Socially Distant Gift Ideas

This year many of us are keeping a bit more distant than social for the festive season. With that in mind, we have curated a list of 6 gift ideas for giving from afar. Step away from the Prezzy Card and avoid those Post Shop queues with these virtually virtual ideas.

1. For The Learner

MasterClass is a streaming platform that makes it possible for anyone to watch or listen to hundreds of video lessons taught by 90+ of the worlds best. Whether it be in business and leadership, photography, cooking, writing, acting, music, sports and more, you can learn from the likes of Gordon Ramsey, Tony Hawk, Martin Scorsese, Natalie Portman and Neil deGrasse Tyson just to name a few. There really is something for everyone. You can gift a one off class, or a yearly subscription.

2. For The Greta Thunberg Fan

There are now plenty of great ways to help offset our carbon emissions, from forestry right here in Aotearoa with Trees That Count to this rather cool global initiative, Ecologi, complete with interactive app where you can watch your trees grow virtually.

3. For The Geek (Of Any Age)

Everything seems to be getting ‘smart’ these days, so it should come as no surprise that now even toothbrushes are getting a tech upgrade. With Quip’s beautiful electric toothbrush and accompanying app, you can be sure your oral hygiene is the best it can be. You can gift the toothbrush, refillable floss or gum as a one-off, or sign them up for the subscription service. Read more on gifting Quip here.

4. For The Time-Poor Reader

We’d all love a bit more time to read, but sometimes we just don’t have that luxury. Enter Blinkist, all your must-read books distilled into short 15 minutes audio summaries. Over 4,000 books from leadership to psychology have been blinked across 27 non-fiction categories. Here’s a link with how to gift.

5. For The Busy Bee

Life is busy and often chaotic; taking time for mindfulness should be a priority for our mental health and wellbeing. Mediation is often touted as a great method for reducing stress, improving focus and enhancing compassion. Headspace is an app designed make mediation more accessible, with one mission: to improve the health and happiness of the world. We think that’s a pretty good gift to give! You can gift a year or a 1 month subscription here.

6. For The Wannabe Traveller

While we can’t easily travel overseas just now, we can give the gift of language for budding travellers to prepare for their next adventure. The super easy to use app Duolingo is a fun, interactive way to learn. There is a free account, or you can gift a paid premium option with no advertising. There’s also a great learn to read app for the young ones called Duolingo ABC. This one is a little tricky as Duolingo do not have a gift feature, but you can purchase an Apple Store gift card, or Google Play gift card depending on what type of phone they have.