Graduating from college is a big deal – it marks the end of hard work and the beginning of exciting new life adventures. Choosing a gift for your college grad that's special enough for the occasion can be a challenge. Instead of offering cash, free vacations, or gift cards for lack of other ideas, consider one of these four gift options for your new college grad that is sure to make a serious impression:

Aviation Classes

Learning to fly a plane offers an experience unparalleled to any other because it combines the excitement of freedom in the air with the challenge of making fast decisions and choosing accurate flight plans. In addition, flying a plane requires strict discipline which is a skill that can be effectively used in real-life situations.

And because it's not easy for new graduates to get jobs, perhaps aviation classes can enhance your child's portfolio and provide new career opportunities that wouldn't otherwise be possible. As a bonus, you can finish off the classes with a private charter so your graduate can take the family on a flight together to show off their newly learned skills. (Check out sites like http://parkland.edu/aviation for more information.)

A Passion Filled Trip

Whether your graduate is into history, science, math, or art, consider putting together a trip that highlights their passions to encourage personal growth, self confidence, and a strong sense of determination. A history buff may enjoy touring significant sites from World War 2, and art fanatics will probably appreciate visiting a series of art conventions around the country.

The idea is to provide an outlet that allows your new graduate to learn more about their passions and interests before settling down to get a full time job, when it will be tough to get away and explore the world. The opportunity to engage in explorations and activities based around personal interests can also help guide your graduate to start a career that will make them happy as time goes on.

A Volunteer Sponsorship

Sponsoring a volunteer vacation for your college grad offers a multitude of benefits for them to take advantage of. Not only will your child make strong connections with others from around the world who are interested in positive lifestyle habits, but they'll also have a better chance of steering clear of depression. Other benefits of volunteering include:

• Increased self confidence.
• Ease of maintaining physical health.
• Increased over happiness in life.
• An opportunity to learn about philanthropy.

Whether spending time at a chimpanzee sanctuary across the ocean or escorting underprivileged kids to field trips around your local town, volunteering looks great on resumes and offers experiences that can't be recreated with a paid job or a luxury vacation.

Your volunteer sponsorship should include travel and accommodation expenses, as well as provide a stipend at the end of the engagement that can be used to get on their feet while settling into a career path. Otherwise, the volunteer engagement may become a source of stress once it's over.

A Long Distance RV Trip

Now that your child has graduated college and is ready to embark on creating their own family and life, chances are that you won't have a chance to get together and make memories nearly as often as you'd like throughout the coming years. An awesome way to congratulate your grad that everyone in your family can appreciate is to rent a spacious RV for the family to take a long distance trip in.

Spending a week or two together in tight quarters and exploring new lands that you've never been to will help solidify your family bond and gives you all an opportunity to create new memories that everyone will remember for a lifetime. Give your grad some "grown-up" responsibility by letting them take the wheel and choose where you'll be traveling.

These gift ideas are sure to enhance your loved one's life and offer a myriad of memories that will last for a lifetime.