Contest: Enter for the chance to win a bucket-list adventure!

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The following post and contest have been sponsored by Breakaway Experiences.

Hands up if you find yourself in this situation this year: You’re trying to find a gift for the person who has everything, you’re trying to find it online and you’re worried that it won’t arrive in time for Christmas.

Yeah, I thought so. It’s a perpetual problem for many of us. Fortunately, an Ottawa-based company called Breakaway Experiences has one clever solution: Give those people on your list a once-in-a-lifetime adventure instead of a gift in a box.

It is still possible to enjoy some unique experiences in our region while maintaining safe physical distancing! In fact, if you’re looking for presents for friends and family in other parts of Canada or in the U.S., Breakaway Experiences can help you with that, too.

So what sorts of bucket-list adventures can you give your loved ones? The company sells more than 1,000 packages offered by some 150 providers, so there’s a huge range of choices. Here are just a few ideas.

Show them the 1000 Islands from water level

On the 1000 Islands Kayaking guided tour, participants will spend a half day or a whole day discovering hidden corners of these islands with a seasoned guide. (If flying is more their style, you can give them a 1000 Islands helicopter package instead.)

Get their motor runnin’

If someone on your gift list has dreams of racetrack glory, you could give them five laps of stock-car racing at Kawartha Downs and Speedway in Peterborough or a supercar/exotic car driving experience at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville.

Let them make a one-of-a-kind golf club

Here’s one for history-loving golfers: the chance to make a 1920s-style putter at a blacksmithing forge in Hammond. That’s definitely something they won’t do every day!

Send them up above the Laurentians

On a Mont Tremblant helicopter flight, they’ll see wooded mountains, pretty lakes, ski runs and more from a unique perspective.

COVID-19 considerations

• COVID-19 has made this a very challenging year for most of Breakaway Experiences’ partners. However, they have worked hard to adapt their experiences and make them as safe as possible for both the public and their employees.
• The Breakaway website outlines each provider’s safety steps, to give customers added reassurance.
• The experiences currently available do not involve crowding together. Often, tours and activities are limited to the participant’s COVID-19 bubble.

Six great reasons to shop with Breakaway

• Breakaway Experiences’ dynamic website is easy to use.
• It’s a one-stop shop for a huge selection of unique gifts.
• There’s a hassle-free exchange policy. If recipients don’t love the experiences you picked (hey, it happens!), they can simply trade them for the full value of the original certificates.
• If you can’t decide which experiences to buy, no problem: You can buy general gift certificates and let recipients choose.
• Certificates never expire: If recipeints don’t redeem a certificate within a year of purchase and the cost of the experience increases, they only need to pay the difference between the original value and the new price.
• Did you leave your shopping to the last minute? No worries! You can buy a present online, around the clock, and instantly email it (or print out the certificate, enclose it in a card and mail it). They’ll never know you left it so late.

A contest JUST for Ottawa Road Trips readers

Here’s another bit of news you can use: I’m giving away a $100 Breakaway Experiences gift card! To enter, follow these steps:

1. Send me an email with the subject line “Breakaway Experiences contest.”
2. In the email, tell me which of the company’s experiences you’d most like to give as a gift—or try yourself.
3. A maximum of one entry per person per day, please!
4. Enter by 11:59pm Eastern on Friday, December 18. I’ll do a random draw from all entries received, and announce the winner here and in the Ottawa Road Trips newsletter.

Please read the contest rules and regulations.

Can’t wait? Shop now!

To learn more about the company or purchase a Breakaway Experiences gift package, head to their website or or call 1-800-813-8412.

This post and contest have been sponsored by Breakaway Experiences.