ONE for the BOOKS

There was a time when trekking to the South Pole or surfing the world's largest wave was a newsmaking challenge.

- By MARY HOLLAND and TORI LATHAM

These days, even rowing across the Atlantic has become passé. But intrepid travellers have not relented: The hunger to be first remains a powerful driver. "We are constantly getting feedback: What is extraordinary? What is different?" says Jimmy Carroll, co-founder of Pelorus, which specialises in extreme and experiential travel. "How do you do something that no one else has done?"

Carroll and others in this adrenaline-fuelled segment of the industry have seen a rise in clients seeking to embark on boundary-busting adventures that could earn them a place in history. "The main reason is bragging rights," says Larry Olmsted, author of Getting Into Guinness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book. "[People] like to accomplish something and be a record-breaker." Feats that were once inconceivable are now entirely feasible. "Climbing, BASE jumping—sports that didn't exist are pushing the envelope of what's possible," says Olmsted.

Luxury operators are responding with access to unprecedented—or at minimum, exceedingly rare—excursions in far-flung corners of the Earth, along with the expertise to pull them off. Guinness might not be there to make it official on the 10 expedition concepts that follow, but that shouldn't diminish your sense of accomplishment—or your ability to dine out on your tales of risk and triumph for years to come.

Perhaps more importantly, these journeys are also designed to add value to your life—especially if you already have the car, the yacht, and the plane. "They're saying human connection and experience is the stuff that actually de-stresses us, gives us a longer, happier life," says Henry Cookson, a record-breaking polar explorer and founder of Cookson Adventures. "Just trying to keep up on material things—that's only gonna wear you down, because you can never win. So, we're in the making-happy business."

Camp in the World's Largest Cave