Thank You, Thank You, Thank You: Message to Friends for a Trip

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In March 2011, I was shipwrecked while traveling in Indonesia. Once I was back in the States, I felt an overwhelming urge to thank the many people who offered help.

It also made me realize how important it is to send a thank you message to friends for a trip — whether your trip went perfectly or you had some bumps in the road. 

The shipwreck, and the days that followed, were awful. I was blown away by the kindness and generosity of everyone who donated money. The kind donations brought me to tears — and helped me quickly replace my computer, clothing and toiletries.  I cannot tell you how moved I was by all the private messages as well.

Having this experience made me realize how valuable it is to have friends, family and a blogging community that support me in my travels. 

Kate and three male friends, sitting on a pink outdoor sofa and toasting drinks.

How Do You Say Thank You for a Wonderful Trip?

While my shipwreck was far from wonderful, there were so many generous, thoughtful people I wanted to thank in the aftermath. No matter what happens, there’s always a reason to send a thank you message for a trip. 

You can send a simple thank you message via text, mail a card, or even deliver a small gift. 

If something went wrong and someone helped you out, be sure to thank them in a personal way. Calling or thanking them face to face is best. 

If someone let you stay in their home, a small gift might be in order. They saved you a lot of money!

Did a friend or family member go out of their way to meet up with you while you were in their area? Thank them for their time and make sure they know you appreciate them.

Maybe you want to send a thank you to the people who joined you on your trip. It can be hard to travel with others, so thank them for all the fun and memories.

You might want to send a holiday thank you message to someone who hosted a special dinner or celebration. 

Another way to say thank you for a wonderful trip is to use one of the quotes below. For a unique thank you idea, print one of the messages on a photo from your vacation!

Thank You For the Trip Quotes

Following is a list of thank you messages to friends or family that you can copy, tweak to your situation, and send:

“Thank you for the fun times and incredible memories. I will cherish them forever.”

“It was wonderful visiting with you. Each moment was such a joy, and I’m looking forward to the next time we see each other. Thank you so much!”

“Thank you for making my trip absolute perfection! This trip was amazing because of you.”

“Thank you for opening your home to me and making me feel like part of the family.”

“Even when time and distance get in the way, we always pick up right where we left off. That’s true friendship. Thank you so much for taking the time to reconnect with me.”

“Traveling with you is unforgettable. Thank you for all the laughter and fun times!”

“Vacationing with you is like being wrapped in a favorite blanket. You bring so much comfort, joy, and laughter. I’ll always treasure our times together.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for going out of your way to meet up with me while I was visiting your area! Seeing you brightened my day and my trip. I hope to see you again soon.”

“It was so fantastic to catch up with you! Although we may not see each other as often as we’d like, distance is no match for the bond that we share.”

“Thank you so much for supporting me and coming along on my crazy adventures. It’s wonderful to have a friend like you that I can count on.”

Pink and white roses for sale at a flower shop

Thank You Gifts for a Trip

If someone brought you on a special trip, it’s nice to give them a thank you gift to share your appreciation. Here are some good ideas for gifts to thank someone for a trip:

Flowers. Flowers are a beautiful way to show thanks for a gift. I recommend ordering from 1-800-Flowers because they have a huge selection at different price points and deliver throughout the US.

(One note: does your recipient have pets? Make sure your bouquet contains no toxic flowers to dogs and cats. Avoid lillies, tulips, daffodils, and poinsettias. Instead, some flowers safe for both cats and dogs are roses, gerbera daisies, sunflowers, orchids, petunias, and freesia.)

A killer charcuterie board. One of my friends sent me and my fiancé a charcuterie board to congratulate us on our engagement, and it was the best gift ever! Boarderie delivers fantastic artisanal charcuterie boards featuring cheese, meat, and nuts, candied figs, gourmet hot peppers and more!

And if you need more convincing — Boarderie were on Shark Tank and they’re even one of Oprah’s favorite things! They ship overnight throughout the US.

Fruit bouquets. How about a beautiful selection of fruit, cut up and arranged like a floral bouquet? FruitBouquets.com has a great collection of thank you gifts. Think chocolate covered strawberries that look like ladybugs or bumblebees, pineapple cut into flowers or butterflies, and fruit and candy specialties that are as delicious as they are beautiful.

(One tip — avoid fruit bouquets with grapes if your recipient has pets. Grapes are toxic to both dogs and cats.)

A nice bottle of alcohol. If your recipient drinks, a nicer-than-average bottle of wine or spirits makes a lovely gift. A bottle of champagne is always a great choice, in my book! I recommend getting something a little bit nicer than what people would ordinarily buy for themselves.

How to do this? The easiest way is to order directly from their local liquor store with Drizly.

A handwritten note. Sending a beautiful thank you note is something that you can treasure forever. I suggest investing in some nice stationery — this affordable Japanese watercolor stationery paper set will make a gorgeous impact on top of your kind words.

friends in a pool

Special Thanks From Me to You

To my friends from travel: Thank you for more fun times than I ever could have imagined. I will always look back at the memories with such happiness. 

Thank you to my family, who is always there for me and respects me for going after my dreams – even when I put them through a lot of worry. 

Thank you to the people who opened their homes to me, as well as the friends from home who kept me up to date on hometown news.

Thank you to the travel blogging community for your visits, your comments, your promotion, your tips, your contacts, and more! I’m happy to be part of such a wonderful community! And thank you to my sponsors for making so many of my adventures possible, and bringing my site to a new audience.

There are a few individuals I’d like to single out.

To Adam — thank you for finding my Moleskine diary on Koh Chang, holding onto it as you traveled through Laos, and returning it to me in Bangkok, without even reading it.

To Mike — thank you for talking me off a virtual cliff via gchat on multiple occasions.  You saved me from self-destruction.

To Andrea — thank you for quickly squashing the family rumor that “the baby on board” who survived the shipwreck was my own.  My dad has fewer gray hairs because of you.

To Beth — thank you for not hesitating to call me in Indonesia when I was unable to Skype.  It means more than you know.

And to everyone who helped me recoup my losses post-shipwreck — your generosity has touched me forever.

Much love,
Kate