18th birthday trip ideas to kick off adulthood.
Fun 18th birthday ideas don’t always revolve around parties. A case could be made that the best way to celebrate adulthood is with a trip, because an 18-year-old no longer needs a parental sign-off to go places.
These 18th birthday trip ideas honor the number itself and what the birthday star can officially do as a legal adult. Take your pick, and think of the social posts, collages, and albums of photos that could document the journey.
A major road trip.
Pack up the car and take a road trip, either on your own or with friends. At 18 you can book your own hotels and rooms along the way, so head wherever the open road takes you.
Visit a far-off amusement park.
Visit one of the destination amusement parks. Maybe it’s time to hit a Disney Park, for example, or the nearest Six Flags.
Back to the “Old World.”
In most European countries (and countries all around the world, actually), the legal drinking age is 18. Go backpacking through some European destinations for an even greater taste of adulthood.
Head straight to Washington, D.C.
You can vote at 18, and what better place to commemorate that than Washington, D.C. Make it your goal to see 18 of the historic buildings and monuments there, too.
France.
France is broken into 18 administrative regions, so why not pack your backpack to visit as many as you can?
The 18-mile-radius trip.
Set an 18-mile radius around where you live and go to new places within that radius. If you aren’t sure how to plot worthy destinations, just head off by bike, public transport, or car, and see where you end up.
Warm beaches in the Caribbean.
The 18th parallel north crosses the Caribbean, so you can set a sandy beach destination as a great 18th birthday trip, too.
Staycation.
If going somewhere far away isn’t your priority right now, set up a staycation to usher in 18 with the luxuries of travel (but without the stress or expenses). Take a day off school or work, book a massage, and go around town doing touristy things.
18th birthday picture ideas to capture the best of the event.
It’s only half-jokingly that some people say, “if there aren’t photos, it never happened.” An 18th birthday party is the perfect occasion to get keepsake photos of the event or to book a photoshoot in honor of it.
Photos to commemorate an 18th birthday help us share excitement in social media posts and Instagram stories, and they come in handy when we’re making posters, invitations, flyers, and more leading up to the party, too.
These 18th birthday picture ideas include clever ways to get better photos at the celebration or to get exceptional photos before it even starts. Peruse these ideas and imagine what you could do with the best shots from each.
Travel-inspired photoshoot.
Whether there’s an 18th birthday trip planned, or the idea is to travel somewhere soon, try a travel-inspired photoshoot. Choose a nearby tourist location or put travel props around the birthday star.
Set up a photo booth.
Set up a photobooth for the big 18th birthday party. Equip it with props like hilarious hats, sunglasses, streamers, and cut-outs that represent the birthday VIP’s interests and quirks.
18th birthday decoration ideas as a backdrop.
If you go big enough with 18th birthday decoration ideas, those decorations can serve as a backdrop for an 18th birthday photoshoot.
Formal flair.
Get the birthday VIP dressed in the fanciest attire and call a professional photographer for a formal shoot. A little polished elegance is a great way to welcome adulthood.
An “18 things I love” shoot.
Collect 18 props or pieces of memorabilia that represent things the birthday star loves. Set them up on the floor, on open shelves, or even as hanging décor. The birthday VIP poses among them, and the symbolism is captured forever.
Then and now photos.
Make your own “then and now” photo comparison. Pick some favorite childhood photos, then recreate them — similar outfits and all.
Living photo collage.
Find or print 18 of your favorite photos of the birthday star, then set them in a sunburst on the floor or hang them on clotheslines with lights and pins. Turn the photoshoot into a living collage with the birthday star surrounded by memories.
Polaroid photoshoot.
Nothing says “nostalgia” like polaroids. Turn an 18th birthday shoot into a polaroid session and see how the photos turn out — without the added filters and edits.
Cool 18th birthday ideas to cross off your bucket list.
Turning 18 is truly the perfect occasion to cross some bucket list items off early. After all, you no longer need a parental waiver for skydiving, bungee jumping, and the like.
If extreme sports aren’t your “thing,” there are other cool 18th birthday ideas to consider, too. Imagine an 18th birthday bash with one of these activities and you’ll be onto something unforgettable.
Fly in a hot air balloon.
Celebrate your 18th lap around the sun with a lap around town in a hot air balloon.
Rent a fancy hotel room for a night out with friends.
You can rent your own hotel rooms at 18, so pool funds with friends to rent a fancy room for a night. What you do with the night and all that independence is up to you.
Take a cooking class.
You’ll need to know how to feed yourself as an adult, so a cooking class is a fun and unique way to usher in 18.
Try a virtual reality experience.
Whether it’s at a virtually-enhanced museum exhibit or a friend’s house with a VR headset, explore a 360-degree digital event as an 18th birthday celebration.
Go skydiving.
As an official adult you can cross any extreme sport off your bucket list as a way to celebrate turning 18.
Get a tattoo.
Turning 18 means that tattoos are an option, too. If there’s a design you’ve always wanted, bring a friend for moral support and get it done. Maybe you can even get inked together.
Register to vote.
Of all the cool 18th birthday ideas, the coolest is to register to vote. 18 is the legal voting age in most democracies around the world, and the people you vote for affect a lot more of your lifetime than anyone else (since you have more of it to live).
Try another new class or activity.
If a cooking class isn’t your idea of a good time, try any other class or activity as a cool 18th birthday idea. No skill is a bad skill as you take your first steps in the adult world.
Adulthood doesn’t mean you’re no longer affected by what’s cute, sweet, or sentimental. In fact, some emotions come into even sharper focus when looking backward from the vantage point of 18 years.
The first 18 years of life are jam packed with the memories of growing up, and these cute 18th birthday ideas tap into that saccharine nostalgia for a milestone-worthy dose of “aww.”
Multiple scrapbook chapters.
Get a few friends or family members to help crowdsource a scrapbook. Assign each person a different “chapter” of life leading up to your 18th birthday. Compose the chapters together at the official 18th birthday bash.
Overdress for dinner.
Book a fancy dinner at a restaurant you’ve always wanted to try, and deliberately overdress for the occasion. If you talk friends into doing it with you, you’ll be the talk of the town when you go out.
Make a time capsule.
Make a time capsule as a reflection of your 18th birthday milestone — or in collaboration with friends or family members. Then, when you’re looking for ideas for your 30th birthday someday, opening this time capsule could be top of list.
Over-the-top 18th birthday decorations.
An 18th birthday is a huge milestone and going overboard on decorations is part of the fun. Get everything “18” you can and make whatever else you need. If you still want extra 18th birthday posters, flyers, banners, or more, it’s all easy to make in Adobe Express — no experience required.
Play 18 holes of miniature golf.
There are exactly 18 holes in a game of golf, so one cute idea is to wander the course to welcome in 18.
Posters and vision boards for the future.
What will adulthood look like on the other side of 18? Put your ideas of adulthood into posters or vision boards as a personal meditation.
Flyers and posters for the “next candidate.”
Since 18-year-olds can officially run for many local offices, why not have your friends and family make their own posters and flyers for your would-be political campaign? They can highlight whatever accomplishments of yours they think are most important (or at least the funniest).
18th birthday trivia challenge.
Play an 18th birthday trivia challenge based on the birthday star’s life. Have prizes to give out for the best answers.
Other things to know about turning 18.
One of the best ways to come up with original 18th birthday ideas is to zoom in on everything that happens when someone turns 18. It’s one of the biggest milestone birthdays out there.
These are some of the changes that take place at 18:
- You can vote.
- Most people graduate high school at 18, too.
- You might serve on a jury.
- You can sign contracts.
- You can get married.
- You can get tattoos.
- You can join the military.
- You can apply for credit cards.
- You can also be sued.
Exercise: How to write 18th birthday captions that make all the difference.
Sharing is caring, they say, and one of the biggest ways to show the love for an 18th birthday is to post photos (new or childhood favorites) as Instagram stories and social media posts to honor the birthday star’s first 18 years.
It's the captions that make the difference, and some captions will get more reactions than others. Play with these ideas and let your imagination roam to come up with even more cheeky 18th birthday captions.
- Officially adulting (well, almost).
- 18: old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway.
- 18 and ready for adventure.
- 18 and finally free.
- 18 and unstoppable.
- 18 and adult-ish.
To make your own captions, start with a list of descriptive words that capture how the 18th birthday star probably feels (for example, “fabulous,” “adventurous,” or “unstoppable”).
Next, add some action words that say something exciting about turning 18 (for example, “crushing it,” “ready for anything,” or “living large”).
Combine descriptive words and actions until you land on something you like.
Adobe Express can help.
Adobe Express has templates and customization tools to put your favorite 18th birthday ideas to work. If you want to use these 18th birthday ideas in cards, letters, posters, banners, collages, flyers, invitations, or other creative projects, Adobe Express makes it as simple as picking a template and personalizing it, or making your own idea with easy-to-use tools. Whatever message you want to transmit, Adobe Express brings it to life, no experience required.
Design with your idea
