Travel Gift Ideas - No Matter Who's On Your List

Are you struggling with trying to find a unique and appreciated gift this season?

Do you have everyone from bookworms to adrenaline junkies on your gift list? Everybody has a special interest or hobby and travel is a great gift to acknowledge that activity, provide a new and unique way to enjoy that pursuit, and create lifetime memories.

While major milestones are often celebrated with bucket list vacations, you don’t need a momentous occasion to give the gift of travel. Here is a sampling of a few travel experiences sure to be loved and remembered that might not come immediately to mind when constructing your shopping list:

• Animal Lovers - visit the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi; volunteer for Sea Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica
• Adventure Junkies – bungee jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge; live in a yurt on the Mongolian plain
• Book Lovers – Da Vinci Code tour; Literary Pub Crawl in Dublin; tour the Alexandria Library
• Culinary Fans – truffle hunting in Italy; cooking class with Michelin star chef in Mexico
• Dance Enthusiasts – enjoy Tango lessons in Buenos Aires; Salsa clubbing in Havana; learn to Waltz in Vienna
• Fun Seekers – Zipline thru the Rainforest;  race rickshaws through the streets of Siem Reap; drive a dog sled in Alaska
• Sports Enthusiasts – golf at St. Andrews; ski the French Alps; learn to scuba dive off the Great Barrier Reef
• Speed Demons – drive a Ferrari racing car on a track in Italy; participate in an America’s Cup style race in New Zealand
• Theater Fans – see a production at the Globe Theatre in London; a play at the Odeon in Athens; opera in Venice.
• Well-being Enthusiasts – learnTai Chi in Beijing; practice yoga with a guru in India
• Wine Lovers – learn to blend in Provence; harvest grapes in Chile; tour the Australian Wine Country

The list of unique experiences available while traveling is limitless. And, the memories will last a lifetime, unlike most of the “stuff” that we buy?

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What's So Special About River Cruising?

Photo, Courtesy of Uniworld

River cruising isn’t new, but its popularity has increased exponentially over the past few years. And many people want to know why. What makes river cruising so special?

Here are five reasons I love them.

1) Close to the action. Riverboats dock right in town. No tendering or long road trips to get to the main city. Step off the ship and you’re off and exploring immediately. You’ll be able to explore off-the-beaten-path destinations, participate in authentic experiences, and have more free time to check out local cafes, markets, and sites. Many ships even provide bicycles for passengers to use while in port.

2) Cultural immersion both onboard and off. On-board entertainment includes local performers, artists, lecturers, culinary lessons, and wine and beer tastings of local fare. There are special interest cruises with added focus for art, history, food, and holidays of various regions throughout the world. For example, you can enjoy a wine connoisseur journey through Provence or horticultural experience during springtime in the Netherlands.

3) No crowds. Most riverboats hold 150-160 guests, so passengers don’t overwhelm the destination. Have you ever had that sense or even certainty that the population of a port doubled or tripled when the mega-cruise ship docked? Not with a riverboat cruise! No lines getting on/off the ship. One seating for meals; no waiting to dine.

4) Best of traditional cruising, plus added benefits. There are many advantages to traditional cruising: unpacking only once while visiting several ports, sampling destinations for future in-depth exploration, the exemplary service round the clock.  River cruising has added advantages:  the shoreline is visible while cruising so you can enjoy the spectacular scenery as you cruise. Rivers are generally calmer than open ocean waters, so less movement means reduced chance for motion sickness if you are susceptible. No lifeboat drill because there are no lifeboats. OK – there is a safety drill. But it is comfortable, indoors, and you don’t have to don life jackets.

5) No end-of-cruise sticker shock! You know, that tab you’ve been running all week that gets delivered under your door the night before disembarking? River cruises include many more amenities than traditional ocean cruises. Usually included in the basic fare are transfers, shore excursions, internet access, entertainment, concierge, and alcohol. The only additions to the basic fare are personal items such as spa service, gift shop purchases, or added adventures.

And, they are great for group sizes of 10 – 150.