These immersive gifts include bucket list experiences.
Holiday shopping is underway, and with so many sales and Christmas collections, it can be overwhelming to select the perfect gift for your adventurous best friend. You want to get them something they’ll genuinely enjoy and is personal to them, but the ideal present doesn’t always come in a pretty box with a bow. Sometimes, the most valuable gift you can give a loved one is an immersive experience that’ll enrich their life and leave them with a special memory you can enjoy together. Giving an experience gift will feel more thoughtful too, because your present can immerse them in one of their interests or check off a once-in-a-lifetime experience on their bucket list. Keep scrolling to check out 10 experience gift ideas to give your thrill-seeking BFF or bae this holiday season.
Shopping for an experience gift may actually be an easier mission than searching the department store for an object or clothing item, because you probably already know how to build a perfect day around their interests, just from knowing them for so long. Maybe they’re a foodie who’d love to attend a cooking class, or they’re a thrill-seeker who’s always dreamt of skydiving. If you two love to sip wine and catch up on gossip, they’ll love a wine tasting trip to a vineyard, or if you bond over your wellness goals, you can gift them their favorite fitness classes for you to attend together. Santa doesn’t make these kinds of gifts in his workshop, but that makes them even more special. There’s a brand new year ahead, so give the gift of cherished memories in 2023 from these experience gifts.
Concert Or Music Festival Tickets
Surprising your loved one with tickets to a concert or musical festival to see their favorite artist is an experience gift they’ll cherish forever. If you don’t have a particular event you know your BFF will want to go to, you can give them a StubHub gift card to cover the cost of tickets for any new music tours in 2023.
Local Wine Tasting
Whether you need a present for your bae or bestie, a wine tasting is always a good idea. In addition to checking out smaller local wineries, you can make a trip of it by heading to renowned vineyards in Napa Valley, California or Shenandoah Valley, Virginia to gift a day amongst the grapevines, sipping on delicious wines and snacking over good conversation. After a fun day, you can buy them their favorite bottle to remember the experience.
Private Cooking Class
Gifting a class experience not only makes for a fun day, but it also leaves your loved one with new skills they can use in the new year. Foodies will love a free cooking class for Christmas, plus it’s a built-in gourmet dinner you can create and enjoy together. You can search local businesses or retailers like Sur La Table to find in-person private classes near you, or gift a virtual cooking class with Cuiline.com or Airbnb Experiences.
Fitness Class Pass
If your friend or family member loves fitness, you can gift them workout classes for yoga, pilates, spin, boxing, and more. You can buy 23 ClassPass credits for $49 to give them access to variety of studio classes and kick off their new year fitness goals, or check out local studios to see what packages they’re offering.
Sky Diving
If the adventure-seeker in your life hopes to skydive one day, the holidays are the perfect time to help them check it off their bucket list. You can book them for an indoor skydive session with iFly gift vouchers for under $200, or take them to the skies at a nearby skydive center for an adrenaline-fueled day.
Celeb Cameo Video
If your bestie has a favorite celeb or internet personality, you can gift them a personalized video on Cameo. It’ll knock them off their feet to open the video file and hear their idol address them directly, and they can save the video forever. Depending on the celeb, you can book a Cameo for under or around $100 and prompt them with ideas for what to say in the clip, such as an inside joke or words of wisdom to pass on.
MasterClass Annual Membership
A MasterClass annual membership is a great gift idea for the person in your life who never wants to stop learning and chasing their passions. They can watch over 180 exclusive, professional classes across 11 categories to gain knowledge about anything they’re interested about in the new year, from mastering the art of negotiation to cooking with Gordon Ramsay. If you buy a membership gift right now, MasterClass is doing a buy one, get one deal, so you’ll get one for free as well.
Hot Air Balloon Ride
Who hasn’t always dreamt of riding a hot air balloon? It’s not every day you get the opportunity to float amongst the clouds, and you can book this special experience for a loved one in your life with Virgin Experience Gifts. You’ll get a birds-eye tour of the Shenandoah Valley at up to 3,000 feet above the ground, or, if you don’t live nearby, you can search to see if there are similar options in your area.
An Immersive Art Experience
Whether the person you’re shopping for is into art, science, fashion, or history, you can book an afternoon for them to be immersed in their interests at an exciting museum exhibit or immersive art show. If they have a favorite museum, you can also buy them a yearly membership, like this one at the Museum of Modern Art.
National Park Yearly Pass
If the person you’re shopping for prefers to spend their free time in nature, they’ll love a yearly pass to the National Parks. For $80, the pass will grant them access to 2,000 recreation areas for hiking, fishing, and all kinds of exploring in 2023.
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