Gifts for someone who has everything: 20 VIP ideas

Shopping for someone who buys whatever they want is the ultimate gifting challenge. The trick is to stop thinking about things they could own and start thinking about what money can't easily buy: memories, meaning, rare quality and your time.

Experiences

1. A chef's table or kitchen-counter dinner.
2. A hot-air balloon flight at sunrise.
3. A private wine-blending session at a vineyard.
4. A weekend at a boutique hotel they haven't tried.
5. Box seats or backstage access at a show.

Consumable luxuries

Things that get used up never add clutter.

6. A rare vintage bottle from their birth year.
7. A single-origin chocolate tasting flight.
8. A year of specialty coffee from a different roaster each month.
9. A white-truffle or caviar tasting kit.
10. A monthly fresh flower delivery.

Meaningful keepsakes

11. A restored and reframed old family photo.
12. A custom illustration of their childhood home.
13. A star map of a meaningful night.
14. A photo book of the past year.
15. A letter from you — plus letters you've gathered from friends and family.

Time and service

16. A professional organizer or home-detailing session.
17. A private chef for an evening at home.
18. A day of you doing exactly what they love — fully planned.
19. A donation to a cause they care about, in their name.
20. A class to learn something new: pottery, sailing, mixology.

How to approach it

• Listen for "someday." "I'd love to try that someday" is a gift brief.
• Upgrade the ordinary. They might have a coffee machine — but have they had beans from a world-class micro-roaster?
• Make it about you two. Shared experiences beat solo gifts for close relationships.

Read more on experience vs material gifts, or browse the experience gifts guide.

Frequently asked questions