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.

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

It seems like it’s definitely the season of love! Not that I’m complaining – I love anniversary parties! It’s about time that I start hunting around for anniversary gifts for my nephew. I’ve been thinking about a few things – I’m going to list them here. Let me know which one you like best!

~ the first gift I thought of was something that they could enjoy together. That’s why I chose a ‘theatre break‘ which gives them dinner for two at a top London restaurant followed by two great tickets to a West End musical. This is a great night out for all couples and I think it’s the perfect way to celebrate a special day like an anniversary. I’ve heard that Wicked is really good!!

~ the second gift I came up with was something indulgent that they could enjoy together – a couples massage workshop. I love the idea that this is quite sensual but really romantic and useful too!

~ and finally, I was thinking about getting him a gift that he can use to impress his wife: a ‘guys in the kitchen cooking course’. It’s quite a nice gift because his wife will benefit as well!

Do let me know what you think! x

Hi there, I need some input please! I need to get my nephew a gift and I was hoping to get him a really fun outdoor activity. Do you have anything you can recommend?

Rachel

Dear Rachel,

There are loads of fun summer day activities that boys of all ages will love to do. Here are my top three recommendations:

(1) The Cliffhanger Adventure.

This crazy activity is heaps of fun – one of my brother’s best. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted because you start at the top of a sheer cliff face and do a crazy zip wire down across the mouth of the cave across the pounding waves of the ocean! This is the perfect outdoor activity for adrenaline-seekers.

(2) The quad safari adventure.

Driving quad bikes are heaps of fun and give you a taste of what it’s like to experience rip-roaring fun quad-bike style! It’s like driving a 4×4 motorbike that has four wheels… so you can go everywhere and over everything! Have a look at this video to see what I’m talking about it:

(3) A Jet Ski Experience. Let your nephew enjoy a “wet and wild” adventure that’s combines the outrageous handling of a motorbike with the thrills of watersport adventures. This is a must for anyone who enjoys being outside on a hot summer’s day!

I hope that these ideas inspire you Rachel, let me know how the gift-buying goes!

x Stacey

Finally, the last person on my ‘Easter gifts still to buy list’ is my nephew. He’s an 18 year-old outdoor enthusiast and he looooooves doing all sorts of crazy things. As you know I’ve been on an Easter Mission to break the idea of giving eggs and chocolate hampers to my favourite friends and family members. That’s because I feel that an experience activity is so much more thoughtful and memorable, and I’m convinced that Easter 2010 is going to be the best one yet!

So, my nephew needs a gift. And it’s got to be a good one!

So this is what I’ve decided to do. I’m going to get him an outdoors adventure that he’ll always remember … a Bushcrafts Basics Day Course! He’ll have the opportunity to learn all the outdoors techniques and tips that will help him survive with basic bushcrafts skills. These skills include important things like learning how to build your own shelter, how to purify water, how to start a fire, and a whole lot of other important things.

This is such a fabulous way to escape from the humdrum of city life and I’m sure he’d love to spend his long Easter weekend away putting his new skills to the test! It’s just the kind of thing an 18 year old high school graduate will love!

… And that means that I’ve finished choosing all of my Easter gifts for this year! Do let me know if you need any help with yours. Just leave me a comment on the ‘Ask Stacey’ page and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can! Happy hunting

My nephew recently graduated from High School and I wanted to get him a little something to say ‘well done’ and ‘you deserve your success’ so I went out and found him the perfect celebration activity: a thrilling cliffhanger adventure! Now I know that ‘graduation gifts’ are generally reserved for those graduating from colleges and universities but I thought that he should be celebrated just as much …

So my gift choice was an obvious one: I wanted to get him something fun and exciting so that he could really enjoy himself after his hard work and extra effort. I just knew that he’d love the opportunity to ‘let loose’ and do something a bit crazy like abseiling and cave exploring! You get to scale cliff faces, come up close and personal with sheer drops, and get a chance to experience magnificent scenery and spectacular views like never before! It’s always good to get outside after having your head stuck in the books

Help! I need to find a birthday gift for my nephew asap! He’s very into his photography so I thought I’d get him something camera-related but I’m not quite sure what he’s got and what he wants. How can I get him something awesome that he will actually want without directly asking him questions about his camera brand and equipment? I want it to be a complete surprise.

Anxious (Essex)

Dear Anxious,

That is a tricky question! I know that photographers are very picky about their equipment, and they probably have a very particular idea in mind about what they want or what they’re looking for. I have a novel idea for you: instead of getting your nephew camera equipment and worrying about whether it will be appreciated (or in fact, wanted) why don’t you get him a unique photograph opportunity?

Let me explain what I mean.

Photographers love the opportunity to capture beautiful shots, and these can be anywhere but trust me when I say they’ll really appreciate the unique opportunity to capture something from a whole new angle! One of my dearest friends is always looking for unusual angles, new colour filters and other things that will give him the cutting edge in his favourite hobby. SO, with this in mind, send your nephew up in a hot air balloon or on a helicopter ride over some of the most beautiful views in the UK and he’ll have ample opportunity to capture the magnificent landscape from an aerial perspective!

Not only will you be giving him a phenomenal experience, you’ll be giving him the rare opportunity to get some amazing shots that’ll look great in his personal portfolio!

I hope that this idea has inspired you for your nephew’s birthday!

x Stacey

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.

Dear Stacey,

Please assist. My nephew is car-crazy and it’s his birthday soon so I thought I’d get him a car-driving experience. Now I know you wrote in an earlier post that kids as young as 12 are allowed to drive around certain tracks … but my nephew is only 11! Is there any way we can get around this?? This would make it the best birthday EVER!

From Paul

Dear Paul,

You are quite right – many race tracks will allow 12 year olds to drive their vehicles under the supervision of a professional instructor. I did a little bit of hunting and I may have some good news for you and your nephew!

Your nephew will be able to attend a Kids Rally Experience which is appropriate for children as young as 10, provided they are tall enough – the minimum height is 4ft6″.

He’ll be able to drive a Ford Ka which has been fully kitted out with dual controls so that a professional instructor can guide him through car basics like clutch control and braking… then he’ll learn all about rallying on a special purpose-built course! That sounds like a lot of fun! Best of all, you can also book birthday parties for up to six people – imagine being able to talk about that at school!

I must say, I know a lot of adults who would love to experience some rally fun so your nephew is one lucky boy to have an uncle like you!  Best of luck,

x Stacey