Shoppers Discover a Little Something That Goes With Everything

NEW YORK — When Dina Bardi wanted a Christmas gift for her 11-year-old grandson, she didn’t head to Toys R Us. She went to her travel agent.

“I took him on a cruise,” she said.

Because the trip was planned for her grandson’s spring break, Bardi’s travel agent, Strong Travel Services in Dallas, put a gift certificate for the weeklong Caribbean voyage in a folder and decorated it with pictures of boats and swaying palm trees.

“They gave it to me in a little package with a red ribbon. I just took that and put it under the tree,” Bardi recalled of last Christmas. “He was delighted.”

Airlines and travel agents have been offering gift certificates for years, but Rita Gilmore of Travel Center Inc., an agency in Burlingame, near San Francisco, said travel certificates are becoming more popular.

“I think a lot of people have the computers and their houses are furnished and they want to give something that’s a little bit different,” she said, noting that the strong economy means people may have more money to spend on lavish gifts.

A recent survey of 353 travel agents in the United States found more than 80% had received requests from people who wanted to purchase travel packages or gift certificates as a holiday gift, according to the American Society of Travel Agents in Alexandria, Va.

Sometimes, a travel certificate is a way to wow people, like the businessman who placed an order with Strong for two business-class plane tickets to Europe for his secretary. Other times, it’s a gift that all can share, like the man who ordered a weekend cruise from Gilmore for his children and grandchildren--all 16 of them.

Perhaps most conveniently, it is a last-minute gift for those who can’t come up with an better idea.

“We generally find it’s what husbands give their wives when they’ve waited to shop until the 24th of December,” Gilmore said.

While a gift certificate might make things easier for the giver, they also are often a perfect fit for the recipient.

In an ASTA survey, 1,008 people, were asked which they would prefer: an all-expenses paid vacation to the location of their choice, clothing, electronics, jewelry, books, athletic equipment or gourmet food. The trip was the most popular choice, favored by 40%. (Clothing was the No. 2 choice with 20%.)

Gilmore recommends that people spend at least $100 on a travel gift certificate. Although a trip can cost thousands, even a lesser amount can help a college student with a summer vacation, buy a night at an inn, a ride on a dinner train, a jaunt to a casino, or a day in the nearest city to take in an art exhibit. For those who want to spend less, Amtrak offers gift certificates in amounts starting at $25.

Certificates can be purchased directly from most major airlines, or from many travel agents, who can either put the voucher toward future travel or toward a specific item. The certificates generally are good for a year.

The trend is so popular that hotels like the chic St. Regis in New York are getting into the act. The St. Regis is offering gift certificates, presented in an elegant black and gold box, that are good for a night’s stay and--depending on the price--optional in-room champagne, roses or even a massage.

By far, the agents surveyed said cruise packages are the most popular gift.