Organizing a cool surprise trip as a gift looks like a big hassle, but it’s totally doable in less than an hour. Just stick to this guide and avoid all distractions, please!

1. Choose the topic [2 minutes] – you shouldn’t need more than a minute to decide what your friend (wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, mom, dad, etc.) is most into. Animals? Consider visiting a farm or an epic zoo, or booking a nature safari. Wine? Find the best winery offer tastings in the region. Еven if you are a fan of wine, you will probably still be surprised by wine with a different and nice taste.
2. Choose the destination [20 minutes] – there’s no need to browse through thousands of properties – the fact that it’s a surprise will make the experience special anyway. Google something like ‘the best places for animal lovers in X destination’. Choose the main attraction of the trip. Then choose a hotel or guesthouse nearby. Don’t close any of the tabs with the destinations you’ve chosen and then…
3. Make sure the birthday boy/girl has no other plans for the day. Then proceed to the booking [3 minutes] – make a casual call to ask your friend if they have already planned something for their birthday, using the excuse that your colleagues are inviting you to go to the theater on the same day. Don’t reveal that you are planning something. If the answer is ‘no’, proceed to booking. If the answer is ‘yes’, try to get an idea of what it is and who is invited. I’ve reached such levels of plan sophistication that I called every single guest to tell them the birthday would actually take place at another place and time, and they should keep the secret and pretend to be attending the event organized by the birthday person. It worked perfectly well.
4. Send a mysterious invitation [5 minutes] – use free online software (like Canva or BeFunky) to create an fancy invitation. Include only this information: when and where the person should be and what they should bring. If you are taking them to a warm place, include flip-flops and sunglasses in the to-bring list. If it will be a wine tasting, you can ask them to bring aspirin. You’re done! Now wait until the birthday when you can…
5. Blindfold them for extra suspense – just when they think the mystery will finally be over, add some more anticipation by blindfolding them and playing their favorite songs while you arrive. Unless you need to board a plane. Unfortunately you can’t sneak a blindfolded person onto a plane…
6. Surprise!

…romantic

…add a spa treatment for two or a dinner at a rooftop restaurant to make it more memorable.

…adventurous

…book a bungee jump, a skydive or ride on horseback in the wilderness.

…kid-friendly

…because kids like surprises too. In fact, every trip is a trip full of surprises when you travel with kids (at least for you) because you can never know when little Jimmy will spill a whole plate of spaghetti on his sister’s head, while using the tablecloth at the restaurant as a cape. So just look up the best children’s activity nearby and bring the kids’ favorite toys and games. Kids are also usually happy to join in everything the adults do – if you let them. My friend’s daughter went paragliding for the first time when she was five years old, and she even asked to go for a second time.

Pin it because you will have friends with birthdays, like, every year:

Discover more gift ideas here: 52 best gifts that are actually unforgettable experiences

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The bumps (England and Ireland)

If you happen to celebrate your birthday in the company of some English and Irish friends, don’t get surprised when the moment comes for them to take you by the hands and legs and “bump” you up into the air and back to the floor – and then again, and again until the number of “bumps” reaches the age you are turning.

Beating with belts (Poland)

Turning 18 is a big thing in Europe – you suddenly find yourself with a lot of exciting new opportunities, you don’t need mom and dad’s permission to do anything and you are no longer a child. And to welcome you to adulthood, Poles will slap you 18 times on the ass with a belt in front of all your guests in the middle of your birthday party. I am not quite sure how to comment on this, so let’s just leave it here and move a bit north to…

Decapitating the cake (Denmark)

…where the roles swap.  The birthday person is no longer being tortured but rather turns into the torturer – over their birthday cake. In Denmark it is common for the birthday cake (called Kagemand) to be shaped and decorated to look like a man (if it’s a boy’s birthday) or woman (if it’s a girl’s birthday). After the kid has finished blowing out the candles, they cut off the head of the cake-person while all the other kids around are screaming their own heads off.

A cute one to restore your faith in humanity (Ukraine)

We are finishing the list of bizarre birthday customs in Ukraine, with one that (thankfully) doesn’t hurt anyone. Ukrainians draw a circle on a piece of paper, which they cut into eight slices like pizza. On each of them they write something bad that happened in the last year and then burn that “slice”. When the bad things are all burned and buried in the past, the same “pizza” is made – this time with the positive changes in the past year of one’s life.

Ear pulling (Hungary, Italy, Brazil, Argentina…)

The idea of showing the birthday person that you are happy they were born and you wish them a happy and long life by actually causing them physical discomfort is not foreign to Hungarians or Italians either – they will pull your earlobes, once again the same number of times as the age you are turning. This practice is also common in Brazil and Argentina.

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Handmade gifts show your friends (who may love the road nearly as much as you love them) that you care. But not all of us are artsy enough to create something beautiful. Sometimes we need help from someone who knows how to use a sewing machine.

Among the host of artists around the world who specialize in handmade gifts, Neli Apostolova (known by her artistic pseudonym Handmade Nel) is one who truly understands the traveler’s soul. More importantly, she knows how hard it is to fit only the basics into your ultralight backpack or hand luggage.

Money, a passport and a good book is all a minimalist traveler needs. Handmade Nel takes care of these necessities with some neat and beautifully designed gifts that will bring order to your luggage and inspire your wanderlust with their travel-themed patterns.

Here are four of our favorite travel essentials from Handmade Nel, whose creations are available on Etsy.

First and foremost, you’ll need somewhere to keep all your bathroom essentials in order. What better than this map-print toiletry bag?

Of course, there’s nothing like a travel-themed wallet to keep all your cards and banknotes safe on the road.

Or how about a passport cover to keep you looking stylish from the moment you arrive at your destination?

Traveling with an ebook is lighter than bringing your entire paperback collection. If you don’t mind swapping the smell and feel of real paper for a screen, this option is a real space saver. You ebook needs good protection, though; that’s where Handmade Nel’s beautiful case comes in handy.

Fabric ebook case by Handmade Nel

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First of all, keep calm. You are now a year older, a year wiser, and you should know that some rain can’t stop you from having a wonderful birthday. Here are some ideas to help you make that rainy birthday even better.

Have a spa day

If you can’t pamper yourself on your birthday, then when can you? One option is to shield yourself from the elements in your raincoat and rain boots, then head to the nearest spa center and put your well-being in the hands of professionals.

The other option is to turn your home into an equally stress-free space: play some relaxing music, light some scented candles, try some DIY face and hair masks, or meditate. This is your chance to do whatever gets you into that Zen state of mind.

Your complete relaxation emergency kit – Shawnee Wilborn / unsplash

Organize a movie marathon with movies from the year you were born

Watching movies while it’s raining outside is a cliché for a reason – it just makes you feel cozy, or to use the proper term: hygge. That’s why a movie marathon is the perfect rainy birthday idea. To make it more appropriately themed, choose movies from the year you were born. I bet you don’t know who won the Oscar for the best picture that year, do you?

Bonus challenge: learn how to make rainbow popcorn so you can enjoy it on your special day. Because, as science has proven, calories don’t count on your birthday…

Fact: calories know when it’s your birthday and have agreed not to make you fat on that day – Toa Heftiba / unsplash

Plan a trip

What could be a better birthday present than the exciting feeling of imagining yourself in foreign places and experiencing new things? Immersing yourself in that daydream is therapeutic, especially with all that pesky rain in the background.

Plan your trip from A to Z, from choosing the destination to looking for accommodation, budgeting, and selecting possible dates. If your friends know you well enough, there is a high chance some of your birthday presents will actually help fund that trip.

>>> Here’s a guide: How to organize the perfect surprise birthday trip!

Do images like this ever fail to trigger wanderlust? I think not – Rana Sawalha / unsplash

Learn how to make your favorite cocktail

Get the ingredients, print the recipe and practice throughout the day. By the time evening comes, you should already have the confidence that you’re the best bartender in the world. Now it’s time to throw a house party and let your perfect mojito transport your friends away from the rain and off to a sunny Caribbean island.

Add the ice and voilà, your favorite cocktail is ready – Wine Dharma/unsplash

Practice some outdoor sports – but indoors

If you’re lucky enough to live nearby an indoor ski slope or wave pool, then you already have the perfect rain sanctuary. If not, then you have the perfect chance to get creative.

Find a relatively large covered space and fill it with as many balls, rackets, boards, bats and nets as you can get your hands on. Now it’s time to create your own game with the most absurd rules you can think of (and an even more absurd name, of course!). Who knows; if your bizarre sport is good enough, it might one day make it to the Olympics!

Read more: What to do on a rainy day: 20 ideas with friends

Pin it for that future birthday when rain isn’t forecast and the bad weather catches you unprepared:

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