The Crohnically Blonde Guide to Gifting Experiences: 2019

Last week I took a poll on what gift guide you all wanted to see next on the blog. The big winner was a guide on gifting experiences or things people will actually use. I have been a really big fan of the whole gifting an experience thing, especially in a few specific situations. With family members that you always find yourself grabbing gift cards for, for couples who you are getting a joint gift, or for your significant other who you literally have no idea what else they need… experiences are great options.


Here’s an example, Matt and I, instead of doing gifts for each other for holidays, we use that money and take a vacation instead. We both love to travel so this allows us to do so and use our money to spend time together instead of just on stuff. The gift is the whole experience and the memories we will have, which top any physical gift we could have gotten for each other.


I think a lot of the times, gifting experience to those who you know well, can help introduce them to something or somewhere new that they may not have thought of! I’m listing a few of my favorite suggestions below. Hopefully they will inspire you to gift one of these or come up with an experience of your own.


A class in the recipient’s city. I love this one for just about anyone. For couples this is a big favorite of mine because there are so many options. Look up local cooking classes in the area or classes that relate to their interests as a couple. A few weeks ago, Matt and I found a candle making/distillery tour class that was so incredibly fun, it is a perfect gift to give. There are also things like cocktail making glasses which can be a great date night and educational.


If you are looking for a family member, significant other, or friend, an easy go to can be their favorite workout spot. You can buy them a pack of classes with their favorite instructor or vouchers to try something new like aerial yoga!


Airbnb in your town.​ Airbnb has a whole section devoted to experiences in different cities. They have some super unique adventures that allow you to explore your own city in a new way. These are great gifts because often times, we don’t explore our own city as we would when traveling elsewhere. There are a ton of options as far as price range and some of them are a really great deal. They are different in every city so you will have to check your own, but some great ones I’ve seen near Baltimore are wine walks, thrift store tours, and goat yoga!


If who you are gifting to a couple or friend who already has a vacation planned, that makes things EVEN EASIER. You can gift them a tour they have been dying to go on, or a special dinner at a scenic restaurant in the area. These also make really special wedding gifts! If you don’t know exactly what experience they would like for their trip you can always gift them a physical item they can use. Think, a care package for a long flight, AirPod converters for inflight entertainment, or a Polaroid camera to capture their memories.


If you want to stay on the path of experiences but also gift a physical item, I’ve got you covered there too.


Gifting board games/card games is always a fun idea that promotes many family or friend game nights to come! You are giving the gift of all the good times the recipient will have playing that game in the future, and honestly, gifted games are where Matt and I have discovered some of our favorites. Here are a few we love!

Games are also always a good gift for office gift exchanges or ‘White Elephants”. Here are some of the ones I recommend.
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If you have a friend or family member who can’t stop reading, definitely think about getting them a Kindle. They are offered at many different price points and are truly the gift that keeps on giving. If they are often on the go, try gifting an Audible subscription so they can listen to all of their must read list while driving or working out.


Let me know if you end up giving any of these experience focused gifts and share your ideas with me! Happy Holidays y’all.


xx