When holidays and birthdays roll around, it’s often hard to know what gifts to get people. Giving people stuff is so 2010. These days, most people have everything that they need when it comes to physical possessions. Sometimes gifts can fall flat, and other times, a physical object that doesn’t quote match the recipient’s taste can be downright unwelcome. Likewise, many people simply don’t have space to store a new kayak or rubber dinghy. So, what can you get for the people who have everything? Here are a few ideas.
A Masterclass in Their Favorite Cuisines
One cool idea is to give people a master class in their favourite cuisine. If they absolutely love to bake, then sending them on a bakery course can be a great idea. They can learn all of the essentials so that they can replicate the experience in their kitchen. The same goes for other niche cooking, like preparing Korean food or making the perfect burger.
Master classes are becoming increasingly popular, especially as people travel more. They want to recreate the flavours that they have experienced overseas, but it’s often not clear how to do that from scratch, even if they follow a recipe book. Taking a master class with a skilled instructor can be a great way to provide your loved one with skills they can take forward with them into the rest of their life.
Adrenaline Pumping Adventure Passes
If your loved one enjoys thrill-seeking, then you might want to provide them with an adrenaline-pumping adventure pass. These are available all over now because of the growth in popularity of zip lining, indoor sky lining, sky diving, and race car driving track days.
Think carefully about the type of adventure they might want to experience. If they’ve done one activity several times already, book them something different, such as a whitewater rafting trip. What’s nice about these experiential gifts is that they break-up the monotony of everyday life and can be particularly transformative for people who have a habit of getting stuck in rigid routines.
Brooklyn Museum Exhibit Installation (Photo By Gail)
An Annual Membership to Local Museums
Getting your loved one an annual membership to local museums is a good idea if they’re the sort of person who thrives on continuous discovery. Annual memberships are usually cost-effective and provide access to botanical gardens, science centres, and art museums. This gives the recipient the opportunity to spend their weekends doing things that they love, like learning about ancient fossils or going to observatories and looking at the stars. Many of these memberships come with additional perks, like VIP access or the ability to go to venues outside of regular opening hours.
Guided Vineyard Tours
If the recipient is a fan of wine or someone who loves to travel to Mediterranean-like places, then you might want to get them a guided vineyard tour. These are special days because they introduce the recipient not only to wines or craft brews but also to how they’re made. A lot of vineyards are run by artisans, so they show the traditional process for winemaking and also introduce guests to their signature vintages.
Guided vineyard tours are a good option for special occasions, so your loved one could save it for a special day like a birthday or a trip with their partner.
Wellness Retreats and Spa Days
There’s also been a growth in demand for experiential gifts involving rejuvenating wellness retreats and spa days. Many people experience the pressures of burnout and want to go get pampered at a local spa. The options here are almost endless. For many people, it’s best to go to hydrotherapy pools or get a rejuvenating facial. But if you’re unsure, you can now get package gifts that include an entire day’s itinerary of options.
If that doesn’t sound like the type of thing your recipient might like, you could also book them a weekend yoga retreat. This type of experiential gift shows that you have deep empathy for the recipient and also gives them a chance to get back in touch with their body’s needs.
Surprise Weekend Staycations
For many people, travel is the ultimate experiential gift, but you don’t have to provide the recipient with an international plane ticket to give them this type of experience. Instead, well-planned weekend vacations can be just as refreshing.
One option is to book a cosy cabin a few hours out of town and let them stay there for the weekend. They can hike around the local area and enjoy the wild. You could also check them into a boutique hotel room with a unique theme right in their own city. Plan the itinerary and make the reservations for them, and let them enjoy the experience!