It’s no secret that we’re big fans of experiences. And this holiday season, we encourage you to give them without hesitation—you might just change someone’s life (or at the very least, their weekend.)

In this strange season of rampant consumerism, it can be easy to forget that experiences have been scientifically proven to bring us longer-lasting benefits than stuff.

After all, a new travel neck pillow is nice, but it isn’t going to change your life (but if you’ve found one that has, let us know). That’s why you always hear people referring to their “life-changing experience” and never their “life-changing travel neck pillow.”

So instead of buying material goods, consider gifting your loved ones a private cooking class via Skype with a Michelin-starred chef from Singapore, or a wilderness survival course, or even a mystery flight. Here are our editors’ top picks for experiences to gift this holiday season.