Send your friends and loved ones away

Travel is a tough gift to give. You need to know the recipient pretty well to make sure your well-intentioned effort doesn't turn into a disaster. Could you imagine sending a wealthy friend through budget hotels in Romania? Or, putting a cities-only person on a beach for two weeks? The possibility for disaster is infinite. But, if you put some thought into it, your gift of a trip can be a big hit.

Time magazine realizes that "it's the thought that counts" is flawed thinking. You need to get it right if you're going to put a friend or family member on a plane, bus or train. Fortunately, you have choices. Solo jaunts, group get-togethers are and romantic getaways are all great fodder for the gift of travel ... as long as you tailor it to the recipient. A certain travel writer (ahem) took his wife to Eze, France for her birthday and proffered a cake covered in gold leaf at the top of that city's famous Chemin de Nietzsche ("Nietzsche Trail"). Not mentioned in the article is that the walk up tested the marriage. She and I had no idea that we'd really be climbing a mountain.

This brings me to my next point: know what you are doing. Just because something looks interesting, life on the ground may not be as advertised.

Read the original for a few more tips >>

[Via Time magazine]