Envision this: A Christmas ski trip instead of a regular Christmas sweater or A ticket to a Ziggy Albert show instead of birthday jewelry? Not only do experiential gifts have no shelf life, but they also have no boundaries. You can give adventure, relaxation, culinary instruction, and even extraordinary thrills. Be it for a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding present, or just because, experience gifts are the ultimate surprise.
What are Experience Gifts?
Experience gifts are awesome, unforgettable experiences that you give to a loved one. They range from thrilling activities, like paragliding or swimming with dolphins, to relaxing gift experiences: a spa day, a dessert course, or a sunset cruise. And the best part is that there’s practically an experience gift for every type of personality or relationship.
Visualize the look on a loved one’s face as they open your gift and find an invitation for a sunrise hot air balloon adventure or instructions for a one-on-one at a gourmet cooking class with a celebrity chef. These are “presents” that your gift recipient will rarely receive from anyone else.
They will have the opportunity to do something really spectacular, to engage with a long-held interest, or else to step outside of their comfort zone and try something completely new. The true magic of experience gifts is that they are intangible, yet they resonate in a profound way that can objectively make one’s life better.
Why Choose Experience Gifts?
Create Lasting Memories
You can choose as the giver to partake in the experience. Unlike physical gifts, experiences create memories that last far beyond the event.
And the best part, you and your loved one had the experience together, leaving your bond that much stronger!
Personalization
Experience gifts can be personalized to your recipient’s interests and tastes, which makes them particularly thoughtful.
Environmental Impact
In a world increasingly aware of the planet, environmental impact is a huge consideration, especially with so many physical items today being produced as cheaply as possible and discarded with little regard. At the very least, an experience gift is almost always going to have less of an impact on dear old Mother Nature.
Reducing Clutter
So much of the world is awash with clutter; we hardly need more stuff. Plus, we have a hoarding mentality when it comes to our possessions because we are terrified they may be scratched, damaged, or destroyed. The only baggage of stuff that will come out of an experience gift is the memories!
Choosing the Perfect Experience
How do you choose an experience? That’s quite easy, especially if you know the receiver of the gift, like the back of your hand. Great experience for someone who needs an adrenaline rush? Skydiving adventure, scuba diving class, taking a DeLorean to the highest speed on the track do count for something.
Want to help your mom relax in the lap of luxury? Send her on a spa day, food and wine pairing class, or a margarita-making workshop experience. Simply think about what your loved one would want to do, then go ahead and book it for them without hesitation or inserting your bias into it.
With an experience gift, you are showing your loved one that you listen and are very thoughtful and know they are going to adore it. If you are a little stuck and not sure what they would want, here are some tips:
Choose an experience from their bucket list: Activities that they mentioned that they would really like to try.
What do they already love?: Do they have a specific hobby? What do they like to indulge in on a weekly basis? Say food tasting and sampling?
Taking It Up a Notch
You may be thinking there is no way to top the experience itself, but wait, there is more. Pair it with a personal touch if you can. Leave a little note that helps them understand your thought process. Perhaps, if you know they would enjoy your presence, join them for the experience and say you both like art: take a pottery lesson with them.
A New Way of Gift-Giving
Experience gifts are more than just material objects — they are possibilities for creating lasting, valuable memories. They are one way to celebrate a special day or just let someone know how much you value them.
