If the  Y-Generation has proven one thing, it’s that they’re light years from being conventional. The standard issue luxury destinations of Monaco,  St. Tropez and Sardinia have a certain disconnect with young affluent revelers. By looking where to create the cool as opposed to following in the footsteps of their grandparents, the Y-Generation has successfully caused a shift for the go-to luxury destinations. Fueled by instant gratification, the Y-Generation has exhibited its force in the world as a group of innovators.

The Y-Generation’s pace of partying fueled by unloading 30-liter champagne bottles onto the surrounding crowd has come a long way from the white glove luxury of a few decades ago.

So how does a place become an “it” place? What does it take? Let’s narrow it down to the best and most popular places to vacation in Europe. Like all good things in life, there are only a few. There are only a handful of these places around the world, and everyone seems to want a piece of Saint-Tropez, Courchevel, Ibiza, Mykonos, Sardinia, Mallorca, Megève, St. Moritz, Gstaad, and Bodrum.

How does it start? Be sure that the process is far from incidental and in order for proper execution, one can be sure that highly strategic budgets were well planned out to keep the destination thriving.

An “it” place is similar to an exclusive and popular nightclub. It needs to be developed, promoted, validated, and then publicized. Sought out luxury destinations start with the allure of the location and the accommodations available to the luxury hungry crowd. From a real estate perspective, the “it” place usually has some constraining geographic characteristics such as a limited amount of land or the area is hard to access.

Second, it takes the right ‘influencers’ to set the trend and dub the territory as the new place to be. Celebrities are followed by the artists, royalty, socialites, and then the rest of the elite in-crowd will be sure to follow. With the circulation of press, there will surely be an influx of new nightclubs and exclusive parties hosted by everyone from Swedish House Mafia to Bruno Mars. The symbol of its establishment will come with the launch of an iconic hotel and several chic boutique properties.

During the 1970′s, Brigitte Bardot, single-handedly made Saint-Tropez the hottest place to be in the summer to party. Decades later, and even despite the inevitable equivalent to bridge and tunnel pedestrian travelers, Saint-Tropez is still a mythical place that attracts an exceptional crowd during many weeks of the summer. The red flag of the in-crowds will happen subtly, but as soon the likes of American celebrities such as Paris Hilton make it to hosting the premier parties, it is safe to say the bubble has popped. Be weary of overtly attempted celebrity endorsement.

This element of extravagant, trashy people flocking to a lovely place is a sad constant for all “it” places at a certain stage. This causes the trendsetters to seek out the next “it” place.

Back in the 1960s, the trendsetting group was the hippies, who represented counterculture, free love, music, and a great time. They transformed Ibiza into a free-love outpost that hosted all of the biggest musicians in the wildest way that we cannot possibly imagine. Legendary tales of Bob Dylan partying with the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and Jethro Tull, comprised the in-crowd of Ibiza. Ibiza has been at the center of Western society’s music culture since 1963, which continues to this day in the vibrant music scene. Ibiza can make or break the biggest electronic and DJ acts in the world every summer.

Where musicians, socialites, celebrities, royals, and the super-rich vacation are the most amazing parties! The party people take “it” places and make them truly HOT. The reputation of the place then spreads along the chain of six degrees of separation. The stories of amazing party nights get passed on down the line, the myth begins to develop, the brand is established, and the followers of the “it” place chase the dream wanting to be a part of this brand.

Let’s continue to set the trends. Following in the footsteps of our parents is no longer an option.

Elite.