If you're stumped over a gift for a special birthday, consider the gift of travel. With a little planning, a short jaunt can become the perfect birthday getaway. Taking time to research and make arrangements for a more lavish journey can result in the most memorable birthday of a lifetime. Does this Spark an idea?
Day Trip
Draw a circle on a map, with your location in the center of a 150-mile radius. Find a destination with an interesting museum, an attractive lake area or other attraction that would appeal to the birthday celebrant. Pack a breakfast to eat on the road, and enjoy the opportunity to stop anywhere you like along the way. If you live close to a major airport, consider a day trip to a nearby city. For example, from St. Louis, it's only an hour flight to Chicago; catch the first flight out in the morning and take the last flight home at night, and you'll have all day to explore the city.
"Staycation"
Make reservations at a local hotel and tell the birthday celebrant to leave the cell phone at home; as far as anyone else is concerned, you're on vacation. Plan a weekend seeing sites in your area the birthday honoree has never visited before or would like to spend some leisurely time exploring. Perhaps the best birthday vacation might be an opportunity to spend a whole weekend relaxing away from home without being called by piled-up laundry or a lawn that needs mowing. Make reservations for a special dinner out, or if the weather's right, stop for take-out and find a picnic spot.
Specialty Cruise
Any cruise would be a lavish birthday gift, but there are specialty cruises out there that might make the perfect gift. For example, science or history buffs can take cruises with knowledgeable guides enhancing the trip. There are cruises that specialize in regional cuisine, offering passengers a chance to taste or even cook the dishes they sample along the way. For certain individuals, adventure cruises would be the ultimate gift. Some cruise lines, such as Imperial Majesty, offer a birthday cruise on the Caribbean with a special celebration for the birthday honoree included.
Back to Your Roots
In honor of a birthday, consider traveling back to where it all began. For some, that might mean a trip to Italy or China or whatever location one's ancestors came from. Decide what specific sites might be important to the birthday celebrant's personal history. If family members who have either lived in the country of origin or traveled there are available, spend some time brainstorming with them. Take a little time to do some research and find out the name of specific cities, or even specific addresses if that information is available. People who grew up in areas of the United States far from their present address sometimes enjoy visiting their home towns.
Dream Vacation
For a special birthday that marks the start of a new decade, an exciting trip makes the perfect beginning. Rather than trying to make this vacation a surprise, think of the fun of being in on the planning as part of the birthday gift; this way, the birthday celebrant gets to provide input into what he wants his dream vacation to be. Once the time frame and the destination are established, decide on whether the trip will be a multistop journey throughout France, for example, or two weeks in Paris.
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