The Million-Dollar Holiday: Inside the World of Ultra-Luxury Travel
Imagine having a cool million quid burning a hole in your pocket, solely for a holiday. What would that kind of astronomical sum actually buy you? Apparently, it gets you the keys to a beachfront villa in Ibiza with views that stretch endlessly across the shimmering sea. But that’s just the starting point. Your package could include exclusive day trips on a superyacht, VIP access to the island’s most exclusive nightclubs, and a round-the-clock team of private chefs, bodyguards, masseuses, and chauffeurs. You could even have a medical professional on standby, ready to administer IV drips and potent hangover cures before you’ve even had your morning coffee.
For 26-year-old Doménique Wissink, this level of opulence is simply a typical week in his line of work. As the founder of the high-end travel agency, Extra Ibiza, Doménique specialises in crafting bespoke, extravagant getaways and day trips for the world’s elite. His clientele reads like a who’s who of the privileged: Premier League footballers, reality television stars, social media influencers, influential politicians, and Hollywood A-listers.
While Ibiza, Mallorca, and Dubai are his usual stomping grounds, Doménique’s reach is global. If a client suddenly fancies a helicopter ride over the Swiss Alps, he can arrange it within ten minutes. Need a similar experience in Miami? That’ll take about half an hour. In his four years orchestrating holidays for the rich and famous, this Dutch-born entrepreneur has encountered every conceivable request.
When Plans Go Wild
Doménique recounted one memorable instance: “We had a group flying into Ibiza who had spent tens of thousands on a beautiful villa nestled in the countryside,” he recalled. “The initial plan was all about daily massages, healthy eating, and pure relaxation. But the moment they landed, their mood shifted entirely towards partying. So, they ended up booking eight five-star hotel rooms instead, leaving the villa completely empty.”
The Extraordinary Demands of the Ultra-Wealthy
The requests Doménique fields are often beyond the realm of ordinary imagination. He’s been asked to source “little people” to act as waiters and bodyguards – a request he declined. There was the client who offered a generous €200 for someone to urgently fetch forgotten toothpaste. Then there was the guest who was flown onto a superyacht purely to capture a champagne-soaked photograph during lunch, only to be whisked away by helicopter an hour later.
Some clients order as many as 500 bottles of high-end champagne for a group of ten, while others seek in-villa cryotherapy chambers or even private tattoo artists. One particularly unusual request involved providing €100,000 in cash – a demand Doménique legally had to refuse.
“The ultra-high-net-worth individuals will book club tables costing anywhere between €20,000 and €100,000 for a day, evening, or night session,” Doménique explained during a Zoom call from his home in Malaga. “And then, on the day itself, they might decide they don’t actually want them. They’re not particularly concerned about forfeiting their 50% deposit.”
Social Media Dreams and Meticulous Itineraries
A significant number of clients aim to replicate the extravagant holidays they’ve seen splashed across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. They desire the same floral arrangements, the same restaurant bookings, and even the same distinctive swings hanging off the side of a yacht. In stark contrast, some clients, particularly those in the tech industry, insist on meticulously detailed itineraries.
“They want absolutely everything planned out – down to the precise moment they have their first beer, what they’re going to eat, and how healthy it needs to be,” Doménique elaborated. “They calculate exactly how intoxicated they can become while still ensuring they feel good the following day. They find a sense of peace and control in such structure.”
Privacy vs. Publicity
Privacy is a non-negotiable for the majority of his clients. However, there are also B-list celebrities who specifically request camera crews to follow their every move, meticulously documenting their indulgent experiences for their online followers.
Then there are the wealthy teenagers and rising young sports stars, embarking on their first solo holidays. Their parents remain on standby, ready to authorise sums as high as €80,000 for a nightclub table at a moment’s notice.
A Staggering Scale of Waste
Doménique is quick to point out that most of his clients are polite and hardworking individuals. Nevertheless, he has witnessed a staggering amount of waste – spending so excessive it could genuinely transform lives elsewhere. He’s seen clients spend enough in a single night to cover an entire year’s salary for one of his staff members, and witnessed villas left in ruins after wild parties.
“It really bothers me when people smash windows, tear down curtains, and then just leave,” he admitted. This is precisely why he trusts his intuition when taking on bookings. Some properties, he explained, need to be “hufter-proof” – a Dutch term that loosely translates to “arsehole-proof.” These might be stunning villas, but equipped with replaceable Ikea furniture and artificial grass rather than immaculate lawns. As he put it, “We’ve seen the craziest things. People will literally drive their cars over the garden.” Nothing, it seems, can shock him anymore.
Psychological Profiling and Ethical Boundaries
Doménique relies on psychological profiling to match his clients with their ideal holidays, promising them “experiences they didn’t even know they wanted.” However, just because something is requested, it doesn’t mean he’ll deliver. “Shopping lists of drugs,” for instance, are strictly off-limits.
“I have no desire to be an enabler of their darkest needs,” Doménique stated firmly. “We receive requests to bring women in, and we do not support that. We also do not facilitate drug use.”
“Beyond that, we’ll do almost anything – from booking a famous DJ for a villa’s private basement nightclub to rehoming a stray cat that an influencer befriended and didn’t want to leave behind.” In one instance, a guest rented an entire villa for his birthday but lacked local friends to invite. Doménique stepped in, sourcing and thoroughly vetting the party guests himself.
A Personal Journey Through Addiction and Recovery
Despite orchestrating a lifestyle centred around hedonism, Doménique’s own relationship with excess has been complex. He began experimenting with alcohol and cannabis at the age of 14, achieving sobriety by 17. However, he relapsed during his university years, spending subsequent years as what he describes as a “functioning addict.”
“I had a good time, but underlying addiction always comes with underlying mental health issues,” he reflected. “When COVID-19 hit, things took a serious turn. I was working alone, and it was a slippery slope. I lost myself. I wouldn’t drink during the day; I was sober for meetings and work. Then, at six o’clock, it would be wine and beer, followed by stimulants until the early hours.”
This pattern continued until 2023, when his girlfriend of nine years and Extra Ibiza co-founder, Jiel, announced she was leaving him, stating, “there was no joy anymore.”
“She told me I was never present – always away, working, tired, or drunk,” he recalled. “And I was physically unwell – constantly feeling like I had the flu. I knew I had to stop. I was in a car park somewhere when I just made the decision to quit.”
Jiel departed, but just 24 hours later, both Doménique and Jiel found themselves unexpectedly made redundant from their marketing jobs. This presented them with a critical decision. Living in Switzerland at the time, they opted to give their relationship another chance and relocated to Spain, providing Doménique with the environment he needed to get sober. With only three suitcases filled with their belongings, they left everything else behind. They spent months recovering and rebuilding their fractured relationship on the beach.
“At that point, I rediscovered that life was worth living,” Doménique shared. “We had sunshine in our lives, were finding joy again, connecting with healthy friends, and enjoying wholesome food. When our funds dwindled, we knew we had to do something to get back on our feet. That’s when we conceived the idea for Extra Ibiza and established the company.”
The couple are now planning a move to Ibiza, and Doménique believes it will be easy to maintain his sobriety there. Both his NA and AA sponsors reside on the island, and despite its reputation as a party destination, Ibiza also actively promotes a clean-living lifestyle.
“I was enjoying myself by destroying myself,” Doménique stated candidly. “So, I understand the allure of that lifestyle, which, in turn, helps me connect with my clients. My priority is the safety of both my clients and my staff. Sometimes, I have to gently advise a guest to perhaps slow down for the night.”
Beyond the Billionaires: Catering to the Hard-Working Class
It’s not exclusively the ultra-wealthy who book through Doménique. He also organises group trips for what he terms the “hard-working class” – individuals like builders, carpenters, and lorry drivers who pool their resources to spend around €40,000 on a week-long sun-drenched holiday.
“They work incredibly hard and save diligently for these trips. And their excitement is palpable,” he said. “I genuinely love chatting with them because they are so humble.”
Despite the glamorous veneer of his profession, Doménique’s own days are far more about computer screens than champagne flutes. He typically starts his workday at 6 am and often responds to WhatsApp calls well into the early hours of the morning. He has little interest in designer clothing, doesn’t collect luxury watches, and doesn’t own a flashy car. He does, however, admit to appreciating the occasional complimentary Michelin-starred meal – a pleasant perk of the job.
“I never pursued this solely for the money,” he concluded. “There’s something pure about it. It’s creative. It energises me. It’s fun, and I absolutely love it.”
