The Gift of Experience

by Mandy Evergreen, Cloud9 Living

What’s in a gift?

We want it to be unique, something that perhaps she wouldn’t have thought of on her own. We want it to be indulgent, something that he wouldn’t have gotten for himself. We want it to be meaningful, to convey how we feel about the person. And we want, ultimately, for the gift to mean something to the person who receives it.

And yet somehow, most gifts end up as bookends or lost items in the back of the sock drawer. Tarnished jewelry, picture frames, throw pillows, stacks of books, movies we watched one time and then forgot about…All the gifts we accumulate over the years end up clogging our closets and cluttering our garages, overwhelming us when we open the cupboard door.

It would seem that finding the perfect gift is, in fact, the impossible task.

But what if we started thinking about what’s really in a gift. What qualities would the perfect gift possess?

It would speak to the heart of the person, something a monogrammed golf ball just can’t muster. It wouldn’t get lost in the back of the closet, something fuzzy house socks always manage to do. And it would, with any luck, be unforgettable, unlike that 1997 rom-com about which the critics supposedly argued otherwise.

It would be more like a favorite food, a homemade dinner whipped up to order; dining table festooned with candles and maybe even a bouquet. It would be more like an afternoon spent huddled over coffee mugs in a café, discussing life and love with best friends. It would be, in a word, less tangible and more experiential. These are the things we remember—moments, experiences.

And before you start asking how this is possible, to give a moment (it doesn’t involve three trips to the grocery and a dozen scented candles), let me introduce the Experience Gift.

Also known as experiential gifts or adventure gifts, these are experiences, dreams, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities neatly packaged and ready for the giving. They are moonlit kayaking trips, gourmet food tours, wine tasting sails, private salsa lessons, champagne brunch cruises, sport fishing excursions, and hot air balloon rides. They are meandering hikes to California’s Bridge to Nowhere, culminating in a bungee jump, and they are afternoons spent ducking, diving, outsmarting and outgunning opponents in Top Gun-style Fighter Pilot for a Day experiences.

They are exactly the sort of experiences people keep jotting down on their Bucket Lists—experiences which change our lives, which swell the meaning in our lives, which scratch the itch to live.

Now, compare flying lessons to a book on Amelia Earhardt. Nothing against Ms. Aviation herself, but even she would argue that nothing compares to the feeling of your first flight, in the pilot’s seat, no less. “You haven’t seen a tree,” she said, “until you’ve seen its shadow from the sky.”

So trade the golf balls for golf lessons (with a PGA pro), trade the cookbooks for gourmet food tours, and trade the jewelry for metal-smithing workshops. As Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Give the gift of experience.

About the Author: Mandy Evergreen is a blogger for Cloud 9 Living in Boulder, CO. Cloud9 Living is the largest provider of experience gifts in the United States, offering over 1,700 unique and memorable experiences in 43 major cities. Check out their most popular birthday gifts for men to get great gift ideas or view their entire catalog at www.cloud9living.com.

Experience Gifts

by Cloud 9 Living

Adventure - Sports - Pleasure

Cloud 9 Living

Cloud 9 Living: The Company and Their Mission

Cloud 9 Living is an Experience Gift Company founded in 2005 by owner John Augst that offers unique and memorable experiences as gifts. Based in Boulder, Colorado, Cloud 9 Living is a small company with a dedicated staff passionate about providing people the opportunity to give extraordinary gifts to their loved ones.

The mission of Cloud 9 Living is "to forever change the world of gift giving by enhancing people's lives through memorable experiences". This is done through their partnerships with over 600 of the best experience providers in the U.S. which allows the company to offer a portfolio of more than 1600 life experience packages.

Cloud 9 Living experience gifts range from thrilling bucket list adventures such as tandem skydiving, fighter jet flying and white water rafting to rare pleasures including luxurious spa treatments, wine and fine dining cruises, art tours, and cultural events.

Give a once-in-a-lifetime experience gift to someone you love.

Visit Cloud 9 Living today!

Cloud 9 Living Customer Testimonials

Drive a Stock Car

Location: Pocono Racetrack, PA

"The experience was surreal. It was a gift. My wife always finds something outrageous and extraordinary for me to do and keeps life exciting."
Ralph

Rocky Mountain Balloon Ride
Location: 10,000 feet over Colorado

"We had a great time and the hot air balloon ride in the Rockies was an experience we will never forget. We will look forward to another adventure through Cloud 9 in the future."
Roy Anderson

Drive a Stock Car (TRS)
Location: Chicagoland Speedway

"This was the most amazing experience ever! My family got to stand in the Pit area and watch me experience, my biggest dream. Thank you Cloud 9!"
Dan Kostrova

Tandem Skydiving
Location: San Antonio, TX

"It was awesome!"
Cesar Gomez

See the Cloud 9 Living complete playlist

America's Cup Sailing
Location: San Diego California

"Sailing the America's Cup Stars and Stripes was amazing - not only did we get to ride on this amazing boat and tour the bay - we also got to trim the sails, hoist the main, and steer the boat. It was a blast! Would do it again in a heartbeat."
Eric Fowles

Wine Tasting Sail
Location: Hudson River, NY

"My husband and I could not have had a better experience this day. The weather was priceless, the staff was beyond welcoming and the ride was smooth. We advise this experience to anyone looking for a romantic getaway."
Nieves

Harley Davidson Rental
Location: Maui, HI

"We had a great time touring Maui on our Harley obtained through Cloud 9. Our ride across the island included a ride through a rain forest and lunch at a winery. Great Fun!"
Jim Ray

Visit Cloud 9 Living for more testimonials

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