We’ve scoured the internet for ten of the most unusual modes of travel that money can buy (either now or in the not-too-distant future), and ranked them in order of price.
10. Hoverboard (concept)
While it’s clear by now that Marty McFly’s 2015 must have been on an alternate timeline, hoverboards are actually possible on our own. In fact, it was in 2015—our 2015—that Lexus advertised the SLIDE, a bamboo and carbon fiber floating skateboard. In a 37-second viral teaser video, we saw a real-life hoverboard hovering inches above the ground.
Ok, so it was only a prototype concept, but the technology does exist. Maglev trains have depended upon it for more than a hundred years. The trick is a magnetic surface. A Kickstarter campaign in 2014, for the Hendo hoverboard, also used magnets to levitate. But the Lexus SLIDE has a superconductor and can hover on magnets in concrete. And while we don’t have magnets in concrete as standard, you could build your own hoverboard skate park. How much it’ll set you back isn’t really clear, but it’s probably the least on this list.
The only downsides are the 11.5kg weight and the need to top up the liquid nitrogen coolant every 10 minutes or so. On the other hand, that liquid nitrogen does emit some cool-looking vapors from the board.
9. Tron Lightcycle
Being virtual reality, the Tron Lightcycle has been possible for a long time. But only recently has it been rendered in the meatspace. Well, kind of.
Don’t expect to leave any light walls like a real-life game of Snake, or to ride at speed, but do expect to be the envy of any Tron fans you pass. Built by Parker Brothers Concepts, it’s a spectacularly faithful carbon fiber and fiberglass replica with dual hubless wheels and plenty of lights. There’s even a Tron helmet included in the $35,000-55,000 price tag (though no spandex jumpsuit).
Like Tron itself, the Lightcycle has spawned two generations. The first, of which only five were ever made (in five different colors), was gas-powered, while the second is all-electric.
8. Hoverbike
Channeling Star Wars, the Aero-X hoverbike crosses pretty much any terrain without slowing down—although 45 miles per hour doesn’t leave much to slow down to. Powered by two horizontal propellers, it’s really just a hovercraft the size of a car but it looks and feels like a bike. It also reaches heights of up to 20 feet. The company behind it, Los Angeles-based Aerofex, calls it a “crossover vehicle.”
As for who might want one at $85,000, they vaguely suggested ranchers, emergency services, and border patrols. Let’s face it, though; this is a toy for the rich.
Although there’s an emphasis on minimizing noise, emissions might be a problem. To avoid the propeller blades seizing, Aerofex installed a rotary engine instead of a conventional piston one. But, as the car manufacturer Mazda learned the hard way, rotary engines are hard to make clean and efficient.
7. Jetpack
Although still in their infancy, jetpacks (and jet suits and belts) are very much here. It’s just that you can’t afford one. In 2015, the CEO of JetPack Aviation zipped around the Statue of Liberty with a jetpack capable of reaching 10,000 feet a speed of 55 knots. The company’s newer model, the JB-10, almost doubles that ceiling and speed. But many other companies are at it, with some offering full customization. Wearable jets are also being tested by the military and emergency services—no pilot’s licence required.
Prices are in the hundreds of thousands. Mexico-based TAM, for example, sells a “rocket belt” for a quarter of a million dollars, while UK-based Gravity Industries has an Iron Man style jet suit for £380,000 (almost half a million dollars).
Don’t get too envious, though. This is one of those rare occasions where the rich serve as guinea pigs for the rest of us, trialing a piece of technology that’s still pretty deadly. It’s easy to forget what a jetpack is: “a jet engine strapped to your back”. There’s plenty of room for things to go wrong, which is why pilots still have to wear tethers. Flight time is also disappointing—typically just seconds or minutes.
6. Flying Car
There’s a reason flying cars haven’t taken off. Unfortunately, the compromises involved in merging roadworthiness and airworthiness result in barely accomplishing either—and they typically cost more than a plane and a car combined. But that doesn’t mean you can’t buy one.
In 2023, the FAA approved Alef Auronautics’ Model A for testing. Although it’s just the latest in a decades-long tradition (of flops, mostly), it is, say the makers, the first flying vehicle to actually drive like a car. A very slow car, that is, with a top speed of 25 miles per hour. On the plus side, though, it does have vertical takeoff. It’s also 100% electric, with a range of 110 miles by air and 200 miles by road. The idea will be to fly whenever speed is required.
Alef expects to start selling the first flying car by 2025, at $300,000 each. If you’re interested, you can pay $150 to get on the waiting list or $1,500 for a priority spot.
5. Amphibious Limo
Cars you can drive on water and land might seem pointless to us—especially as they compromise on speed. But for the rich, they solve an old problem: getting to and from a superyacht in style. Usually this involves climbing into a dinghy or speedboat and climbing back out at the shore like any common peasant. With an amphibious vehicle, transitioning from sea to land would be seamless.
Not surprising, then, that most amphibious cars are designed with the wealthy in mind. Nouvoyage’s $2 million Limousine Tender 33 is a case in point. 33 feet long, it’s luxuriously furnished (in that horrible corporate way the rich seem to like) with seating for 12, state-of-the-art air-conditioning, retracting roof, gull-wing entry, and a toilet. It can also travel up to 30 knots on water and 85 mph on land—good enough for “making an entrance” as Nouvoyage sycophantically put it, “whether you’re arriving at a film premier in Cannes or a dinner reservation in Les Beaux.” Yeah, or an island full of sex-trafficked teenagers.
4. Personal Blimp
For 20 years, Lockheed Martin was secretly building an airship—a helium-filled blimp capable of floating for 1,400 nautical miles at a max speed of 60 knots. Thanks to its hovercraft-like air cushion landing system (ACLS), it can land on a variety of surfaces, including water, and you don’t even need to use mooring ropes; it’s held in place by a vacuum.
Unfortunately for the war profiteer, nobody was interested and they gave up trying to sell it. But airships are probably the future. Another company, Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), already has plenty of buyers for its Airlander 10, priced at $50 million.
They’re not the fastest way to get around, with a cruising speed of 80 miles per hour, but they are much greener than a jet. And for some the slower pace may be appealing. In any case, HAV conceives of the Airlander as a fast, flying superyacht, not a slow, bulky aircraft. There’s plenty of space on board for luxurious lounges, suites, offices, spas, sushi counters, and cargo holds—making it ideal for long-distance cruises, camp-hopping safaris, trips to the North Pole, and sex parties.
3. Private Train
Although exceedingly rare, some railcars in America are privately owned and run. One belongs to former Amtrak CEO Wick Moorman, who refurbished his 1948 Sandy Creek observation car with bedrooms, a kitchen, and a lounge—effectively making it an RV on rails. Another, an old Pullman sleeper car, belongs to the president of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners, whose members join railcars once a year for an all-private cross-country trip. Otherwise, private railcars are hooked onto public trains headed in the desired direction. It’s kind of like train-hopping but legal, boring, and expensive: $3.67 per mile, plus storage of $1,800 per month.
Since 2018, Amtrak has actively discouraged the niche mode of travel, saying it causes “significant operational distraction” and delays paying customers on scheduled services. The solution, of course, is to run your own train.
Enter the $350 million G Train, which, in theory, lets you ride the rails anywhere in the world. This 1,312-foot locomotive—purpose-built as opposed to refurbished—has a total of 14 cars, some with fold-out wings for outdoor dining. There’s also space on board for your fancy cars and motorbikes. Best of all, the shell is made of technical glass which can be switched from transparent to opaque, depending on whether you want to take in the sights or hide your depravity.
2. Luxury Submarine
When it comes to privacy, the rich get nautical. From seasteading to sex islands, the ocean’s where it’s at. Of course, in the age of spy satellites, a surface yacht won’t cut it; a luxury submarine is much better.
Capable of sailing the world Captain Nemo style (but as an evil scumbag fat cat), the 928-foot Migaloo M7 is almost twice the length of the Russian Typhoon, the world’s largest nuclear submarine. Its diesel-electric engines have a range of 1,000 miles between fueling, and it can dive to 1,500 feet.
There’s no expense spared on board. The M7 has everything from helipads to swimming pools, hangar bays to viewing rooms. It also comes with numerous tenders, including a hot air balloon, SUVs, and that amphibious limousine—as well as minisubs for exploring ruins, shipwrecks, and caverns. The makers don’t specify the price, but it’s estimated to be around $2.3 billion, which, according to Migaloo CEO Christian Gumpold, would make it “the most expensive private object” ever sold. “Would” is the keyword there; the submarine hasn’t been built as the builders are waiting for buyers. What’s stopping them? Among other things, it’s the possible safety concerns; these are uncharted waters in every sense of the term. There’s also the cost of operation, including a crew and regular maintenance.
1. Nuclear-Powered Mega-Jet (concept)
Although conceived as a flying cruise ship, it’s easy to imagine Tony Holmsten’s nuclear-powered, AI-controlled mega-jet (nicknamed “Flytanic”) in the hands of a megalomaniac. Think Doctor Robotnik’s Wing Fortress in Sonic.
Capable of cruising for years at a time, the Studio Ghibli-inspired behemoth resembles a jumbo jet on steroids—complete with a vast central dome and tail section viewing deck. There’s space on board for 5,000 guests, or slaves, along with everything you might expect of a cruise ship: swimming pools, restaurants, theaters, sports and medical facilities, and so on. It’s so big that regular aircraft could land on top without trouble.
Although just a concept for now, all the mega-jet needs is a small enough nuclear reactor. And, according to Hashem Al-Ghaili, who researched and animated Holmsten’s vision, this could be within reach in the next two decades.