As most of you know, Mr. C and I have been ‘travelling’ this year in a big way. We decided to embark on Our Year Out because we didn’t want to be those people who simply left it too late.  We’d sold one of our websites so had a bit of spare cash and taking a gap year seemed like a really good idea. Why should students have all the fun? Ok, perhaps we should have done the sensible thing and paid a lump sum off the mortgage but we love travelling, seeing new places and doing new things and why not do it while we still can. I think most of us know of at least one couple or person who always intended travelling when they retired only to find one of them either dies or becomes infirm around the same time. A trip around the world whilst we are still fit(tish) and healthy(ish) seemed like and indeed was a fabulous idea!

Memories of places we’ve seen and things we’ve done stay with us forever. I don’t know about you but I’ve never heard of anyone saying towards the end of their life that they’re glad they had a new iPad for Christmas the year before last or that they had a new dressing gown from Boux Avenue last Christmas or that they wish they’d never sky-dived in New Zealand!

Mr. C and I will never forget 2017 as we managed to cover so much ground and do so many new things. I know this year has been very special for us and that’s why this Christmas, I’ll mainly be buying people experiences rather than things. My go-to place for this sort of gifts is BuyAGift as they have so many gift experiences to choose from – Gifts for Christmas, Experiences for Life! I can buy adventure experiences for the adrenalin junkies I know. Indoor sky-diving, a trip around a race track in a Ferrari, parachuting, whatever – you name it and you can buy it somewhere on the BuyAGift site

We all love a Spa Day and I know an awful lot of people who’d appreciate a day in a spa being pampered after a hectic Christmas. We have three daughters as you know and each one of them loves a spa day relaxing and being treated like someone special for a day. What’s not to love about lying in a dimly-lit room with spa music and scented candles while someone makes you feel good and makes you look gorgeous!

And don’t get me started on buying an Afternoon Tea for someone. I love an Afternoon Tea and over the past few years I’ve been given vouchers for one on many occasions. I can remember each and every one of them, from the taste and smells of the freshly-baked scones to the bubbly champagne, to who I was with and where we were….

As I said, we remember experiences far better than things and if you want to give one of your friends or someone in your family an enduring gift and something they’ll remember forever, then BuyAGift is where you need to go!

Buyagift.com is the UK’s leading provider of gift experiences and activity days, and with over 4,500 gifts to choose from, you are sure to find the perfect gift for your loved one this Christmas. If you do buy one of their amazing gifts, then tell everyone about it on social media with #buyaBETTERgift !

(This is a sponsored feature but I genuinely feel experiences are the way to go for Christmas and Birthday gifts and in all honesty I would never write about something I don’t believe in!)