Experiences make for great gifts for any occasion (or no occasion at all.) They are great for the person who has everything or wants nothing. Young or old, experiences can be enjoyed by everyone. If you’re looking for unique experiences for gifts, Breakway Experiences is the place where gift-giving should begin.
I recently had a chance to check out a nearby experience: Winter Eagle Viewing Float with The Squamish Rafting Company, thanks to Breakaway Experiences. All opinions are my own.
Experiences over Things
When thinking about what to give my friends and family for gifts over the years, I generally prefer to gift experiences over things.
Some of my all-time favourite gifts that I’ve gotten over the years have been experiences:
- a trip to Victoria, B.C. for a night for my birthday (a stay in a hotel and tickets to a concert)
- a visit from my dad (who lives in Texas) for a week around my birthday
I bet, if you think about it, there are plenty of experiences on your list that you wish you could do – if only you were given the opportunity to do them!
My Breakaway Experiences Unique Experience
Winter is the perfect time to go eagle viewing. And, lucky for me, Breakendale in the Squamish area in British Columbia, is the eagle capital of the world. Squamish is about a 45 minute drive from where I live in Vancouver, so it was an easy (and beautiful) drive up the Sea to Sky Highway.
My good friend and I gathered our photography equipment, warm-weather gear, and hopped in my Subaru Outback station wagon and made our way to the Squamish Rafting Company’s headquarters to join the tour.
We met up with the rafting guide and the driver to head out on our eagle viewing float. The time on the river was around an hour. Andrew, the rafting guide, provided just enough interesting facts about bald eagles. We saw dozens of bald eagles, both young ones (who are all-brown) and older ones (with the white feathers on their heads.)
The float down the river was so peaceful and relaxing! This gentle river float is fun for all ages and ability levels.
Some details about the Squamish Rafting Company’s Winter Eagle Viewing Float:
$5 from every booking is donated to the Squamish Environment Society’s Eagle Watch Volunteer Program.
What’s included:
- All required river and safety gear.
- A professional and knowledgeable river guide.
- A warm drink and hearty snack (warm bowl of chilli and dessert).
- Free Whistler and Squamish transfers available upon request.
- A professional photographer will also be taking photos of your adventure along the way which will be provided to you at no additional charge at the end of your tour.
Duration: 3.5 hours round trip, with 1 hour on the water.
Meeting location: 38145 Second Avenue, Squamish, BC.
When: October through April
Eagle population in Squamish Valley greatest from November 15- February 15.
Daily departures 11:00am (subject to availability).
The Best Gifts Can’t Be Wrapped!
It was super easy to find interesting experiences that were on offer from Breakaway Experiences. There were so many that were closeby to where I live in Vancouver (and so many good-looking ones) that it was challenging choosing just one!
The Breakaway Experiences website is easy to navigate and they have gift certificates you can purchase for your gift recipients, if you’re not sure which experience to choose for each person! One great thing is that gift certificates don’t expire. Also, with over 1000 experiences from over 150 experience companies across Canada, there are so many options to choose from!
