Why I Would Rather Gift an Experience

Experiences do more for me than objects ever have. When I travel I want to take every chance a place offers, and looking back it is the small things that stayed: a conversation, an afternoon that went differently from the plan, a person I met briefly who changed how I saw something. That is the idea behind Travellers' Tales, the series here where travellers share the experiences that mattered to them. Experiences make powerful memories, and they inspire other people.

I am also a difficult person to buy for, and an equally fussy person to shop with. I spend days wondering what someone would genuinely use, and I would always rather give something personal than something generic.

A company that joins the two

So imagine my surprise at finding a brand built on exactly the overlap between gifts and experiences. Tinggly exists to give people experiences rather than things, on the theory that a memory lasts longer than a present.

How the gift works

1. You choose a gift box, with several price ranges available.
2. The recipient chooses their own experience from more than 100,000 options in over 100 countries.
3. There is no expiration date, so nobody has to rush a decision or book at an awkward time.
4. The Tinggly gift box and information package are shipped to the recipient, wherever they live.

That last point matters more than it sounds. The person receiving the gift gets the pleasure of choosing, which removes the risk of the wrong present entirely.

It also means the giver does not need to know the recipient's calendar. You are handing over a shortlist rather than an appointment, which is especially useful at birthdays and Christmas, when the temptation is to buy something safe and forgettable. The recipient picks the experience that suits them and books it at the best time for them, with no pressure and no deadline.

What is in the catalogue

The experiences are grouped into categories, so it is easy to narrow things down:

• Adventures
• Food & Drink
• Cruises & Sailing
• Spa & Wellbeing
• Attraction tickets & Passes
• Classes & Workshops
• Tours & Sightseeing
• Online Experiences

Within those you can find anything from race car driving and bungee jumping to spa treatments and shark diving.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the places on my travel wishlist, and quite a few of the options matched what I had written down. The Northern Lights were at the top of my list, and they appear across several locations. Beyond that there is a fjord and waterfall tour in Norway, a snorkelling tour in Hawaii, an aqua safari in Bora Bora, a flight on the world's longest zipline in Nepal and a Great Barrier Reef adventure, to name only a handful.

Browsing is straightforward. You can filter by category or location, decide whether you want sightseeing, adventure, pampering or something on the water, and type your town, city, state or country into the search bar to see the thousands of experiences available in that area. Snorkelling and diving, for example, are offered in Spain, Australia, Belize, Croatia and Mexico, among others.

The ambassador part

I am now one of Tinggly's ambassadors, which changes very little for me and a fair amount for you. It means I can look for and suggest unusual experiences that might be added to the list, try and review some of the activities so that there are more stories here to read, and pass on feedback.

More usefully, it means I will have discounts and giveaways to share before major holidays, and I will keep you posted about any contests Tinggly runs. Watch this space.

In the meantime, have a look at what is on offer and tell me which activity you would choose. I would genuinely like to know what appeals — partly out of curiosity, and partly because it helps me decide what to try next.