I only realised recently that Proposal Travel was actually a thing. Turns out where you do it is now every bit as important as how you do it.Private island, Black TomatoLuxury travel operators are always happy to help their clients organise a holiday proposal, but In 2015 Black Tomato went one step further and launched a dedicated Proposal Service. One of its favourite proposals so far, it says, involved a golden eagle, a Mongolian hunter and the dramatic landscapes of the Altai Mountains. On the whole, we think we’d prefer the one that took place on a beautiful desert island in the Maldives, above. Point is: if you want to propose in an innovative way abroad and someone to arrange it all for you, talk to Black Tomato. Private yacht, Cap Maison, St LuciaAlternatively, you could wait until you reach your destination and have a quiet word with the Proposal Concierge Yes – that’s a thing, too. Lots of the luxury chains, including W, Waldorf Astoria, Four Seasons and Sandals, have them these days. Or sign up for a ready-made Proposal Package. The four-night package on offer at beautiful Cap Maison in St Lucia, for example, includes scenic helicopter transfer on arrival, romantic sunset cruise on the resort’s own 46ft luxury yacht, above, private dinner on the proposal evening, complete with roses and ring delivered via the Champagne Zip Line.Man proposing on a beach©Jupiter images/thinkstock

If you’re set on making your own Proposal Travel arrangements, you might want to avoid the obvious. A couple of years ago a Florida ticketing agency set out to find the world’s most popular spot for popping the question. After checking every proposal video ever uploaded onto YouTube it declared the world’s top 10 spots to be Disney World Florida, Times Square, Central Park, Top of the Rock, Disneyland Paris, Universal Studios, the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Canyon, The London Eye and the Empire State Building – so essentially that rules out iconic towers and anywhere frequented by Mickey Mouse.Couple, Air Charter ServiceBut why wait until you reach your destination when you could take Proposal Travel literally and pop the question in flight? Says Andy Christie at Private Jets at Air Charter Service: ‘We have had various marriage proposals on board our flights, including one last year on Valentine’s Day. A client in India whisked his girlfriend up in a helicopter and popped the question while they took in stunning views of the Mumbai coastline.’ And no, it wouldn’t work quite so well at the back of Economy. 

BY MAGGIE O’SULLIVAN