Taking the Kids: Gifting a trip the right way
It was a holiday trip like none other. We were nearing the end of a 17-day, once-in-a-lifetime Abercrombie & Kent family trip that had taken us from Argentina to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and now Antarctica on a 200-passenger ship.
There were more than 35 extremely well-traveled kids on board with us. For many this had been their seventh continent. The trip offered one eye-popping adventure after another in amazingly good weather, especially with sunny blue skies this New Year’s holiday.
“The Best Christmas ever,” said Sydney Beal, 21, from Minneapolis. She and her sister, Kyndall, 18, she explained, I much “prefer doing something instead of opening a bunch of presents.”
“ I’ll always remember this,” declared Olivia, 10, from Melbourne, Australia.
From a Zodiac inflatable boat in the Errera Channel between Ronge Island and the Antarctic Peninsula, we watched Gentoo penguins jump off an ice floe to “shower” in the water, and then jump back on the ice to preen in their formal wear while the crab-eater seals were lounging on ice floes.
We’d observed a big pod of killer whales diving and playing. Then we went for a walk on Wilhelmina Bay– literally — on “fast ice,” three feet thick and covered with snow. Back in a Zodiac, we marveled and frantically snapped photos as dozens of Southern Humpback whales popped up all around us.
Some families were celebrating — a recovery from cancer, a graduation, a retirement. And when it comes to a place like Antarctica, they are anxious to see it before more of it disappears. That includes young adults who increasingly travel with their parents.
“Money well spent,” said Kay Beal, Sydney and Kyndall’s mom. “And much better than a shopping spree.”
As I’ve traveled the last few years, I’ve met many families who agree. That’s not to say they could afford a trip to Antarctica — it’s obviously for the very well-healed. According to a new GetYourGuide survey, 92 percent of Americans report they would rather receive experiences over gifts, reinforcing the desire to create lasting memories with those they love most. Americans’ desire to give and receive experiences as gifts has seen remarkable growth, compared to 77 percent last year and 62 percent in 2021.
Besides a trip, those Most Americans also agree that uniqueness makes for the best gifted experience (79 percent), followed by exclusivity (70 percent). If they were to have an experience this holiday season, most people are hoping to be surprised with tickets to a concert or a show, an outdoor activity, perhaps a museum visit.
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