Help to Make a Wish Come True: Donate Your Air Miles

Are you planning a domestic or international vacation that includes a plane ticket? Do you already have an accumulation of unused miles from travel earlier this year? Guess what? You are already on the runway to helping make a wish take flight!

How Your Travel Plans Help Others

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a highly-regarded, charitable organization dedicated to making the dreams of terminally ill children come true. The hitch is that more than 70% of their wishes require air travel. By joining a frequent flyer program (if you're not already registered), and donating your air miles, you are contributing towards an integral facet of the wish-granting process.

You Don't Have to be a Frequent Flyer

So, you're not a frequent flyer? Chances are, like most people, you don't travel enough in a year to make keeping your air miles worthwhile. How awesome is it that no matter how short a trip you take, your miles can be combined with those of other generous souls towards earning a ticket for granting one of hundreds of thousands of wishes for children and their families?

You don't want to donate all your miles? No problem, donate what you can! I can't stress enough that every mile helps!A little goes a long way, when everyone contributes. Whether you only plan to take one trip this year that incorporates a flight or a dozen, by donating those miles, you're helping a child get that much closer to completing their wish! You can even choose whether to make a donation at a national or a local level. 

There's No Expiration Date on Donated Miles

While frequent flyer programs set a deadline for your personal use of accumulated miles, when those same miles are gifted to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the expiration limit is waived!In this day and age where there are so many worthy, charitable causes asking for contributions of your time, money or goods it's easy to feel overwhelmed. While the end-of-the-year holiday season is the most recognized time for giving back to our communities in this fashion, it is also the most difficult time for many of us, with so many personal and professional calls on those very same commodities.

Donating air miles is a simple and effective way to make a difference, and you can participate at any time.

Top 10 Destinations for Wishes

According to statistics from the previous year, here is an example of the top ten destinations where your air miles will be spent:

1. ORLANDO - It should come as no surprise that the number one destination for wish kids is Walt Disney World. After all, even adults who don't have children make a point of vacationing in the most magical place on Earth!
2. HAWAII - Colorful sea creatures, white sandy beaches, water-sports and more, Hawaii represents an exotic landscape of American culture to continental-based kids.
3. LOS ANGELES - Disneyland, shopping, beaches, celebrity's from the airwaves, movies and television, there are innumerable reasons kids want to visit the City of Angels.
4. CARIBBEAN - Warm-weather destinations like the Caribbean, where there's plenty of sun and fun make an impact on kids who love nothing more than to splash around in the ocean and play on the sand.
5. NEW YORK CITY - Next to the City of Angels, the Big Apple's reputation for providing a wide range of exciting diversions for kids precedes it.
6. SAN DIEGO - Yet another Californian city with excesses of kid-appeal, San Diego has a fascinating variety of zoological, marine and maritime entertainment.
7. FRANCE - From the magnificent jewel that is Paris, to the French countryside, France is a quintessential travel destination with a unique charm and culture that even children can't deny.
8. ITALY - Kids find the cuisine, history, and architecture just as entrancing as adults in their own way.
9. AUSTRALIA - The underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef is just one of the many destinations for wish kids in the Land Down Under.
10. ALASKA - Last, but not least, the tenth top destination for Make-A-Wish kids, for recreational activities like salmon-fishing and dog-sledding is the Last Frontier.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation also grants the wishes of teens and children who wish to in turn help others! So keep in mind that your donations also help to pay it forward!

Making an Impact

It seems like such a small thing to do, but the positive impact is incalculable. Having just booked a flight myself, I can't very well ask others to contribute without doing so myself. So, there are some miles that will be shortly making their way from my frequent flyer account towards my local Maine branch of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Summer is the peak season of travel for everyone, including wish kids! Help make a difference by donating miles this spring to help fund a life-changing trip this summer.

World Wish Day takes place annually on April 29th, the date the very first wish that sparked the amazing charity phenomenon began. Don't forget to add it to your calendar for next year!

At Auto Europe, we recognize how powerful a travel experience can be to your physical and emotional well-being. The next time that you're confirming flight reservations, consider how even a small donation of your air miles can do the same, and provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience to a deserving child!