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Luxury travel: The fresh mid-life crisis sports car? The Globe and Mail

Rethinking the milestone bday bounty

Rather than buying her spouse a car for his 40th bday, Amanda Blakley whisked him away to Peru for a petite, four-day sea cruise along the Peruvian Amazon aboard the Delfin I, seen above, one of three boats in the Delfin Amazon Cruises family.

Delfi Amazon Cruises handout

A excursion to Peru utter of uncommon practices and deep connections will be imprinted on the minds of this duo for years to come

I always envisioned marking my hubby’s 40th bday with a sports car. Cliché? Perhaps. Nothing obnoxious, just a little refurbished classic. I never took into account how unlikely it might be to have an extra parking space in our garage in midtown Toronto for this imaginary car. Or the capability for it to accommodate two youthfull children (both still in massively strong car seats). Furthermore, how awkward it might be to drive a car with no real suspension or heated seats, decent climate control, built-in USB buttplugs or Bluetooth capabilities.

So we’ll pass on the car. As it turns out, we’re not the only ones bucking this midlife crisis rite of passage. “Research shows that a Very first World generation that has grown up with relative peace and affluence – people in their 40s – desire authentic practices over material possessions,” says Ann Layton, chief executive of travel and tourism public relations rock-hard Siren Communications. “Posting photos of your fresh gas-guzzling vehicle does not have almost the same bragging rights as a sea cruise in Vietnam.”

Some are taking the experiential milestone bday celebration trend to fresh heights. Martha Weeman, a women’s wear designer, recently planned a weekend of practices and celebrations for her hubby’s 40th bday. Instead of hiring a private chef or renting a party room at a local Toronto restaurant, she booked a fully staffed villa in Montego Bay, Jamaica – with room for ten of their closest friends from the United States, Britain and Canada.

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“Because my spouse grew up in Fresh York and commenced his career in London, his best friends are dotted all over the world,” Weeman says. “Jamaica felt like a good compromise as there are slew of direct flights and more importantly, his bday is in December, so it was an escape from winter for most of our guests. Maybe that is why it came together so seamlessly.”

When asked what the best part of the weekend was, Weeman responded simply, “finding the capability to press pause on daily life, and be in the moment reconnecting with our most significant people is a bounty money or objects could never rival.”

Delfin I, one of three vessels possessed by Delfin Amazon Cruises.

When the time recently came to feast this same milestone for my own spouse, instead of going for the car, I set about planning for a memorable venture abroad. I wished to whisk him away to somewhere neither of us had ever explored, and after fantasizing and cross-checking lists, we landed on Peru. The romance of Latin America permanently draws us back and, as sultry foodies, we were both nosey about Peruvian cuisine. We opted for a puny, four-day sea cruise along the Peruvian Amazon aboard the Delfin I, one of three boats in the Delfin Amazon Cruises family. We bookended this with time in Lima to explore the city’s storied streets and sample its celebrated cuisine.

This venture was an chance to acknowledge a milestone bday while checking some major items off of our collective travel bucket list. More than that, it was about the infrequent practices we had while visiting Peru, and the connections we made with its people as well as the ones we deepened with each other. Each memory from our eight days in this remarkable country – the smells of the hawkers’ carts rattling down the street, the electrical colours of the textiles we fell in love with, the sounds of the jungle at night as we leisurely glided down the Amazon Sea – will be imprinted on our minds for us to treasure for years to come.

Tour operators are witnessing this shift very first mitt, reporting an increase in travel amongst milestone travellers such as ourselves. “For previous generations, travel was just a rest and a getaway, a status symbol or an escape from reality,” says Geoffrey Kent, founder, chairman and CEO of Abercrombie & Kent. “Travellers in our seamlessly connected era want to recall meaningful occasions with significant practices instead of material goods. This is true of guests celebrating milestone birthdays as well as weddings and anniversaries. They want to share memories that will last a lifetime with family and friends.”

Stacia Slightham is still railing the high of her own 40th celebration in Aspen, Colo., with close girlfriends. “During university as housemates and best friends, we hatched this plan – we promised each other that no matter what – kids, husbands, home-bases, professional commitments – we would carve out the time and money to make this tour happen,” says the stay-at-home mom and former pharmaceutical rep. “Twenty years later, it undoubtedly took some militant planning, bouncing babysitters, carpools, not to mention the tour itinerary itself – but when we all railed the gondola up to the infamous Cloud Nine, ordered a bottle of champagne and toasted each other on a sunny bluebird day high above Aspen, I couldn’t help but feel emotional about keeping our collective promise. We all agreed that the incredible skiing, all the laughs, shenanigans, indulgences and time out from our busy lives back home gave us the ideal pause and perspective to consider the significance of this milestone – together. Over twenty years of friendship.”

And, as for the idea of choosing travel over things, “a travel practice is a superior way to ring in a milestone because it as an investment in yourself and in your relationships,” Slightham says. “Going away helps you get in touch with your carefree self, enriches your mind, and is an escape from the normal routine of being at home/work. All of the above are way more significant to me than any purse or fancy car could ever be.”

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Travel companies are feeding into that trend.

“[Our customers] realize that material possessions don’t fulfill them in the same way a travel practice does,” says Aldo Macchiavello, founder and CEO of Delfin Amazon Cruises. “Travellers are searching for contrast to their daily lives. They are thirsty for authentic memories and meaningful practices, particularly as it relates to marking a big occasion or anniversary, they want to create and practice people, places and things that they can relive well beyond the tour itself. They also use significant milestones like a big bday, as an excuse or a reason to indulge their fine desires.

“It becomes something sacred that they can save for, desire about and look forward to via the planning process almost as much as the practice itself.”

Lily pads seen during a cruise along the Amazon Sea.

So sure, my spouse may have looked pretty jazzy pulling up to school drop-off in his 1960s sport coupe. But the man driving that car would have missed out on the incredible sunsets along the Amazon Sea, the best restaurants in Latin America and the chance to dance through the streets of Lima sipping pisco sours.

I love that man and I love that he would rather mark this milestone by savouring precious child-free time with me, luxuriating in the moment of this truly bucket-list-worthy escapade.

Next year will be my 40th, and I can’t wait to see what he has in store. I can pretty much ensure it won’t have four wheels or any kind of a diamond band.

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The writer and her hubby were guests of Delfin Amazon Cruises. It did not review or approve this article.

Getting there: Air Canada Rouge offers direct flights daily to Lima, Peru.

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