The Best Virtual Gifts for Everyone on Your List

If hot and fresh doughnuts are what they’re after, gift them a private doughnut-making class taught by the founder of New York-based shop Doughnuttery, Evan Feldman. The class is charged per person — $69 each — and each participant gets their own DIY Doughnut Kit, which contains one pound of doughnut mix, a reusable doughnut depositor, and four Doughnuttery donut sugars. (If you want extra doughnuts after the class, you can also order their doughnut kit on Amazon.)

For the person who’s been pinning nothing but charcuterie boards, a tasting package from New York City’s Murray’s Cheeses will bring their Pinterest dreams to life. The iconic shop offers virtual tastings via Eventbrite that cover everything from a beer-and-cheese pairing to an Italian-pairing cheese plate. Murray’s also offers a couple of holiday-specific events that you should sign up for sooner rather than later, as they tend to fill up fast. Once you place your order through Eventbrite, a shipment of cheeses for the class will be sent to your giftee prior to the date. Then, on the day of, all they need to do is tune in via the provided link.

Just because they might not be able to visit their favorite winery right now doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy the same sort of intimate tasting experience a vineyard can provide. Priority Wine’s virtual tastings promise “no crowded Zoom calls with people you don’t know,” and allow you to choose bottles from nine participating wineries in Napa Valley, Oregon, and Virginia. To book, you just choose a package of wines to order directly from a vineyard, then schedule a tasting where your giftee can sip through their selections once they arrive. There are dozens of tasting packages to choose from, all of which are start at $75 a shipment.

Even if travel is off the menu, the Chef & the Dish’s one-on-one virtual cooking classes will still allow them to take a culinary adventure from the comfort of his own kitchen. Led by chefs from Spain, Japan, Thailand, Hungary, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Vietnam, and the U.S., the classes will give the foodie on your list an opportunity to whip up an authentic regional dish made under the guidance of a local-to-that-country teacher. Classes are held via Skype and cost $299 for a two and a half–hour cooking session (for two people) that typically yields three courses. The cost also includes a shopping list (that they’ll have to check off themselves) as well as access to a personal kitchen assistant to help set up and answer any questions in advance of the class. If your giftee wants to share their experience with more than one other person in the lesson, you can add up to two more (for a total of four) for $50 a person.

If their interests go beyond cuisine, Delicious Experiences offer lessons on just about every aspect of the culinary world. You can take a class on food styling and photography or learn how to be a food writer from award-winning author Dianne Jacob. There are also more traditional classes like fresh pasta-making and cake decorating, too. You can gift a specific class, and your recipient will be able to coordinate with a chef to make the lesson even more personalized and receive a shopping list ahead of time so they’re prepared. On the day of the lesson they’ll be able to connect up to two screens, and more access can be permitted at fee. If you’d rather leave it all up to them, you can also purchase a gift card. Classes start at around $125 (and can be over $1,000).

If they love Alo leggings but don’t live near an Alo Studio where they can take classes IRL, a membership to Alo Moves, their online studio, is the perfect gift. It gives them access to thousands of on-demand classes and live ones. They offer yoga classes, HIIT, meditation, and even skills-based classes, where they can learn to do inversions and backbends. Gift memberships are available in 6- and 12-month durations, starting at $120.

No worries, they’ll get a mix of pilates, yoga, and cardio all in one 60-minute Salt Drop class they can stream from their living room. The digital studio, started by former Barre3 instructor Dino Malvone, offers on-demand classes as well as daily livestreams for $65 a month. You can gift as many months as your heart desires up to a year.

Health coach Daphne Javitch recently launched a monthly-subscription version of the wellness-focused content she posts on her Doing Well Instagram account. While you can still enjoy videos for free on the ’gram, “there’s more of it here, and it’s nice to have it all in one place and on a less chaotic platform,” says Strategist senior editor Simone Kitchens. The subscription will give you access to exclusive content, easy recipes, guidance videos, and content from guest contributors like Michelle Williams and Dev Hynes. This is perfect for your friend who goes all-in on wellness.

Founded by Bonnie Crotzer, a yoga teacher you can find at Sky Ting, this practice is all about flossing your fascia. This gift will be appreciated by someone who doesn’t need an explanation of what all of that means, but if that’s not you, here’s the TL;DR: Fascia is the body’s connective tissue, and flossing is the act of working it out. It can help relieve joint pain and improve your immune system and digestive health. A membership to the Floss gives you access to over 50 on-demand videos, weekly live classes, and you’ll be notified first about discounts, launches, and special events. Kitchens is a big fan of this as well and says it feels amazing, noting, “I’ve taken both in-person and on Zoom, and you just feel incredible afterward.”

As with a private language tutor, having a personal trainer can make all the difference if dad is committed to the idea of working out, but struggling with the execution. Fyt, which connects people with local personal trainers, now offers virtual one-on-one training sessions with instructors — so if dad’s getting tired of relying on YouTube workout videos or coming up with his own regimen, he can let someone else encourage him — or yell at him — to get that extra rep in. Gift cards start at $100, and pricing per session starts at just $29.

If they’re already someone who works out and is looking for a little structure, Obé Fitness offers more than 4,000 on-demand and 100 live weekly classes across multiple practices, including yoga, pilates, cardio boxing, HIIT, and more. Each class is 28 minutes long and requires no equipment beyond a mat, though if they want more of a challenge, they can incorporate resistance bands, weights, and sliders.

If you’re not looking to drop thousands of dollars to give the gift of a Peloton bike, this membership will allow them to work out with the brand’s trainers, who lead classes on the Peloton app and require none of the pricey gear. The classes — which can be streamed on demand from a phone, tablet, or TV — are broken into more than ten different disciplines, including outdoor running, strength training, yoga, cycling, and boot camp. Monthly memberships start at $13/month, after a 30-day free-trial period.

If they’re interested in a less traditional workout, the Class by Taryn Toomey is certainly that. This exercise program has developed a bit of a cult following not only because of its celebrity clientele (Jennifer Aniston and Gisele Bündchen are fans) but also because of its unusual methods. It’s a music-driven workout that aims to cleanse the physical, emotional, and spiritual, and primal screaming is encouraged. For $40 a month, or $400 a year, they get access to a robust schedule of livestream classes. On most weekdays, 11 classes are streamed from 7:15 a.m. to 9 p.m.

It’s not the same experience as getting a massage, or even going into a Stretch*d studio in person, where they provide assisted stretching services, but the company’s virtual one-on-one class is perfect for anyone on your list experiencing pandemic stress or makeshift-WFH-desk-related soreness. For $40, they’ll get a 30-minute private session with demonstrations for customized stretches they can do on their own, with what they have.

Help them back into the groove with an online dance class at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey Extension, which offers all-level dance classes in-person and online. They’ll have their choice of Afro-Cuban, Ballet, Hip-Hop, and Capoeira classes just to name a few, available all through Zoom. Single classes cost $15, but we recommend gifting them a five-class pack for $70 or a ten-class pack for $120 so they can try out a few different options.

In-studio FaceGym trainers work out your muscles to basically give you a non-invasive face lift. They use targeted movements to stimulate blood circulation, collagen production, and cell renewal. At home, they teach you how to do it yourself. They host online classes daily, and each one has a different focus, ranging from a power lift to a 30-minute Full Fact HIIT. There are single classes for $15 each, as well as a 30-day unlimited class pass for $75. (And if you want to be extra thoughtful, pair the virtual class with some FaceGym tools so they are armed and ready for their workout.)

If they’re obsessed with TikTok tarot readings on their “For You” page, then they’ll love getting a personalized reading with astrologer Kirah Tabourn. She has a few different offerings, but this one-hour session will let them explore whatever’s on their mind and get a look at what’s in store over the next few months.

An Ancestry membership is a thoughtful gift to give someone looking to learn more about their family tree. And there are different tiers. The U.S. Discovery membership will allow them to explore their roots across the 50 states, World Explorer will give them access to records from more than 80 countries, and an All Access membership means they will be able to search Ancestry records as well as military records on Fold3 and articles on Newspapers.com. You can give either a six-month or yearlong membership starting at $99.

If they are in over their head trying to care for all the pandemic plants they bought, paying for their Planta subscription would be a welcomed gesture. The app, which costs $7.99 a month or $35.99 for the year, will help them keep track of when to water, fertilize, mist, clean, and re-pot their plants. The in-app scanner can help identify plants, and Dr. Planta can even diagnose any issues and help them figure out a treatment plan.

With the Greatest Courses from Wondrium, which streams thousands of lessons on courses on hundreds of subjects, your giftee is sure to find just about anything they might be interested in, from a course on the science of cooking, to how music and math relate, to travel photography taught by a National Geographic photographer. You can gift a three-, six-, or 12-month plan starting at $45.

While the Greatest Courses partners with organizations like National Geographic, the Smithsonian, and the Mayo Clinic, Coursera collaborates with top universities and companies like Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, and IBM to bring on-demand academic lessons home. Priced as low as $39 (with most costing closer to $49), courses are typically four to six weeks long and include homework exercises, discussion forums, quizzes, projects, and a certificate of completion. Many courses, like the Science of Well-Being taught by a Yale psychology professor, are also free to enroll in, but free courses do not result in certificates of completion. (There’s also the option to enroll in Coursera Plus for $399 a year, which gets you unlimited access to over 3,000 courses, specializations, and professional certificates.) If your giftee needs some help wading through all the classes, they can head here for more recommendations.

If they’re particular about where they get their information from, they might like the lessons from MasterClass, which are all taught by famous people with bold-faced names who excel in their given subject matter. For $180, they’ll get an annual membership with access to all of the platform’s 82 classes, so they can bop between a lesson on comedy taught by Steve Martin, the art of negotiation by Chris Voss, and a gardening how-to taught by Ron Finley — all of which come recommended by MasterClass students.

Think of Intro as a cross between Cameo and Masterclass. It puts you face-to-face with celebrity experts who can give you personalized advice. You can pick the perfect expert and book a one-on-one session with them. Your friend who wants to start a business might appreciate a call with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, or your newly engaged sister might want to meet with event-planner-to-the-stars Mindy Weiss, or the new homeowner in your life might want Nate Berkus to help them decorate. Sessions start at 15 minutes for $55 and increase depending on the expert and length of the meeting.

There are plenty of language-learning apps out there, but there’s something about learning face-to-face — even if done virtually — that can be more helpful than just words alone on a screen. At least that’s what folks who’ve learned languages using Italki have told us of the service, which connects prospective students with more than 10,000 native-speaker teachers for private language lessons in over 130 languages. At this point, they have enough time to learn something new before they head out on an international trip again — and potentially make a new friend (and someone to visit) in the process. They can use filters to find available tutors based on location and what other languages they speak, then choose their instructor according to schedule and rate, which starts as low as $6 per hour.

Get them a subscription service like Apple Arcade. Andrew Webster, games editor at the Verge, recommended it to us when we were looking for gifts for gamers. Instead of a random game you might find in the app store, the games in the arcade are high-quality games and offer a more streamlined gaming experience. “I honestly find myself reaching more for my phone when it comes to playing games,” says Sophie Orchard, a gaming YouTuber. “Right now, there is a much larger variety of games for mobile. It’s more convenient to carry around (even if you are just carrying it around your house at the moment). And let’s be honest, it’s much nicer on your wallet.” The arcade is $4.99 a month, so loading up a digital Apple gift card will get them one step closer to playing.

If you’re in a long-distance relationship (yes, Harlem to Brooklyn counts) you’ve probably had your fair share of FaceTime dates. Spice up your next one with this virtual date night kit from Hinge. The dating app partnered with Uncommon Goods on a cocktail-making kit, so you can actually “go out” for drinks on a first date no matter where you are. The kit includes the basics for making cocktails (minus the spirits), date-night recipes, and a list of conversation starters since a Zoom date can be a little awkward. Each person gets their own kit. After you buy this one you’ll receive a redemption code valid for a second kit, and you’ll just have to pay to ship it. The kit makes eight drinks, so if things go well, you should have enough for a first, second, and third date.

If they’re not sure what their next hobby will be, a few hours on Craftsy should get their wheels spinning. This year-long membership will give them access to 1,500 classes where they can learn a number of different crafts in 20 different categories: The class library spans from sewing to knitting to painting to baking. They’ll also have access to experts and exclusive livestream events.

If you’re looking to get them something they’ll never forget — or give away or re-gift — Cameo is the place to go. From here, you’ll be able to send them a personalized video message from their favorite celebrity, wishing them a happy holiday, happy birthday, or sending a big congratulations. Some celebs even offer chat sessions and Zoom calls so you can have a real conversation. Prices vary based on the celebrity. A Floyd Mayweather Cameo will cost $15,000, while a video from Taryn Manning, who played Pennsatucky on Orange Is the New Black, is just $33. It’s important to note that some celebrities can take multiple days to respond to a request, but there are several who can turn your video around in a day. If you are pressed for time, Sex & The City’s Mario Cantone, Carole Baskin from Tiger King, and Phaedra Parks from The Real Housewives of Atlanta are all offering one-day delivery.

If they’d rather receive a message from family and friends, Tribute makes that easy, too. The most work you’ll have to do is gather email addresses from everyone participating, and Tribute will do the rest. They’ll notify everyone on when and how to submit a video recording, and you can then put it together using their video editor, making this a great way to collaborate on a group gift no matter how far apart you are.

NoCap is offering streaming concerts that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Machine Gun Kelly, Foo Fighters, and JoJo have all hosted concerts on the platform previously, and you can sign up for updates when new dates are released. Prices vary depending on the ticket. Some are free, and others, like Cheat Codes Hellraisers Stream Experience, will cost you $15.

If you’re tired of hearing them play out of tune, Fender Play’s step-by-step video lessons can help them start properly playing their favorite songs in no time at all. Lessons are available for acoustic and electric guitars as well as for bass and the ukulele. You can gift a prepaid gift card for either a six-month or 12-month subscription, starting at $50.

If time away from their golf clubs has negatively affected their form, you can book South Carolina–based golf coach Jonathan Yarwood to give them some feedback on their swing through a bespoke video created just for him. Your giftee just has to record footage of their swing, according to provided guidelines, then send it to Yarwood. A single lesson costs $50, while $299 gets you a four-month membership that includes two lessons per month, a long term-improvement plan, and access to a so-called members’ lounge.

After staring at the same four walls all year, it’s only natural to be craving change. They can bring all their interior-decorating ideas to life through a virtual service like Modsy, which connects customers to interior designers that create plans based on their tastes and preferences. Packages start at $159, and they all come with personalized designs, shoppable 3-D renderings of the exact room in question (including bird’s-eye- and 360-degree views of said room), and access to Modsy’s online interior-design tool so they can futz around on their own.

For the person game to give almost anything a try, they might prefer one of the virtual excursions offered by Airbnb Experiences. In addition to cooking classes, the program offers all manner of tours and lessons hosted by people from all over the world. The options are plentiful, including touring a farm in New Zealand, exploring the rocky shores of the Cape Coast in South Africa, or visiting the Vatican. Each class has a limit on how many people can join and is priced per person (most range from $7 to $35 a person), which means this also makes a great group gift.