Travel Tips: Experiences, adventures and family bonding can be wrapped up in a holiday gift of travel
By SARAH BAGIN
TRAVEL COLUMNIST
As the holidays approach, along with birthdays, anniversaries, and milestone celebrations – the question always comes up: What do I get them this year? Another sweater? A gift card? Something that feels thoughtful in the moment but is forgotten weeks later?
For most people, the best gift isn’t something wrapped. It’s something experienced.
Travel offers memories that outlast any material present. Research consistently shows that experiences bring far more lasting happiness than things, and few experiences create deeper joy, connection, or transformation than travel.
The World: The Ultimate Classroom
Travel broadens the mind in ways nothing else can. For children, it shapes how they see the world. It teaches curiosity, compassion, adaptability, and appreciation simply by letting them step into a world bigger than their own.
Picture a child wandering through a colourful market in Morocco, climbing the steps of an ancient site in Greece pretending they’re discovering hidden treasures, or racing down a giant waterslide on a cruise ship, making new friends from around the world before lunch. These aren’t just “fun moments.” They become stories kids carry into adulthood.
For adults, travel inspires us and gives much-needed perspective. There is something grounding about standing at the base of Victoria Falls in southern Africa, drifting along the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia, or tasting your way through France—where every region seems to have its own culinary rhythm. These are the moments that stay with you long after the photos are posted and the suitcase is unpacked.
Travel Brings Families Together
One of the most heartwarming trends in the Beach community is the rise of multigenerational travel. Grandparents, children, and grandchildren travelling together is more than a holiday – it’s legacy building.
Imagine three generations walking the historic streets of Lisbon, sharing gelato in Florence, or watching the sun set over a Caribbean shoreline. These trips create shared memories that become family favourites told for years. It’s hard to think of a better gift than that.
The Rise of Expedition Experiences
Expedition travel is booming because people are craving meaning, not just movement. These journeys offer rich encounters with culture, wildlife, and untouched landscapes.
Think of gifting someone a trip to Antarctica to walk among penguins, a Galápagos expedition to snorkel with sea lions, or an Arctic voyage under the midnight sun. These aren’t just vacations; they’re once-in-a-lifetime experiences that imprint on the soul.
Solo Travel: The Gift You Give Yourself
One of the most empowering gifts is solo travel. More people are embracing the freedom and self-discovery that comes from setting out alone.
Picture cycling through Amsterdam’s tulip fields in April, sipping wine in Portugal’s Douro Valley, taking a cooking class in Tuscany, wandering Kyoto’s peaceful temples, or soaking in Iceland’s geothermal waters.
Solo travel offers reflection, calm, and the kind of renewal no wrapped gift can replicate.
A World Full of Wonder
Whether it’s standing beneath South Africa’s mighty waterfalls, snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, dancing during Carnival in Brazil, or eating your way across France, the world is filled with experiences that stretch your perspective and enrich your life.
Travel connects us – to places, to people, and to each other.
Let Someone Curate the Journey
If you’re thinking about gifting travel this season, for a partner, child, grandparent, or even yourself, there’s no need to navigate the choices alone. With so many destinations and styles of travel, having a local expert can make the process easier, more personal, and more exciting.
A travel professional can help sort through the options, understand your budget, match the right destination to the right traveller, and craft an itinerary that’s meaningful, seamless, and unforgettable.
This season, consider giving a gift that doesn’t sit on a shelf or get forgotten in a drawer. Give a gift wrapped in memories, joy, and connection. Give the gift of travel, because experiences will always outlast things.
- Sarah Bagin is the co-owner of Expedia Cruises on Queen Street East in the Beach.
