100+ Best Experience Gifts for Everyone on Your List

Our family 100% believes in memory-making as the best type of gift. Every Christmas and birthday, Robert and I plan some sort of experience to give to our girls and to each other.

Sometimes it’s as small as a science experiment subscription box. Some occasions, we gift theater tickets to a show touring through town. Lately, as we’ve learned budget travel with points hacking (thanks to my friend Jen), we’ve been giving a family vacation as a gift.

Every single experience gift we’ve ever given has resulted in sweet moments we’ll always cherish. And that’s something that can never be put in the donate bin one day.

If you want to do a less material approach to gifts this year, I’ve compiled a huge list of the best experience gift ideas for everyone in your family.

The best part of all is most of these experiences can be planned last minute. If you’re in a time crunch, making date plans or booking an experience for the future is the perfect solution.

What to do before gifting an experience

Think about the recipient’s interests and lifestyle
Set your budget expectations
Find ways to use your DIY skills to create an experience
Get creative with presentation

To package an experience gift like tickets to a play or vacation plans, I usually wrap a pretend fake show ticket, fake attraction ticket, or fake airplane ticket from Etsy inside of a box. (I add a few random things to weigh it down to throw off suspicions.)

This Christmas, because we have surprise plans to visit a particular city next year, I’m wrapping two miniature versions of the city’s iconic landmarks in multiple nested boxes. The girls will never guess.

Subscription Gifts

Even though some of these are technically “material items”, since most are consumable, they become more of an experience than an object you keep.

Storyworth – memory keepsake

Headspace – mental health & wellness

KiwiCo Crate – science & art projects for kids

Wine Access – variety curated wine delivery

Hello Fresh – meal kit delivery

Shaker and Spoon Box – gourmet cocktail making

Audible – audio books

Universal Yums – international snacks

Trade Coffee – roasted to order coffee

Wildgrain – bread, pasta, and pastry delivery

BarkBox – dog toys and treats

Stitch Fix – personalized clothing

Ipsy – makeup and beauty products

Urban Stems – floral arrangement delivery

The Sill – houseplant delivery

Escape the Crate – escape room mystery box

Murray’s Cheese – cheeses from around the world

Craft Beer Club – variety beer delivery

Goldbelly – variety of food subscriptions

Platterful – monthly charcuterie

Candier – candles

Book of the Month – book club

ScentBird – perfumes and colognes

Dermstore – skincare

Lovevery – baby & toddler play kits

“The gift that keeps on giving the whooooole year, Clark.” Especially for young kids, an annual pass to a local museum, zoo, or aquarium will definitely pay for itself in the long run.

Yearly Pass Gifts

National Parks Service Pass

Local Zoo

Local Aquarium

Local Amusement Park

Trampoline Park

Museum

Pool & Waterpark

Yoga Studio

Theater Season’s Pass

Botanical Gardens

Golf Course

If your love language is Acts of Service, gifting professional services is definitely a great idea.

Professional Services Gifts

Glamsquad – hair and beauty styling membership

Poplin – personal laundry service

SoothePass – massages

Food Fire + Knives – private chef services

Neat Method – professional home organizing

Next Level Wardrobe – personal styling services

The Expert – interior design consultations

Care.com – home cleaning

International Detailing Association – car detailing

TaskRabbit – handyman services

Gifting knowledge is one of the best experiences you could ever give! If your unsure of your recipient’s interests, Masterclass has tons of options.

Giftable Classes

Masterclass – variety of classes for many skillsets

Rosetta Stone – language lessons

Obé Fitness – fitness classes

Fender Play – guitar lessons

Virtu.Academy – music lessons

YesChef – cooking lessons

Alo Moves – fitness & self-care classes

Craftsy – art and crafting lessons

The Crafter’s Box – crafting lessons

Steezy – dance classes

iPhone Photography School – videography/photography courses

Magic Lessons

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The best way to gift quality time!

Entertainment Gifts

Cameo – personalized video messages from celebrities

Fandango – movie tickets

StubHub – show tickets

Theater Shows

Comedy Shows

Concerts

Sporting Events

Magic Shows

Ice Skating Shows

Dancing Exhibitions

Circus / Rodeo

If you have a gamer or a little learner in your life, an app would be a big hit.

Giftable Apps

ABC Mouse – kids’ math & reading games

CodeSpark Academy – kids’ coding games

Disney + Bundle – TV, movies, and sports

Adobe Photography – photo/video editing

Calm – mindfulness and stress relief

Planta – plant care

Xbox Game Pass – gaming

Nintendo Switch Online – gaming

Sony Playstation Plus – gaming

YouTube Premium – video entertainment

Spotify Premium – music entertainment

Activity gifts don’t have to be anything over the top. They can be as simple as a picnic in the park.

Better yet, gift an activity box or a date night jar with lots of ideas written on them that you and your loved ones can do together for months ahead.

Activity Gifts

Turo – Vintage Car Rental

The Adventure Challenge

Xtreme Xperience – Driving Experience

Tour2Sky – Helicopter and Plane Tours

Secret Food Tours – Tasting Experiences

Resy – Dinner Reservations

Paintball / Laser Tag

Paint and Sip Sessions

Rollerskating / Ice Skating

Sunset Cruises

Mini Golf / Top Golf

Vacation / Staycation

experience gift ideas - outdoor adventures

Check out REI Adventures for lots of outdoor adventure tour options.

Outdoor Adventure Gifts

Skiing / Snowboarding

Camping / Hiking

Outdoor or Indoor Skydiving

Surfing / Surf Simulator

Hot Air Ballooning

Rock Climbing / Caving

ATV Excursion

Bike Tour

Sailing / Kayaking

Zip-lining / Bungee Jumping

Whale Watching

experience gift ideas - experience booking

There are so many tours and experiences I never knew existed until browsing some of the tour booking sites out there. It’s fun even to treat our own hometown city like a tourist destination to discover new things to do.