If you know someone that is intellectually curious, chances are you’ve gotten them books over the years as a gift. If you think the intellectual in your life is a little “booked-out,” we have some suggestions for other gifts you can give to stand out from the pack.
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1. Walking Tours / Guided Tours
Price Range: $26.50 and up
Walking tours are a great way to explore a new place, get outside, and get a little exercise in the process. We recently did a Revolutionary War walking tour of NYC with my dad. For people that love history and are already familiar with New York, we learned so much more than we thought and will never look at the city or the war the same way again. If you are looking for something in-depth, try Context Travel. They arrange guided tours with Professors and PhD students, with topics ranging from city walks to art seminars, to architecture discussions.
2. Funny Merchandise
Price Range: $10-$20
Sometimes people like to wear their hobbies on their sleeve. Adding a cheeky/funny twist lets the person show their hobby without seeming…well, weird. For example, my brother really likes Latin – he’s won a Latin translation contest for prize money and is at the top of the leaderboard on the Duolingo app for usage. For his birthday, I made him a mug that says “Carthago Delenda Est,” which means “Carthage Must Be Destroyed.” The phrase was made popular by a Roman senator who ended all his speeches with the phrase, whether they were about Carthage, Rome’s mortal enemy, or not. My brother loved it, and when another lover of Latin came over the house and saw the mug, he started laughing as well. So try creating or purchasing a clever mug or t-shirt that says, “I know what you like!”
3. Kindle or Nook
Price Range: $99.99-$339.99
Instead of choosing the exact book for someone, you could consider getting them a Kindle or Nook instead. Though most hardcore readers like reading things in paperback, a reading device makes it easier to make purchases, saves space on people’s already crowded bookshelf, and often has free books available with a membership! I wasn’t sure if I’d like one, and ever since someone got one for me, I use it all the time, especially for books I know I’ll only read once. They’re often cheaper electronically as well. Many of them come with fancy bells and whistles, but I have the less expensive kindle and it works just fine!
4. Lessons
Price Range: $15-$35 a month
Consider getting the intellectual in your life lessons in something they enjoy. For example, my dad was playing a lot of chess against the computer, so we got him chess lessons at a local chess club to help him improve his game. Other lessons can be for a new instrument or hobby. Nowadays there are many sites that offer virtual lessons online.
5. Wall Art / Poster
Price Range: Starting at $50
Wall art can make a great gift for an intellectual. It’s especially good because art can depict all intellectual subjects. Do they like a particular artist? You can buy them a print of that artist’s work, or art inspired by that person. Do they like physics? Try an abstract scientific painting. History? You can get a print of their favorite historical figure. Or you could go in the cheeky poster direction, which is always a fan favorite.
Oxygen Ion Collision Wall Art. Pretty cool, right?
6. Intellectual Streaming Service
Price Range: ~$20 a year and up
With the number of streaming channels growing every day, intellectual content has followed suit! Some of the streaming channels, like the Smithsonian Channel, already come free with Roku, Amazon Prime, or Apple, but many don’t. I personally have liked MasterClass, which I received from my brother as a Christmas gift, and then subsequently renewed. My wife and I made it a tradition to watch one of the classes every Saturday morning. Our favorite was about gardening, but classes cover anything from culinary arts, to sports, and even survival skills. The classes are particularly well done. If you’re looking for something cheaper (Masterclass is a steep $180 a year) another streaming service I’ve heard good things about is Curiosity Stream. It contains thousands of documentaries about all kinds of subjects and starts at just $20 a year.
7. Challenging Board Games or Puzzles
Price Range: $30-60
I don’t know if you’ve played any new board games recently, but they can be pretty intellectually challenging and fun. Consider getting an intellectual friend a board game they can tackle together with other intellectuals. My personal favorites are eurogames, which involve more strategy and less competition and luck than American games. You could try Terraforming Mars, Ticket to Ride, or Pandemic. They also make for fun party games with friends! Interested in what makes a good board game? Check out IRH’s thoughts on the topic.
8. Gift Card for Online Courses
Price Range: Giver’s choice!
If someone likes books, chances are they’re also the type of person that does a lot of self-learning. Nowadays, it’s easy to find courses online covering a whole host of subjects. For anything related to coding or business, I always like to check Udemy. Udemy is a course platform that allows course creators to sell their courses all in a centralized place. I’ve now taken 7 courses through Udemy, and have liked them all. Best of all, they almost always are “on sale” for $15-$20 dollars, even when the course contains 40 hours of content. For the liberal arts, check out The Great Courses. Udemy allows you to give courses as a gift and The Great Courses lets you purchase an E-Gift Card to be redeemed later by the recipient.
9. Piece of History or Science
Price Range: $19 to Thousands
Sometimes intellectual subject matter can feel a little abstract. Having a physical object related to your favorite subject though is a great way to feel more connected with it! For example, if someone really likes history, you could also buy them a small object or artifact from their favorite place. For example, I was walking through a market the other day and saw a tent that was selling jewelry made out of medieval coins. How cool would it be to carry around something that someone used a thousand years ago? For someone that is into science, you can buy them a fossil or cool gem. These objects are also cool things to display on a desk or in an office too!
10. Tickets to a Lecture
Price Range: $20 and up
Another way to give the gift of curiosity is by getting tickets to a lecture. Some professors are famous enough that they go on tour. Professor Brian Cox, a physicist, gives lectures at theaters around the world, which are complete with LED lighting used to display the universe. Other famous lecturers are astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson and author, David Sedaris. My brother and mom see David Sedaris almost every year and nearly cry with laughter.
Brian Cox Home – Professor Brian Cox Live
Neil deGrasse Tyson Tickets | Event Dates & Schedule | Ticketmaster.com
David Sedaris at Music Center At Strathmore Tickets | TicketNetwork.com
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