Travel for Celebrations

The reasons for travel are too numerous to count, but travel for celebrations is at the top of the list. Have an important anniversary coming up? Did you or a loved one recently retire or get a big promotion? Did someone get married? In my humble opinion, the reasonable next steps are to have a celebratory meal or glass of wine and start planning a vacation to commemorate the occasion! ​

The first step in planning a celebratory travel experience is to determine who will be going. Planning a multigenerational trip is going to be different than a couple’s getaway, so figure out early who is going to be joining you on this adventure. 

Your choice of destination and activities will be influenced by your attendees. If you’re traveling with grandkids, you might want to choose a place that caters to families or at least has options that both the little ones and the adults will enjoy. Gender doesn’t necessarily matter when planning activities; maybe the guys want to go shopping and the girls will do some hiking. It really comes down to knowing what your guests will enjoy and selecting a location that has those activities available. Just because you’re going as a group doesn’t mean you have to do everything as a unit. And if you’re going solo, then you have complete freedom to select the things you and you alone want to do!

As a general rule, the more people you have going, the earlier you will want to begin the planning process. Especially if it’s a trip that requires purchasing cultural event tickets months in advance or involves a serious monetary commitment, you’ll want to allow your guests ample time to save up and prepare for the amazing things you’ll be doing. Larger groups may also be better suited to celebratory travel that is closer to home, but this isn’t always the case. Communicate with your group members to make sure everyone is on the same page.

On that note, I want to mention the budget. Travel is all about bringing people closer together by sharing moments that you’ll remember for a lifetime; no one would want to take away from that sort of bonding experience by springing an unexpected bill. From the beginning, be clear about who’s paying for what and be sure you’re choosing to do things that everyone can comfortably afford to do. You can do this by sending out an anonymous poll with price ranges and going with the lowest one so everyone can participate. If there are others who want to splurge a little, there are always opportunities to upgrade the experience!

If at any point in the process you feel stumped for ideas or just aren’t sure how best to proceed, you can request the expertise of a travel advisor. Especially if they are part of a larger network, they will be able to give you details on travel experiences that have vetted service providers and they will often have personal experience in the destination you have in mind. 

I hope that gave you a little more information on planning travel for a celebration! If you have any questions or would like the assistance of a travel advisor, contact me.