Choosing the right gift for a loved one isn't always easy. You want to get it right, and get them something they'll really want, not something that'll be politely accepted and then relegated to the back of a wardrobe after a couple of months. The task can seem especially daunting when the person you’re buying for is male – whether it's your partner, father, brother or friend – whether it’s fair or not, many people perceive men as being particularly difficult to buy for.

Thinking Differently

 When faced with a difficult-to-buy-for person, what’s needed is a little bit of lateral thinking. Instead of racking your brains trying to work out whether they’ve dropped any subtle hints about wanting something, or trying to work out what they might find useful, be creative. If someone seems to have all the things they need already, then there’s little point buying them any more clutter. This is where experience gifts can come in.

Choosing the right experience

A huge range of experience gifts is on offer, and several companies in the UK now offer them. They all allow the recipient to go on their own personal adventure. Of course, this now creates a different problem: instead of having nothing to buy, it might suddenly seem be impossible to choose, as the choice is so vast. This is a nice problem to have, however, and one that is easily solved. Think about what the person you’re buying for loves to do, and see if you can go one better. If they’re a climber, how about you take that one step further with an ice-climbing day? If they love driving, how about a rally driving day? Once you start thinking, you’re sure to find something they’ll enjoy. Alternatively, maybe you’d like to set them a challenge. If you’re buying for someone who’s normally a confirmed couch potato, then push their boundaries a little by getting them something that’ll have them racing to switch off the television.

The best thing about experience gifts for him is that while the experience itself will come to an end, the memories of the day will last forever. You may choose to take part in the experience too, or you may prefer to watch and take photos, but either way you’ll come away having tried something new, and with memories to treasure. That's got to be better than a DVD box set.