Five Tips For Giving Travel As a Gift

Travel has always been one of the most memorable gifts you can give. After all, who wouldn’t prefer an adventure over a new pair of socks? Imagine surprising your loved one with a trip to a place they’ve always dreamed of visiting—it’s the gift that keeps on giving long after the suitcases are unpacked!

There’s something pleasing about giving the people closest to you a free once in a lifetime experience. It doesn’t have to be to an exotic destination, although that always helps.

But, there are many things that can go wrong with travel-as-a-gift, starting with the weight of expectations – expecting a white sandy beach and getting a cold mountain hike, for instance.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Here are other things to bear in mind as you consider travel as a gift.

Make sure this is a place where the important people want to go

Assuming you’re married and wanting to splurge on a vacation for the family, who is the most important person in this equation?

Your partner, of course, because planning a trip that your partner wouldn’t or couldn’t enjoy nearly as much as you wouldn’t feel like a gift. No one likes receiving a gift that feels like it was meant more for the giver than the recipient.

In this case, you must clear the idea with your significant other before making the purchase – unless, of course, you prepared for this by talking beforehand or allocating the time and money for this trip.

See, there are surprises – the kind that produce squeals of unexpected delight – and then there are surprises – the ones that are met with the sort of stony-faced look you would get if you regifted something someone else got you last year.

A little bit of communication can go a long way in making sure your gift is accepted in the spirit in which it was offered. And the best news of all: communication doesn’t mean you have to spoil the surprise. You can talk to other people and still deliver that unexpected delight.

Travel Tips for All Types of Love Languages: How to Plan and Where to Go

Make sure this checks the gift recipient’s boxes

Thought you were smart by picking the right destination? Unfortunately, the right destination is just a start.

Suppose the gift is a trip to Miami. Now, suppose the trip to Miami is so you can see the Dolphins play your favorite team, and your significant other thinks football is boring.

How great is that travel gift now?

So, it’s more than the destination – it’s where you stay and what you do. It’s having romantic dinners and romantic walks (or swims) along the seawall. It’s renting ATVs or jet skis or whatever events are happening when you’re in town.

As a result, you need to think long and hard about what this trip includes. If your recipient loves flowers, consider a tour of the Dutch canals during tulip season. If they love history or architecture, book additional tours focusing on those special areas.

Most travel is thoughtful. Travel-as-a-gift needs to be super thoughtful.

How to Make Your Dream Vacation a Reality

Make sure the timeframe fits

No matter how much time you have to get ready for a vacation, it’s guaranteed that your traveling companions need 50% more time.So, if your surprise vacation is scheduled for two weeks from now, expect to be spending some time seeing if you can reschedule some of your reservations.

Furthermore, you run the risk of clashing with your travel companion’s calendar.

The point is, there is always going to be something you didn’t expect on someone’s calendar that’s going to mess with travel-as-a-gift. So, you need to ask questions about dates before you book – which brings up …

Book refundable stuff

Travel protection is great, as we’ll discuss shortly. However, it won’t reimburse you for prepaid trip costs if you forgot that the midpoint of your trip is the day when everyone suddenly has plans that came up after you made that deposit.

Fortunately, travelers have more refundable options when booking travel purchases, from airlines to hotels to activities. Yes, it costs more, but is it worth it when the unforeseen conflict arises?

You know the answer.

Airline Information: Services, Delay Reimbursement and Refunds

Get travel protection

Of course you should. While a travel protection plan won’t cover you if you have to cancel a trip for all the inevitable “I forgot” moments, it may cover you if you have to cancel or interrupt a trip for a myriad of covered reasons. Almost all of which could happen to you at any moment.

We’re talking everything from your home being made uninhabitable due to a natural disaster to an unexpected extension of the school year.

These days, all these occurrences seem more plausible than ever.

At the end of the day, travel-as-a-gift is a risk – but so are all great gifts. You’re putting yourself out on a limb to create an experience you think the most important people in your life will love.

You really want to make sure this gift is as memorable in reality as it was when you first started planning. That’s why it only makes sense to help protect it with travel protection and assistance services from Generali Global Assistance.

There’s a Generali Global Assistance plan for most trip types – and getting covered is as easy as getting a quote.