Our daughter is on the other side of the country, looking for something fun to send her.
Spa day gift card.
Concert tickets to some show she’d like to see for her and a friend(s)
Good ideas! She has fall break next month, maybe I can get her tix to a show or something.
Cupcakes delivered + tickets to something!
The show tickets are a GREAT idea…anything near her…buy two tickets…
Is she on east coast? Send her what the Huffington Post called “the single best cake in America.” (and it really is) https://www.goldbely.com/prantls-bakery
Yeah - she’s in Philly (Bryn Mawr). That cake looks AMAZING!
There’s a cupcake place near Bryn Mawr that I believe delivers.
http://www.cupcakesgourmet.com
You could also get gift cards to local restaurants/cafes sent to her. If she’s a new student it might be nice to try out and explore places in the surrounding area.
How about two nights at a hotel in NYC? She and a friend could have a heck of a weekend, thanks to you!
unusual necklace
Another vote for cupcakes, my kid really looks forward to them on her birthday at college.
I had a local artisan create a platter of three dozen iced, sugar cookies in the shape of all of my DD’s favorite things: the Disney princess she most looks like, sandollars, the beach, her dog, and props from her major, nursing. The seashells looked so realistic and - don’t ask me how - but she wrote my DD’s name in the sand one one of them, the doggy was spot on, the “18” cookie was floral, she’s a super creative artist. It was amazingly adoreable and my DD was the hit of her hall. Her name is Sweets by Sherie and she delivers in the Notre Dame area, for anyone who’s interested. I’m doing this again for her 21st. I also sent Sherie a birthday card with money and she tucked it into the cookies for me. 
I have always sent a big cake to share (daughter’s school had a service for parents where you could order a cake they could pick up on campus) each birthday at college she shared that cake with a big group of friends. Had they not had that option I would have sent cupcakes - I think it is important for them to have some kind of cake to sing happy birthday over and share with their friends.
We set up a Skype session for our D’s 18th birthday and we sang to her and ate cake. She doesn’t eat sweets so I didn’t send anything up, but she said she enjoyed watching her brothers enjoying cake in her honor.
My dd was in NY (we’re in Cal); we called a local eatery and they delivered a meal with a cake to her dorm room.
Otherwise CASH always works.
My d turned 18 the week after dorm move in. I ordered a birthday package (cake/sodas/ pales / napkins/ ballons) through University food services to be delivered to her dorm. It was a great way to meet new dorm friends. Also, sent a gift card for a local restaurant and she took her new friends.
I gave both my girls pearls for their 18th birthday… we are in the south and lots of girls ware pearls with sundresses to game day!
Love Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes- really tiny bites you can buy by the dozens, fun flavors and colors…I’ve sent these several times- they are really good and easy to share!
https://www.bakedbymelissa.com/
Eek! this reminds me that I need to finish that afghan I started for her birthday in three weeks! :-SS
I love the hotel in NYC idea but would save that for 21 – many hotels set that as the minimum age for check-in.
Our D and her friends went to Vegas when they turned 21. They rented a suite among a large group of them and had a blast! She was home when she turned 18 and we went to a fabulous restaurant. 