Every milestone birthday, I plan a trip that both excites me and challenges me. For my 49th year (the year I turned 50) I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru. for my 59th, I ran a marathon in Venice, Italy. This year for my 69th year, I am hiking in Rwanda and Uganda to see the mountain gorillas. for my 79th? to be determined.
Of course I need to plan another trip to Prague!! :) so much fun meeting you and Dave.. I did a fabulous 14 day archeological trip to Egypt in January....life is grand..
I love your energy, Faye! I walked the Hadrian's Wall path for my 60th, but not sure I've got the oomph for a marathon. But I definitely like the idea of hiking somewhere else interesting . . . please report back on Rwanda!
We just celebrated my 60th in February by riding our bikes from Sydney Australia to Hobart Tasmania... 1400 miles. We loved everything about our trip, the landscapes, the people, the food and wine. Fantastic.
That sounds AMAZING. What a fantastic experience! Did you stay in hotels or camp at night? We did the California AIDS Ride — a mere 560 miles from San Francisco to LA — and had to camp at night. Unforgettable, but pretty challenging.
My husband planned a surprise trip for my 50th. When we boarded the flight to Vegas I wondered if he had ever met me because I don't gamble, but it turned out he knew me very well. I have always had an odd facsination with heavy equipment and he took me to "Dig This!", the adult equivalent of a giant sandbox with the coolest toys. I got to actually operate an excavator and a bull dozer! Love him!!! https://digthisvegas.com/?utm_source=GMBlisting&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=GMB-product-listings
Ooh! We did something similar a few years back. We're not gamblers, so we wanted to see how we could keep ourselves entertained in Vegas. Turns out theres PLENTY to do. We also did Dig This--such fun! (Another fave spot for us was the Pinball Hall of Fame :)
For my 50th this year. I’m going to Springfield, MO to visit the flagship Bass Pro Shop, LOL, but more importantly, the wildlife museum and aquarium next door, as well as getting Whataburger at the only place closest to me! I always try to stay in a Jacuzzi suite when I travel, not because I’m extra, but because it’s soothing for my fibromyalgia/arthritis, and yeah — there’s not much on the planet that is better than taking dessert back to your hotel room after a lovely dinner and eating it whilst sitting in a Jacuzzi watching “Law & Order: SVU” reruns.
28th birthday, Florence Italy. A city I had dreamed about going to since my Italian Renaissance Art History classes in college. We walked all over the city and ended the evening with a traditional Italian dinner at friend's of a friend of my mom who had a house outside the city gates. They made a birthday cake for me and sang happy birthday. Unforgettable!
For my sister’s 60th, I offered her a trip to a book festival anywhere in the world. We asked several authors at book signings for suggestions and ended up not far from my sister’s Boston base: Nantucket. The festival itself was free; staying there, though pricey, was fun and quite unique. We had a blast and decided to let book/literary festivals guide future travels together.
A few years back my husband and I turned sixty just three months apart so we did a September road trip to Bar Harbor, ME (hiking in Acadia National Park), Prince Edward Island:(he visited Anne of Green Gables house while I did some ocean kayaking--he had played Matthew in community theater performance, so dream fulfilled), and Nova Scotia (more hiking in Cape Breton national park and lots of pubs and ceilidhs). We may have visited a few bookshops along the way! So much fun, but long 12 hr drive home to our Massachusetts home. Thank God for audiobooks!
That sounds so wonderful! Ever since we did our episode on Canada's Atlantic Provinces we've been wanting to visit that part of the world. It sounds like you had a magical time!
Heck yeah! For my 50th, I had a dance party. The songs came from a playlist I had been curating for over a year that was 6 plus hours long. We danced for 3 hours. It was amazing.
My 50th is this October this year. I’m putting together a bookish trip to England. I want to see all the literary sites in London, visit the moors, and to appease my goth side-visit Highgate Cemetery and Whitby. I cannot wait!
If you can fit it in, a visit to Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters is well worth it. It's a tiny little village north of Manchester in Yorkshire. The parsonage is a sweet museum with tons of original Bronte writing, sketches, and clothing. Also, a bit northeast,is Grassington, where the current All Creatures Great and Small is filmed. Added bonus is that it's in a national park, so many hiking trails criss cross the region.
My husband ASKED for a surprise party for his 40th birthday. I told him "Absolutely not. How can it be a surprise now!?" But I plotted anyway and instead did a "40 days before your 40th birthday" party, which happened to be my best friend's birthday. My dad was in town and we had planned to meet at her place for her "birthday dinner", but she was in on it and I told him we'd stop at his favorite "cheers"-type bar beforehand, where all of his friends would be waiting to surprise him. On his actual birthday that year, I wrapped 40 gifts (a few big, most small) and the first one was a timer set for 15 minutes. He got to open a gift every 15 minutes, all day long. :-)
My friend and I did a joint 40th birthday trip since our birthdays are about 2 weeks apart. We wanted to do a spa-like trip, but I think going to the Kripalu Yoga Center in the fall might have been either better. We got massages, had silent breakfast as well as all meals included. Gentle yoga 3x a day, plenty of reading and nap time and optional breakout sessions with relaxing views of the Berkshire Mountains.
I love this question because it's about time to plan another milestone birthday. Thanks for all of the ideas, everyone!
For my 40th, my husband and I went to France. The day of my birthday was glorious with some shopping at City Pharma and a pain au chocolat from Poilane, a visit to the Orangerie museum, a perfume creation workshop, drinks at a cafe, and hen dinner at our favorite little restaurant in Montmartre.
Not a milestone, but my 42nd birthday was epic. I was traveling with a tour group in Japan with other 30-40 yr old solo travelers, and the day of my birthday was in Tokyo. We had lunch with Sumo wrestlers and got to try out Sumo wrestling, and our tour guide brought birthday glasses for everyone to wear and brought me a birthday hat. Some of us spent the afternoon at Shinjuku, and then in the evening we went to TeamLabs Planets which was so magical. We ended the evening with dinner at the top of a tower over the city and the restaurant brought out a plate of 4 desserts for me while the group sang happy birthday. My new travel friends made me feel so special and loved, and the fun day made me feel like I was a kid again. It will take a lot to beat that birthday.
There is so much awesomeness in these paragraphs! Pain au chocolate and the Orangerie! Handmade perfume! Sumo wrestling! four desserts! Such joyousness!
I love to celebrate with a mega sample nosh. I choose a few types of foods that I've always wondered which was the best/new to me, lay out a pretty board and sample away. One year it was cheeses and breads; another it was pickled foods from around the world; another year was all about dips. There's always a dessert element, whether one of each pastry from a local patisserie, weird and wild candies from around the world, or the Cake Sampler Box from my local bakery: a slice of each flavor of the 16 different cakes on their menu.
Yes for my 60th I took my kids and their partners to Edinburgh , my birthday is a few days before Christmas so we were there for all the festivities, markets, decorations etc. it was magical and one of my most cherished memories!
For my 50th birthday I gave myself a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, which was quite an experience, and I loved it.
When my husband turned 60 last year, we organized a family weekend with our children and their partners to a medieval town in southern Germany where we gifted him (among other things) a very cool wine tasting in a winery that has been in operation since 1576. A wealthy bishop in those days had taken pity on the city´s poor and had founded a care home / hospital that was financed by some of the vineyards he owned. This hospital is still in operation today and it is still being supported by these vineyards. Their motto is „Doing a good deed with every sip you take." We had a very enjoyable evening with lots of good deeds.
For my 50th this year, I booked a trip to a Manor House weekend with my two favorite podcasters! ;)
100% YES TO THIS! YAY!
Every milestone birthday, I plan a trip that both excites me and challenges me. For my 49th year (the year I turned 50) I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru. for my 59th, I ran a marathon in Venice, Italy. This year for my 69th year, I am hiking in Rwanda and Uganda to see the mountain gorillas. for my 79th? to be determined.
Much love, Faye
WHAT?! You are such an adventurer! I love it. Hiking the Inca Trail — and then a marathon in Venice?! Amazing.
Of course I need to plan another trip to Prague!! :) so much fun meeting you and Dave.. I did a fabulous 14 day archeological trip to Egypt in January....life is grand..
Like a female Howard Carter!
I love your energy, Faye! I walked the Hadrian's Wall path for my 60th, but not sure I've got the oomph for a marathon. But I definitely like the idea of hiking somewhere else interesting . . . please report back on Rwanda!
We just celebrated my 60th in February by riding our bikes from Sydney Australia to Hobart Tasmania... 1400 miles. We loved everything about our trip, the landscapes, the people, the food and wine. Fantastic.
That sounds AMAZING. What a fantastic experience! Did you stay in hotels or camp at night? We did the California AIDS Ride — a mere 560 miles from San Francisco to LA — and had to camp at night. Unforgettable, but pretty challenging.
Love everything about this, except the actual biking, ha ha!
One word: ebike. It’ll change your life.
Oh yes, I am intrigued by those -- my friend and her boyfriend recently did a tour in Ireland and it sounded like fun and not too horrifying!
I got one in 2021 and now ride every other day. It’s amazing.
Wow! Makes my 84-mile walk look like, well, just a walk 😐
And I'm assuming you took a ferry at some point? ;-)
That is a serious trip! WOW! Have you done other big rides?
My husband planned a surprise trip for my 50th. When we boarded the flight to Vegas I wondered if he had ever met me because I don't gamble, but it turned out he knew me very well. I have always had an odd facsination with heavy equipment and he took me to "Dig This!", the adult equivalent of a giant sandbox with the coolest toys. I got to actually operate an excavator and a bull dozer! Love him!!! https://digthisvegas.com/?utm_source=GMBlisting&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=GMB-product-listings
HA! That's so cool. What a great surprise! And who knew that something like Dig This exists?! Magic.
That looks amazing!!! What a fun and thoughtful surprise:)
Ooh! We did something similar a few years back. We're not gamblers, so we wanted to see how we could keep ourselves entertained in Vegas. Turns out theres PLENTY to do. We also did Dig This--such fun! (Another fave spot for us was the Pinball Hall of Fame :)
For my 50th this year. I’m going to Springfield, MO to visit the flagship Bass Pro Shop, LOL, but more importantly, the wildlife museum and aquarium next door, as well as getting Whataburger at the only place closest to me! I always try to stay in a Jacuzzi suite when I travel, not because I’m extra, but because it’s soothing for my fibromyalgia/arthritis, and yeah — there’s not much on the planet that is better than taking dessert back to your hotel room after a lovely dinner and eating it whilst sitting in a Jacuzzi watching “Law & Order: SVU” reruns.
"Dessert to go" is one of my favorite things! - Dave
I love everything about this! The Whataburger, the wildlife museum, the jacuzzi, L&O, dessert... you have hit all the bases. Grand slam!
28th birthday, Florence Italy. A city I had dreamed about going to since my Italian Renaissance Art History classes in college. We walked all over the city and ended the evening with a traditional Italian dinner at friend's of a friend of my mom who had a house outside the city gates. They made a birthday cake for me and sang happy birthday. Unforgettable!
What a beautiful birthday! Dinner with a local is the BEST in a foreign city.
For my 80th birthday, my family (about 30) and I had a beautiful sunset cruise aboard a schooner out of Biloxi, Mississippi.
That sounds utterly dreamy. Here's to 80 (healthy) more years!
Lovely!
For my sister’s 60th, I offered her a trip to a book festival anywhere in the world. We asked several authors at book signings for suggestions and ended up not far from my sister’s Boston base: Nantucket. The festival itself was free; staying there, though pricey, was fun and quite unique. We had a blast and decided to let book/literary festivals guide future travels together.
That is an excellent tradition!
What a wonderful idea!
A few years back my husband and I turned sixty just three months apart so we did a September road trip to Bar Harbor, ME (hiking in Acadia National Park), Prince Edward Island:(he visited Anne of Green Gables house while I did some ocean kayaking--he had played Matthew in community theater performance, so dream fulfilled), and Nova Scotia (more hiking in Cape Breton national park and lots of pubs and ceilidhs). We may have visited a few bookshops along the way! So much fun, but long 12 hr drive home to our Massachusetts home. Thank God for audiobooks!
That sounds so wonderful! Ever since we did our episode on Canada's Atlantic Provinces we've been wanting to visit that part of the world. It sounds like you had a magical time!
Heck yeah! For my 50th, I had a dance party. The songs came from a playlist I had been curating for over a year that was 6 plus hours long. We danced for 3 hours. It was amazing.
That sounds like so much fun!
My 50th is this October this year. I’m putting together a bookish trip to England. I want to see all the literary sites in London, visit the moors, and to appease my goth side-visit Highgate Cemetery and Whitby. I cannot wait!
That sounds so great! Definitely recommend the Highgate Cemetery tour. We did it last October, and it was fantastic. We saw a fox!
Also, Whitby! Are you going to read Dracula while you're there?! I hope you have just the best time ever.
Absolutely! Thanks!
If you can fit it in, a visit to Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters is well worth it. It's a tiny little village north of Manchester in Yorkshire. The parsonage is a sweet museum with tons of original Bronte writing, sketches, and clothing. Also, a bit northeast,is Grassington, where the current All Creatures Great and Small is filmed. Added bonus is that it's in a national park, so many hiking trails criss cross the region.
Thanks for the recommendations. These sound like perfect additions.
My husband ASKED for a surprise party for his 40th birthday. I told him "Absolutely not. How can it be a surprise now!?" But I plotted anyway and instead did a "40 days before your 40th birthday" party, which happened to be my best friend's birthday. My dad was in town and we had planned to meet at her place for her "birthday dinner", but she was in on it and I told him we'd stop at his favorite "cheers"-type bar beforehand, where all of his friends would be waiting to surprise him. On his actual birthday that year, I wrapped 40 gifts (a few big, most small) and the first one was a timer set for 15 minutes. He got to open a gift every 15 minutes, all day long. :-)
My friend and I did a joint 40th birthday trip since our birthdays are about 2 weeks apart. We wanted to do a spa-like trip, but I think going to the Kripalu Yoga Center in the fall might have been either better. We got massages, had silent breakfast as well as all meals included. Gentle yoga 3x a day, plenty of reading and nap time and optional breakout sessions with relaxing views of the Berkshire Mountains.
I love this question because it's about time to plan another milestone birthday. Thanks for all of the ideas, everyone!
Both of those 40th celebrations are excellent! I love that you were able to surprise your husband... and a gift every 15 minutes?! Genius.
The Kripalu Yoga Center is so pretty!
For my 40th, my husband and I went to France. The day of my birthday was glorious with some shopping at City Pharma and a pain au chocolat from Poilane, a visit to the Orangerie museum, a perfume creation workshop, drinks at a cafe, and hen dinner at our favorite little restaurant in Montmartre.
Not a milestone, but my 42nd birthday was epic. I was traveling with a tour group in Japan with other 30-40 yr old solo travelers, and the day of my birthday was in Tokyo. We had lunch with Sumo wrestlers and got to try out Sumo wrestling, and our tour guide brought birthday glasses for everyone to wear and brought me a birthday hat. Some of us spent the afternoon at Shinjuku, and then in the evening we went to TeamLabs Planets which was so magical. We ended the evening with dinner at the top of a tower over the city and the restaurant brought out a plate of 4 desserts for me while the group sang happy birthday. My new travel friends made me feel so special and loved, and the fun day made me feel like I was a kid again. It will take a lot to beat that birthday.
There is so much awesomeness in these paragraphs! Pain au chocolate and the Orangerie! Handmade perfume! Sumo wrestling! four desserts! Such joyousness!
I love to celebrate with a mega sample nosh. I choose a few types of foods that I've always wondered which was the best/new to me, lay out a pretty board and sample away. One year it was cheeses and breads; another it was pickled foods from around the world; another year was all about dips. There's always a dessert element, whether one of each pastry from a local patisserie, weird and wild candies from around the world, or the Cake Sampler Box from my local bakery: a slice of each flavor of the 16 different cakes on their menu.
This is such a genius idea! When is your birthday? What is the plan for this year — or did it happen already?
What a great idea! My husband and I are total foodies, so I could see trying this. I love the theme aspect of it!
Yes for my 60th I took my kids and their partners to Edinburgh , my birthday is a few days before Christmas so we were there for all the festivities, markets, decorations etc. it was magical and one of my most cherished memories!
Christmas time in Edinburgh is so fantastic! What a great birthday trip!
For my 50th birthday I gave myself a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, which was quite an experience, and I loved it.
When my husband turned 60 last year, we organized a family weekend with our children and their partners to a medieval town in southern Germany where we gifted him (among other things) a very cool wine tasting in a winery that has been in operation since 1576. A wealthy bishop in those days had taken pity on the city´s poor and had founded a care home / hospital that was financed by some of the vineyards he owned. This hospital is still in operation today and it is still being supported by these vineyards. Their motto is „Doing a good deed with every sip you take." We had a very enjoyable evening with lots of good deeds.
Another adventurer! You act all mild-mannered and then you're out there scaling mountains :-)