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40th Birthday Trip Ideas
Trip ideas for turning 40, from a quiet long weekend to a year on the road.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
Tick the circles, tap any line to change it, drag the dots to reorder.
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Turning 40 and picking a trip? The sources here cover three sizes. A long weekend in Aspen, under a six-hour drive from the author's home. A Halloween-season Disney trip built around a 4 and 7 year old. A year on the road through North and Central America, which that family plans to end at the Darien Gap, a 106 km break in the Pan-American road by their account, followed by a month backpacking in Colombia. The three differ sharply in scale. This list assumes family travel and leaves out solo trips and destination weddings.
Why these items are on the list
- Weekend trip within driving distance. One family chose a drive under six hours to skip jet lag after earlier Australia and Costa Rica trips.
- Off-season mountain town stay. The Everyday Reading author found prices much lower off-season than ski season, though Aspen still isn't cheap.
- Condo with pool and hot tub. Rain most of the first morning; the pool and hot tub were warm, and the family had a great time.
- Family bike ride on a river trail. One parent called the roughly five-mile Rio Grande trail ride the best part of the trip.
- Short hike to the Ice Caves. Grottos Trail was nearly empty, with plenty to climb on along the way.
- Reserve Maroon Bells parking ahead. Parking reservations sold out for the day, so the family missed it. Book early.
- Farmer's market stroll. Rain didn't stop it. Pastries from a stand were eaten under the cover of a nearby building.
- Breakfast at a busy local spot. One family waited about 40 minutes at Origin; phone charades filled the time.
- Visit a local bookstore after lunch. A converted Victorian house made a bookstore worth prying the kids away from.
- Skip activities you do at home. One family passed on the ski lift since they ride one at home, and saved money.
- Cook some meals at the rental. The Aspen family said eating in more would have cut costs.
- Mickey's Halloween Party. Seasonal, with trick-or-treating and parades; one forum reply called it now-or-never for kids aged 4 and 7.
- Extended evening hours at Epcot. One forum poster plans a Swan or Dolphin night using Marriott points to get Epcot extended hours.
- One night at a nostalgic resort. One poster wanted a single night at a childhood favourite, Beach Club.
- Plan hotel points for one night. The poster thinks Marriott points could pay for a Swan or Dolphin night.
- Year-long family road trip. Allow lead time. That family was five months out and still had no vehicle.
- Weeks exploring BC and Southwest. Planned: 6 weeks in BC and Vancouver Island, then about 10 weeks in the Southwest and California.
- Month backpacking in Colombia. Their plan: leave the vehicle in Panama, then backpack for a month.
- Arrange remote work or leave. One parent plans about 25 remote hours a week; the other has arranged a one-year leave.
Hand your phone to the people coming along and let them tick the ones they'd actually book. The ticks show which size of trip the group wants.
When to use it
Best used before you book, since the sources show a parking reservation selling out and a vehicle still unsorted five months before departure.