Luxury travel can involve far more than choosing a hotel or booking a private jet. For Olivia Ferney, a 25-year-old Canadian who grew up in a log cabin, planning high-end trips has offered a close look at how different levels of wealth shape spending habits.
The luxury travel specialist says billionaires can sometimes be easier to serve than millionaires, mainly because they have less concern about the financial impact of an expensive decision.
A Different Client Base
Ferney was named one of TIME’s top digital influencers of the year. She has also built an audience of more than 2 million followers across TikTok and Instagram by recreating unusual travel-related client interactions.
Her experience has led to a clear distinction between wealthy customers. Ferney told The Independent that some millionaires want to spend at billionaire levels but do not have the same financial cushion. That can create buyer’s remorse after a major purchase.
According to Ferney, some clients have spent $300,000 to $400,000 on a yacht and later asked for their money back. She said, “They’ll make up ‘issues’ with the trip to try and get cash back every time.”
She later described the pattern to Fortune Daily’s Ellie Austin as a wealth bell curve. Ferney said the bottom 30% to 40% of clients were “really, really difficult,” the middle group was “a little bit easier,” and the wealthiest customers were “just completely amazing to work with.”
She linked that difference to the lack of financial friction that can come with buyer’s remorse.
A $100,000 Annual Fee
That experience influenced how Ferney’s company, Top Tier Travel, approaches its customer base. The business originally worked more like a traditional travel agency and earned between 8% and 12% on trips.
As Ferney’s social media content attracted wealthier followers, some billionaires began contacting her directly. Top Tier Travel then shifted toward a more selective model with what Ferney described as a “payment gate.”
Clients now pay a $100,000 annual fee and must spend at least $1 million on travel each year. Even among these customers, spending habits vary widely.
Some clients come from families with seven generations of wealth and repeat the same two family trips every year. Others work in crypto and may call after a strong market period to arrange an Ibiza trip where they can spend “a couple million dollars really quickly.”
“I don’t think any two of them have taken the same trip at any point in time,” Ferney said.
Reaching the Next Generation
Ferney’s social media presence has also helped her reach younger members of wealthy families. She said the children of affluent families often discover her videos and then contact her about rare or difficult-to-find items.
Requests have included unique products that are no longer available directly from Hermès, a Chanel bag associated with Cardi B, and even the world’s biggest croissant from Paris.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Olivia Ferney (@travelwithlivii)
Her content also recreates sensitive situations involving wealthy families. One Instagram post showed a fictionalized client interaction about telling a CEO that his son had lost $900,000 gambling on the World Cup.
“These people feel like they’re being heard because they’ve dealt with similar issues, and not everybody understands how to solve those problems, and we’re showing that we can,” Ferney said.
The Great Wealth Transfer
Ferney believes building relationships with younger wealthy clients could matter as older generations begin transferring their assets. She pointed to the projected $124 trillion Great Wealth Transfer from baby boomers.
She said the process will take time and suggested that luxury travel businesses may need time to understand how younger wealthy consumers spend. “We’re going to be ahead of the game because we’re working with a lot of these kids already,” she said.
Ferney’s experience offers a closer look at the different ways wealthy travelers approach luxury spending. Her social media content has also helped her connect with younger members of affluent families, giving her insight into a new generation of high-net-worth consumers.
As the projected $124 trillion Great Wealth Transfer moves forward, younger heirs are expected to play a larger role in luxury spending. For the travel industry, understanding their preferences may become increasingly important as family wealth passes from one generation to the next.
