Unique vacation experiences are becoming increasingly popular among affluent travelers, and destination clubs haven’t failed to capitalize on this. Exclusive Resorts was the first to enter this market with its Once in a Lifetime program, a collection of trips that members could book in lieu of using their alloted nights at a club-owned home. Quintess, LRW followed with its Q Leading Experiences, and now Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club is poised to enter the destination club market and offer its members access to an even larger suite of tours. Ultimate Escapes also has a travel program where members can use up to seven plan nights a year at a collection of hotels in more than 100 cities.

These trips, which include stays at hotels or on cruise ships, rather than club-owned homes, serve to alleviate reservation pressure on a club’s portfolio of homes during the busiest travel seasons. More importantly, the programs signal that destination clubs are moving towards becoming one-stop shops for vacations. Ultimate Escapes even recently partnered with Bruce World Travel, a travel agent that can book vacations for members. With clubs upping their tour offerings, here’s a closer look at three destination clubs and their travel perks.

Exclusive Resorts

Last year, Exclusive Resorts introduced its Once in a Lifetime program that offers a series of ultra high-end tours for members. The club’s tours cater to three distinct traveler groups: families, couples, and adventure seekers.

Available Trips: 15
Travel Highlights: Options include an eight-night trip to Southern Africa with stops in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. The club’s expedition to Antarctica aboard Lindblad Expeditions’ ship, the National Geographic Explorer, is led by two National Geographic-funded penguin researchers.
Maximum Nights for Exchange: No limit.
Extra Charges: All trips have additional daily fees that Exclusive Resorts attributes to the significant additional third-party costs and the fully-inclusive nature of the trips.

Quintess, LRW

Its partnership with the Leading Hotels of the World, provides Quintess members unique travel opportunities outside of the destination club’s portfolio of multi-million dollar residences. Quintess arranges these experiences and handles all of the vacation planning.

Available Programs: Nine
Travel Highlights: A three-night stay in Boston and three-nights at the Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod can accommodate a family of four, while the remaining trips, including five-nights in Halkidiki, Greece and a six-night stay in Lake Garda, Italy are designed for couples.
Maximum Nights for Exchange: Ten
Extra Charges: None, unless a member wants to bring more guests on the trip.

Ultimate Escapes

The second largest destination club, Ultimate Escapes, has a hotel exchange program available for members. Hotels are located in some 44 countries.

Available Programs: More than 130 hotels
Travel Highlights: Offerings include a resort in Siem Riep, Cambodia near the famed Angkor Wat temple, as well a beach resort in Phuket, Thailand. Hotels throughout Europe are also included in the mix.
Maximum Nights for Exchange: Elite and Signature Club members can use up to seven nights
Extra Charges: None

Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club

Since 1962, Abercrombie & Kent has operated high-end tours and safaris. With the brand’s entrance into the destination club market this fall, all of the tours will also be offered to club members. Members can also exchange one plan night for one night at several Stein Hotels in Europe. There is no restriction on the number of nights a member may exchange for a stay in a Stein Hotel.

Available Programs: 350
Travel Highlights: Options include a private cruise to Antarctica, a 12-day safari in East Africa, as well as a nine-day Tanzania trip, which is part of A&K’s newer line of Extreme Expeditions
Maximum Nights for Exchange: 14 nights for founding members and ten nights for non-founding members.
Extra Charges: One night holds a value of up to $1,400, which can be used as credit towards the travel programs. Depending on the trip, a couple may not pay any extra, while a family of four may still need to cover one-half of the tour price.