From experience gifts for women covering everything from ladies days out to adventurous gifts for her, to unusual gift voucher ideas for people who prefer experiences over material things; this list will help you say no to stuff this Christmas. Instead, why not bestow the women in your life with gifts they can truly savour?
We’ve all been starved of new positive experiences this year, but with news of a vaccine shining a light at the end of the 2020 tunnel, many of us feel confident enough to start booking some fun in for the coming year!
My partner and I have made a tradition of buying experience gifts for each other at Christmas, on Valentines Day and for our birthdays. By gifting each other an experience of some sort that we can enjoy together, we’re basically giving the best present of all: the opportunity to make memories.
With the growing awareness of the negative impact consumerism has on our planet in mind, I’ve put together a list of experiences you can gift the women in your life.
19 UK Experience Presents For Women (and Couples)
My experience gift ideas for women include links to UK websites for gift vouchers etc. Apologies to any non-UK readers. Hopefully you can still take inspiration from my gift ideas!
1. A spa experience day for two
What woman (or man, let’s be inclusive people), doesn’t relish the thought of a relaxing day at the spa? It’s the perfect gift voucher idea for couples, or for your mum, sister or best mate.
Shuffling from treatment room to jacuzzi in a big, fluffy robe unlike their ratty one at home, flicking through magazines and avoiding work emails is the ultimate treat for anyone who has a stressful life.
I can personally recommend the Duo Spa Day Package at Seaham Hall Hotel in County Durham – it’s one of my favourite spas ever!
North East England based? Check out my list of the best NE spa hotels for inspiration!
2. Afternoon tea for two
Tea, scones and cake: ah, the makings of a delicious afternoon. Afternoon tea vouchers are the perfect gift for your mum, friend and sister because it’s something you can look forward to doing together.
Put on your gladrags and spend a few hours catching up over tasty morsels at a posh hotel or restaurant.
One of the most memorable afternoon teas I’ve had was in the Lake District at a luxury hotel called Linthwaite House.
You can find a huge choice of afternoon tea voucher deals for venues all over the UK here.
3. A hotel break for two
Sometimes, the best gift you could possibly give someone is simply some quality time together. A hotel break for both of you is the ideal chance to get away, reconnect and remember why you like each other – with the added bonus of a comfy bed and slap-up meal where nobody has to do the dishes afterwards.
This is also a super thoughtful gift experiences for couples, if you know a twosome who could benefit from a little getaway.
4. The gift of flight
Perhaps you can’t afford plane tickets, but maybe you can afford it if she flies the thing herself? There are all sorts of flight experience vouchers you can gift people – from hot air balloons to helicopter flights and even actual flying lessons.
Oh, and you can also buy people a bungee jumping experience (if you’re like, a psychopath).
Check out various flight experience gifts here.
5. A boozy masterclass
Know a woman who loves her booze? There are SO many experiences you can gift a wannabe alcohol connoisseur.
From gin tasting experiences, beer tasting and brewery tours, vineyard tours or cocktail making classes – let her get her drank on with an alcohol themed experience day gift voucher. Cheers!
6. The gift of the gab: language lessons
Most people have ‘learn a foreign language’ somewhere on their bucket list, so language learning lessons make a great gift that keeps on giving.
One easy way to buy language lessons as a gift is to buy the person a subscription to a language learning app like Rosetta Stone or Duolingo. I’ve used both of these services to improve my Spanish, but they each offer loads of other languages.
Prefer to buy a voucher? Browse here.
7. An indoor skydiving experience
If you need some inspiration for adventurous gifts for her, an adrenalin-fuelled activity is bound to excite her. Perhaps she quite fancies skydiving, but she’s not too sure she’d be brave enough.
Buy her an indoor skydiving experience so she can get a taste of the high life before she takes the plunge (excuse the pun).
8. A tour of her favourite soap set
If you have a soap addict in your life, she’ll be thrilled with tickets to see the set in real life. Whether she’s obsessed with the Rovers or wants the chance to sit on the Dingles’ sofa, a soap studio tour will be right up her street.
You can buy tickets to see the Coronation Street or Emmerdale studio but I couldn’t find any tickets for Eastenders’ Albert Square, sorry!
9. A chance to indulge a hobby
If the person who is proving hard to shop for has an interest in learning or developing an existing hobby, they’ll be forever thankful if you gift them something that helps them do so.
You can buy vouchers for photography courses, art classes, dance lessons or music and singing lessons all over the UK.
There’s no better feeling than the support of a loved one in pursuing your passion in life!
10. A supercar experience day
Car enthusiasts might enjoy a high speed supercar driving experience in a Lamborghini, Ferrari or other flash car, or a 4×4 off road driving day.
You can even get vouchers for indoor go-karting for two.
Or if you’d like to give someone who doesn’t have a license the gift of independence, you could always buy them a block of driving lessons to get them started?
11. A foodie workshop
Here’s one they’ll never expect: a spot on a sushi workshop! They get to learn a new skill, have a laugh and get a good feed.
If she prefers sweet to savoury, a chocolate making workshop would be a real treat.
12. A little help with dinner
If the thought of planning dinner every day for the rest of her life gives her the cold sweats, she might find a subscription to a meal plan service useful.
Simply Cook send out boxes with everything you need to cook a new recipe in under 20 minutes. It helps people bring some variety into their diet by expanding their recipe repertoire and is fuss-free.
13. An English heritage membership
England has so much to offer so let her explore her own back garden with an unlimited access pass to over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places from just £5 per month.
Castles and gardens, abbeys and blue plaque houses… they’ll all be hers to discover at her leisure.
You can buy an English Heritage membership as a gift on their official website.
14. An audiobook subscription
Books take people places, and with Audible, she can be spirited away to another world while she’s sitting in traffic or drifting off to sleep.
The audiobook service is a free app that lets you listen to audiobooks anytime, anywhere. Subscriptions start with a free 30 day trial.
15. Tickets to a show
If she loves musicals or the thrill of the theatre, why not check what’s on at your local playhouse? A night at the theatre is a huge treat for anyone, and it’s a gift experience for her to remember forever.
The arts industry needs our support right now so this is a thoughtful gift that benefits more than just the person you’re gifting!
For London shows, encoretickets.co.uk has lots of deals, as does westendtheatrebreaks.com.
16. Gig tickets
Get her tickets to a night with her favourite artist and she’ll be forever thankful.
I’ve signed up to all the usual ticket websites like TicketMaster. That way, I get updated whenever someone is playing near us.
17. A little travel inspiration
It’s not an experience in itself, but it’ll definitely inspire her to pursue more! The Rough Guide to the 100 Best Places on Earth 2020 will provide plenty of fuel for her wanderlust.
Or you know, just direct her to follow While I’m Young, where travel inspo is free…
18. Tickets to a local attraction
Perhaps there’s an iconic attraction near you that your loved one has always been intrigued by. They probably wouldn’t think about paying to do it themselves, but wouldn’t they love the chance to experience it firsthand? There’s a lot to be said for playing tourist in your own neck of the woods.
Check out tickets to lots of top UK attractions including Tower of London and Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms in London, and the popular Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh. You can also get a voucher for two to go to the top of the Shard.
This Christmas, give the gift of an experience for her, or a voucher for an experienced-based present you can both enjoy. The receiver might not even notice that it’s a gift for you, too (providing they invite you as their plus one, of course…)
Have you ever been gifted an experience you treasured far more than anything that came in a box? Share your best experience based present in the comments!
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Melis Living says
Love these ideas I quite often buy my family members vouchers for experiences or their favourite restaurants as people who work tend to just buy the material things they want themselves! Thanks for sharing these fab ideas. Melis