The woman who said "we deserve this" and built a company to prove it
Cover photo: Caviar in the Air
Shifting culture means building something that changes how an entire community experiences the world. That's what Claire B. Soares did.
Who is Claire B. Soares? She's a 6X Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist and the founder of Caviar in the Air, the luxury group travel brand for Black professionals. She chartered the first mega yacht for Black professionals in Croatia, led the largest African American expedition to Antarctica, and has sold $16M+ in leisure travel.
Key facts
- Recognition: 6X Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist.
- Firsts: the first mega yacht charter for Black professionals in Croatia, with their own DJ, and the largest African American expedition to Antarctica.
- Companies: Up in the Air Life (2013), Innclusive Travel, Caviar in the Air (2024) and À Privé Journeys (2025, with Julia Coney).
- Reach: $16M+ in leisure travel sales across all seven continents.
- Caviar trips:Croatia, Antarctica and more.
Claire entered a luxury travel world that had largely ignored Black professionals and decided not to wait for an invitation. She built her own table, then set it with bubbles, Cognac, Croatian coastline and a mega yacht with our own DJ.
The Firsts That Made History
Claire's list of firsts shows what happens when vision meets nerve.
First to charter a mega yacht for Black professionals in Croatia, with our own DJ. A private mega yacht cruising the Adriatic, full of accomplished Black professionals living their best lives, with a DJ who understood the assignment. For Claire, that's simply how a trip should feel. You can see the itinerary on our Croatia trip.
First to lead the largest African American expedition to Antarctica. The seventh continent, the bottom of the world, and Claire brought the largest documented group of African Americans to set foot there. We go where they never imagined we'd show up. Our Antarctica expedition continues that story.
Creator of the Champagne and Cognac trip. Leave it to Claire to look at France and wonder why you'd choose between its two most celebrated drinks regions. Her signature itinerary through Champagne and Cognac houses became an instant classic: sophisticated, indulgent and unmistakably Caviar in the Air.
Building the Blueprint
When Claire started, very few companies offered true luxury group travel for Black professionals. Today you'll see other brands following the path she carved, and that's legacy.
She founded Up in the Air Life in 2013 and established herself as a serious name in luxury travel. Innclusive Travel came next, expanding access and representation. In 2024 she launched Caviar in the Air, now synonymous with luxury group travel for Black professionals. And in 2025 she co-founded À Privé Journeys with Julia Coney, because at this level you find collaborators who match your energy.
The Philosophy: Intentional Luxury
Photo: Caviar in the Air
What sets a Caviar in the Air trip apart? Intention.
Every destination is chosen with purpose. Every hotel is vetted for how it treats us, as the accomplished professionals we are. Every itinerary balances indulgence with real experience, so you live a place instead of just seeing it.
On a Caviar in the Air trip, you're surrounded by people who get it. No code-switching. You show up as your full, brilliant self and get celebrated for it. That's community, and it feels like home anywhere in the world.
The Impact
Photo: Simone Santos (@sithevision) for Caviar in the Air
The numbers: $16M+ in leisure travel sales, all seven continents, and destinations including Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, the Amalfi Coast, Greece and Portugal.
The real impact lives in the moments. The first-time safari-goer who realized she belonged in the bush as much as anyone. The executive who finally took a vacation for herself instead of for work. The strangers who arrived as travelers and left as family.
That's what Claire builds, and that's the Caviar in the Air difference.
What Claire Teaches Us
Claire B. Soares is proof that you don't wait for the world to make space for you. You build the space and leave the door open for everyone coming after you.
She saw a gap and filled it with five-star hotels and the belief that Black professionals deserve the finest things life offers. We do. For the pioneers whose shoulders we all stand on, read about Harriet Tubman and Jessica Nabongo.
Discover Claire B. Soares and other Black history pioneers who are redefining what's possible. Ready to experience it for yourself? Explore our upcoming trips and see why accomplished Black travelers trust Caviar in the Air with their most important trips.
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