When you want to give someone special a very special gift – it pays to think laterally.

Now gift experience days may not exactly be a new concept, but they continue to grow in popularity and become ever more adventurous in what they provide – and it’s surprising how many of us continue not to think outside the box when it comes to presents … literally!

Of course, the ever-increasing scope and choice of experience based gifts means that some of the others that have been around for a while can begin to feel a little stale. But this is a mistake. Those gifts which were in the vanguard of experience-based presents a couple of decades ago were there for a reason; because so many of us dreamed of doing them but never got the chance.

So things like flying gifts, Formula One racing, a day at a spa, white water rafting, helicopter flying, sky-diving, bungee jumping, hot air balloon flights, micro-light flying and all the other experiential gifts that probably spring first to your mind – do so because they’re great gifts. And just because they may not be the most original gift in the world any more doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider them. The fact is that all the old favorites are, well, favorites!

But it’s also true that the ever-increasing competitiveness on the supply side of the experience gifts market also means that the providers are having to think ever-more laterally about what gifts they offer. And this is great news for us consumers who are looking for something a little more lateral for the people that matter to us.

So, for example, the whole world of food and drink, tasting and preparation has grown like Topsy in the UK over recent years and the market has responded accordingly –with many culinary experiences on the preparation or simply tasting side of things for singles, couples and even the whole family.

For adrenaline junkies, there are ever more imaginative ways they can get their fix. How about buying the real he-man in your life an experienced based on the world’s wackiest racing “cars” for example? We use the word cars very loosely here as some of the vehicles bear precious little resemblance to any car. For example, you can race along on the world’s quickest bed which is also street-legal, so you’re on real roads under your quilt! Alternatively, you can hit the race-track on a sofa capable of 87mph – which is something he won’t forget in a hurry.

It’s all about thinking outside the box with experiences galore – or should that be boxing outside the think?

[Image Credit: Shutterstock]

Guest post written by Gemma Collier.