Birthday parties for my babies have always been a big deal to me. I think it is important to make them feel celebrated and to acknowledge how thankful we are for living through another year. The traditional themed party, or small family party at home makes great memories for them when they are young, however once they are old enough to travel birthday trips replace the standard party. Be sure to ask your child for a list of places they want to visit. Doing so helps them become part of the process and when they go somewhere they choose, they will be very happy. After all, it’s their birthday. By exposing them to the world of travel at a young age, they will be more adventurous and want to explore the world when they grow up.
Another great benefit of taking birthday trips is the leverage you have to ensure good behavior. I believe because Disaya looks forward to traveling for her birthday, so she does very little during the year to endanger her ability to go. Think about it, at this time in life, many of our kids have just about everything so threatening to take a phone, or restrict access to friends does not serve as a great deterrent as it once did. I promise if you threaten to cancel the birthday trip, your child will fall in line as you want. LOL.
My oldest daughter, Disaya has been enjoying birthday trips the last few years. It is something she really looks forward to and I love getting away with just her to make her feel extra special.
Her first birthday trip was at 9 years old. We went to Cancun, Mexico where she was able to swim with dolphins and eat authentic Mexican food, and believe it or not, she met one of her favorite YouTubers from the UK there. We loved relaxing on the beach and spending quality time together. I think the beach is my daughters happy place and I was so happy to share a great weekend with her.
Her 10th birthday was themed Ten In the City! We spent it in New York City. OMG she was sooooo excited. We stayed at north Manhattan which was simply gorgeous. We visited some very popular sites in the city to include the statue of liberty, Times Square, Harlem and more, and we had a great time. For this trip we styled our clothes alike and wore similar hairstyles. We were going for the young me / old me vibe, you know to give her something to look forward to. She was definitely in awe of the majesty of the city. It’s a real draw for her. I have a feeling she will be a downtowner when she grows up. Suburb life is too slow. LOL
Birthday 11 was spent in her damn room, lol. Disaya decided to get a little comfortable before spring break and had two C’s to bring up. These types of trips are for honor roll only folks!
We celebrated her 12th birthday at home last year due to the pandemic. She was very disappointed but understood. The lapse in taking a trip definitely made her super excited for this years trip to celebrate the big “13”!!
To celebrate Disaya’s 13th birthday, I wanted to go all out and spend time with her doing her favorite thing, enjoying the water!!
When transitioning to birthday trips over birthday parties, planning is the key to success. 1. Set a budget, 2. Decide on location, 3. Book everything you can in advance, 4. Set milestone dates to ensure preparedness for clothing, attractions/ excursions, flights. etc., 5. Go and have fun
Would you consider taking your child on a birthday trip instead of a party? Where would you go? Would you do it every year or less frequently? Share your thoughts here on the blog or on my Instagram or Facebook @nlovewithjasmine.
Love this. I think trips will be remembered long after they are over. Where as party memories will fade away. Exposing her to the world at an early age is a very positive and smart thing to do.
Love this idea! Started this with my daughter when she was 6 yrs old , who is now 14 turning 15yrs old this this year!