How to Plan a Travel-Themed Birthday Party on Zoom
by Jenny Javitch, Founder of Global Game Plan
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Even though COVID-19 has reduced some of our in-person birthday celebrations and travel plans, you can still plan a creative travel-themed birthday party online for that special person in your life.
Follow these five easy steps to create the best travel-themed birthday party on Zoom. You can also adapt these ideas for a virtual bachelorette party or bridal shower or you can modify them to host a children’s birthday party or any virtual celebration.
Download this FREE planning checklist which goes along with the party planning steps outlined below.
1. Choose a travel theme
Your travel theme will be the starting point for planning the rest of the virtual birthday fun. You can create a theme around some of the activity ideas provided in Step 4 or consider the answers to these questions when choosing the best travel theme:
Can you think of some places where the guest of honor has always wanted to travel? Have you heard them tell stories about their favorite vacation and want to recreate some of their memories? Popular tourist spots like Paris, Ireland, Alaska or Aruba offer tons of virtual travel opportunities that will fit perfectly with the planning steps suggested throughout this article. Not sure you have time to do all the research? Click here to purchase our Italy theme with 15+ activity ideas, music playlists, travel gift ideas and party refreshment suggestions.
What about an activity that the guest of honor loves that can be shared through this virtual travel experience? Interests or hobbies like taking a virtual train ride, going birdwatching, relaxing on the beach, “visiting” outer space or anything related to Harry Potter can be easily incorporated into the Zoom birthday experience.
If you’re having trouble deciding, or you want to do a mashup of virtual travel ideas, choose an “around the world” birthday party theme so you can mix and match a number of ideas to create a unique party.
Related: Virtual Date Night in Hawaii
2. Create some virtual atmosphere
Travel Theme Decoration Ideas
Using Greece as a Zoom background
Let’s start with a hot ticket item right now - Zoom backgrounds! Check out some popular travel destinations from Afar travel magazine (note: this article also includes tips on how to change your Zoom background), animated animal themes from G Adventures, nature pictures inside the National Parks, views from up above by United Airlines or beautiful spaces from Airbnb.
Maybe you have some leftover supplies from a previous birthday photobooth or each guest can easily create their own Happy Birthday signs to hold up during the Zoom call.
Ask the birthday guests to come in costume (for example, everyone can wear Hawaiian t-shirts and shorts for a beach theme) or you can get dressed up if you want to plan a “night out on the town.”
Music
Play some music to represent your chosen theme or destination, like this New Orleans Feel Good Playlist or Songs From Around the Globe to Help Keep the Gloom at Bay. If you’re going with an animal travel theme, you can listen to the sounds of the U.S. National Parks with their 12-minute “ParkTracks” soundtrack or you can choose to play individual animal noises from their sound library.
If you’re looking to create your own playlist, grab some “household instruments” as a Jimmy Fallon parody, or check out this article which explains how to find local music from around the world on Spotify.
No birthday party is complete without a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday! Sing it yourselves, learn how to say Happy Birthday in 25 languages or watch this inspiring video together where 70 people sing Happy Birthday in multiple languages.
Related: Download your FREE Zoom Birthday Party Planning Checklist
3. Offer refreshments for your virtual party
Every successful in-person party includes some tasty refreshments and a virtual birthday party is no different. Here are a few ways to approach drinks and snacks for this Zoom party:
Each guest can make their own drink or snack related to your chosen travel theme to consume during the party. Have them make it beforehand or plan it as an activity to do together during your Zoom call. Lonely Planet has made it easy for you by sharing their favorite food and drink recipes through their “Travel Kitchen” and “Destination Drinks” series.
Have some celebratory food, drink, happy hour snacks or a meal delivered to the birthday guest of honor. Even if they don’t live near you, Bite Squad, DoorDash and Uber Eats can deliver to homes across the United States from nearby local restaurants. Wine.com and Drizly can deliver alcohol). Or you can surprise the guest of honor by sending some of America’s most iconic foods, ice cream, a cocktail kit or a budget-friendly pizza to go along with a cold glass of beer.
4. Include an engaging activity (or two)
You’ve probably been on Zoom calls where everyone is looking at each other awkwardly, so in order to avoid a situation like that, plan some interactive activities for your time together (travel-themed of course).
Give a virtual birthday toast using the cocktails or mocktails you created in Step 3. Say “cheers” in different languages to fit the theme or play this virtual party game with drinking toasts around the world. This is also a perfect time for each party guest to share some of their sentiments or positive memories about the birthday guest of honor (pro tip: give the guests a heads up in advance so they have time to prepare something).
Dance Party! Check out these 5 dances from around the world to try at home.
It’s game time! Print some around the world printable games to play during the party.
Go on a virtual field trip together (using the “share my screen” feature on Zoom). Visit Ireland or Paris or choose from tons of virtual tour ideas in this blog post. As the Zoom party organizer, select activities in advance that you think the guest of honor and other birthday guests will enjoy.
Is your birthday party during the holiday season? Check out this list of virtual holiday celebrations around the world.
Engage with an international tour guide or book an Airbnb Online Experience for everyone - they have tons of options for private groups!
Enjoy a virtual wine tasting experience or you can play this printable wine and cheese game.
For a more relaxing Zoom call, make it a coloring party using these free travel coloring pages. Have a group “show and tell” with your design at the end.
Speaking of “show and tell,” how about a travel souvenir show and tell (it doesn’t have to be from the place you’re “visiting”) with your favorite travel memory?
Watch something together online, whether it be a travel-themed movie or television show or a Broadway musical.
Looking for some virtual birthday gift ideas? Mail a birthday card to the guest of honor, send a gift subscription of coffee from around the world or a box of international candy and snacks or check out these unique travel gifts they can use when traveling in person again.
Short on planning time? Click here to purchase our Italy theme with 15+ activity ideas, music playlists, travel gift ideas and party refreshment suggestions.
5. Finalize the planning logistics
Now that you’ve read the ideas in the previous steps, it’s time to finalize a few logistics and plan the implementation of this adventure-filled around the world birthday party on Zoom. Download this FREE planning checklist to help with all the details.
Decide on the date, time, and invite list with feedback from the birthday guest of honor. Try to plan at least one week in advance so you can set everything up. To avoid any awkwardness at the end of the call, establish both a start and end time for the party. Keep in mind that if you’re using the free Zoom account, your calls with three or more people are limited to 40 minutes.
If you’re participating in a livestreaming activity (like a cooking class) then schedule the online birthday party around the time of the class (including some time before and after the class for hanging out time with just the party guests).
If the birthday guest lives with someone then connect with them to ask for help in planning some of the details like food and drink and travel-themed decorations.
Communicate with all the guests regarding the party details (check out Evite’s new virtual invitations) and what they need to “bring” or prepare for. Confirm that the guests have downloaded the Zoom software on their computer or cell phone well ahead of the party and that you are familiar with how to host a Zoom meeting.
Be sure you followed through with the recommended steps above and then…
Congratulate yourself because you just planned an amazing travel-themed Zoom birthday call! Enjoy the party celebration!
Read More:
How to Plan (an in-person) Birthday Vacation
How to Celebrate a Birthday Alone - Take a Virtual Vacation!
Shop for Travel Accessories
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Global Game Plan would love to help you plan your next in-person vacation. You can view the travel planning services that we offer here. It’s our job to make travel easier for you! We can help plan your trip activities and transportation route to your final destination, and we’re happy to help with Airbnb rentals as well.