For The Man Who Wants Nothing: The UK's Top Experience Days For Men Revealed
Whether it’s a birthday or Christmas, the same panic sets in: what do you buy the man who has, quite literally, everything? Spoiler: It’s not another gadget for the drawer - it’s an experience gift.
Pinterest search data has seen “offline hobbies” climb by 551% and “no phone ideas” by 581%, a clear signal that more of us are craving unplugged, hands-on ways to spend our time, screens firmly off.
That shift is exactly why experience gifts for him make such brilliant presents, and why they’re fast overtaking traditional birthday gifts for him. They hand over a memory, not a box. We’ve combined real gifting search behaviour with our own booking data, analysing thousands of gift-advice conversations, order volumes, and customer ratings to uncover the men’s gift experiences most likely to spark a new hobby.
From adrenaline activities and driving experiences to cooking classes and flying lessons, here are the unique gifts for men, available through Buyagift, that our data says are most likely to become his next obsession.
For The Fearless: Adrenaline Activities
Topping our index with a score of 8 out of 10 - the highest-scoring category - adrenaline activities are the runaway favourite for the man who wants nothing, because what he actually wants is a rush.
From skydiving and high ropes courses to bungee jumping and off-road driving, these experiences deliver the kind of heart-in-mouth thrill no unwrapped present ever could.
It’s a superb “first go” gift. Most are beginner-friendly and fully instructed, so he doesn’t need any prior experience, just a willingness to say yes. They also boast an average review score of 4.7 out of 5, with strong order numbers and plenty of Reddit love to match.
If he’s the type to say “I’ll try anything once”, it has to be an adrenaline activity experience.
For The Foodie: Dining Experiences
Not every hobby needs a helmet. Coming a close second in our index at 7.6 out of 10, dining experiences prove that some of the best gifts are simply about really good food, done properly.
Think multi-course tasting menus, celebrity chef restaurants, or a table somewhere he’s been eyeing up. It’s a low-pressure, high-reward gift - no wetsuits, no waivers, just great food and an evening he won’t forget.
Dining experiences score a perfect 10 out of 10 for popularity by orders, making them the most-booked category in our dataset. Everyone eats, but not everyone makes a special night of it. For the man who knows good food when he tastes it, a dining experience is an easy way to make him feel spoiled.
For The Wildlife Enthusiast: Animal Experiences
Ranking third in our index at 7.3 out of 10, animal experiences may be the least obvious gift on this list, but the data suggests plenty of men would love one. They score 10 out of 10 on Reddit, where they earned the highest votes per mention of any category, and they hold an average review score of 4.7 out of 5.
Yet with an order popularity score of just 2.7 out of 10, they’re one of the least booked gifts in the top ten, which makes them a truly fresh idea. The most popular animal experiences with Buyagift customers are animal walking experiences, farms, and zoos or wildlife parks.
From close encounters with big cats to falconry displays and safari park days, the recipient gets something a screen can never provide: genuine, wide-eyed wonder. They’re also one of the most-recommended experience categories on Reddit in our research, with the highest mention score of any gift type, and an average review rating of 4.7 out of 5.
It’s a gift that works for the outdoorsy dad, the quiet animal lover, or anyone who’s ever said “I’ve always wanted to do that” mid-wildlife documentary. An animal experience turns that throwaway comment into an actual day out.
For The Music and Culture Lover: Gigs & Shows
For the man whose playlist is basically a personality trait, gigs and shows offer a gift that plays to an existing passion.
They rank fourth in our index at 6.7 out of 10, with an order-popularity score of 8.7 out of 10, confirming this is one of the most consistently popular Buyagift experience categories with UK gift buyers. A great gig or show is an instant, guaranteed night to remember.
Whether it’s a stadium tour, a West End show, or an intimate gig, tickets to a live show tap into music, comedy, or theatre he’s already obsessed with, minus the hassle of ticket platform waiting rooms or purchase panic.
For The Unsure: Let The Experience Do The Choosing
Sometimes the finest gift you can give is the gift of choice. This category scores a respectable 6 out of 10 in our index, and our data shows a large number of gift-buyers search specifically for an “experience gift” without a firm idea of what they want.
A flexible experience voucher lets him browse thousands of options and choose whatever catches his eye, whether it’s a long overdue spa day or a driving day he’s been dreaming about. It removes all the guesswork and the risk of buying the wrong size, colour, or a “surprise, you already own this” conversation.
For the man who’s impossible to read, an open experience gift hands the decision over to him, guilt-free.
For The Need For Speed: Driving Experiences
If he already knows his horsepower from his torque, a driving experience is about as close as it gets to a guaranteed hit.
From blasts around a track to off-road 4x4 days and even driving a tank, driving experiences are one of the most-booked categories in our research. They scored 9.3 out of 10 for order popularity, with a lot of search interest to match. Amongst these, supercar track days are the clear favourite with Buyagift customers. This is no surprise given the appeal of getting behind the wheel of something you don't normally drive.
It’s also a brilliant “starter” hobby. Track days are designed for complete beginners, with full instruction included, so there’s zero pressure and maximum grin-factor. For the man who slows down for supercars in car parks, a driving experience could be the moment he properly catches the bug.
For The Puzzle-solver: Escape Rooms
For the more cerebral gift recipient, escape rooms combine sharp thinking with a social, screen-free hour. It shows in the ratings too. Escape rooms hold an average review score of 4.7 out of 5, among the highest of any category in our dataset.
It’s a fantastic group activity too, ideal for birthday outings with mates, tapping into that broad shift towards “no phone ideas” and doing something together. Themed rooms range from heists to horror, so there’s a scenario for every taste.
If he’s the one who always solves the crossword first, an escape room gives him a puzzle worth leaving the sofa for.
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For The Die-hard Fan: Sports Tickets
Some men don’t want a new hobby altogether. They want a better seat for their old one.
Sports experiences share joint seventh place in our index and post the highest customer satisfaction score of any category we measured, reflecting just how much of a slam-dunk this gift is for anyone already devoted to a sport. Rugby, football, cricket, stadium tours - there’s an experience for every kind of sports obsessive, and it leans directly into something he already loves.
For the man whose weekends revolve around fixtures, sports experience tickets prove you know exactly what he’s into.
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For The Sky-high Dreamer: Flying Experiences
Flying experiences bring a bucket-list feeling to a gift, and it shows in the data. They ranked ninth overall in our index, with an average review score of 4.3 out of 5. Strong search volumes also suggest plenty of people are actively looking for this kind of once-in-a-lifetime present.
A helicopter tour or a real flying lesson in a light aircraft offer that rare “I can’t believe I just did that” moment. For the man who’s always dreamed a little bigger than his day job allows, a flying experience is an especially good pick.
For The Connoisseur-in-training: Tasting Experiences
Rounding out our top ten with an average review score of 4.7 out of 5, tasting experiences are a fun, low-key way to introduce a new hobby - one sip or sample at a time.
Whisky tastings, vineyard tours, brewery visits - they all reward curiosity over confidence, so they’re perfect for a man who fancies himself a bit of a connoisseur, or would like to become one. They’re sociable, relaxed, and endlessly repeatable long after the gift has been experienced.
For the reluctant hobbyist who’d rather learn by tasting than doing, a tasting experience is a gentle, genuinely enjoyable place to start.
The Verdict: Experiences Win Every Time
Whichever category catches his eye, the theme running through all ten is the same. Real moments beat more stuff. So next time a gift-giving occasion rolls around, skip the socks and aftershave - there’s a whole world of Buyagift experiences for men waiting instead, and the data suggests he’ll thank you for it. Because the man who wants nothing usually just hasn’t found the right experience yet.
How We Researched This Guide
We compared Buyagift order data, customer review ratings and publicly available search and social media signals for experience gifts for men. The data covers the 12 months up to 30th September 2026 and was used to score each experience category out of 10 based on multiple factors.
These scores reflect the data we reviewed, not a definitive ranking of what all men may want. Search and social media activity can indicate interest, but may not represent the views of all UK gift buyers. This guide was produced in collaboration with Croud PR.