How to spend your birthday abroad

Happy birthday to you!

Whether you enjoy celebrating your birthday, or whether it’s just another day, when you’d prefer not to focus on the fact you’re a year older, spending your special day out of your normal surroundings, whilst in the midst of a long travel adventure, is something you should embrace.

The perfect excuse to have a special kind of day on the go, celebrating your birthday whilst travelling can take any form you like, totally depending on your preferences, where you are, and of course who you’re travelling with.

For example, last year I spent my birthday sat on my favourite beach, with my favourite people, thousands of miles away from home. You don’t have to be in your house, with your family to enjoy travel-based birthday celebrations.

Here’s a few tips for enjoying your travel birthday.

1) Make your day known!

If you’re staying in a particular place where you’ve been for a while, or even a few days, make it known that it is your special day. You never know, you might get some freebies, or just be treated to a bit of extra special treatment. These are all memories to draw on in the future, when looking back on your travel adventures.

2) Celebrate the local way

Do a little research or ask around about how the locals celebrate birthdays. If you’re travelling, you need to have authentic adventures, and celebrating your birthday in the same way the locals would means you’re totally engrossed in the culture you’re visiting.

3) Remember a bit of home

Your family back home will probably want to have some part in your day, so call home early on if you can, and check in with your family and loved ones.

4) Take your cards with you

Last year I took my cards away with me, so I had something from home to open on the day. I decorated my hotel room with cards from home and it felt like the best of both worlds.

5) Don’t be tempted to make it ‘just another day’

I don’t care how old you are, how young you wish you were, or where you wish you were, the bottom line is this is your birthday, so don’t be tempted to make it just the same as all the rest. Do something special, something you’ve always wanted to do, and do it on your special day, to really punctuate the fact. For example, if you’ve always wanted to bungee jump, do it on your birthday!

6) Budget for your special day

You might not have money to burn, but make sure you put enough aside to enjoy a night out, or a delicious meal with friends on your day. It doesn’t have to be a raging night out, it can be anything you want it to be, but you will need to fund it, so save a little if at all possible.

Celebrating in the local way, really enjoying the culture of the place you’re in, and throwing yourself into birthday celebrations will enhance your travel adventure and give you real memories to share in years to come.

photo credit: Helga Weber via photopin cc