Is there any day more existentially dreadful than a birthday? The ultimate memento mori moment of each year, it’s the watermark we use to measure ourselves against the achievements of others (a reminder that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein at a precocious 19). Through horoscopes, it’s the day that grants our personalities cosmic significance. And somehow, out of all the edicts of Victorian social etiquette, it remains becoming of a lady to never tell her age.
But where’s the fun in that? You have 364 other days of the year to cultivate your mystique and distinction—your birthday is a naturally ripe time to finally make all your wishes come true, and that includes being able to pack your bags and head somewhere new, especially when it comes to a milestone birthday.
Perhaps your young one is having their first double-digit birthday, or maybe you’re finally able to leave the fake ID behind and order your “first” drink. Worry not, we also have some great suggestions for the silver foxes out there making the most of their golden years while still being young at heart. Because if there’s one thing that never gets old, it’s the timeless gift of travel.
To that end, we’ve thought through, philosophized, and ultimately narrowed down a list of the definitive places to go for your birthday, from a formative sugar rush trip to Atlanta and a European adventure where everything is romantic, to a honky tonk crawl through Nashville and a once-in-a-lifetime safari. After all, no matter your age, birthdays that require a travel itinerary and change of scenery are always guaranteed to be most memorable.