8 Best Travel Experience Gifts You Can Give
Give the gift of adventure, not stuff, with these amazing travel experience gifts — perfect for the traveler in your life!
Running out of gift ideas this Christmas? Tired of buying things people don’t actually want — or worse, never use? Whether you’re going for something more meaningful, sustainable, or just plain memorable, an experience gift is the way to go.
After all, what do travelers want most in the world? To travel more! And while giving cash might feel impersonal, an experience gift is the next best thing, offering your favorite traveler more adventures, unique experiences, and memories that will last a lifetime! Here are my favorite travel experience gifts to inspire your next meaningful present.
Tinggly Experience Gift Boxes
A Tinggly Gift Box is quick, it’s easy, and it’s the perfect gift! All you have to do is give your traveler a curated gift box, and they can pick from hundreds of experiences all over the world!
Get 33% off all experience gifts using code PaigeMTG through Dec. 7!
My Top 3 Picks: Give the Gift of Travel
Tinggly Experience Gift Box
- Easy to gift
- Hundreds of experiences in one gift
- Perfect for last-minute gifts
- Get 33% off all experience gifts using code PaigeMTG through Dec. 7!
AmazingCo Mystery Picnic
- Fun new way to explore the city
- Perfect for couples
- Foodie adventure
CityPASS E-Voucher
- Top attractions in major cities
- Easy to send
- Perfect for city-lovers
Top Experience-Based Gifts for Travelers
1. Tinggly Experience Gift Box
Tours and Activities
Tinggly allows you to give a gift box full of amazing experiences that your traveler can choose from. They can pick from tours and activities from all over the world, so it’s a great gift whether they’re off on a trip or are exploring closer to home.
What I love about Tinggly is you don’t have to decide what experience to give, guessing what they might like — they get to choose their experience themselves. So no matter what, you know they’ll be happy with their gift.
Tinggly gift boxes have no expiration date, so your traveler can save the experience for their next big vacation or explore now in their own backyard.
Read more about why you should gift Tinggly experiences here. And see exactly how Tinggly works in this guide here.
Get 33% off all experience gifts using code PaigeMTG through Dec. 7!
2. AmazingCo Mystery Adventure
Tours and Activities, Food Experiences
An AmazingCo mystery experience is a great way to explore a destination like never before. Your traveler can head out on a mystery tour of a city, following clues that lead them to local shops, restaurants, and hot spots.
You can gift your traveler a gift card value or you can pick out an AmazingCo mystery experience just for them — from mystery picnics (their most popular offering) to secret menu tastings to Insta-worthy adventures to weekend getaways.
There are mystery experiences designed for couples, friends, and families, making them the perfect gift for anyone.
Read more about how the AmazingCo mystery experiences work here.
3. CityPASS E-Voucher for Adventure
Attraction Passes
With a CityPASS attraction pass, your traveler can see the major sights of select US cities all with one pass. If you know your traveler is headed to one of these cities or lives near one, a CityPASS voucher is the perfect gift.
It’s like you’re gifting them a whole vacation with the top attractions already covered! And good news for you — it’s a lot more affordable with CityPASS than it would be purchasing tickets separately. We love a thoughtful gift and a deal at the same time!
When you order the CityPASS, select the email option to gift it to your traveler, and they’re all set up for fun!
Read more about how the CityPASS works here, or see the Atlanta CityPASS in action in this itinerary.
4. Tickets to a Show or Game with SeatGeek
Activities
Get your traveler a ticket to see their favorite band in concert, the newest Broadway play, or their favorite sports team! With SeatGeek, you can find tickets for sports, concerts, and theater events.
- Shopping for a music lover? Get them concert tickets.
- Shopping for a theater lover? Get them tickets to a live performance or a Broadway play.
- Want to give the gift of laughter? Shop for tickets to a comedy show.
- You can even cheer on your favorite team together with NFL tickets, MLB tickets, NBA tickets, and more.
There are so many different options! You’re sure to find the right show or performance for your travel-lover on SeatGeek.
5. Eatwith Culinary Experience
Food Experiences, Tours
Eatwith specializes in food experiences, from food tours to cooking classes to dinner with a local. They have both in-person and online experiences making this a great gift for foodie travelers even if they don’t currently have a trip planned.
Your traveler can enjoy fun & immersive food experiences with local hosts and chefs in their own city or abroad, with offerings like supper clubs, dinners, brunches, cooking classes, food tours, and more.
Choose from over 5,000 food experiences in more than 130 countries, and give them a gift that will make their mouth water!
6. Flytographer Photography Session
Activities
Flytographer allows you to hire a local photographer when you go on vacation. Imagine your traveler coming back from their honeymoon, family vacation, or just their annual getaway with professional photographs to remember it by.
Doesn’t that sound like the perfect gift?
Get your traveler a Flytographer gift card so that they can bring back the perfect travel souvenir.
Hot Deal: Save $25 on the gift of memories! Flytographer gift cards are the perfect meaningful gift for the the holidays, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and more. Get $25 off your first gift card purchase using my link here.
7. Arigato Travel Culinary Experience
Food Experiences, Tours
For Japan-lovers and foodies, Arigato Travel culinary experiences are the perfect gift! Arigato Travel offers an array of food tours led by local experts.
They offer over 40 different culinary adventures in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Mt Fuji, and Hiroshima. There are breakfast tours, dinner tours, cocktail tours, nightlife tours, even a cherry blossom tour. Your traveler will love whatever experience you get them!
We did their Shimbashi Hidden Gem Food Tour on our big trip to Japan, and we it was one of the best tours of our trip! We also did a day trip with them to Mashiko.
There is also a great online experience that will help your traveler plan their trip to Japan, which is a great gift for someone who always says they want to go to Japan but hasn’t booked the trip yet!
8. TokyoTreat Snack Box
Food Gift Box
If your traveler loves trying unique foods and loves Japan, then the TokyoTreat snack box subscription is perfect for them!
Each TokyoTreat snack box is loaded with special limited-time and seasonal snacks from Japan. Each box has a new theme and new snacks, so your traveler will never get bored.
TokyoTreat is a snack box subscription that sends you a new Japan-themed box each month filled with unique snacks. They allow you to gift a one-time, non-renewing subscription for 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months. So you can buy once and keep the gifts coming for up to a whole year!
(And if you want a cheaper option, you can just purchase the regular 1 month subscription plan and make sure to cancel it before it renews.)
These boxes are perfect for the traveler who loves Japan or has a Japan trip coming up (what better way to prepare for a trip than to try foods from that destination?).
Read my full review of TokyoTreat here.
Travel Experience Gift Ideas
Need some more inspiration? Here are some ideas of gifts to give every traveler on your list.
Experience Gifts for Her
There are plenty of travel experience gifts the lady in your life would love. You might consider getting her a spa or massage appointment for her next relaxing vacay.
For the girl who is always looking for the best shot for her Instagram, book her an interactive photography tour or workshop of her favorite city.
For the mom who never gets to be in front of the camera, book a professional photography session with Flytographer so she can have professional photos and amazing memories of her next family vacation.
And if you’re still stuck, you can check out the Tinggly gift boxes curated just for her, like the Perfect for Her box or the Superwoman box.
Experience Gifts for Him
For the guy in your life with the need for speed, you could get him a driving experience he’ll remember forever, like driving the sand dunes in the desert or a Formula Yas 3000 Driving Experience.
For the guy who likes to drink, you might consider a whisky tasting and tour or a beer tasting and tour.
And if you’re still stuck, you can check out the Tinggly gift boxes curated just for him, like the Perfect for Him box or the Superman box.
Travel Experience Gifts for Couples
If you’re buying for a couple, you’ll want activities that they can do together and create great memories
Think of activities like a romantic hot air balloon ride with amazing views, or a helicopter tour of their favorite city.
A great gift for newlyweds is paying for the hotel stay for their honeymoon. You might also consider covering other travel costs like plane tickets or seat upgrades.
Every couple deserves some time away together. Tinggly makes it easy to gift a hotel stay with their Getaway Gifts for one-night and two-night stays sorted by city, state, country, and region. And AmazingCo offers Mystery Weekends that has their whole getaway planned for them and full of fun surprises.
For the photogenic couple, book a professional photography session with Flytographer so that they can have some amazing mementos of their travels together.
And if you’re still stuck, you can check out the Tinggly gift boxes curated just for couples, like the Fun Together box, the Once in a Lifetime box, or any of their wedding gift boxes for newlyweds.
Travel Experience Gifts for Foodies
There’s nothing foodies love more than a good food experience.
You can always book your foodie traveler a food tour, food tasting, cooking class, or unique culinary experience. Think of experiences like this Las Vegas Strip Food Tour or this Macaron Workshop in Paris, both from Eatwith, or this Flavors of Japan Tour in Tokyo perfect for Japan-lovers from Arigato Japan.
For the traveler who likes a good mystery, AmazingCo has self-guided food experiences like Mystery Picnics that make great gifts.
If your traveler is staying close to home for now, you can even gift them an online food experience. Or give them a TokyoTreat snack box subscription so they can enjoy unique Japanese snacks from home.
And if you just don’t know what experience to gift, get them the Tinggly Taste the World box and let them choose an experience anywhere they want.
Gift Experiences for Adventure Travelers
Need to buy for an adrenaline junkie traveler or an adventure traveler who’s always up for trying new things? These types of travelers are pretty easy to buy for — just gift them a wild and crazy experience!
A skydiving experience would be something they’ll never forget. Along the same lines is a paragliding experience. And if they’re not ready to take to the skies just yet, there’s always an indoor skydiving experience.
Another idea for those travelers with seemingly no fear of heights is flying lessons, either for piloting an airplane or piloting a helicopter.
Those who love a thrill would also love a bungee jumping experience as a gift, or an amazing ziplining experience.
For the water-loving traveler, you could gift them SCUBA diving lessons if they’re not certified or a SCUBA trip if they are certified. There are also some unique SCUBA experiences like diving with sharks at the Georgia Aquarium or underwater astronaut training at the US Space & Rocket Center that you could gift, depending on certification requirements. And don’t forget about SNUBA experiences, which don’t require certification!
You might also consider gifting a white water rafting trip, or maybe a flyboarding and jetpack experience for those who like to be in the water and in the air at the same time.
Travel Gift Experiences FAQ
What is a good experience gift for a traveler?
A good experience gift for travelers is anything that can bring them adventure and long-lasting memories. So think of things like helicopter rides, skydiving adventures, local cooking classes, weekend getaways, or airline vouchers.
What is a Tinggly experience?
Tinggly is an experience gift box that lets your traveler choose from hundreds of experiences around the world. You gift the box, they pick their adventure.
How to give travel experience?
The best way to give gift travel experiences is to give the gift in the form of a gift card or a gift box. It’s kind of like gifting money, but it feels a lot more personal.
What is an experience gift?
An experience gift is when you give the gift of an experience rather than a material item. So instead of giving another travel item they won’t use, you give them a voucher for a tour, a workshop, or money toward a vacation.
More Gifts for Travelers
Looking for more travel gift ideas for travel-lovers? Check out these guides to help you find that perfect gift for the travel-lover in your life!
- 55+ Best Travel Gifts for Frequent Travelers
- 14 Travel Christmas Ornaments for Everyone on Your List
- Best Travel Décor for a Wanderlust Home
- 16 Romantic Gifts for Travel Couples
- 15 Unique Travel Gift Ideas from Etsy
- 10 Eco-Friendly Travel Products for Sustainable Travelers
- 33 Travel Books to Inspire Your Wanderlust
- 15 Atlanta Gifts for Your Favorite ATLien
Ready to take a vacation? Plan your trip with these tips.
- Find cheap accommodation: Use my tips for finding cheap accommodation for travel every time.
- Book your flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
- Pack for your vacation: Make sure you’ve packed everything you need by checking out my packing list resources.
Cheers!
Paige
Have you given or received any travel experience gifts? Let me know your favorite experience gifts in the comments!
Had no idea these travel gifts existed. These are perfect gifts for those travel explorers who love to adventure. Thanks for sharing, Paige. Will definitely be sharing to my page.
Thank you!
This is such a great list! I would love to receive pretty much every one of these.
Thank you!