Because people in the UK tend to travel out of the country more than Americans, the "gift experience" concept really took off in England. Here in Amerca, we've adopted the gift experience as a kind of domestic sandbox, allowing us to do that one crazy thing we've always wanted to do right here in our own backyard. Gift experiences in the USA are no less rewarding or memorable just because they take place inside our borders -- if anything, American gift experiences are more affordable, making it easier for you to gift an even greater experience.
There's nothing stopping you from booking an experience gift outside the country, but with so many great options right here on our own soil, why would you want to add the extra expense of booking an international flight?
There's something genuinely American about our gift experiences -- we don't need no stinkin' passport. While experience gifts in the UK place great emphasis on exotic locations and the cosmopolitan spirit of "being there", American gift experiences tend to be action-based and regional. Shopping for gift experiences in the USA will confirm this point. You usually can't get very far in an American experience gift catalog or website without specifying what part of America you want to see. Our country's huge, and it would be impossible for a gift experience company to charge the same price for a private chef in New York City that they charge in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Size aside, regional differences in taste are so great that American gift experience companies profit from offering different gifts to different consumers. Don't expect that vegetarian cooking extravaganza to be popular in Wyoming, but you won't have any trouble selling it in Los Angeles.
The most overtly "American" part of the experience gift world is undoubtedly the big presence of NASCAR and other racing-themed gifts. A search of gift experience retailer GreatAmericanDays.com shows fifteen unique gift experiences in the USA based on racing or even race car driving experiences. You can take a solo trip to tour a famous NASCAR track, or bring along your girlfriend as you both learn to drive a Formula 2 race car over a weekend in Florida. We also focus more on food experiences here in America than in other countries, though food-based gift experiences are available world-wide. Take a look at our waistlines in America and tell me why there's an American gift experience infatuation with all things cooking.
The classic "spa weekend" gift has been around at least since the first spa, but we really go for the seaweed wraps and weird massages here state-side. While the spa treatment experience gift is a great gift and could earn you tons of brownie points with the girlfriend, it is kind of overdone. A little creativity goes a long way when spending the kind of money you're spending on a gift experience.
Gift experiences in the USA are becoming as popular as they are now in the UK. Our gifts are different, but our experiences are the same. American experience gifts are about fast-paced regional fun.