The family holiday trip instead of presents and parties

by Patricia
(New Mexico)

Growing up every year before my birthday my parents would ask us if we wanted to take the family holiday trip or stay home and have a party with presents and stuff. Every year my brother and I would always choose the family holiday. It was way more fun and the memories are still with us.

The cake and presents would have been long gone by now. These were usually local trips to the mountains or to the beach for a weekend (we lived in New England).

So, when my own daughters were growing up I decided to take it one step further. For them we would save up and take a big trip once a year to a destination that they got to choose.

One year it was Disneyland. Another year we went to Kona, Hawaii. We went to Bonaire, New Zealand, Mexico, everywhere! Some were places the girls had heard of that we knew nothing about. A big part of the fun was researching and saving for the trip. The kids were even willing to help save money, choose the location, pick the hotels and activities!

The whole thing became a family affair, even when they were still very young. By the time they grew up and moved away from home, they were seasoned world travellers.

We had a whole year to plan the family holiday, so we got great deals on airfares and hotels. Plus, in those days kids could still fly free and often stay free at hotels, so the whole trip would usually cost much less than having a big party and big presents, and food, and reserving "Chuckie Cheese" if you know what I mean.

Kindly submitted by Patricia of www.freely-psychic.com

Sophie Says

If you want to start this best birthday tradition why not visit the 7 new wonders of the world?

1. The Great Wall of China. The most popular tourist attraction in China, it has fascinated us for centuries and is one of the Severn Wonders of the World



2. The Tajmahal . Fondly know as the “Taj”, situated in India, it is a stunning place to vist, especially by the light of a full moon.



3. Petra represents the heritage culture of the ancient world’s. It is a beauty hidden behind layers of mountain. Those who have seen it say it is a treasure beyond comparison. Petra belongs to UNESCO and is a world heritage site.



4. Yucatan Peninsula . Explore the ancient ruins of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula built by the Mayan Civilization.



5. Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue is 120 ft tall and has a weight of 635 tones.



6. Colossem of Rome. One of the geatest structures ever built, The Colosseum was an ampitheater for gladiator contests.



7. Machu Picchu, also known as 'The Loast City of the Incas', is the Inca empire site located on a mountain ridge above the valley of Urubamba in Peru.