodations aren\u2019t luxe (book the Arktika Suite), but that\u2019s kind of the point:\u00a0to walk away feeling less like a tourist and more like an accomplished adventurer. It\u2019s one thing to say you\u2019re on top of the world, but fewer than 700 people annually can claim literally to have\u00a0been there.<\/p>\n Cost: $46,900 (R634,000) per person, with transfer package.<\/strong><\/p>\n An Animal-Relocation Safari<\/strong><\/p>\n Animal conservation is a delicate dance that can fall victim to\u00a0its own success: Too many elephants or rhinos in one area, and they eat all the plants; a juvenile lion kicked out of the pride is going to have a rough and bloody bachelor life, unless he has space to roam. Luckily, this is a problem money most definitely solves.<\/p>\n Charity Travel services travelers who yearn\u00a0to go beyond Africa\u2019s traditional, twice-daily game drives by matching them up with conservation organizations (Wildlife ACT, African Parks) that need funding to\u00a0move endangered species out of overpopulated game reserves. Nobody is going to move a lion because a billionaire says so, but with enough notice (ideally a year) and Mother Nature\u2019s blessing, guests can help out, getting up\u00a0close\u00a0and\u00a0personal with the sleeping beastie while snagging a supreme selfie in the process. Rhino de-horning and wild-dog-collaring expeditions are also available\u2014often on the same trip.<\/p>\n Cost: Six-night safaris, from $50,000 (R676,545) per person for lion relocations, $100,000 (R1.35 million) per person for rhinos, and upwards of $500,000 (R6.7 million) for elephants. (You have to move the whole herd.)\u00a0Fees cover the entirety of moving the animal (e.g., helicopters, tranquilizer darts, veterinarians) as well as all-inclusive lodges, ground, and air transfers arranged via the region\u2019s best high-end outfitters.<\/strong><\/p>\n A Watch Worn by a Legend<\/strong><\/p>\n Unless you\u2019re the anonymous bidder who bought\u00a0Paul Newman\u2019s actual Paul Newman Daytona Rolex for $17.8 million, Christie\u2019s has a few choice lots left in its\u00a0Evening of Exceptional Watches. For men, nothing says swagger quite like\u00a0Joe DiMaggio\u2019s Patek Philippe ref. 130. The baseball legend acquired the 33mm, 18-carat gold chronograph in 1948. It\u2019s still in fantastic condition, from its silvered, Breguet numerals\u00a0to the original leather strap\u00a0DiMaggio\u00a0wore\u00a0around his wrist.<\/p>\n The ladies in your life can be\u00a0equally well-served at this auction. There\u2019s a\u00a0diamond-encrusted Gruen that belonged to jazz singer Billie Holiday during a pivotal moment of her career\u00a0headlining at\u00a0Caf\u00e9 Society. An inscription reads \u201cTo Billie From David, 1938\u201d on the back of the 11mm case;\u00a0David\u2019s identity\u00a0is\u00a0a mystery. Also inscribed\u00a0is a Cresarrow silver travel watch with gold numerals and a Tiffany & Co. logo on a cream dial;\u00a0British aviator Amy Johnson gave it to Amelia Earhart circa 1932 after Earhart\u2019s history-making solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. \u201cTo Amelia, In Sincere Admiration, Amy\u201d\u2014the sentiment might as well land on\u00a0whomever receives it.<\/p>\n Cost: High estimates range from $300,000 (R4 million) for the DiMaggio to $18,000 (R243,000) for the Holiday and $120,000 R(1.6 million) for the Earhart.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Ultimate Olympic VIP Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n What\u2019s harder?\u00a0Becoming an Olympic athlete or becoming a billionaire? Tough to say, but certainly the former is more difficult without the latter, as American athletes competing their way up the ladder receive no federal funding for training or coaching (unlike peers in\u00a0most of the rest of the world). They need corporate and individual sponsors to make medals happen.<\/p>\n In that light, the\u00a0Champions Club trip to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, is a feel-good gift for the super-rich ski\u00a0and snowboard patriots in your life. In return for their support of the U.S. team, they\u2019ll be ensconced in white-glove luxury (from meals to hotels), provided VIP credentials, and invited to private victory celebrations with triumphant American athletes just hours after they\u2019ve stepped off the podium. Two possible waves keep the trip intimate: Feb. 8\u201317 includes the opening ceremonies; Feb. 17-26 wraps the Games up.<\/p>\n Cost: For two people, a minimum $250,000 (R3.4 million) donation, plus an additional $90,000 (R1.2 million) for travel expenses. If your billionaire can\u2019t make it to PyeongChang, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is running a World Championship trip to \u00c5re, Sweden,\u00a0(2019)\u00a0and is already talking to donors about Beijing 2022.<\/strong><\/p>\n An Aston Martin Submarine<\/strong><\/p>\n Billionaires aren\u2019t immune to ennui. After popping the umpteenth bottle of bubbly in the Jacuzzi, sailing up and down the Cote d\u2019Azur can get so \u2026 typical.<\/p>\n That is, until they take their Aston Martin submarine for a spin.\u00a0Codenamed \u201cProject Neptune,\u201d the three-person vehicle is the fruit of a collaboration with Florida-based Triton Submarines LLC, a leader in luxury submersibles.<\/p>\n Silver, blade-like pontoons give the vessel\u00a0a silhouette that a Bond villain could\u00a0appreciate, while the air-conditioned\u00a0acrylic bubble of a cabin allows unfettered views of underwater domains down to 1,650 feet.\u00a0The 5.9-foot-tall sub weighs just over 4 tons and can cruise at 3 knots, or 3.5 miles an hour.\u00a0Deliveries start next year.<\/p>\n Cost: $4 million (R54 million)<\/strong><\/p>\n Their Name in Lights<\/strong><\/p>\n While nothing says \u201cI\u2019ve made it\u201d quite like 10\u00a0figures in the bank,\u00a0having your billionaire\u2019s name emblazoned on the side of the local baseball stadium certainly states the case. Right now, the home parks for the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, and Seattle Mariners are all\u00a0up for grabs, while the Los Angeles Dodgers are soliciting offers for just\u00a0the stadium\u2019s\u00a0grass and dirt. Terms can run into\u00a0decades and\u00a0cost millions (the Mariners, for instance, are seeking upwards of\u00a0$5 million per season), so you may want to double-check their\u00a0fan interests.<\/p>\n Less controversial\u2014barring any\u00a0billionaire infighting\u2014is to sponsor a collection or exhibit in the\u00a0American Museum of Natural History in New York. The Philadelphia Museum of Art also offers opportunities\u00a0for shouting a permanent \u201cAdrian!\u201d via naming rights to specific galleries in its landmark building; prices start at $500,000 and proceed\u00a0to $75 million, according to location, size, and visibility. Endowments to name staff positions begin at $750,000.<\/p>\n Cost: A pretty penny. But if you want to cheap out,\u00a0trees in the MoMA sculpture garden start at $5,000 (R68,000); a bench in Las Vegas\u2019s Mob Museum fetches $15,000 (R203,000).<\/strong><\/p>\n A Private Island for the Apocalypse<\/strong><\/p>\n In an uncertain world, everybody could use a good escape plan. And if a $14 million, bunker-ready home in Atlanta (stocked with buckets of dehydrated chili mac)\u00a0is a bit too close to home, there\u2019s always New Zealand. The isolated South Pacific nation is already a\u00a0popular bolthole for the mega-rich to hedge their bets should the U.S. or Europe start to go belly-up\u2014Jack Ma, Peter Thiel, Alexander Ambramov, and hedge-fund pioneer Julian Robertson have all reportedly put down for multimillion-dollar hideaways in the Kiwi countryside.<\/p>\n Still, for your billionaire, only the best:\u00a0Pakatoa,\u00a0a 59-acre private island in the Hauraki Gulf, just a 15-minute helicopter ride from Auckland. The facilities that remain from Pakatoa\u2019s previous life as a holiday resort (1965-2000) may be \u201cextremely tired,\u201d\u00a0but the whole complex has\u00a0a certain vintage, Lost-like appeal: tennis courts, a bowling green, nine-hole golf course, solarium, and swimming pool, plus enough outbuildings to accommodate\u00a0an extended clan. The temperate, sunny weather in this region of the North Island makes for prime yachting, too, with a deepwater dock at the ready.<\/p>\n Cost: $24 million (R324 million), and buyers could qualify for New Zealand residency as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n An Iconic Automobile<\/strong><\/p>\n Time may be the ultimate luxury\u2014something to be savored, once you\u2019ve achieved major success\u2014but you\u2019d never know it from today\u2019s endless pursuit of the\u00a0shortest sprint times,\u00a0highest top speed, and most extreme, seven-figure supercars. A vintage Ferrari, counterintuitively, may be just the ticket to remind your billionaire to slow down.<\/p>\n On sale\u00a0at RM Sotheby\u2019s Icons auction in Manhattan, this\u00a01961 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II (chassis 3009 GT) by acclaimed designer Pininfarina is the epitome of a classic touring Ferrari. Its luscious curves and high-revving, vociferous V12 don\u2019t mind making themselves known, but they also nod toward\u00a0a more languorous life, saying \u201cI\u2019ve got this\u201d to whatever may be round the bend. Fully restored, with dark Grigio Ortello paint and a tan-leather interior, and with only 600 miles since the restoration, it\u2019s a concours- or rally-ready addition to any blue\u00a0chip collection.<\/p>\n Cost: Estimated at $1.5 million (R20 million) to $1.8 million (R24 million).<\/strong><\/p>\n One\u2019s Very Own Cask of Scotch<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t get us wrong, giving a four-figure bottle of booze\u00a0makes\u00a0a nice gesture. But 600-some bottles of the stuff? Not even your snobbiest, Scotch-loving friends should scoff at that. With offices in Edinburgh and Singapore,\u00a0Cask 88 sources a selection of primary- and secondary-market casks from brand-name distilleries (Macallan, Dalmore, Bowmore, Laphroaig) as well as since-closed producers with cult cachet (Rosebank, Port Ellen) to sell as\u00a0alternative assets or passion projects.<\/p>\n Each cask is unique, and samples are available: Does\u00a0she or he\u00a0prefer the heathery spice of the Highlands, the smooth approachability of Lowland-style, the fruit notes in a Speyside single malt, or an Islay peat bomb? All casks are stored in bonded warehouses, often at the original distillery, and that\u2019s when the fun begins.\u00a0The Cask 88 team provides expert guidance on maturation (including re-casking to a new finish), advises when it\u2019s time to bottle (or sell), designs bespoke packaging, and can\u00a0arrange visits to the \u2018Precious\u2019 through the years.<\/p>\n Cost: Varies widely.<\/strong> A five-year-old, second-fill bourbon barrel of Craigellachie (61.3%\u00a0alcohol by volume, 109 liters\/approximately\u00a0255 bottles) can be had for a mere \u00a33,825, while a 25-year-old sherry hogshead of Bowmore (45\u00a0percent\u00a0ABV, 57.5 liters\/approximately\u00a0182 bottles) runs \u00a3323,960. Storage itself is rather cheap:\u00a0about \u00a3500 for every 10 years of maturation.<\/p>\n
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