Holiday Gift Guide for the Adventurous People in Your Life ( Part One)
Adventures of Mom Christmas Gift Idea List for the Adventurers in Your Life
Every year, December rolls around and us unprepared folks are scrambling for gifts to give to our dearly beloved. A lot of times this results in a last minute grab in a crowded shop. But a person CAN have too many garden gnomes or ceramic roosters! And the adventurous souls in your life tend to focus on, well, ADVENTURE. So this year, give the gift of adventure! We’ve compiled a list (yes, another!) of Christmas gift ideas for the adventurous people in your life. Today’s list is for the grown ups- we’ll tackle the kids later this week.
Christmas Gift Ideas for Adventurers (that won’t break your bank)
- Park Passes: a State Park passes, individual or family, is a gift that continues giving throughout the year. It’s also a gift that encourages spending time outdoors and adventure! Purchase them on-line or at your local State Park.
- Museum Passes: museum passes don’t go amiss either! If you have an art-lover on your list, consider a local museum where they can soak up the culture. Purchase them on-line at the Museum website or at the museum.
- Day Tickets: An alternative to the passes, consider a day ticket to a park/museum/cultural event. Ballet lovers? Symphony aficionados? Check your local paper/magazine and on-line city web page for events in the area.
- An experience. Last year I scored a fishing trip for two at a reduced rate on Groupon and gave it to my husband for Christmas. He took my son, and you can read about their adventure here. Wine tastings, snorkeling with manatees, kayaking adventures, the list go on. I rave about Groupons. Check out their website here (not an affiliate), and look under local deals. You can choose from a $19 snorkel with manatees (Crystal River) to a $4,000 all-inclusive Costa Rican adventure. Choose what suits your budget. So give the gift of an awesome experience.
- Photo Books: Okay, I got this idea from my sister, Sandy. She has taken old photos and put them together into books and given them as gifts. It’s cool. They are not photo albums, but printed books- beautiful! Don’t stop there. With today’s digital age, everyone has too many photos. Compile them into tangible memory books to be treasured for generations. Walgreens, Walmart, Snapfish, all offer photo-book services on line (and in-store at Walgreens & Walmart) (oh yeah, and there’s a Groupon for that too).
- Scrap Books: A bit more labor-intensive then the photo book, this is taking the actual photos and putting them into scrap-book albums, adding embellishments, quotes, stickers, to make them more personal. If you’ve shared an adventure with a friend, this is a one of a kind, meaningful gift. Check out Michaels, Hobby Lobby or JoAnns for scrapbook and the stickers and embellishments. You can add ticket stubs, pieces of maps and even old receipts to personalize the book even more. My sister gave me one of great India Adventure. It brought tears to my eyes.
- Knowledge. If the adventure-lover on your list has already planned their next great adventure, giving them a gift of guidebooks, language guides and local map will always be appreciated. Knowledge is power, right? Tourism boards provide free maps of their cities, countries & Lonely Planet makes excellent guide books.
- Food. Everyone has to eat. Whether they are travelling or at home, food eventually will come into play and a gift card to an eating establishment is always appreciated. Starbucks for the coffee lover, Papa John’s for the pizza fan. Food cards rock! My son once told me that people who give gift cards just don’t know what to buy someone. I beg to differ and told him to pass any unappreciated gift cards my way.
Most of the above shopping you can do in the comfort of your own home, far from the maddening crowds. So if you have an adventurer in your life, consider giving a gift that will enrich their lives.
Have a great week!