Area Daily: Blue Parallel, Luxury Tour Company in Buenos Aires, Argentina

FQ: What do you get when you cross banking brains and fresh entrepreneurial spirit with sleek European style and a passion for travel?

A: A seriously special luxury tour company based in Buenos Aires who, as a team, have become the kings of extraordinary experiences in Latin America. Valleys, vineyards, volcanoes galore. Ice glacier skating in Patagonia? Oh my.

This is Blue Parallel, whose mission is to take time-constrained travelers to the most spectacular natural and cultural wonders on earth and blow clients’ minds – and spirits – to the max. (Um, yes, you can do Machu Picchu in a long weekend.)

Founder Emmanuel Burgio left the investment banking world in 2000 to travel the world and ultimately follow a dream with the creation of Blue Parallel, which specializes in custom tailored escapes designed around World Heritage destinations, often including unprecedented insider access, such as outdoor adventures with Olympians, ‘after hours’ tours and meetings with scholars, artists and prestigious political and business leaders. By keeping the needs and desires of ex-bosses in mind, Burgio ensures all journeys include breathtaking scenery and activities, gourmet food and wine and exclusive accommodations that together create unforgettable authentic experiences.

The adrenaline-inclined might opt for an extreme paragliding excursion in Argentina with former champion German Ortiz Maldonado or mountain biking active volcanoes in the Andes with Manuel Bustelo (also an international champ), while arrangements for cultural connoisseurs might include private concerts with musicians from the legendary Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires or cocktails with Oscar Niemeyer, a renowned Brazilian modernist architect, in his studio overlooking Copacabana beach in Rio, just to name a few. The possibilities are literally endless.

Life is short. Escape to a parallel universe. Go on.