Party Ideas for the Traveler
2 years ago we celebrated my Grandma’s 90th birthday party. For kids, it’s easy to plan a theme birthday party. But for Grandma’s 90th party we wanted something special! We decided to go with the Dr Seuss book “Oh the Places you could go” as the theme. We just changed it a bit and called it “oh the places you have been“. She has been (and still is) an avid traveler. We knew that the perfect decorations would be maps, suitcases and memorabilia from around the world where she has visited.
Party Ideas for the Traveler
We needed Maps – and lots of them!
We contacted State chamber of commerce or Visitors Rest Area Information. You can usually request a free map of the state by email or by stopping in at a local rest area.
US Chamber of Commerce Information
AAA Members can often pick up free maps in the local stores.
Local Tourism Travel Agencies- These proved to be a great resource for specialty tourist destinations. Example: We were able to pick up a Hawaii promo poster since Grandma had visited the Aloha state several times.
Can you see that there are maps on the walls? We had suitcases stacked around the room and wrapped huge cardboard boxes with maps of course.
Table Decoration Ideas
Each table became one of the places she had visited.
Examples:
- Hawaii – grass skirts, leis, a bobblehead hula girl
- One table – some ticket stubs and beach towels
- France – a replica Eifel Tower souvenir
Small Travel bags with specialty items from the different countries and cultures for the tables
Suitcases – Lots of them! We had each of the family members bring luggage to sit around for decor.
We had picture frames and albums positioned all around the room and on each of the tables.
Special Touches
Because this was a celebration of a special individual’s life, we had unique items that only meant something to the family. Why else would there be a plastic dune buggy on one table and a fisher price airplane on another? Do you have a traveler who needs to be celebrated? Maybe these ideas will help you plan a special day.
How would you decorate a party for a person who loves to travel? I’m sure you have lots of great ideas! I’d love to hear!