ℹ️ This page includes affiliate links. If you click and purchase, Flytographer may receive a small commission.
Best Experience Gifts
The best gifts aren’t the ones you can wrap with a bow or order on Amazon Prime. From the friend who has everything to the self-proclaimed minimalist, everyone will love the gift of an experience. 💝 While the creation of online shopping has made life easier in many ways, it hasn’t solved the problem everyone faces this holiday season … how to find the perfect gift when it feels like everyone has, well, everything. Leave the cliché holiday gifts behind and opt to give the thoughtful gift of an experience, because making memories is always worth investing in. Read on for our best experience gift ideas and surprise and delight your loved ones this holiday season. 🎄
We easily connect people with trusted photographers for fun photo shoots and have helped capture more than three million memories worldwide. The magic of Flytographer is both the experience and the photos. Explore a city with a fun, talented photographer and get wall-worthy photos to relive your trip forever. Today, we asked our team what local and travel experiences they loved receiving as gifts, and we are excited to share our curated list with you! ✈️
TLDR
- Walking & bike tours: An excellent way to experience and enhance travel in a new city!
- Food tours: A fun way for your recipient and their tastebuds to indulge in a culinary journey.
- Wine tastings & tours: A beautiful gift experience that elevates appreciation from the vine to the bottle.
- Cooking classes: The perfect date night or travel gift idea for all the foodies in your life.
- Art experiences: The best experience gifts for those who like to explore new artistic avenues.
- The gift of adventure: This gift promises not just an adventure but cherished moments amid nature’s wonders.
- Concert tickets: Whether it’s a rock concert or a night at the symphony, this experience gift is a timeless gesture.
- Sporting event tickets: Such a fun gift idea for a die-hard sports fan!
- Masterclass subscription: An invaluable gift for anyone seeking to expand their knowledge and expertise.
- The gift of memories with Flytographer: The gift that keeps on giving! These memories will increase in value over time.
Photo: Olga in Venice for Flytographer. Renee and partner capture memories in Venice with a couples photoshoot on a gondola ride.
1. Walking & bike tours
Tours are the best way to experience a city for the first time. Who wouldn’t love an immersive experience that brings new destinations to life?! Is your “giftee” going on a getaway? Context Travel specializes in walking tours led by local experts. They focus on the history, art, and culture of the city. 👟
If your lucky recipient is looking for more adventure, Fat Tire Tours offers unique gift ideas. It specializes in bike tours throughout the city. These bike tours cover lots of ground and emphasize fun and accessibility. Don’t fret about being a pro athlete for this one. Fat Tire Tours caters to all skill levels! 🚲
Interested in a tour filled with architectural wonders? Check out the best places to travel for architecture lovers! ✨
Photo: Flytographer in Amsterdam. Julia and family capture memories in Amsterdam with a family photoshoot on The Jordaan.
2. Food tours
Giving the gift of a food tour is a fun way for your giftee and their tastebuds to indulge in a new experience! Food tours are some of the best ways to discover the culture in a new city. Not to mention, they make the best experience gifts for loved ones. Through WithLocals, you can gift a unique culinary journey and support local businesses at the same time. 🥘
Photo: Francesca in Rome for Flytographer. Vibha and partner capture memories in Rome with an engagement photoshoot at Trastevere.
3. Wine tastings & tours
Imagine taking your best friends on a wine-tasting tour where you not only get to taste delicious wine but also journey through the entire process, from vineyards to bottles. Wine tasting and tours are great educational and recreational activity-based gift ideas. Spur Experiences offers countless wine-tasting experiences all over the world. Whether it’s Tuscany or Napa Valley, it’s not just about the wine; it’s about the unforgettable memories! 🍷
Photo: Danika in Kelowna for Flytographer. Rochelle and friends capture memories in Kelowna with a friends photoshoot at Quails Gate.
4. Cooking classes
Name a better gift for a foodie … or anyone who loves food, loves to cook, or loves to experience other cultures on a deeper level! Cooking classes make the perfect date night and travel activity. Maybe you and your travel partner land in Italy and want to learn the secrets of pasta-making with the Italian Nonas. 🍝 What better way to treat someone you love than with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity while abroad? Booking a cooking class with Eatwith allows you to discover different food experiences all over the world – a way better idea than a restaurant gift card in our opinion.
Photo: Nadine in Cape Town for Flytographer. Eric and partner capture memories in Cape Town with a honeymoon photoshoot at Babylonstoren.
5. Art experiences
Art experiences make great gifts for creative loved ones in your life. Maybe it’s a painting class with your whole family or a DIY pottery kit to try with a friend in your own home. Art experiences cater to a wide range of interests and skill levels and definitely make some of the best experience gifts for those who love to explore new artistic avenues. 🎨
Need assistance with finding the perfect art experience for your recipient? Vacation With An Artist is an extraordinary gift that allows the recipient to step into the world of an artist, immersing themselves in a new process of techniques and perspectives.
Top tip! You can find some of the best Instagrammable art murals around the world here!
Photo: Ana Lucia in Lisbon for Flytographer. Joanne and family capture memories in Lisbon with a family photoshoot at Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara & Bairro Alto.
6. The gift of adventure
Gifting adventure experiences aren’t just gifts; they’re adrenaline-filled moments never to be forgotten! You can gift the ultimate planned camping trip through national parks with pit stops for zip lining, rock climbing, or even a hot air balloon ride! Companies like Roadtrippers and Backroads curate off-the-beaten-path journeys, ensuring every moment is equipped with everything your giftee might need. 🏕️ If you want to treat someone to just an adventure accommodation, platforms such as Hipcamp and Under Canvas offer the best experience gifts.
Photo: Flytographer in Sedona. Brad and partner capture memories in Sedona with a couples photoshoot at an ‘Under Canvas’ Grand Canyon location.
Photo: Bayu in Bali for Flytographer. Marco and Simon capture memories in Bayu with a couples photoshoot in the Tegalalang Rice Fields of Ubud.
7. Concert tickets
Who doesn’t love a concert by an artist they love? 🎸 Tickets to a favourite band, orchestra, jazz bar, or ballet make the best experience gift ideas. You can use Tinggly to assist with a last-minute gift like this. It has thousands of options, from concerts to local theatre, for the recipient to choose from!
Photo: Aimee in Palma de Mallorca for Flytographer. Dana and friends capture memories in Palma de Mallorca with a birthday photoshoot in Old Town.
8. Sporting event tickets
Surprising someone with a sporting event ticket is a great gift idea, especially for a die-hard sports fan! ⚾️ Whether it’s the crack of a baseball bat or a last-minute goal, these tickets promise a memorable experience. You can use the help of Get Your Guide – Sports Experiences to find all kinds of tickets, including VIP access, meet and greets, and early access to games. This experience gift is guaranteed to create lasting memories that echo the spirit of the game.
Photo: Nathalie in Tokyo for Flytographer. Enian and partner capture memories in Tokyo with a proposal photoshoot in Japan National Stadium.
9. Masterclass subscription
A subscription to Masterclass is a gift that unlocks a world of learning with real insights and guidance. The recipient gains access to a range of courses taught by experts in their field, such as Author Jay Shetty, Chef Gordon Ramsey, and Filmmaker Martin Scorsese. This is an experience gift for nearly any loved one! From arts and entertainment to business and beyond, MasterClass is an invaluable gift for anyone seeking to expand their knowledge and expertise. 🧐
Photo: Božo in Dubrovnik for Flytographer. Ebony captures memories in Dubrovnik with a birthday photoshoot in Old Town.
10. The gift of memories with Flytographer
Wherever you are in the world, a Flytographer is there to capture your time in the beautiful city you’re exploring and give you insider local tips about the city, and these memories will be ones you’ll look back on for a lifetime. 📸💕 From multi-generational trips to honeymoons to solo adventures, the best travel souvenir is a beautiful gallery of images to look back on and treasure for years to come. Don’t know of anyone with an upcoming trip? A Flytographer gift card is the gift that keeps on giving because those memories are forever and will increase in value over time.
Need some more convincing? Here are 10 reasons why a professional photoshoot is a good idea!
Photo: Karen in Aruba for Flytographer. Stephanie and family capture memories in Aruba with a family photoshoot.
The gift of experience
We hope we’ve inspired some gift ideas for this holiday season! 🎄 Choosing experience gifts for loved ones is the perfect gateway to memories that last forever – our specialty here at Flytographer! We can’t wait to capture memories for you and your loved ones.
35,000+ 5 Star reviews from across the globe!
“My husband and I were gifted a photoshoot for a wedding gift. We were very excited we were able to book our top choice photographer Ellie. We had so much fun with Ellie, and we knew the photos would be amazing because we were so comfortable and the views were incredible. When we got the photos a few short days later we were blown away. We love every single photo and are so happy we will have memories of our honeymoon in Italy forever. We can’t wait to frame some photos and we will also be including a photo from our shoot on our wedding thank you cards that we are sending to all of our friends and family. ”
Kristine
San Miniato Church & Piazzale Michelangelo
“Allie was great to have for our family photos! She was flexible, knowledgeable, and so fun! During the shoot she had the kids laughing and made our shoot fun and relaxing, not stuffy and boring. She also had great suggestions for things to do in the area when we asked. Once we received our photos, we were very happy with them, they had a light & airy vibe, which was our goal, and she got a nice variety of shots as well.”
Tanya
Santa Monica Pier & Beach
“Working with Katherine was one of the best experiences we’ve had! She is so easy going and down to earth that she made the whole experience so fun! She not only listened to what I was looking for but delivered on it too! We’re so happy with the results. 10/10 would recommend working with Katherine!”
Bina
Lover’s Lane
