Experience gifts: let's list them all
December 17, 2024 6:28 AM Subscribe
Let's generate a list of all of the possible experience gifts in the world. I'll start:
Tickets:
concert, play, musical, opera, comedy, improv, dance, circus
Unusual performances:
puppet show, laser show, bubble show, concert by candlelight, burlesque
Gift cards:
restaurant, wine tasting, speciality shop, movie theater
Experiences:
indoor skydiving, indoor surfing, archery, gun training, dining in the dark, building tours, tall building lookouts
Games:
paintball, escape room, indoor gaming
Classes:
cooking, pottery, glassblowing
Tickets:
concert, play, musical, opera, comedy, improv, dance, circus
Unusual performances:
puppet show, laser show, bubble show, concert by candlelight, burlesque
Gift cards:
restaurant, wine tasting, speciality shop, movie theater
Experiences:
indoor skydiving, indoor surfing, archery, gun training, dining in the dark, building tours, tall building lookouts
Games:
paintball, escape room, indoor gaming
Classes:
cooking, pottery, glassblowing
"Behind the scenes" tour of museums (for example) or a sports stadium.
Brewery tours.
Blacksmithing class.
Baking class.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:37 AM on December 17, 2024 [2 favorites]
Brewery tours.
Blacksmithing class.
Baking class.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:37 AM on December 17, 2024 [2 favorites]
Parties/ Partyplanning/in home dinner party experience/ live entertainment for party
Styling(can involve clothes, make-up, hair--either conventional or costume-y)/ Photography
Membership at local museum, arboretum, community garden etc
posted by thivaia at 6:47 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Styling(can involve clothes, make-up, hair--either conventional or costume-y)/ Photography
Membership at local museum, arboretum, community garden etc
posted by thivaia at 6:47 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
(I should point out that one of my very favorite experiential gifts I've heard of is my parents who got an in-home dinner party for four with a local chef and a drag Julia Child impersonator. And the gift itself was a fundraiser. They had the time of their life and I am ashamed to tell you I did not think of giving this to them myself)
posted by thivaia at 6:49 AM on December 17, 2024 [6 favorites]
posted by thivaia at 6:49 AM on December 17, 2024 [6 favorites]
If you don't have much money but you do have time:
Daily/weekly notes for a year: a little doodle, a postcard, a line of a story you write, a little poem. The experience is the sustained effort of your care + the obscene number of little things.
Create a scavenger/puzzle hunt for them to solve
A surprise picnic
A surprise movie night
A fully planned day out to explore a nearby town (hunt free events in advance, pack snacks, etc)
Cook a nice meal for them with a full table setting, music selection, do all the dishes.
A whole weekend off (do all the chores, take the kids out of the house if you have them, take 100% of the mental load)
Teach someone a skill that you have
posted by phunniemee at 6:51 AM on December 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
Daily/weekly notes for a year: a little doodle, a postcard, a line of a story you write, a little poem. The experience is the sustained effort of your care + the obscene number of little things.
Create a scavenger/puzzle hunt for them to solve
A surprise picnic
A surprise movie night
A fully planned day out to explore a nearby town (hunt free events in advance, pack snacks, etc)
Cook a nice meal for them with a full table setting, music selection, do all the dishes.
A whole weekend off (do all the chores, take the kids out of the house if you have them, take 100% of the mental load)
Teach someone a skill that you have
posted by phunniemee at 6:51 AM on December 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
Experiences: Escape room, scavenger hunt, have a chef cook for you in your home, picnic, cruise, airplane/helicopter ride, murder mystery party, clue-solving adventure
Tickets: Magic show, museum, art gallery, aquarium, amusement park, lectures, sports
1:1 lessons: music, sports (golf, kayaking, etc.), one hour with a life (or other) coach
Classes/workshops: jewellery making, knitting, sewing, languages, pottery, soap-making, candle-making, make your own skincare/makeup, woodworking, photography, gardening, public speaking, chocolate making, macaron making, cake decorating, sex/kink workshops
Tours in your city e.g. walking tour, ghost tour, bus tour, food tour etc.
posted by foxjacket at 6:56 AM on December 17, 2024
Tickets: Magic show, museum, art gallery, aquarium, amusement park, lectures, sports
1:1 lessons: music, sports (golf, kayaking, etc.), one hour with a life (or other) coach
Classes/workshops: jewellery making, knitting, sewing, languages, pottery, soap-making, candle-making, make your own skincare/makeup, woodworking, photography, gardening, public speaking, chocolate making, macaron making, cake decorating, sex/kink workshops
Tours in your city e.g. walking tour, ghost tour, bus tour, food tour etc.
posted by foxjacket at 6:56 AM on December 17, 2024
Architecture tour
Arts class: drawing, mosaic, etc.
Astrology, tarot, palmistry, etc.
Bicycle ride or tour (of any length)
Brewery/winery/distillery tasting or tour
Camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or pack trips
City tour (walking, bus, bike, boar, tram, Segway)Cruise (of any length)
Fencing class
Foreign-language lessons
Ghost tour
Glamping
Glider ride
Gym membership or personal trainer
Hang-gliding
Hot-air ballon ride
Kayaking and other watercraft
Living history
Martial arts classes
Mini golf
Mixology class
Paint and wine
Parasailing
Park pass
Rafting
Scooter rental
Skiing or water skiing
Skydiving
Sports event tickets
Surfing
Theme park
Ultralight ride
Watercraft rental
Windsurfing
Zoo
posted by NotLost at 7:01 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Arts class: drawing, mosaic, etc.
Astrology, tarot, palmistry, etc.
Bicycle ride or tour (of any length)
Brewery/winery/distillery tasting or tour
Camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or pack trips
City tour (walking, bus, bike, boar, tram, Segway)Cruise (of any length)
Fencing class
Foreign-language lessons
Ghost tour
Glamping
Glider ride
Gym membership or personal trainer
Hang-gliding
Hot-air ballon ride
Kayaking and other watercraft
Living history
Martial arts classes
Mini golf
Mixology class
Paint and wine
Parasailing
Park pass
Rafting
Scooter rental
Skiing or water skiing
Skydiving
Sports event tickets
Surfing
Theme park
Ultralight ride
Watercraft rental
Windsurfing
Zoo
posted by NotLost at 7:01 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Music lessons
posted by NotLost at 7:03 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by NotLost at 7:03 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Candy or chocolate company tour
Factory tour
Festival
posted by NotLost at 7:18 AM on December 17, 2024
Factory tour
Festival
posted by NotLost at 7:18 AM on December 17, 2024
Paint your own pottery (ETA: not a class per se, more a one-off experience.)
posted by seemoorglass at 7:18 AM on December 17, 2024
posted by seemoorglass at 7:18 AM on December 17, 2024
Best answer: A few of my friends have received this penguin encounter and were thrilled by it. A really nice gift would be a membership in a museum + one of their special experiences. A membership to anything can be really nice-- it gives you the gift of being able to pop in for a few minutes any time without worrying you've wasted the admission fee.
posted by BibiRose at 7:24 AM on December 17, 2024 [6 favorites]
posted by BibiRose at 7:24 AM on December 17, 2024 [6 favorites]
I'm getting the teenager a gift certificate for an escape room.
Have guven and received spa experiences - floats, massages, relaxation packages.
posted by brookeb at 7:37 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Have guven and received spa experiences - floats, massages, relaxation packages.
posted by brookeb at 7:37 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Ax throwing
Laser tag
Rage room
Sensory deprivation
Tanning
posted by NotLost at 7:40 AM on December 17, 2024
Laser tag
Rage room
Sensory deprivation
Tanning
posted by NotLost at 7:40 AM on December 17, 2024
Falconry lessons.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:47 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:47 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Oooh! BibiRose jogged a memory: north of Acadia national park in Maine you can go to a puffin colony! You take a boat to a research island, hang out in a blind for a few hours, and get to observe and take pictures of them from about 6 feet away (without disturbing them - the tour is extremely careful about not upsetting their environment, and embarking / disembarking thoughtfully).
Really fun component I didn’t expect - they are constantly landing and taking off from the tops of the blinds, which means a full-sensory experience of sweet little pitter patters of puffin feet right above your head.
posted by seemoorglass at 8:03 AM on December 17, 2024 [8 favorites]
Really fun component I didn’t expect - they are constantly landing and taking off from the tops of the blinds, which means a full-sensory experience of sweet little pitter patters of puffin feet right above your head.
posted by seemoorglass at 8:03 AM on December 17, 2024 [8 favorites]
Immersive art e.g. Tutanchamun or Illusionaries
Meals / spa / walking tours (ghost-architecture-etc)/ exhibitions e.g. wildlife photographer of the year
Historic properties e.g. Christmas lights at Wimpole Hall
Treasure hunts e.g. fox trails
In terms of free / cheap stuff - treat them for a meal at home, go for a walk in a local beauty spot or just park and bring a picnic.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:07 AM on December 17, 2024
Meals / spa / walking tours (ghost-architecture-etc)/ exhibitions e.g. wildlife photographer of the year
Historic properties e.g. Christmas lights at Wimpole Hall
Treasure hunts e.g. fox trails
In terms of free / cheap stuff - treat them for a meal at home, go for a walk in a local beauty spot or just park and bring a picnic.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:07 AM on December 17, 2024
A roll in the hay with a paid professional
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:22 AM on December 17, 2024
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:22 AM on December 17, 2024
Spiritual or monastic retreats, Catholic or Buddhist etc etc.
posted by gudrun at 9:05 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by gudrun at 9:05 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Karaoke
posted by Sauce Trough at 9:08 AM on December 17, 2024
posted by Sauce Trough at 9:08 AM on December 17, 2024
Best answer: Panning for gold or digging for diamonds
posted by jedicus at 9:09 AM on December 17, 2024
posted by jedicus at 9:09 AM on December 17, 2024
sled dog ride
sleigh ride
sledding (cheap version: buy plastic sleds and find a local hill, more expensive version: snow tubing at a ski resort or other location that rents tubes)
ice skating
ice climbing (guided, with equipment provided)
bowling
indoor trampoline park
posted by Redstart at 9:40 AM on December 17, 2024 [2 favorites]
sleigh ride
sledding (cheap version: buy plastic sleds and find a local hill, more expensive version: snow tubing at a ski resort or other location that rents tubes)
ice skating
ice climbing (guided, with equipment provided)
bowling
indoor trampoline park
posted by Redstart at 9:40 AM on December 17, 2024 [2 favorites]
A weaving lesson on a loom.
Build a bear
Local nature walk
Art museum membership
Hayride
Tobogganing
posted by Czjewel at 9:45 AM on December 17, 2024
Build a bear
Local nature walk
Art museum membership
Hayride
Tobogganing
posted by Czjewel at 9:45 AM on December 17, 2024
Sailing
Breakfast in bed
Build (your kid) an obstacle course or 'hamster maze'
posted by demi-octopus at 10:22 AM on December 17, 2024
Breakfast in bed
Build (your kid) an obstacle course or 'hamster maze'
posted by demi-octopus at 10:22 AM on December 17, 2024
Roller skating
posted by NotLost at 11:02 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by NotLost at 11:02 AM on December 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Personalized "ticket book" with things like:
Choose movie for TV night
One chore exchange
Pick the cuisine for ordering in
Select a plant for the garden
Extra hugs when presented
etc., etc.
posted by drossdragon at 11:26 AM on December 17, 2024
Choose movie for TV night
One chore exchange
Pick the cuisine for ordering in
Select a plant for the garden
Extra hugs when presented
etc., etc.
posted by drossdragon at 11:26 AM on December 17, 2024
Building and hanging out in forts!
Tree forts, blanket forts, pillow forts, snow forts, cardboard boxes
posted by Sauce Trough at 11:30 AM on December 17, 2024
Tree forts, blanket forts, pillow forts, snow forts, cardboard boxes
posted by Sauce Trough at 11:30 AM on December 17, 2024
On the water stuff:
cruising
touring
seapersonship lessons
partying
posted by Sauce Trough at 11:47 AM on December 17, 2024
cruising
touring
seapersonship lessons
partying
posted by Sauce Trough at 11:47 AM on December 17, 2024
There are tons more craft/art classes. Name the art or craft (watercolor, ceramics, terrariums, bonsai, flower arranging), and there's a class for it. Same with any sort of sport or activity.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:49 AM on December 17, 2024
posted by bluedaisy at 11:49 AM on December 17, 2024
I took my parents to feed some giraffes at a local zoo.
posted by deludingmyself at 12:13 PM on December 17, 2024
posted by deludingmyself at 12:13 PM on December 17, 2024
Specific goal travel.
EG see a solar eclipse (possibly from an airplane).
See aurora from north of 60.
See polar bears. See grizzly bears fishing.
Stay a night in a hotel made of ice.
Go to a restaurant that is featured as a place in a favourite fiction book.
posted by Mitheral at 6:11 PM on December 17, 2024
EG see a solar eclipse (possibly from an airplane).
See aurora from north of 60.
See polar bears. See grizzly bears fishing.
Stay a night in a hotel made of ice.
Go to a restaurant that is featured as a place in a favourite fiction book.
posted by Mitheral at 6:11 PM on December 17, 2024
Short land travel adventures - passenger train, passenger bus, tour bus, rental party bus, limousine rental, RV rental, helicopter ride, hot air balloon ride, scenic tour via small aircraft, short first class plane trip just for the experience.
Some land travel requires specialized skills - horseback rides, motorcycle tours, long bicycle trips, sledding, snow skiing, ice skating, roller skating, parachute jumping, hang gliding, zip line courses, rock climbing, mountaineering, long distance backpacking, long distance walking tours.
Short water travel adventures - river cruise, ocean cruise, manned underwater propulsion vehicle (as a passenger), glass-bottom boat tour.
Some water travel requires specialized skills - wild river canoe adventure, kayak, sailboat, jet skis, surfing, water skiing, scuba diving.
Adventures with animals - petting zoos, aquariums, animal sanctuaries, conservation facilities.
Also, joining special interest groups - bird watching, fish I.D. while snorkeling, any group that studies or raises animals.
posted by TrishaU at 3:57 PM on December 18, 2024
Some land travel requires specialized skills - horseback rides, motorcycle tours, long bicycle trips, sledding, snow skiing, ice skating, roller skating, parachute jumping, hang gliding, zip line courses, rock climbing, mountaineering, long distance backpacking, long distance walking tours.
Short water travel adventures - river cruise, ocean cruise, manned underwater propulsion vehicle (as a passenger), glass-bottom boat tour.
Some water travel requires specialized skills - wild river canoe adventure, kayak, sailboat, jet skis, surfing, water skiing, scuba diving.
Adventures with animals - petting zoos, aquariums, animal sanctuaries, conservation facilities.
Also, joining special interest groups - bird watching, fish I.D. while snorkeling, any group that studies or raises animals.
posted by TrishaU at 3:57 PM on December 18, 2024
Animal adventures continued - cat cafés, herpetarium tours, other guided tours that put you up close and personal with a group of animals and the people who adore them.
Other group tours - any hobby or special interest will have entrepreneurs who create a type of guided vacation package. Research, research, research so that your time and money are not wasted on a poorly thrown together themed tour.
Special concern- one element of experience gifts is the opportunity to meet like-minded people. Not only are you making memories with your chosen companion(s) but you are in contact with others who also share your interests.
posted by TrishaU at 1:09 AM on December 19, 2024
Other group tours - any hobby or special interest will have entrepreneurs who create a type of guided vacation package. Research, research, research so that your time and money are not wasted on a poorly thrown together themed tour.
Special concern- one element of experience gifts is the opportunity to meet like-minded people. Not only are you making memories with your chosen companion(s) but you are in contact with others who also share your interests.
posted by TrishaU at 1:09 AM on December 19, 2024
One of my favorite birthday experiences was a private aquarium tour with 5 of my closest friends. It was part of a whole "adopt an octopus" gift package that included the tour, a plush octopus, some cool octopus posters and info sheets, etc. It was through Heal the Bay in Santa Monica California, and we not only got to feed the octopuses, we also got to pet baby sharks! Doo doo doo! Highly recommended. Perhaps other aquariums and zoos near you may offer something similar? And the warm feeling of contributing to a worthy cause can't be beat!
posted by acridrabbit at 9:19 PM on December 19, 2024
posted by acridrabbit at 9:19 PM on December 19, 2024
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Spa - massage, facial, mani/pedi, other treatments
posted by rabbitbookworm at 6:32 AM on December 17, 2024