'Celebration Vacations' A New Travel Trend

This type of holiday is an increasingly popular way to celebrate special milestones in life like anniversaries, birthdays, family reunions and weddings. Travel agents and tour operators are fielding more requests than ever from clients looking to arrange these traveling parties.

Here are eight of our favorite “Celebration Vacations” for 2016-2017:

1. New Year's in Russia - New Year's Eve is the most festive holiday of the year in Russia, with parties, presents, and vodka toasts. MIR Corporation has specialized in Russia travel for 30 years and offers a one-of-a-kind celebratory tour built around New Year's Day in glorious St. Petersburg, with Moscow merrymaking and a visit to 12th century Suzdal. Guests can either ring in the New Year feasting, raising toasts and singing songs in a Russian home, or at the lavish Czar's Ball in Catherine's Palace where tiered crystal chandeliers illuminate the polished parquet floors and an orchestra invites you to waltz. https://www.mircorp.com/trip/russian-winter-wonder-land/

2. Antarctica Anniversary Cruise – Nothing screams bucket list quite like Antarctica. Take a group of friends or family to witness the abundant wildlife that calls this frozen continent home. Cross the Drake Passage and spot albatrosses, prions, petrels, penguins, seals, whales, and dolphins as you explore the Antarctic Peninsula. https://www.adventure-life.com/antarctica/cruises/7489/antarctic-peninsula

3. Birthday Biking in Italy – Celebrate a milestone birthday on a coast-to-coast bicycling tour across the fabled heartland of Italy. Ciclismo Classico's route from the Pesaro to the Costa d'Argento passes through Le Marche, Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany, four regions celebrated for their rich history, distinctive cuisine and stunning panoramas. https://ciclismoclassico.com/trips/bike-tour-italy/

4. Luxury Dude Ranch Reunion- Invite your entire family to play cowboy at Red Reflet Ranch in Ten Sleep, Wyoming. Guests can explore the 25,000+ acre ranch, ride horses, work cattle, fish on private streams, and enjoy abundant wildlife. Gourmet dining includes ingredients from the ranch's butcher shop, organic greenhouse and gardens. From cattle drives to branding, the true western lifestyle thrives at Red Reflet Ranch. https://www.red-reflet-ranch.net/

5. Frolic in France – Ride & Seek's Provence cycling tour offers a sensory journey through eight different “Les Plus Beaux Villages,” voted the most beautiful in all France. Visit remnants of the great Roman Empire, cycle through landscapes painted by Cezanne and Van Gogh, and sample iconic wines and gourmet regional cuisine along the way. https://www.rideandseek.com/local/provence

6. Alaska's Northern Lights – Celebrate a milestone with Gondwana EcoTours on a Northern Lights tour of Alaska. Your crew will get a dose of local culture by day, and by night have the opportunity to photograph the Aurora Borealis under the massive Alaskan sky. Zip between snow-covered trees on the back of a dog-sled, soak in the mineral-rich waters of geothermal hot springs, walk through the frozen art of an ice-sculpture museum, and sip martinis out of glasses made of ice. https://gondwanaecotours.com/tour/northern-lights-tours-alaska/

7. Birthday Bluegrass & Bourbon - Frontiers International Travel is excited to offer a new tour crafted by filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan. Celebrate a birthday or anniversary by touring Churchill Downs with a professional jockey, learning the secrets of bourbon at Buffalo Trace Distillery, having lunch with a Nashville songwriter, and visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame. https://www.frontiersej.com/public/elegantJourneys/6/sitenews/526-Bluegrass_and_Blue_Ridges

8. Chase Glaciers in Greenland – Adventurers can celebrate all that West Greenland has to offer, including calving glaciers, palatial icebergs, dogsledding, hut camping with Inuit people, wildlife viewing, a speed boat tour of the fjords surrounding Nuuk, kayaking amongst icebergs, mountain biking primitive trails, and helicoptering to a supra glacial lake on this amazing tour with Big Chill Adventures. https://bigchilladventure.com/trips/greenland-july-2017/