An Alternative Gift Guide
Focused on experiences, wellbeing and impact
Yes this is another gift guide, during the time of year when your inboxes are already filled with thoughtfully curated newsletters. But its not your usual gift guide.
This is not the kind of thing I would usually write. I felt inspired to share some options for those of you who might be looking for ideas outside of the box, to be given to close friends or family who value experiences or have spiritual leanings.
A few are very personal and heart-led projects run by dear friends of mine. All work for birthdays and other celebrations as well as Christmas.
I’ve divided them into themes for ease of reference - underlined text are links. Options are focused on London, New York and LA - where I have spent the most time and where many of you live.
CREATIVE INSPIRATION
We all have a friend who often speaks about wanting to spend more time on creative work, but just hasn’t found the right outlet.
The Artists Way by Julia Cameron is not just a book – it’s a powerful 12 week program that nurtures creativity and empowers action. Don’t be mistaken by the title either, it’s not what you would think of as an artist in the traditional “paintbrush and canvas” sense, but for the creative that’s in all of us.
If you’re feeling particularly generous, gift the book along with a year’s membership to a local museum (for the artist date part of the program).
In London, The Tate offers annual memberships from £78 – granting queue-free and ticket-free access to all major exhibitions.
A painting or drawing course at a local art school. For those in London, I had a great experience with Hampstead School of Art.
I gifted a course to a close friend in finance last year. He said it was one of the most enjoyable and revelatory experiences he’s had in the past ten years, positively impacting many other aspects of his life. He’s continued to paint in his spare time.
IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES
Examples ranging from day visit tickets that won’t break the bank, to multi-day trips for bigger gifting budgets.
Immersive Art
In London – The Light Room has had impressive shows including David Hockney & Tom Hanks.
In LA – I loved Chromasonic, a sound and light experience in Venice Beach.
In New York – I loved INTER and Mercer Labs.
Immersive Nature
Look up small nature lodges or huts available for nightly hire in the countryside, for those who might need a nature escape at some point in the next year.
Unyoked.co are a company I have used in England (also operational in Australia and New Zealand). Highly recommended, and there are now many like them all over the world. 2 days in a similar perfectly appointed, nature-surrounded hut and your loved ones will come back refreshed and renewed.
My friends at Tierra Iris in Ibiza run a permaculture agriculture and planting course for a few days every spring. Nothing quite like getting your hands in the dirt, and a great gift for those of us who live in cities. Follow them on IG and sign up to their mailing lists for details on the next one.
Gift tickets or a membership to a local nature sanctuary such as a botanical garden, especially for those who live in urban areas.
In London, annual memberships to Kew Gardens start from £79.
My friend Will is regenerating 120 acres of land in Sussex (England) at a farm called Hearth. Easily reachable for a day trip from London, they do tree planting days every few weeks during the winter months (follow him on his Instagram and join Hearth’s mailing list for details). Its completely free, and there’s something very special about planting trees that will take 30-40 years to reach full maturity, knowing that you are doing so for future generations.
Taking a friend would be an amazing day out. There are projects like this happening all over the world, wherever you are – it just takes a bit of searching.
Immersive Curated Travel
My friend Liam Aldous is the founder of a platform called ColourFeel, which curates a festival called “Another Future”, a multi-day program that includes culture, inquiry and celebration. The locations have varied from Tbilisi to Marrakech, and his participants rave about the unique and captivating “off-the-beaten track” experience. Follow him and DM him for details on the next one, usually advertised months in advance.
Another friend, Guy Hayward, runs a charity called the British Pilgrimage Trust. They organise day-long or multi-day pilgrimages through sacred trails and sacred sites in England. Highly recommended.
WELLBEING
For rejuvenation, everyone loves day “retreats”.
Wellness Clubs
For the bio-hacker/longevity/health enthusiast (men especially), a gift card to a recovery club that features infrared saunas, cold plunge pools, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, IV drips and various body treatments. These clubs have popped up in many cities.
In LA: Remedy Place
In New York: Remedy Place
In London: Rebase, Repose or The Body Lab
Russian Banya
Not too dissimilar from the first, but more of a focused experience. Especially for those winter months, a gift of the extra hot saunas in a traditional Russian Bathhouse, combined with a birch, oak and eucalyptus leaf “whipping” (I’ll leave it for you to look up what this entails), offer a much welcomed sense of renewal from the cold.
In LA: Voda Spa
In New York: Russian & Turkish Baths, Bathhouse Flatiron
In London: The Bathhouse Belgravia (it’s actually in Victoria, but doesn’t quite have the same ring to it).
ASTROLOGY SESSIONS
Madeleine runs a platform called Astrology for Artists, and she has run incredible events that I have been a part of. I’ve gifted personal readings with her to a few friends on milestone birthdays or occasions, they’ve always loved them.
CHARITY
For the people in your life that would love a gift with a particularly potent resonance, this is one of my highest priority causes.
Drop4drop create access to clean water for communities around the world (mostly focused in Africa and India). Without water, life isn’t possible – so it speaks to the heart of life itself.
Their admin costs are privately funded, and 100% of what you donate goes towards clean water projects. You can sponsor a particular project, have a personal name/dedication placed on the new water well/fountain, and they will send you photos of the community in a few months once its up and running - providing an important visual reference for how your gift has served perhaps hundreds of people.
I hope this list serves you well. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season.
This whole guide is great. Thanks so much for including 'Another Future'.
The newsletter is motivational. You want to read again and again. The writer is unique of his kind, you want to meet him again and again.