So you want to Learn to Fly?
Dreams where you are flying can be magical, but you can learn to fly a real plane when you sign up for a flying experience. If watching the landscape pass below you while you experience your first helicopter flight appeals to you, you may like to sign up for a special flight experience. An experience for two, including a romantic picnic lunch with champagne, can be a wonderful way to celebrate an anniversary or another significant occasion with your spouse or partner.

Try Flying Acrobatics for Some Daredevil Fun

Stunt flying is not for the faint of heart, but if you are something of a daredevil you may love a lesson in flying acrobatics – an experience that will provide you with your fix of adrenalin. An experience operated by qualified and experienced pilots will be safe, and a lesson which includes extensive pre-flight preparation can be enjoyed with less anxiety, if you are a first-time stunt performer. You can also book an acrobatic flying experience for a loved one; anyone who has a love for airplanes and/or extreme experiences is likely to love this gift.

For a Rare Treat, Fly a Vintage Tiger Moth Biplane

You can go on an ordinary domestic flight any day, but a rare experience such as a flight on a vintage Tiger Moth biplane will be an airborne adventure to remember. If you are something of a history buff and fancy yourself something of a flying ace put your prowess to the test. You can whiz around and even enjoy demonstrations of acrobatic flying stunts such as loop-the-loop and barrel rolls. For flight training with a difference, fly a biplane that would meet the approval of the Red Baron himself.

Helicopter Tours Offer a Different View of the Landscape

You may have travelled around extensively via land, but helicopter tours can provide you with an altogether different, exciting view of familiar landscapes. A helicopter flight may be a little noisy, but that is half the excitement – hearing the propeller’s blades turn powerfully, lifting you high over a picturesque scene. A helicopter flying lesson is a great gift for that friend who likes to take charge and experience new things, and a lesson which includes an opportunity to take the controls will provide a memorable experience that is also a great conversation starter.

Microlight Flying – the closest thing to Autonomous Flight

Since microlights are small and light, as their name suggests, they provide you with the closest thing to the sensation of being weightless; the next best thing to the fantastical idea of swimming breaststroke through the air. The speed of flight depends on your wishes, so you can whizz through the air or slow your pace down to a gentle glide, taking in the sights and the rush of having a boundless aerial view. You can book flight training for yourself, or can give a microlight experience to a friend who would love to learn to fly.

Paintball mania has hit the UK… and more specifically, it’s hit my office! It was all my colleagues could talk about yesterday. And you know why? Because my boss has arranged a Spring Team Building Excursion into the paintballing battlefields of the South West. We’ve already been assigned to teams, colours, semi-automatics and paintballs…

Now I’d much rather be gearing up for baking, but paintballing is just fine. I can’t say I’m looking forward to the bruises though! But you should hear the men in my office! They’ve all grown down about ten years! Which makes me think that paintballing is a fantastic gift idea! And not just for kids either! I’d highly recommend this as a fun activity for your husband or significant other … especially if you could look into securing a group booking for him and his mates. It’s not that expensive either: £23.00 gets you entry into an indoor battlefield made up of stairwells, drums, empty rooms, abandoned hallways and laser lights. It also gets you a whopping 200 balls!

So if you’re looking for a fun way to spoil your husband then this is definitely the right thing for a fun-loving guy! And while he’s out, you can treat yourself to a yummy cupcake-making class and enjoy some delicious treats!

Yes I agree, our health is of the utmost importance! And it’s good that you mention this at Easter too – everyone is going to be tripping over each other to find the perfect Easter eggs when they could be treating each other with healthy activities that are fun too! There are loads of fun Easter activities that you could enjoy like Sphereing or Zorbing, and there are some healthy food options as well. Here are some of my favourite classes that you might share with a loved one for the perfect Easter gift that is pro healthy living:

Keith Burke’s MARKET FRESH cookery course is a fabulous introduction to healthy eating. You are guided around one of London’s finest fresh produce market to purchase lovely fresh ingredients before heading on to Keith Burke’s (Michelin Star Chef!) kitchen to learn how to prepare them. This is a great cooking course for couples – - I hear that it is heaps of fun!

Another cooking course you might consider is the quick and easy “cook, eat and run” course which is taking the nation by storm. This incredibly popular course is ideal for those of you who don’t have much time to spend enjoying the culinary arts but would like to give it a go anyway… you learn quick and easy recipes that you can cook up in half an hour, and then you sit down with your classmates and enjoy your cooked meal together afterwards. The recipes are delicious and the class has a very friendly atmosphere. Have a quick look at this video to see what I mean:

And finally, my personal favourite is the THAI COOKERY course, also hosted by Keith Burke. If you love Thai food (and I DO!) then you’ll love this course! Keith is friendly and encouraging, the kitchen facilities are superb and the people are all so nice! I had a brilliant time there, I can’t wait to go back! And best of all my new Thai Green Curry recipe is a hit at all of our dinner parties! This is a must do this Easter.

Good luck with finding the perfect Easter Gift, and I hope that you manage to achieve those six-pack abs you mentioned!

x Stacey

Celebrate your husband with special treats this Valentine’s Day and let him know that the romance is still very much alive I’ve got three amazing gift ideas for you that are guaranteed to be a huge success. Here they are:

(1) Treat him to a Lover’s Flying Lesson with Lunch and Champagne that will let him pilot a real aircraft followed by a delicious lunch at the airfield cafe. This is a great way to let him take on the skies and make him feel like he’s number one! The best part of it is that you will get to join him as a passenger in the plane and as his guest for lunch.

Here is a really sweet couple having a lesson of their own:

Now doesn’t that look like fun?!

(2) The second gift on my list of ‘Valentine’s Day Must Haves’ is the chocolate making workshop for two. This is a fab cooking course where you and your husband will be able to delight in some decadent treats and learn all about the history of chocolate and chocolate-making. This is a must-do for the epicure and chocolate lover!

(3)  And finally, here’s another one that you can enjoy together: the yummy Couples Seafood Class! This one is exceptionally popular because it gives you both an opportunity to enjoy some quality time together while learning all about (and sampling!) some of the finest seafood treats. Yum!

If you’re looking for a fabulous driving day for the special guy (or girl!) in your life then I’ve got some good news for you! One of my good friends was treated a fabulous gift for his recent birthday and he had the rare opportunity to drive a Lamborghini Gallardo around a race track. Now it sounded like it was an amazing day, but I think I have something even more exciting to tell you.

… now anyone can drive one of their dream cars around a real race track at a very reasonable rate! He came across the best deal and was nice enough to share it with me so I could share it with you. I can only imagine what kind of gift-doors this special bit of information is going to be opening in the near future! Treat friends to a Ferrari challenge and lads to a Lamborghini day, give your aunt the keys to an Audi R8 or go the Full Monty with a tank driving phenomenon! I’m just so excited, I can’t wait to show you what I’ve found!

First of all, let’s have a look at Sean’s Lamborghini that he won’t stop talking about. He keeps saying that it’s something you’ve got to experience for yourself and that no words can describe it. Not very helpful, is he? Have a look at this video to see for yourself what it must be like to drive this dream car:

Looks pretty good doesn’t it? I love cars that bend neatly at the back like that, looks very supercar-ish.

Okay, they also offer a range of other super cars so you can pick out your particular dream vehicle and have a go. I must say, I’ve always been captivated by the styling of the Porsche Carrera 911 so I was quite excited to see that they have this one there as well. And what a good deal!

I could get used to driving one of those! Makes a big change from my Verso I love that there are videos to watch, it makes it so much easier to see what’s actually going on.

There’s also a Ferrari 360 on offer for Ferrari fans. I was recently dragged to the popular Ferrari Shop in London and I must admit, there’s something very appealing about the tell-tale red paint (which is even branded as Ferrari red!) and the very sleek contours.

That looks really exciting! I’m glad to see that other girls like cars too… Mind you, I’m more about what it looks like on the outside than on the inside. I wouldn’t know a carburettor if it fell on my foot!

Then there’s the Aston Martin DB9 which is the car most famous for being James Bond’s first choice. Okay, it’s probably more famous for something else but that’s why I know about it! I am a self-confessed Ian Fleming fan.

Look at it go:

Wow! I love the way they highlighted the red in that video, very neat – it makes it quite distinctive from the Ferrari red, don’t you think?

Let’s not forget the Audi R8 which is a very popular choice for ‘big kids’ and businessmen. It has won hundreds of awards and when I went to ask my colleague why it is that he chose to drive one of these to work every day, he answered simply: ‘It was Playboy’s Car of the Year’. Goodness!

Finally, the last ’single’ car driving experience that you can choose takes place in a Ford RS. You see a lot of these on the road – they’re unmissable with their distinctive orange, green or white paint jobs and their cheeky styling. But I have it on good authority that they’re a whole lot of fun on the race track as well! Sean got taken out for a ‘practice lap’ in one of these before they let him loose in the Lamborghini, and he said it was quite a beastly car.

Look at it zip around! Now if you thought that you’d been given a world of choice here, think again. There’s more where that came from! The clever people behind these fun driving days came up with something for the die-hard drivers out there.

That’s right, I’m talking about versus days. That’s when you take two of the biggest names in race driving and put them head-to-head to see which one handles better, which one is faster, and which one you like better. For example, you might compare the Ferrari with the Lamborghini.

Now that’s going to be a driving day worth doing! What a treat for big car fans. And you know what else could be fun? What about if you put a Aston Martin against Ferrari? Can you imagine James Bond going up against the legendary Jody Shekter or Kimi Raikkonen!

Look at that! You can really let your imagination run wild when you’re coming up with fun versus days!

If you’re looking for a car that has a bit more ‘raw power’ than these muscle machines we’ve already been discussing then you’ll probably appreciate the next item on our line-up: the Aston Martin Vs the Nissan GTR! The GTR is hailed as the Sports Car of the Year, the Motor Trend Car of the Year, Supercar of the Year, Automobile of the Year… etc. I don’t think I need to keep telling you, just watch this video and you’ll understand:

Wow! Did you hear that – a top speed of 195mph! That does seem to put up a bit of tough competition for the Aston Martin. Which one do you think will do better?

Not to be outdone by it’s rivals, the Ferrari makes a come-back to our line-up with a stunning versus day in the form of the Ferrari Vs Audi R8 challenge.

I can’t imagine which one would win – they’re both such super rides! I guess that’s why they let you drive both of them around the track … so you can see for yourself!

And finally, I’ve got a little ‘kicker’ surprise for you. I saved the best for last! If you’re looking for the ultimate driving day for a car enthusiast then you simply have to treat them to a fantastic ‘Full Monty Tank Day’! This one is a winner in my books, and it pulls out all the stops as one of the best gifts I’ve come across:

This is quite a comprehensive video which details everything the lucky guy (or girl) will get to do on the day. I must say, I’m sure every little boy dreams of driving a tank over a real car! Wow.

So there you have it folks. Thanks to Sean for telling us about these great deals! I hope that you all manage to use these as gift inspiration and gift ideas for birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions and important events.

Help!!! I need to come up with a nice gift for my hubby but he’s diabetic doesn’t eat chocolate or sweet things. I have no clue what to get. This is our first year married so I’ve never had this problem before…

Elizabeth.

Dear Elizabeth,

Easter is usually all about the chocolate but this is far from the original sentiment of the holiday. In fact, chocolate easter eggs are a relatively new addition to the holiday season in the big scheme of things. That being said, I’m sure we can rustle up a few grand sugar-free ideas for your husband!

The best way to ensure that his Easter treats are diabetic-friendly is to stay away from food altogether! You could treat him to something else that’ll make him feel special and that will celebrate this important family time together. Why not get him a fun Family Photoshoot? This is a great treat that you can both enjoy. You’ll get to put on your best poses in front of a professional photographer and they’ll capture the happiness and love in your relationship for you to frame and put on the wall! He’ll also be treated to a complimentary CD image of his favourite shot so he can show everyone how proud he is of his new family.

If you want to give him something that’s really an ‘only for him’ special treat then you might give him something that’ll make him the envy of all his friends: an introductory flying lesson. Almost everyone would enjoy this experience – he doesn’t have to be particularly sporty or daring but it won’t hurt if he is! This is a great experience that he’s definitely going to love, and it won’t break the bank either.

Remember, Easter time is family time and you should focus on being together and being happy. The chocolates are secondary to this!

x Stacey

If you’re looking to treat your man to a fun day outside for any occasion then you’ve come to the right place: I’ve compiled a list of the top five fun summer day activities that he’ll love!

1. Aqua Sphereing. This is at the top of my list because it combines all the fun of the outdoors with a great way to cool down when it’s getting hot outside. The basic idea is that you jump inside a large inflated sphere, then, before the instructors close it up and push you down a hill, they unload a bucket of water into the sphere with you. You’ll go rolling down the hill for a crazy wet ride that’ll have everyone in stitches with laughter!

2. White water tubing. This is quite a fun adventure activity! I’ve been told that it takes quite a lot of effort to steer one of those things down the rapids! Here, watch this video and see for yourself:

They do look like they’re having fun, don’t they!

3. A jet ski, jet rib or jet bike experience. Your husband will get to choose one of these fun water ‘bikes’ to ride as fast as he likes around the course. I was brave enough to try a jet-ski ride once, and I can tell you, it’s heaps of fun! It’s not at all like you expect: it’s smooth, powerful and easy to manoeuvre.

4. Go-Karting. Outdoor go-karting is supposed to be a lot of fun! A good friend of mine insists that this is the best way to experience “pure driving pleasure” as he put it!

5. Clay pigeon shooting. This was once a very aristocratic hobby but now it’s a lot more accessible to the masses which makes it a whole lot more fun! Loads of people (girls too!) are enjoying being taught how to hit the clay discs that whizz through the air and I for one can tell you how amazing it is to actually hit one of them! You’ll know straight away too – everyone congratulates you and gets very excited when your clay ‘pigeon’ smashes into lots of tiny little pieces.

Hi there, I need some help! It’s my husband’s birthday in a few weeks and I can’t find anything appropriate. I wanted to get him something fun and exciting that he can do with his friends… a sort of ‘group activity’. They don’t get much time together and I know he’d appreciate the gesture. Do you have any ideas?

Ingrid.

Dear Ingrid,

That is a thoughtful of you! I hope that your husband realises how lucky he is!

I know exactly what you’re looking for – some kind of ’stag’ activities that the boys can enjoy together while you have the day off? They’ll love it.

I have three gift ideas that might be just up your street. The first one that is very popular with ‘big kids’ is the tank paintballing adventure. This is a crazy thrill-a-minute activity that puts each participant in a team of 3 who then compete against the other teams in a paintball game with a twist. You should see the size of the paintballs they use for this activity! I wouldn’t want to get hit by one of those. I guess that’s why you’re safely inside a reinforced tank though

The second activity on my list is an ultimate group track day experience for 12 people. This is a little pricier so you might as his friends to pay their own way (if you work it out it’s so much cheaper than buying single tickets, quite a bargain!). The boys will be given the keys to a select collection of dream cars (Ferraris, Aston Martins, Porsches!) and they’ll live out their driving dreams on a stunning purpose-built track.

And finally, seeing as we’re heading out of winter, I thought I’d recommend a fun white water rafting activity! This one is for groups of six people so he’ll be able to take his closest friends out for an adrenaline-pumping activity that they’ll all love! It gets wet and wild out there so be sure to pack in extra trainers and dry clothes!

I do hope that these suggestions help!

x Stacey

Wedding anniversaries are very special occasions. It’s kind of like an extra Valentine’s Day for married couples… the perfect way to celebrate your special union! If you’re stuck for ideas on what to get for your significant other, don’t despair. The best thing you can get them is something you can do together. Here are a few ideas I hope you find useful for your special day

A romantic dinner for two is always a winner for anniversary celebrations. But I’m not talking about just any restaurant – take your partner to the very best restaurants to give them a night they’ll remember! You’ll really notice the difference when you dine at a top five-star restaurant with superior service, amazing food and fabulously friendly staff available to see to your every need. Don’t forget to have dessert! It’s the perfect way to end off the perfect dinner. Yum!

You could try something else that’s completely unique and will give you a chance to spend more time together like a fun dancing class for two, a delicious cooking course for two or  a weekend away in an unusual location like a Tipi Resort. It’s so much fun doing something new and interesting with the person you love! I personally would enjoy a cooking course so that he would get up and help me cook dinner once in a while

Something that has been recommended to me by one of my friends is a massage workshop for couples. She said that the instructors are really  nice and you even get a private room for the back massages so that you don’t have to take everything off in front of the other couples. I like it when course tutors are considerate like that, it really makes all the difference!

So take my advice. This year, instead of getting each other gifts that you enjoy separately, rather get something really nice that you can enjoy together to celebrate your happy day!

A lot of people struggle to find great gifts for the man in their lives, but I’ve got to say – I’ve never really had that problem. I know it sounds cheesy but I always know what to give him when it comes to birthday times! It’s simple – he loves cars.

That means it’s easy peasy to find him the perfect gift: just look for something awesome and car-related. I had a good run for a number of years with CD cases, MP3 gizmos that plug into the radio face and novelty air fresheners. But those just didn’t cut it. I needed to get him something big – something he’d remember.

And I did.

If your guy is car crazy like mine and can run off statistics at the drop of a hat then I’d highly recommend getting him a Driving Day experience. I treated him to a rally day last year (he always goes on about rally driving this and rally driving that if you give him half a chance) and I can’t even begin to tell you how amazingly successful it was! He loved every minute and he’s been on a ‘rally high’ ever since!

Now he’s dropping hints about getting enrolled into rally school this year. Think he might come with me on a cooking course in exchange? Fair’s fair, after all