Celebrate life's big moments with travel
Isn’t it delightful to be celebrated? Life’s big moments call for a pause to honor our achievements, new and old relationships, or a life well-lived. A meaningful travel experience is one way to celebrate these milestones, and at AAA, we’re happy to spearhead the planning process.
Birthday Celebration Trips
A momentous birthday celebration is the most personal because it’s a tribute to life itself. At AAA, we see everything—surprise luxury beach vacations, long weekends in Paris, Las Vegas getaways, you name it. There are as many possibilities as there are people having birthdays, and this includes our AAA Travel professionals, who constantly work their travel wish list. Susan Thompson, manager of our Eden Prairie branch, celebrated a milestone birthday in a hot-air balloon, watching the sun rise over the Masai-Mara in Kenya, East Africa. Another colleague, Jackie Amundson, visited 50 states by age 50 then capped it off with a Disney cruise in the Mediterranean for her half-century mark.
Post-College Adventure Travel
College graduates already passed their first hurdle of adulthood saying goodbye at the dorm entrance, so what better way to honor their next transition than with a journey of self-discovery? AAA finds new graduates are adventurous, curious and unintimidated, looking for active engagement across the globe, whether trekking in South America or exploring emerging destinations such as Cuba, Vietnam, Croatia and Montenegro. Our millennial travel consultants see a trend with friends coming out of college. “They want to get a jump on their bucket list before they start working in the ‘real world,’” said Morgan Lucking, a travel consultant in our Maple Grove office. This generation spent college semesters abroad; they appreciated experiential travel long before it became fashionable.
Destination Weddings
Perhaps nothing says “Let’s escape” like a honeymoon, but the increasing popularity of destination weddings keeps AAA’s Romance Travel department busy, too. Couples can say their vows with family and friends just about anywhere in the world, though AAA Travel consultants typically coordinate the events through resorts offered by our travel partners. Our wedding specialists work with companies such as Travel Impressions and Pleasant Holidays to organize flight logistics and guest accommodations, while the bride and groom coordinate directly with the resort’s wedding planners on the finer details.
Honeymoons are celebrated all over the map, from Thailand’s jungles to Caribbean beaches, on river-cruise boats and Antarctic expeditions. Many couples see their honeymoon choice as an expression of their mutual passions, whatever they are. Great food, natural surroundings, privacy and seclusion, active adventure or the big city—it doesn’t matter as long as they’re exploring together.
Solo Travel
Solo travel remains popular across a broad age and celebration spectrum, from just-graduated seniors to newly retired seniors and everything in between. It’s gone from being a “last resort” to a choice among many travel seekers, who tell us, “Life is short, I’m going.” Cruise and tour companies offer more affordable opportunities to singles than ever before, a strategy they’re confident will draw intellectually curious travelers eager to make new friends and see the world at the same time.
Self-Discovery
A travel consultant can provide ideas and expertise in the planning process, but the real inspiration happens on the journey, when we observe a way of life different from our own. Consider a meaningful travel experience to celebrate life’s significant events because like our dreams—and life itself—the possibilities are endless.
