Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone but you still have plenty of holiday gifts to buy. What if there is one holiday gift for your entire list? Give the gift of travel and adventure. Whether it’s a family time in the great outdoors or plans for an overseas excursion, the gift of travel will not disappoint. Not convinced? Here are three reasons why travel and experiences are the 21st century gifts of choice.
1. Travel makes you smarter.
2. Your Millennial will thank you.
3. Memories are better than things.
Travel Makes You Smarter
Travel Makes You SmarterTravel out of your everyday surroundings and routines and your mind will inevitably kick in to overdrive to synthesize and understand the new sights, sounds and smells you encounter thereby improving your brain’s neuroplasticity. Whether you are regenerating an older brain or stimulating a younger mind, there is no way that you can travel and not return smarter than when you left. Research on the effects of travel by leading institutions such as Cornell University, the American Psychological Association and the United States Travel Association state that travel not only increases a person’s creative abilities but also improves health benefits such as stress reduction and better interpersonal relationships.
Your Millennial Will Thank You
Millennials are taking the travel world by storm currently the largest living generation edging out baby boomers by 400,000 (according to the Pew Research Center) you probably have more than one on your holiday list. Millennials put more emphasis on experiences, especially travel, than any previous generation. Half of all Millennials have accumulated at least $40,000 in student debt according to a study by Harvard University. Clearly the gift of travel or an experience would be appreciated by the well-educated, free spirited, work from anywhere, twenty-something on your list.
Memories Are Better Than Things
Travel provides an inter-generational experience that can be shared with loved ones and remembered for a lifetime. Toys, technology, and seasonal tidings cannot compare with the excitement and anticipation of a trip or adventure.
“Experiential purchases (money spent on doing) tend to provide more enduring happiness than material purchases (money spent on having). We argue that waiting for experiences tends to be more positive than waiting for possessions. Four studies demonstrate that people derive more happiness from the anticipation of experiential purchases and that waiting for an experience tends to be more pleasurable and exciting than waiting to receive a material good.” Psychological Science, 2014, Volume 25, Issue 10
Giving the gift of travel can be as exotic as an overseas safari or as simple as a stay-cation adventure in your local city. To make travel gifts simpler to give consider using gift cards, event tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals or plane/train tickets. Travel books, luggage, travel necessities, native foods, event calendars or museum membership cards can all be tied into your gift of adventure.
Have no fear the best gifts are at your fingertips and more importantly they will keep on giving. Now that you have chosen all of the technology, fashions, housewares and necessities for your family, why not start a new tradition of giving the gift of travel and adventure. Giving the gift of travel and adventure is not only inter-generational in appeal but it can be cost effective too! See the list below for ideas you can buy today and share this fun graphic to see what your friends and family might like.
Of course we are partial to rail travel! To learn more about train travel in the United States, please visit www.crosscountrytravel.com
