Are you looking to change up your gift giving this year? Tired of consumerism? Want to give more meaningful gifts to those on your list? Consider giving the gift of experiences this year.

What do I mean by that? Instead of giving the must-have toys or hottest electronics or newest name brand sneaker, give an experience. Cooking lessons, horse riding lessons, skiing lessons, art lessons, a camping trip, a visit to the aquarium, a road trip, a getaway, the options are nearly endless.

These types of gifts are especially good for those who travel a lot or who like to try new things. Most of the options I listed below are gift cards of some sort, which give the recipient the flexibility to use them when they’re able. With all the uncertainty we’re experiencing right now, flexibility is important.

6 Ways to Give the Gift of Experiences This Holiday Season

1. Give the gift of a peer-to-peer rental experience

Give a gift card for an AirBnB getaway, a gift card for a HipCamp camping trip, or a gift card for all or part of an RV rental from Outdoorsy. RVShare also rents RVs, but they don’t offer gift cards. Instead, you could give a generic prepaid Visa or Mastercard or a gas card for a specific brand of gas station (if you know they’ll be near those stations).

2. Give the gift of a campground stay

National Park campgrounds don’t offer gift cards, but a prepaid debit or credit card could be given for a planned camping trip. You can buy a KOA gift card at any KOA or call the number on this page to buy an e-gift card from the KOA corporate office. Jellystone Parks make it super easy to purchase gift cards here. Many smaller campgrounds also have gift cards available for purchase.

If you have a higher budget, you could gift a Thousand Trails annual membership.

While not strictly a campground, Harvest Hosts are a great way to explore new locations and support local businesses. Follow this link to give the gift of a Harvest Hosts membership.

3. Buy gear for future adventures

We bought kayaks for our family for Christmas a couple years ago. We’ve also bought daypacks, sleeping bags, and snowshoes for the kiddos as Christmas presents.

Other gear could be backpacks, life jackets, hydration packs, hammocks, tents, ski gear, whatever is appropriate for the interests of the person you’re giving the gift to. If you’re unsure of specific sizes or needs, a gift card to a store such as Sierra, Backcountry, REI, Patagonia, LL Bean, etc is a good alternative.

read this post for how we save money buying outdoor gear for the whole family

4. Give a pass to National Parks, state parks, aquariums, or museums

Give a National Parks pass: either a single site pass or an annual pass. You can give a state parks pass or gift certificate. As an example, here’s the link for a Virginia State Parks pass and a Virginia State Parks gift certificate.

Give an aquarium membership or pass. As an example, the Monterey Bay Aquarium offers an annual membership with unlimited free admission for that year. The New England Aquarium offers an annual membership with unlimited free admission, or you can purchase the Boston CityPASS or the Go Boston Card, which will give admission to a number of Boston attractions, including the aquarium, over a specific time frame.

Many museums, including children’s museums, also offer annual memberships, which make great gifts. If that museum is a member of a reciprocal membership group like NARM, the membership recipient will also be able to visit a number of other museums, free of charge. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

5. Give an annual membership to a nearby historical site

Many privately run historical sites benefit from memberships that help support ongoing conservation efforts and educational programs. Here in Virginia, Monticello offers an annual pass, which can be purchased for individuals or families. Montpelier also offers an annual membership, as does Mount Vernon.

6. Give a gift card to a restaurant

Give a gift card to an old favorite, a new farm-to-table location, or that splurge location they’re always talking about. If it’s for a small local restaurant, buying gift cards will also help support them, which many need right now.

Most restaurants offer gift cards for purchase on site, but they’re also easy to find at grocery stores, big box stores, warehouse stores, etc. Some are for specific restaurants, others are for restaurant groups, which gives the recipient more choices.

Bonus: Save a little money while buying gift cards

If you’ve been following along with our Take Back the Holidays series, we shared several ways to reduce spending and save money. But another option if you’re buying gift cards, especially to stores or restaurants, is to check out discount gift card sites. Good options include Gift Card Spread, Card Pool, and Gift Card Granny. They offer discounts of varying amounts on gift cards of varying denominations to a number of stores, restaurants, theaters, and more. You won’t always find the ones you’re looking for, but it’s worth checking if it saves you a little money.