Most popular airline seat is ...

EasyJet says nervous passengers prefer window seats while older ones like the aisle.

• Budget airline EasyJet says it's identified Europe's favorite passenger aircraft seat


• Carrier says 7F is most popular, being in typically cheap row and closest to right-hand window


• The airline introduced selective seating for all customers only in 2012

(CNN) -- EasyJet's no-frills aircraft seem an unlikely choice for cabin connoisseurs, but the airline says its customers do have preferences.

After polling 10,000 passengers from across Europe and analyzing its own sales data, the UK-based airline claims to have identified the continent's favorite seat: 7F.

EasyJet says nationality, age and travel companion all influence the cabin position of choice, but clear trends emerge, with one seen as the most highly desired.

It says window seats are generally the most coveted, with 59% preferring to gawp out of a lightly frosted lozenge of perspex than confront the reality of flying super economy.

EasyJet says seventh row seats on its short haul routes are typically offered at rock-bottom rates of just a few dollars, hence their popularity.

"Sales also reveal the right-hand side of the plane is more popular than the left and rows 6-7 sell out fastest," it says in a statement.

End of the undignified scramble

The most unpopular seat is identified as 19C.

Other stats offer insight into national preferences.

Portuguese passengers apparently covet the window the most, while Dutch and Germans are more tolerant of aisle seating.

MORE: Are you a window or an aisle seater?

Nervous fliers also prefer the window, while older passengers are more likely to choose the aisle.

"The window versus aisle debate is one of the most frequently overheard conversations while flying," says Peter Duffy, group commercial director for EasyJet.

EasyJet notably introduced selective seating for all passengers only two years ago.

Prior to 2012, non-premium paying customers faced an undignified scramble to find somewhere to park themselves.

The survey isn't the first attempt to crunch the numbers on the perfect place to savor the joys of pressurized air and over-stewed dinners.

A 2012 study of passengers on 40-row Boeing 757 by Skyscanner said 6A beat the rest, probably because it offered easier disembarking and was away from the toilets.

Opinion: How cool is the airplane of the future?

See-through cabins and passenger pods: Is this the future of flight?

Do you have a favorite cabin seat? Let us know below.

Budapest's battling coffee houses

My Little Melbourne is like a tiny piece of Australia in the Hungarian capital -- but without all that unnecessary shouting about sport.

Budapest's Gerbeaud coffee house -- as dark and rich as the brews it's been serving since the days of communism.

The Madal cafe is one of the new breed of shops where a less bitter brew is served, hopefully, by less bitter staff.

Customers at Budapest's older coffee shops often have just two choices: black or white. The new breed of cafes offer an extensive list of options served by staff who know a ristretto from a cortado.

When the jitters set in, try chanting the words on the window over and over until things get calmer, or you're asked to leave.

Staff at the spacious Cirkusz coffee shop don't sell craft coffee, but they do roast their own beans. They also serve decent food.

• Budapest's brand of dark, bitter coffee was a staple during communist years and is still enjoyed by many


• A new breed of coffee shop selling barista-made creations is challenging the city's old guard


• Newer shops include Madal and Espresso Embassy, while older venues include Bambi and Coffee Cat

(CNN) -- "What kind of coffee do you have?"

"Well, black, or with milk," comes the grumpy reply.

This is the delightfully retro Bambi bar, where the interior and the grumpiness of the service haven't changed for 50 years.

Nor has the coffee -- a drink that's always played a central role in Budapest life.

Through the communist years those shots of dark, bitter coffee in small glasses, served by scowling waitresses, were a staple start to the day.

While coffee's importance hasn't changed, a new wave of coffee bars -- where competitive baristas know their ristretto from their cortado -- is shaking up the scene.

The buzz word is "kezmuves" -- it roughly translates as handmade, or craft.

MORE: 11 things to know before visiting Hungary

There are three keys to the new craft coffee bars -- talented staff (with the certificates to prove it), slick design and carefully chosen ingredients.

The coffee is sometimes described locally as "third wave," meaning it's fairly sourced and roasted on a smaller scale, giving it a lighter, less bitter taste than Italian beans.

"In new wave coffee you discover the real qualities of the coffee beans, like the fruity, citric qualities of African beans or the chocolate of Brazilian beans," says Peter Repka, manager of the Madal craft coffee bar.

Despite the interest in new wave, both old- and new-style coffee houses compete to deliver Budapest its caffeine kicks.

Here are some of the best:

MORE: Guide to Hungary's signature dishes

New wave coffee

At Madal, morning customers start up with an upstart.

Madal

Indian philosopher Sri Chimnoy, whose childhood name was Madal, must have loved his coffee.

Inspired by his calmness, the friendly, capped baristas here earnestly go about their work, explaining the different beans and roasts available and serving beautifully presented cups.

They also bake their own sweet and savory croissants.

Madal , 3 Hollan Erno St.; +36 1 796 6287

Espresso Embassy

This is one of the largest and best designed craft coffee bars -- it's staffed by an array of award-winning baristas.

The brick-vaulted interior was done by the firm that designed two of the stations on the city's new metro line.

An excellent cake selection includes croissants, cheesecakes and brownies.

Espresso Embassy , 15 Arany Janos St.; + 36 630 864 9530

My Little Melbourne

Pioneer of the craft coffee movement, this minute coffee bar in the center of town is a busy breakfast place.

Inspired by the Australian travels of owners Dia and Peti, it serves some of Budapest's best coffee and pastries.

My Little Melbourne , 3, Madach Imre St.; +36 670 394 7002

MORE: Basement breakout: Budapest's escape games go global

Fekete

This one's even smaller than My Little Melbourne, but aficionados speak of Fekete with great respect.

With a couple of tables on the pavement in front, Fekete (meaning "black" in Hungarian) is all about coffee, and very little else.

Fekete , 5 Muzeum korut

Tamp & Pull

This is the smaller of the T&P shops, but it's the most central, down the road from the Central Market Hall.

The name refers to two moves in the barista's work -- tamp and pull -- which they do so well here they run courses on the art of coffee.

A board on the wall details the beans on offer each day -- where they were grown, who farmed them and at what altitude.

Tamp & Pull , 3 Czuczor St.; + 36 630 668 3051

Budapest's Gerbeaud coffee house -- as dark and rich as the brews it's been serving since the days of communism.

Old wave coffee

Cafe Alibi

Breakfast is the best time to visit Cafe Alibi, a quietly hip square in the heart of Budapest.

It's often buzzing with the local students enjoying the superb coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Cafe Alibi has its own roasting machine, offering customers a choice of beans and coffee type.

Cafe Alibi , 2 Egyetem ter; +36 1 317 4209

Cirkusz

At this large cafe/restaurant in the heart of Budapest's partying Seventh District, the baristas roast their own beans.

The coffee is superb, and so is the food -- after all those small coffee bars, you'll enjoy the space.

Cirkusz , 25 Dob St.; +36 1 786 4959

Coffee Cat

There's no craft coffee here, but the baristas in this busy breakfast joint know how to make an excellent brew.

There's also a great selection of baguettes, with fillings such as caponata, roasted squash or chicken salad, from the sandwich specialists at the Delibaba Workshop.

Coffee Cat , 44 O St.; +36 1 708 0170

Zokni

Zockni, or "Socks," isn't the obvious name for a cafe, particularly one placed across the road from one of Budapest's big tourist draws -- the magnificent Great Synagogue.

It was the owner's nickname in his taxi driving days.

More importantly, the baristas turn out top coffee and the cakes are delicious.

Zokni, 1/b Dohany St.; +36 1 785 6765

MORE: Budapest's best 'ruin' bars

Bambi

Finally, across the Buda river to old Budapest, to the glorious Bambi.

No new coffee here.

No fancy baristas, either.

The retro feel hasn't been put together in a design studio -- it's always looked this way.

It's one of the great survivors of the past.

Here you can enjoy a strong black coffee in an old-style glass, sit on red plastic seats and watch old men playing cards.

Just don't ask for a cortado.

Bambi, 2-4 Frankel Leo St.

MORE: Budapest bargains

Charles Hebbert is an editor and Rough Guide author. He lived in Budapest for 10 years and has been visiting Hungary for more than 30 years.CNN Travel's series often carry sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile. However, CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy.

World's best drummers?

Drums are a matter of life and sometimes death in Bahia, as these funeral mourning drummers from the group Ile Aiye in Salvador demonstrate. Ile Aiye is one of the most important groups that preserves the African culture in Brazil.

The Olodum cultural group and school of percussion is based in Salvador. "From the time kids here are very young, they play drums," says Gabi Guedes, one of Bahia's top percussionists.

Salvador is the capital of the state of Bahia. Its tradition of music and festivals is one of the richest in the country.

Cultural Wash is an annual festival promoted by public employees in Salvador. The region's famed beats propel many such processions. The city has been referred to as "Brazil's capital of happiness."

Well-known Bahia musician Carlinhos Brown dances before Salvador's festival of Yemanjá, the goddess of the sea. Yemanjá is one of the most popular orixás, the deities from the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé.

Throwing flowers into the sea is a way of offering a gift to Yemanjá. Each February 2, thousands of Yemanjá devotees participate in the colorful celebration in her honor.

Like the rest of Brazil, Bahia is rabid about soccer. Salvador will host six matches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.

FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 matches were held at the new, purpose-built, 51,708-capacity Estadio Octavio Mangabeira.

Salvador's historic center, the Pelourinho, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's also an important center of music and drumming.

The beats never stop -- well, almost never -- in Bahia.

• A state on Brazil's coast, Bahia is the center of the country's Afro-Brazilian culture


• Home to percussion ensemble Olodum, famed for its work with Paul Simon


• "From the time kids here are very young, they play drums," says a top Brazilian percussionist


• Drums are at heart of the Afro-Brazilian religious tradition of Candomblé

(CNN) -- Wander the historic streets of the Bahian capital of Salvador, and you're never far from one of the region's most moving traditions: its powerful rhythms.

Whether it's the local axe pop music powered by freight-train percussion or street musicians and blocos afro pounding out hypnotic riffs, big beats power Bahia in a way they do nowhere else in Brazil, maybe even the world.

A state on Brazil's coast, Bahia is the center of the country's Afro-Brazilian culture, and the heartbeat of that is the drum.

The state is home to percussion ensembles such as Ile Aiye and Olodum, a group of several thousand members famed for their work with Paul Simon, that make Carnival in Salvador one of the top attractions in Brazil.

The Caipirinha man

Bourdain: Don't forget the hot chili oil

Percussionist Carlinhos Brown rose from drumming on empty water bottles in the streets of a poor neighborhood in Salvador to become one of Brazil's top hit makers and artists, not to mention a judge on "The Voice Brasil."

Brown founded the mostly percussion band Timbalada, a Carnival favorite, which takes its name from the conical hand drum known as a timbal.

Saude! Ice-cold caipirinhas in Bahia

Brash bashers

"From the time kids here are very young, they play drums," says Gabi Guedes, one of Bahia's top percussionists.

Guedes has played with fellow Bahiano Gilberto Gil and Margareth Menezes, as well as Jamaican reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, and is a member of Orkestra Rumpilezz, a 20-piece Afro-Brazilian group.

"You hear all sorts of percussion growing up, all kinds of samba, samba afro, samba de roda," says Guedes. "All this music is connected to the drum. It's in the blood. It's passed down from the grandfathers."

Like their grandfathers, Bahia's modern musicians are known for a brash style that mixes rhythms from around Brazil and the Caribbean.

The hyperkinetic music style known as axe (pronounced "AH-shay"), which blends speed-pop with fiery Afro-Brazilian percussion, has produced pop superstars such as Ivete Sangalo, Daniela Mercury and Claudia Leitte.

Samba reggae is another made-in-Bahia style that bends rhythmic traditions in a popular way.

"Bahia is a rhythmic laboratory," says Chris McGowan, co-author of "The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova and the Popular Music of Brazil" and a just-released ebook of interviews with top Brazilian artists of the MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) and bossa nova era, "The Brazilian Music Book."

"It's a place where Afro-Brazilian rhythms and the latest sounds coming from the Caribbean and elsewhere are mixed together to create new danceable hybrids," says McGowan. "Samba, ijexa, reggae, rock, merengue, lambada, soca, salsa, zouk and other styles are energetically shaken and stirred together."

Carlinhos Brown dances before the festival of Yemanjá, goddess of the sea.

Godly beats

Drums are also at the heart of the Afro-Brazilian religious tradition of Candomblé, which blends African beliefs with Catholic influences and has its origins in Salvador, where the first Candomblé terreiro (house of worship) was founded.

Candomblé is widely practiced in Bahia and has followers throughout Brazil.

In worship ceremonies, devotees commune with deities known as orixas through dance, chants, offerings and music rituals in which drumming plays a prominent role.

The beat of tall, conga-like drums, and atabaques, a conical hand drum that comes in three sizes, calls forth the deities and creates a trance-like mood for encountering the divine.

"The drum is very powerful to bring the orixas close to us," says Guedes, "and to help us worship them."

Guedes got his percussion training as a youth in the Gantois house of Candomblé, where he lived and studied with the most famous head priestess of Candomblé, Mae Menininha, celebrated in songs by pop icons Caetano Veloso and Dorival Caymmi and whose fans included the writer Jorge Amado.

Bloc parties

Candomblé also figures in another percussion-oriented tradition in Bahia, afoxe, a procession that brings Candomblé music, songs and rhythms into the streets.

Afoxe groups march to the beat of an ijexa rhythm tapped on atabaques, gongues (a double-bell agogo) and a gourd shaker familiar to African music also called afoxe.

The most famous afoxe group, the Filhos de Gandhy, began parading at Carnival in the late 1940s, inspired by the nonviolence of Mahatma Gandhi.

During Carnival in Brazil, people who aren't part of their city's featured parade form their own neighborhood groups, or blocos, so everyone can get in on the celebration.

In the 1970s, a tradition of blocos afro, all Afro-Brazilian drumming groups, developed in Bahia, led by a bloco called Ile Aiye.

Over the years Ile Aiye has grown to a couple thousand members, blazing a percussion trail of thundering bass drums (surdos) and tenor drums (repiques) with powerful songs about African roots and black pride.

Today, the best-known bloco afro is Olodum, originally an all-percussion group based in the historic heart of Salvador in the Pelourinho district.

The group has recorded a number of successful albums and touched off the samba-reggae style of music so popular in Bahia and across Brazil.

If you're in Brazil and want to get closer to the real Bahian experience, the path is easy to find: Just follow the beat.

Author of the book "Work to Live," Joe Robinson has written for numerous publications, including the Los Angeles Times. He's traveled extensively in Brazil.

DC-3: Airliner that won't quit

• Hundreds of Douglas DC-3 airliners still fly, nearly 80 years after their introduction


• Canada's Buffalo Airways offers scheduled passenger flights on DC-3s.


• DC-3s opened the door to profitable coast-to-coast airline routes


• Nickamed "Gooney Birds," the DC-3s are known for their rugged landing gear and airframes

CNN celebrates 100 years of commercial aviation with a week of programming presented by resident travel expert Richard Quest.

(CNN) -- James Bond piloted a Douglas DC-3 airliner. Indiana Jones hopped a ride on one for his last crusade. This aviation icon even stars in a reality TV show.

Almost 80 years after its introduction, a few hundred DC-3s are estimated to still be flying worldwide. That's kind of unbelievable in an age when dozens of younger types of airliners have already retired to aviation boneyards.

"When we take them to air shows I watch people gravitate toward (them)," says Joe McBryan, co-star of History Channel's "Ice Pilots." McBryan owns Canada's Buffalo Airways and its six operating DC-3s. "People always have a story. They say their dad or grand-dad flew one ... or they flew on one when they were young."

The DC-3 debuted in the mid-1930s as an aviation rock star. With its two powerful propeller engines it revolutionized the travel industry by cutting typical coast-to-coast flight time across the United States from 25 hours to just 18. Although it typically seated only about 21 passengers, the plane allowed airlines to make a giant leap toward profitability.

Later a military version of the plane helped win World War II by dropping thousands of paratroopers during the D-Day invasion of France, 70 years ago this month.

Result: The DC-3 has touched millions of lives.

But what about this plane keeps it flying all these years later?

Canada's Buffalo Airways offers some of the last regularly scheduled passenger DC-3 flights in North America. The DC-3 was introduced nearly 80 years ago, and hundreds still fly around the world. Click through the gallery for more.

The passenger cabins aboard Buffalo Airways' six operating DC-3s offer passengers simple comforts. "There's coffee and cookies and juice," airline owner and pilot Joe McBryan said.

One of Buffalo Airways' regular DC-3 routes travels across Canada's Northwest Territories between Yellowknife and Hay River. "It's very comfortable," McBryan said. "You're in your own nest. You have the ability to feel what the airplane's doing."

In Florida, pilot Ric Hallquist has been flying DC-3s for 30 years. He credits the plane's rugged landing gear for handling rough runways in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where he often flies.

The DC-3 can be temperamental, especially for pilots without much experience with them, says Catalina Flying Boats pilot Robby Bolling, who flies this DC-3 on a cargo route from Long Beach, California, to Catalina Island, about 30 miles offshore. "I kind of feel like I'm going back in time to the 1940s or '50s, flying these airplanes around."

An Eastern Air Lines DC-3, which was known as "The Great Silver Fleet" during its heyday, is seen through an airport viewing gallery in 1945.

United Airlines released this promotional photo of one of its Douglas DC-3s, circa 1937.

American Airlines, one of the airliner's first operators, features an immaculately restored DC-3 at its museum near the Dallas-Fort Worth airport in Texas.

A DC-3 carrying ex-service men and women flies over Sydney Harbor on Australia New Zealand Army Corps Day to commemorate the anniversary of the World War I invasion of Gallipoli.

The DC-3 flies high after 80 years

The DC-3 flies high after 80 years

The DC-3 flies high after 80 years

The DC-3 flies high after 80 years

The DC-3 flies high after 80 years

The DC-3 flies high after 80 years

The DC-3 flies high after 80 years

The DC-3 flies high after 80 years

The DC-3 flies high after 80 years

Photos: DC-3 flies high after 80 years

Pilots will tell you the DC-3 won't quit because it was so well-built. Some say its design and rugged landing gear helped it touch down safely on short runways.

A day in the life of the world's busiest airport

But for McBryan -- age 70 and still flying almost daily -- it's about love.

"You can choose your friends and coworkers but you can't choose the one you love. An airplane is the same. And in 1969, the DC-3 came and it stayed with me," McBryan says.

During some of the coldest weather on the planet, McBryan's planes ferry tourists, hunters, adventurers and regional workers across Canada's remote Northwest Territories.

The 45-minute DC-3 flights from Yellowknife across icy Great Slave Lake to Hay River are pretty basic. Passengers get no meals, no WiFi, no video. "There's coffee and cookies and juice," McBryan says. There is an alternative to in-flight entertainment: "A lot of passengers like the sound of the engine. It will lull you to sleep. It's a perfect sleeping noise."

McBryan's son once said the engines sound like a "funeral procession for the Hell's Angels."

On the flight deck, for McBryan, it's all about the plane's feel. These classic aircraft are controlled with a yoke connected directly by cables to the tail and wings. No fancy fly-by-wire electronics like newer airliners. No flashy heads-up displays for speed or altitude, either. An old fashioned instrument panel works just fine, thank you very much.

The DC-3 cockpit "is very comfortable," says pilot Joe McBryan. "You're in your own nest."

"It's very comfortable," he says. "You're in your own nest. You have the ability to feel what the airplane's doing."

007 flies the Gooney Bird

In 2008, a Gooney Bird helped James Bond get out of a jam.

Fans of the Bond film "Quantum of Solace," may recall actor Daniel Craig in the cockpit of a beat-up DC-3.

"Let's see if this thing will fly," Bond says in the film.

Does it? Oh yeah. And then some.

Missionary Flights International's Ric Hallquist has been flying DC-3s for 30 years.

After takeoff, a super-fast jet fires on the Gooney Bird, forcing Bond to use the DC-3's slow speed to outwit the jet pilot. The jet winds up as a stain on a rocky mountainside. Chalk up a win for low and slow.

Back in the 1980s, a DC-3 served another movie franchise hero. In "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," Indy flies from New York to Newfoundland to the Azores and Europe on his quest for the Holy Grail.

50 spots, 50 states for 2014

Taildraggers

Getting on board a DC-3 is an uphill climb. Literally. The plane's tail sits on the ground when it's not flying, forcing passengers to walk up a steeply inclined aisle to take their seats.

"I kind of feel like I'm going back in time to the 1940s or '50s, flying these airplanes around," says Catalina Air Boats pilot Robby Bolling.

"One of the most common comments I hear when some passengers come on board is, 'Wow, there's really an angle here,' " says Ric Hallquist, a longtime pilot for Missionary Flights International.

Three times per week, Hallquist flies DC-3s loaded with cargo or passengers from South Florida to the Caribbean. In addition to passengers, Hallquist and his co-pilots have hauled horses, ATVs and pretty much any legal cargo they can fit through the aircraft door.

Douglas DC-3 airliner

-Typical coast-to-coast ticket in 1940: $300 ($4,918 in 2014 dollars)

-Military version, C-47, used in WW II for cargo and troops

-Number of DC-3s still flying today: at least 400

-Introduced by Douglas Aircraft in 1936

-Features: cantilevered metal wings, retractable landing gear

Sources: Smithsonian.com Boeing.com

The Gooney Bird's rugged landing gear with its big struts can handle rough runways in places like Haiti or the Dominican Republic, Hallquist says. "And the air frame is just so strong, it really is."

But the plane can also be temperamental, especially for pilots without much DC-3 experience, says Catalina Air Boats pilot Robby Bolling, who flies a daily DC-3 cargo route from Long Beach, California, to Catalina Island, about 30 miles offshore.

"You just have to respect it, not abuse it," says Bolling. "I kind of feel like I'm going back in time to the 1940s or '50s. flying these airplanes around."

When the DC-3 flies, folks around the airport start shooting photos, Bolling says. "I always notice that. It's kind of like a rock star."

Bolling fears the plane won't be around much longer. He says he'll miss it.

Back in Yellowknife, ice pilot McBryan sees it differently. He believes the planes could easily fly for another 30 years

"They keep making parts, so there won't be a shortage," says this son of a prospector. If anything stands in its way, McBryan says it will be a shortage of leaded fuel that his DC-3's engines burn. The environmentally hazardous leaded fuel is being phased out.

But losing the DC-3 would be a shame, McBryan says. There's simply nothing else like it. The plane is about as near humans will get to growing wings.

"Strap a DC-3 to your a** and let the wings extend out," he jokes. "That's the closest thing you will come to a human flying."

Timeline: 100 years of commercial aviation

Superyacht to ends of Earth

An increasing number of superyacht owners are shunning Mediterranean marinas, in search of something a little more adventurous...

From Antarctica's dramatic icebergs, to volcanic islands in the South Pacific, these millionaire holiday-makers are on the hunt for a more meaningful escape -- and they're willing to sail to the ends of the Earth to find it.

Eyos Expeditions offers superyacht journeys to the most remote places on the globe. But luxurious adventure doesn't come cheap, with a week's voyage costing up to $400,000.

"I think too many people are tired of having these incredible yachts and sitting in Monaco surrounded by all these other yachts," said superyacht captain Ben Lyons.

"What we're really seeing is a trend for a lot more experiential travel -- people that want to do more, see more, learn more, and come away with an enriching experience," he added.

Such voyages offer a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see exotic animals in the wild, such as polar bears, emperor penguins, and...

... giant tortoises. Adventure travel needn't be limited to cold climes, with Eyos also offering superyacht expeditions to remote areas of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Indonesia.

Tours to Australia's far north Kimberley region include breath taking terracotta-colored landscapes, and the thundering King George Falls.

Just because the landscapes are rugged, doesn't mean the floating palaces have to be. A sneak peek inside the newly converted 71 meter superyacht "Enigma XK."

Formerly a Scottish Fishery patrol vessel, the boat has now been decked out with all the creature comforts a millionaire explorer would expect.

A home away from home, the grand vessel includes a swish gym.

"With this sort of yacht you can do in one trip, what would take five years to do on a commercial cruise ship," explained Lyons. "You have only 12 people on board -- not 200 other guests, so you can do exactly what you want and when."

How does a millionaire reach these remote locations? By private jet, of course. Eyos has recently teamed up with private jet operators Chapman Freeborn to offer a "seemless travel experience" from your front door to the ends of the Earth.

Inside, the jet is as luxurious as the superyacht it's taking you to.

From sky, to sea, to underwater. When money is no barrier, neither is the extent wealthy holiday-makers will go in exploring their exotic surroundings. Many of the vessels also offer Triton submarines for deepsea exploration.

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• Superyacht owners are looking for a more "enriching" holiday experience


• Multimillion-dollar vessels sail to Antarctica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea


• Tour companies offer private jets, submarines to mega rich seeking ultimate adventure


• Week on luxury 71-meter superyacht to South Pole costs whopping $400,000

Follow us at @WorldSportCNN and like us on Facebook

(CNN) -- What could be more memorable than lounging on your sun-drenched superyacht in the world's most fashionable ports?

Quite a lot, says an increasing number of intrepid millionaires looking for the ultimate adventure.

No longer satisfied simply to moor their lavish vessels in the Mediterranean or Caribbean, an emerging market of jet setters are seeking unique voyages of exploration.

And it's taking them to the ends of the Earth.

"You think a meal at a good restaurant in Monaco is memorable? Or a day at a St. Barts beach in the Caribbean is memorable?" asks captain Ben Lyons, speaking by satellite phone from a ship currently cruising Finland's fjords.

"Watching a polar bear walk across the ice to your yacht. Or sailing past a three-mile-wide iceberg in Antarctica -- now those are once-in-a-lifetime experiences," says the chief officer of Eyos Expeditions, a company offering luxury journeys to destinations that time forgot.

Polar bears walking up to your yacht? You don't get that in Monaco.

Rather than whiling away the days in the "see and be seen" playgrounds of the mega rich, these financial titans prefer to point their bows towards the most remote landscapes on the globe.

The South Pole, New Zealand's volcanic islands, and Australia's river wilderness, to name just a few.

And at up to $400,000 a week to charter one of Eyos' opulent boats equipped to handle these extreme locations, you will need deep pockets for these journeys.

Enriching escapes

Imagine the excitement of a kid watching a polar bear walking up to the yacht

Ben Lyons, expeditions officer

"What we're really seeing is a trend for a lot more experiential travel -- people that want to do more, see more, learn more, and come away with an enriching experience," says Lyons.

"I think too many people are tired of having these incredible yachts and sitting in Monaco surrounded by all these other yachts. Why would you do that, when you can actually be out there exploring on your own?"

For the wealthy holiday-maker accustomed to the most exclusive surroundings money can buy, these difficult-to-reach destinations offer the ultimate in elite escapism.

Often the affluent adventurers must take a private jet simply to reach far-flung locations.

Once on board, they can take a personal submarine out for underwater exploration -- "they're essential toys on superyachts," explains Lyons.

Fancy some deepsea exploration in your personal submarine?

Of course, that's if they're not wandering among hundreds of thousands of emperor penguins in Antarctica, or watching traditional fire dancing by indigenous Papua New Guinea tribes.

"The places we go to are overwhelming. They are magical. They are awe-inspiring," says Lyons.

More than any other destination, Antarctica leaves people fundamentally changed

Ben Lyons, expeditions officer

"For me, Antarctica is the most incredible spot on Earth. More than any other destination, it leaves people fundamentally changed."

For the crème de la crème of high society, these exotic journeys are also the ultimate dinner party conversation among guests who may have spent their summers moored in Monaco.

Creature comforts

Unlike 20th-century polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, who was forced to endure frostbite, today's wealthy adventurers don't have to compromise on comfort on their adventures.

Those choosing not take their own superyacht on the journey of a lifetime, can charter one of Eyos' luxury liners -- including a recently-converted, 71-meter Scottish Fishery patrol vessel.

Exploring the seven seas -- in ultimate luxury.

"Enigma XK" has been fully kitted out with opulent extras, including a gym and sauna -- hardly the Shackleton idea of "roughing it."

"With this sort of yacht you can do in one trip, what would take five years to do on a commercial cruise ship," explains Lyons.

"You have only 12 people on board -- not 200 other guests, so you can do exactly what you want and when."

I think too many people are tired of having these incredible yachts and just sitting in Monaco

Ben Lyons, expeditions officer

If that means walking across an ice field at midnight under the moon, then so be it. Fancy jumping into an inflatable boat with humpback whales surfacing all around you? "You can do it in a matter of two or three minutes," says Lyons.

Educational experience

When money is no option, neither is the extent expedition staff are willing to go to cater to your every whim. Personal archeology, photography, wildlife and culture experts can be enlisted to add insider knowledge to the journey.

"Other people can go to remote islands in the Pacific," explains Lyons.

"But unless you can speak the language with the locals, unless you can really interpret what's going on and interact with the community in a meaningful way, you really lose out on a lot of the experience."

At around $400,000 to charter a 71 meter superyacht for a week, this is not a journey for the Average Joe.

For children, it's a rare chance to experience Mother Nature's breathtaking extremes outside the classroom.

"Imagine the excitement of a kid watching a polar bear walking up to the yacht, or learning about whales, or cruising through Antarctica," says Lyons.

No matter what your age, these journeys to distant lands capture the imagination in a way few other holidays can.

Read: Secret life of a superyacht servant

Learn: Why size really matters in the yachting world

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