The Best Experience Gift Ideas For Any Occasion
Some people prefer experiences to things. Gifting them for the Holidays or their birthday can be more difficult than for most other people.
When you ask them “What would you like as a gift?”, their usual answer is… “I don’t know,” or perhaps a cheeky answer like, “A trip to Hawaii.” So this is why I developed this brief experience gift ideas list for inspiration.
I want to give you enough ideas that may help you pinpoint the right Christmas gift or birthday gift for the minimalist, experience-seeker in your life. Meanwhile, keeping you from breaking the bank!
Experience Gift Ideas For Everybody
The best experience gifts are those that tap into the recipient’s interests and hobbies. So, your first job is to figure out what they like to do.
God gave us the gift of life: it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.
Voltaire
Experience gift ideas can be anything from a private chef cooking a special meal at your home, skydiving lessons, or a spa getaway.
In other words, these types of gifts can be quite expensive – the sky is the limit! And the good thing is that in most cases they are a whole lot less than an expensive travel ticket.
For those who are watching their pocketbook this year, this list will keep you on budget.
Experience Gifts For Her
These experiential gift ideas for her list are something that most women will enjoy, especially busy moms.
Also, some of the gifts for him might appeal to women! And so, don’t just stop at this list.
Some of these experiential gift ideas can spark a new hobby.
Classes she might love:
- How to planting, gardening, flower arranging at a Gardening centre
- Cooking classes at your local grocery store or with a private chef
- Photography classes
- Glass blowing
- Sculpture/pottery classes
- Jewelry-making
- Sushi classes
- Art classes
- High Tea with her mom, sister or friend
- Chocolate tasting
- Cheese and wine tasting
- Create your own fragrance
- Session at a reputable nail salon for a manicure/pedicure.
- Gift certificate to a hair salon
- Make-up session with a professional
- Cocktails and painting evening
- Getaway package for overnight spa and hotel
Consider over 100+ hobby ideas as gift generators!
Experience Gifts For Him
This list of experience gifts for him can be easily transformed into a gift for a couple. However, it depends on whether she likes to do some of these things too!
- Guided fishing excursion (can even be ice-fishing experience)
- Winter camping guided experience
- Axe-throwing session
- Indoor skydiving or outdoor skydiving
- Whisky tasting
- Escape room experience
- Brewery tour and private tasting
- Tickets to sports events
- Indoor wall climbing lessons
- Flight in a vintage airplane
- Do a museum tour of cool museums such as aviation, sports etc.
- Forest foraging with an expert (e.g. mushroom, edible wild berries and vegetables)
- Wilderness survival lessons
- Shooting range with training session
- Cigar rolling lesson
- Beer-making lessons
- Metalsmithing lesson
- Cocktail-making session with a mixologist
- Coffee-making with a barista
- Car racing experience and guided lesson at a race track
Experience Gift Ideas For Couples
These PG experience gift ideas for couples are those that can be easily received in front of the whole family. Classy and fun!
- Wine-tasting with sommelier
- Cocktail experience at a top bar
- Bowling night out
- Opera or musical theatre tickets
- Comedy show tickets
- Museum and dinner package
- Overnight getaway with bed & breakfast
- Helicopter ride
- Wine tour
- Getaway packages on a theme: foodie, adventure etc.
- Dance classes
Experience Gifts for Families
Because family experiences together will be what kids remember 10, 20 or 30-plus years later, experiential gifts for the whole family are always a good thing.
- Gift certificates to favourite restaurants
- Movie theatre gift cards
- Musical/theatre tickets
- Aquarium experiences (think Ripley’s Aquarium)
- Bowling in the dark package
- Camping experience: make it different like a yurt camping experience
- A day trip for the whole family: head to a fun attraction in a different city or town
- Family museum outing: if you have kids check out any kids’ museums
- Explore a town together: pop into bakeries for coffee/hot chocolate, do window shopping
- Visit a regional museum to learn about the history of an area; explore a historical village and learn how
- Do winter activities together: skating, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, hiking, camping in a yurt or igloo
- Take in a festival (e.g. Winterlude in Ottawa, Winter Carnival in Quebec City)
- Guided hikes
- Snowshoeing lessons
- Sleigh ride at conservation areas and parks in the winter
- Horseback riding
- Archery experience
- Cooking and baking classes for the family
- Mermaid swimming classes
- Paintball or Nerfball battle at an indoor arena
- Ghost tour
Want to treat them to a special day at home and need some ideas? Check out this list of things to do on a rainy day for inspiration.
Also, check out the tips for things to do with kids at home.
QUESTION: Are there any other experience gift ideas to add to this list? What is an unusual experiential gift you received that you loved?
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Love this list! So many things that I wouldn’t even have thought of. I’ve been on the de-cluttering bandwagon and experiences are worth so much more than things. I’m saving this for later ~Xoxo
Experience gifts are such a great idea! I can’t think of any to add, you have such a great list!
This whole post has me feeling Christmas vibes so much!
WOW! These are great suggestions! I love the idea of indoor wall climbing and beer making!! Thanks for sharing, I will definitely keep this in mind.
Such a great gift guide and I’m all about the “experience gifts” especially for our kiddos. I’m definitely adding these to our “Santa List” 😉
What a great idea for holiday gifting!!! I’m sure friends and family would love these suggestions.
Awesome! I’m glad I could help out with some ideas.