With experience gifts, the excitement doesn’t just stop at unwrapping a box, you get to give him new adventures, lessons, memories and quality time with loved ones.
The truth is, gifting materialistic possessions every year is bound to get boring!
On the other hand, experiential gifts can be a fresh breath of air for the man in your life.
This kind of gift is extremely flexible and you’re bound to find something that matches his personality and his hobbies.
Experience gifts for him can range from a day trip to a two-day weekend trip to an ongoing, recurring event.
Now, I know that coming up with these gift ideas can be tough at times. Especially when you’re looking for something creative and it seems like he already has everything he needs.
But don’t you worry- there are plenty of gift experiences that will surprise your beloved, make him feel well loved, and feed his sense of wonder.
So, whether you want to give your dad something special for his retirement, celebrate your brother, son or nephew on their 21st birthday, or surprise your husband or boyfriend, I have a bunch of amazing experience gift suggestions to give you!
(related : Mother’s Day Experience Gift Guide)
Adventure Gifts For Men
You may think adventurous tours are expensive, but there are always budget-friendly options. You don’t have to take a costly world trip to hike grand mountains or snorkel in exotic waters.
Those are wonderful opportunities, but you can find many hidden escapes in your own city & country.
Here are the top experience gifts you can offer men for surprising and exciting adventures:
1. Water Excursions
If your man is as thrilled by swimming, exploring, and zooming through water as mine is, then planning a water excursion is a must!
Imagine a summer weekend relaxing by the sea, splashing water around, snorkeling the depths of oceans, doing yoga on a paddle board (yes, that’s a thing), catching speed on a jet ski, river rafting in fast currents, or parasailing above the water with your loving partner or darling family member…
Now, that’s what I call a perfect getaway with your husband, cousins, brothers, and/or nephews. There’s just so much fun to be had!
Plan ahead by purchasing an experience gift voucher. There are plenty of touring services that will let you do this well in advance.
Some water sports that your boy(s) can enjoy are:
- Surfing
- Jet skiing
- Kayaking (look for the tours that let you kayak at night in illuminated boats! SO cool!)
- Boating
- Sightseeing Cruise tour
- Windsurfing
- Snorkeling
- Whale watching
- Picnicking at the shore
You also don’t have to book anything at all.
For example, you can plan a day trip out to your favorite seaside and just relax, or go fishing or play made-up games. If you have a river near you, you can spontaneously go inner-tubing.
You can even do something low-key like have dinner and funnel cake down by the pier.
All together, there is a crazy number of water-adjacent experiences for you to choose from.
2. Indoor Skydiving
For the adventurous fellas who want to try something extreme, but relatively safe, you can gift them a gift card for indoor skydiving!
Men of all ages (3+) will be amazed by the feeling of defying gravity.
(And I say this from experience. My brother went for his 18th birthday with my father!).
With companies like iFLY, participants get to float in the air within a tunnel with the help of qualified instructors.
He won’t need any previous experience and it shouldn’t be too hard to find a participating location.
3. Race Car Driving
Is he an adrenaline chaser? Well, here’s a chance to give him the high speed race of his life.
With paved tracks, turbocharged engines and an exclusive sports car, he can enjoy the rush and competition of race car driving.
This is a great experience gift idea for the brothers, cousins and/or nephews that like to live in the fast lane.
4. A Helicopter Tour (or Lesson!)
For the best views of your life, take a flight tour above an ocean city with high mountains nearby.
If he has expressed an interest in aviation, you can also book an introductory flight lesson. I did this for my husband and it is still one of his most memorable birthday gifts.
This would be a mesmerizing day or night trip.
5. Skiing or Snowboarding Down Snow-Capped Mountains
Skiing or snowboarding is always entertaining, especially for men who love to play in the snow.
If he’s a pro, you can book him a trip to a luxe ski resort (like in Breckenridge, Colorado for example) to experience world-class slopes and landscape.
More of a rookie? Why don’t you gift him a skiing or snowboarding class? It’s one more thing he can cross off his bucket list.
Romantic Experience Gifts For Boyfriends & Husbands
Are you looking for the most romantic experience gifts for your lover? Here are some of the cutest experience gifts that you can surprise your significant other with.
6. Take a Sunset Cruise
Book a whale-watching excursion during sunset or a dinner cruise for that special man in your life.
With the beautiful panorama of the horizon, the ocean glittering and the sky blossoming with vibrant colors, you’ll have no choice but to fall deeper in love.
7. Cooking Lessons (or Food Tours)
If he loves to cook delicious meals (or simply enjoys eating), you can find a cooking class to hone your skills or expand your palette.
Another version: some restaurants allow people to witness the chefs in their kitchen work. The New York Culinary Experience gives rookies the opportunity to cook with some of the most famous chefs worldwide!
If he hates cooking but loves eating, see if there are any food tours conducted in your city. If not, you can always go restaurant hopping or food truck tasting!
8. Dance Lessons
It’s great fun to learn new things together. It does wonders for a relationship!
Book a duet class with your partner and you will get to dance away the night in each other’s embrace (or laugh yourselves silly from each others funny moves lol).
If he is very serious about dance, you can always gift him solo dance lessons.
9. Hot Air Ballooning
Few things are more romantic than sharing a kiss over the city in a hot air balloon.
These balloons will take you thousands of feet above the ground and provide you with breathtaking views of the landscape.
10. The Indoor Date
Looking for a budget-friendly experience gift?
Skip the fancy restaurants and give your partner something more personal and intimate—a cozy in-house dinner date.
You can cook him a special menu and decorate the place with fairy lights and candles. Take it a step further by organizing the whole date on a terrace/garden under the sky & stars.
You can even hire an in-home chef to treat you both like royalty for the night.
This is an excellent gift idea for the introverted boyfriend or homebody husband; he will love sharing this cozy one-on-one time with you!
Day-Out Gifts For Him
If you only have one day or night to show him a good time, here are some ideas for the best experience day ever.
11. Tickets to a Musical Concert
If your partner loves concerts, give him a night of live music and an energetic crowd.
For those that are passionate about music, one of the best experiences is dancing & singing the night away with your favorite band.
12. A Day of Golfing (or Lessons!)
Take his golf game to the next level by booking him a golf lesson (extra points for finding one with a PGA professional!)
Or, just let him destress with a guilt-free golf day with his best friend.
13. Escape Room Challenges
Break out of jail, kill zombies, escape a haunted house, commit a bank heist, or save the city…. Escape rooms allow them to be superheroes, in one shape or another…at least for a little while.
An escape room is a fun and engaging activity for your family members and friends, of all ages. He’s going to love saving the day with his squad.
14. Tickets To A Live Ball Game
Purchase tickets for the biggest game event in your city or somewhere close. Between the NFL, NBA, MLB, etc, there are so many options for enjoying a live ball game.
Try to purchase the complete package so that your sports-fan can meet his heros up close.
If not, he will love this chance to chug a beer, enjoy snacks, roar with the crowd, and witness an epic game with his brother pack!
15. A Fishing Trip
For the man who likes to take it slow, a day of fishing is the perfect present.
For example, if your father loves fishing, taking him to the coast and having a heartfelt chat with your rods in the water could be the best Father’s Day Gift you could ever organize for him!
Travel Experience Gifts For Him (City Tours)
Does he love to travel? If he does, get ahold of his bucket list and see if you can pay his way to one of his dream destinations. Even if you can’t, you can book him an exciting city tour to satisfy his wanderlust. Here are some of the best exploration gift ideas for him.
16. Stadium Tours
The sports fan in your life will think you are the best gift-giver that ever lived, if you can snag him a behind-the-scenes stadium tour for his favorite sports team.
If he’s already done that, how about a grand tour of the most iconic stadiums in the country? Or a visit to a sports Hall of Fame?
17. Lake Tahoe
An awesome location for someone that enjoys the great outdoors.
With its breathtaking beauty and an impressive variety of fun activities, a trip to Lake Tahoe is a perfect gift for a family vacation or a romantic getaway.
18. Las Vegas
Las Vegas is just one of those destinations that everyone should have the pleasure of exploring at least once in their life.
There’s a reason why it’s such a popular birthday destination! There is lots to do in this bubbling city.
From parties to world-renowned restaurants to ATV tours, you can definitely create an itinerary that he will love in Las Vegas.
19. San Francisco
San Francisco is another awesome travel idea. With its beautiful architecture, national parks, and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, it’s the perfect destination for anyone who loves big cities and exploration.
Luxury Experience Gifts For Him
If you’re interested in spending a little bit more money, spoil him with some of these more decadent activities.
20. Spa Day
This is a great gift option for the man that’s recently gone through some challenges or experienced a lot of stress.
Pamper him with spa time and show him that he deserves some relaxation.
Book him a manicure, pedicure, massage and some relaxing time in the steam room.
related : 5 senses gifts ideas, for a unique gift experience
21. Wine & Whiskey Tastings
Once properly rejuvenated, take him to enjoy an upscale wine tasting or whiskey tasting.
Most cities have wine-tasting tours to offer throughout the year. But if you want to make this into a destination trip, whisk him away to some wine country, like Napa Valley in California or Fredericksburg in Texas.
For whiskey tasting, visit the distilleries that use traditional methods to brew and age the beverage. You also have the option of hosting a home whiskey tasting for him and his friends.
22. Rent A Yacht
One way to really wow him is to host a group of his family and friends aboard a luxurious, private yacht.
Impressive suites and ocean-view terraces will give him a once in a lifetime experience that he will never forget.
Experience Gifts That Keep On Giving
23. Music Lessons
If he has ever expressed any interest in learning how to play an instrument (guitar, drum, etc), hiring him a music teacher might just be one of the best gifts that you can give.
In fact, it’s an amazing gift for musicians of all skill levels! There’s always something more that they can learn.
24. Gift Card Shopping Spree
Who says men don’t like shopping?
If you let him make his own picks, I’m positive he will come up with plenty of things to buy.
Surprise him with a variety of gift cards with generous amounts to his favorite stores.
25. Subscription Boxes
Basically, you can pay for him to receive a monthly subscription box.
Even though these boxes are made up of material gifts, they can still be considered an experience gift because receiving new items every month will expose him to new passions and interests.
The sheer variety of subscriptions available these days will surprise you! There are boxes dedicated to animal lovers, fashionistas, foodies, gamers, self care and so much more.
more gift ideas for him + 10 unique gift ideas for guys under $10 + 37 special Etsy gifts for guys that you won't find anywhere else
As you can see from this list of experience gifts, there are so many amazing options out there.
So, ditch the predictable gifts and give him the gift of unforgettable memories and new experiences.
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