The holiday season is upon us, and every year around this time stores break out the Christmas decor, brands launch their winter campaigns, and bloggers publish their quintessential “Holiday Gift Guide” posts. It’s not even Thanksgiving, and I’ve already read several “Gift Guide for Travelers” blog posts. While these guides can be helpful, I’ve found the majority of avid travelers prefer experiences to things.

This holiday season, consider investing in life experiences rather than splurging on trendy items for your favorite travel addict. Travelers are great at distancing themselves from material things. Rather, they prefer to spend money on experiences and making memories. In fact, numerous recent studies (like this one) have determined that experiences are far more likely to lead to happiness than material goods. Happiness from material purchases diminishes over time, but experiences become an ingrained part of our identity.

I’m not suggesting you buy airline vouchers or all-expense-paid vacations as a Christmas gift (although, not going to lie, that would be cool). Just consider giving experiences and memories. Here are a few ideas:

• Tickets to Concerts, Festivals, Events:

  Last Christmas, my boyfriend got me tickets to see my favorite artist in concert. The show wasn’t until May, so the gift included the added bonus of looking forward to the concert for 5 months after receiving it. Festivals, sports games, and concerts are all memorable experiences and make great gifts.

• Classes / Education:

  Do they want to learn a language or photography? What about horseback riding or piano lessons? You can make a night of it by taking a painting, cooking or wine pairing class.

• Outdoor Activities:

  If they enjoy skiing/snowboarding you can buy them lift tickets, or a mountain weekend getaway. You can go whale watching or beach horseback riding / trail riding (another gift my boyfriend surprised me with).

• Night out:

  Last Christmas I gave my parents a “night out” including a gift card to a nice restaurant, movie tickets, etc. You can also get a hotel voucher for a stay-cation or weekend getaway.

• Pampering:

  Everyone loves a spa day.

• Adrenaline:

  For the adrenaline junkie: sky diving, hang gliding or a race car driving experience.

Looking for other experience ideas? Check out this website for a list of additional experiences you can purchase in your area.