Seaside Dreams on the Seychelles

Rebecca wanted to plan a meaningful 16th birthday vacation trip for her daughter, Natalie. At such an important stage in her daughter’s life, Rebecca thought that a vacation would be more meaningful than any wrapped present. Natalie had always expressed interest in traveling, but with the family being so busy, only small road trips were managed.

“I debated whether to make the trip a surprise, but I decided to let Natalie know because I wanted her to help me plan what to do and where to go. It was her birthday after all, and I wanted it to be meaningful for her.”

Natalie’s dream destination was the Seychelles islands. She loved beaches, and the allure of the Seychelles had always called to her. Rebecca booked the plane tickets and together they planned what to do for Natalie’s birthday vacation. Rebecca did decide to add one surprise for Natalie; she booked a professional photographer through Localgrapher to give Natalie a professional photo shoot in the Seychelles.

They began their trip on the island of Mahé in the capital city of Victoria. Both enjoyed looked around the Victoria Market, and Rebecca picked out a few crafts and souvenirs for Natalie as birthday presents. Rebecca found a resort on Beau Vallon Beach, so they were right in the tourist action. They spent the first day swimming, snorkeling, sun bathing, and enjoying the fresh seafood at the beachfront restaurants.

The plan for the following day was to go to Anse Intendance, one of the most famous beaches of the Seychelles. Little did Natalie know, but a vacation photographer would be there to meet them for a special birthday photo shoot. The beach was stunning; a long stretch of white sand backed by picturesque palm trees and the clear ocean waters reaching as far as the eye could see. Natalie was thrilled when she learned about the photo shoot; Rebecca had meant for the photos to just be of Natalie, but Natalie requested that they take some together as mother and daughter too.

“I was already so excited to be traveling, and then to have my mom give me a gift like that just blew me away. I’m really glad she decided to find a photographer because both of us are kind of bad at taking pictures, and I definitley want photos of this trip. It means so much to me how my mom made this all possible,” said Natalie.

Natalie got several solo shots to celebrate her 16th birthday, and then the photographer had them pose together, making use of the picture-perfect scenery of the beach. It was a successful and fun day for everyone, and the photographer was able to give Rebecca and Natalie a few tips about some other places they might want to visit on the island before the trip was over.

They made sure to visit other top beaches on the Seychelles, such as Baie Lazare Beach and the Anse Royale Beach, which had perfect calm swimming waters for a day of splashing and playing in the ocean. Rebecca and Natalie also spent a day in the Morne Seychelles National Park; it had originally been their plan to spend as much time as possible on the beaches, but the travel photographer recommended that they make a trip to this fantastic nature area. They were glad they did, since it was a chance to see more of the spectacular wildlife of the islands.

It was the best birthday gift Natalie could ever have hoped for; finally, her dream of travel had been met, and thankfully she came away with professional photographs to commemorate the special occasion.