My long suffering partner turned 40 recently, and for months beforehand I was in a state of permanent stress worrying what I could get him to mark this momentous milestone.
In some ways he’s great to buy for because he is so easily pleased, but when it comes to big occasions it makes things difficult, because I want to get him something special that he will absolutely love. The problem is, he doesn’t seem to desperately want anything, so I’m left in limbo.
On this occasion though, I am not ashamed to boast that I absolutely nailed it.
Instead of a traditional gift, I opted to go for a unique experience, and during my search I actually came across some other strong contenders that I know he would have loved too.
I hope some of these might be useful for you and your difficult to buy for men!
Sword Making
This is what I chose in the end, and my fella had an absolute blast.
If you look for experiences on the internet you get swamped with pretty pedestrian suggestions like driving a fast car, comedy nights, boat parties, and things like that.
So it took a lot of searching until I stumbled across a metal forge that offered sword making workshops – and the best part, was that he got the sword at the end. An experience and a gift all in one – bingo!
You can see the result in the picture above, he actually made this with his own bare hands. To be honest he has become insufferable with it. Every time someone comes over he just has to show them his sword…
What he really loved about this was the process that went into it. He could design it to look however he wanted it to, choosing the blade shape, pommel style, the shape of the hand guard, and he even sharpened it himself.
I have a sneaky suspicion that he might also have enjoyed feeling like a Viking hammering hot metal with big hammers, but he hasn’t admitted to that yet.
The forge also offered knife making, ring making, and other things of the same ilk, so if you are worried about budget most forges cater to to everyone.
Dry Stone Walling
Don’t skip this one!
I know I know, you hear dry stone walling and you get images of old men in flat caps drinking tea from a flask.
BUT
When I told my partner I had considered getting him a dry stone walling experience his face actually lit up. He said he would have loved it (I know what he’s getting for his 50th now lol), and I was surprised by quite how enthusiastic he was.
Can I explain it? No. Maybe it’s something about being out there in the elements, and when you think about it, it’s another activity where you have to work with your hands, so it’s nice and physical.
I often laugh at my man for his interest in how things work. He watches the most boring Youtube videos about plumbing, and how house foundations are laid, and drainage – so if your husband or boyfriend is equally interested in boring ‘how stuff works’ type shows, maybe dry stone walling would be a winner for him too?
Tank Driving
This one is a little bit more mainstream than the others, but there are quite a few different military experience days or weekends, so use this as an idea to start from and explore further.
Every little boy played at being a soldier right? So this should appeal to a large majority of overgrown children out there.
Tank driving experiences often include extras like the chance to crush a car, and some tank driving experiences even let the birthday boy fire the thing! I’m assuming it’s some sort of blank round. I hope it’s some sort of blank round…
A few other ideas I came across in the same category, were a special forces training weekend, a spy academy, and a Battle of Britain dogfight simulator, so there is loads out there if your partner would be into a military themed experience.
Hot Air Balloon
If you are looking for something more couple friendly, a hot air balloon trip is a nice idea that can be combined with something else, like a short trip away.
What I loved about this idea, is that it is something that can be experienced together (so you get to enjoy it as well!), that doesn’t need any special skills or abilities, but that is a little bit different and totally memorable.
You are in the open air, it feels safe but exciting, the views are in-cre-di-ble, and it’s totally unlike any other sort of aircraft experience.
The only thing is that it won’t last all day, but the organisers usually add in something nice after the flight, like prosecco and a picnic or something like that.
If you also book into a nice spa/hotel in the same area, you could then head back, enjoy some pampering and luxury together, and make the most of the hotel room 😉
Meet Sporting Heroes
Did you know that a whole industry exists whereby grown men can go and meet their childhood sporting heroes?
Well you do now.
I very nearly booked my other half as a VIP guest at one of these ‘An Evening With…’ events. He’s a Manchester United fan and a couple of ex-players were going to be answering questions and signing merchandise at an evening event hosted by a posh hotel in Manchester.
I know he would have loved it, because apparently these two particular players were club legends, whatever that means, but I found out that these things run fairly frequently, so I have saved it for next year instead. The company I was looking at was called Legends 7, but i’m sure there will be others.
It’s not just football, there are nights with boxers, cricket players, golf players, all sorts.
They include a fancy meal, entertainment, and it looks like there is an auction at the end too with framed merchandise that people can bid on, so if you do go for this option, don’t let him take his credit card!
Final Thoughts
The only other thing I would say about some of these more unique options, is that you might have to be prepared to travel to get to them.
But that’s ok, you can build that into the whole experience.
If you are willing and able to spend a bit more, you can maybe pay for an Air BnB or something like that, so your partner can take some of his friends along. These experiences are always more fun shared with other people.
If not, I’m sure his friends would be willing to pitch in and pay for themselves, especially if it is a big occasion.
Get a Whatsapp group going with 2 or 3 of them and see what you can cook up.
Good luck!