With the holiday season officially here, you may be wondering what to get that special someone in your life. While some people prefer unwrapping physical presents, others — such as many of the writers here at TPG — enjoy gifting and receiving vacations. Yes, giving the gift of travel may sound a bit complicated, but if you’re looking to surprise your spouse, kids, and/or loved ones with a trip, we have some ideas.
And, while we love surprising our friends and families with travel plans, sometimes you need to keep that person in the loop when the gift you want to give them is travel. Are they in a position to take time off from work or family obligations to make the trip? Are you gifting the trip to them and a “plus one” so they don’t have to travel alone? Does your recipient even want to travel? These are all valid questions, and they can all be answered in advance of the gift with a few key conversations.
Once you know your recipient would love the gift of travel, here are a few ways to make it happen.
Related: How to give a surprise trip as a gift
Use your points and miles to book travel
If you’ve got a stash of points and miles that you can’t possibly keep all to yourself, gifting some for a loved one’s trip is an awesome idea. Since you likely have more knowledge of how these programs work, it’s usually best if you handle making the award reservations on their behalf. If you’re going on the trip too, consider using your points and miles for your traveling companion and paying cash for yourself if you want to earn a few extra miles to partially replace what you are spending.
Before you make any plans, be sure to check out the current list of bonus transfer offers. If there’s a good one that’s relevant to booking particular flights or hotels you’re interested in, taking advantage of one of these offers can make a lot of sense and save you points and miles. It’s a great way to stretch the points and miles you already have.
Related: Using points and miles to book award travel for others
Book a vacation package or cruise
Vacation packages can present a tremendous value when they include airfare, lodging and sometimes even a rental car and excursions. We’ve seen some solid deals at Costco Travel. And watch for deals from airline vacation departments. For example, Delta Vacations is currently running a Black Friday promotion in which you can save up to $300 on a vacation package. In previous years, we’ve seen money-off promos for American Airlines vacation packages and British Airways London vacation packages (airfare and hotel) for under $600 per person.
Plus, booking a vacation package takes away the unwanted stress of researching and planning every detail of a trip. And, if flying to your next destination doesn’t sound ideal, you may want to look into booking a cruise for you and/or your companion. Several popular cruise companies are offering Cyber Monday and Black Friday deals that will definitely pique your interest.
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Buy travel-related gift cards
Around the holiday season, it’s par for the course to see promotions that offer gift card buyers a gift to use themselves. This season, you can buy a $500 Southwest Airlines gift card for $399.99. And travel doesn’t just mean hotel and flight gift cards; currently, you can purchase a $100 Uber gift card for $90.
The point is, have eagle eyes if you plan to give the gift of travel via gift cards. Watch your email for targeted promotions or check TPG for deal announcements. You can often find discounted travel gift cards or those offering some type of bonus for the purchase.
Even if you can’t find a discounted gift card, at least ensure you are earning as many points as possible when you purchase a gift card.
Related: Best credit cards for gift card purchases
Use Hyatt Globalist elite status to make a reservation for someone else
If you’re a Hyatt Globalist, you can use your elite status to improve someone else’s stay through the company’s Guest of Honor program. Basically, if you’re a Globalist elite member, you can redeem points for a stay for a family member or friend and “transfer” your elite status privileges to that traveler. What does this actually mean? Depending on the property, it means your gift recipient would get extra perks like Regency Club or Grand Club access, free breakfast and late checkout. If you want to give someone you love the royal treatment, this is a great way to do so.
Use a credit card to get a welcome bonus when paying for your gift
If you do plan to pay cash for the gift of travel, make sure to reward yourself. Here are a few of our favorite credit cards with lucrative welcome bonuses.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome bonus | Notable perks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | $395 (see rates and fees) | Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | Earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases; earn 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary. |
| Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express | $550 (see rates and fees) | Earn 180,000 Hilton Honors points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Terms apply. | Up to $200 in annual airline fee credit, up to $100 in Hilton on-property credit and up to $400 in Hilton resort statement credits. |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | $95 | Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. | Earn 2 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel and 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services and takeout. |
| Ink Business Preferred Credit Card | $95 | Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 in the first three months after card opening. | Cellphone and purchase protection, extended warranty, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and trip delay reimbursement. |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | $695 (see rates and fees) | Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership. Terms apply. | A lengthy list of benefits, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, and statement credit for Clear Plus membership. |
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: 14 best travel credit cards in 2023
Bottom line
Travel is a privilege that not everyone gets to partake in. Think about gifting an entire trip or a portion of one to someone you love. Whether you book a cruise deal or utilize your points and miles to pay for a hotel stay, gifting that special someone in your life an experience that they’ll probably remember forever is certainly one of the best presents to give. Plus, who knows, maybe they’ll catch the travel bug and become a built-in companion for future vacations!