19 Retirement Gift Ideas That Retirees Will Actually Use

StubHub is a ticket marketplace for sports, concerts, and events that offers peace of mind for anyone that needs tickets to virtually any event. This is an easy thing for you to pick up, and an easy thing for your newly retired friend or family member to use. This is a perfect gift for anyone who likes to get out of the house and hit a concert or ballgame, and is as simple as could be. It’s just like giving them free tickets to an event of their choice — you can’t go wrong here.

This idea is something I would have never thought of on my own, but am completely intrigued now that I know it exists: a National Park Season Pass, aka America the Beautiful. This is a great idea for anyone who loves to travel, especially if they’re a fan of our national parks. And actually, this might be a great gift for people who have never considered such trips — an inspiration to do so! They now have the time; this can be the nudge they need. This card is honored at sites managed by the Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps of Engineers. It will cover entrance for your entire vehicle for up to 4 people, and it is good for a year.

Let’s face it, we’re all looking for a shortcut when it comes to cleaning the house. For my wife and me, we took the leap to one such shortcut about 5 years ago when we purchased a Roomba Vacuum that we have affectionately named Robbie. Before you judge, the app that allows you to control your robot vacuum asks you to name it, so we did just that. We didn’t dive into the most expensive model, but not the cheapest either, and I think it’s worth noting, again, that we bought our Robbie about 5 years ago. In other words, it’s durable. The next one we buy — when we retire our existing robot to the basement — we will probably go a little higher-end now that we know exactly how they work. I would recommend a self-emptying model, but we haven’t made that leap just yet. You can definitely get a valuable Roomba at a reasonable price, and they aren’t just for those of us that tend to be lazy with housework! A Roomba goes under everything that it can — something you probably aren’t doing. That includes your dresser, beds, etc. This is a great gift idea!

This is a gift that I must admit I was not familiar with until now, but it looks absolutely amazing. A SkillShare membership offers the opportunity to learn from any of thousands of online creative classes. From painting to photography to productivity habits and nearly everything in between, a SkillShare membership might just be exactly what someone needs in retirement but just doesn’t know it yet. A great idea offered up for nonstop learning!

Another fantastic option for a retiree who plans to start traveling a lot — especially if they plan to take road trips — is a subscription to SiriusXM. From just about any genre of music to news, comedy, the Howard Stern Show, sports, and more, a SiriusXM subscription will come in handy for those who are on the road but don’t want to constantly search through terrestrial radio stations. Sirius has a fantastic way to always know exactly what channel hosts your favorite programming, it’s affordable, offers an amazing variety, and will without a doubt be greatly appreciated — even for the technologically challenged!

You can’t go wrong with a subscription to Naked Wines, that’s right, a wine club! Despite not being retired quite yet, I think this type of thing may be in my immediate future. With a subscription to Naked Wines, you can save up to 60 percent on your orders, get free wine samples, get your money back if you don’t love a particular wine, and pick exactly what you’re looking for! Naked Wines works directly with the world’s best independent winemakers to cut out the middleman and bring you incredible wine at unbeatable prices. This is a pretty slick gift, and one that people will no doubt love.

Does your friend love listening to podcasts and audiobooks? Then head on over to Amazon and give them the gift of an Amazon Audible Subscription! By doing so, you’ll give them access to the world’s largest selection of audiobooks, podcasts, exclusive originals, and so much more. As someone who listens to dozens of podcasts and is always looking for the best and most convenient way to do so, this type of membership is incredibly appealing. Easy to buy, easy to use, and easy to navigate, this is an excellent gift idea for a new retiree!

Not to get too personal but — I don’t cook. If your retired friend is also a non-cook, a gift subscription to the Hello Fresh Meal Delivery Service would be a huge hit! There is no commitment required to join, and each Hello Fresh box comes with easy-to-follow recipes with nutritional information, high-quality ingredients, meal kits that will fit nicely inside your refrigerator, and the chance to make cooking fun. Plans can include everything from family-friendly, quick and easy, veggie, and more. This is a gift that may not be obvious but is definitely valuable.

This is another gift option for those that are willing to spend a little more for someone special, or maybe a group buy. For those willing and able to give the gift of an Aventon Adventure Ebike, your gesture will no doubt go over incredibly well. For those not sure exactly what this is, an Ebike is an electronic bike equipped with a motor to assist the rider with pedaling. Still a great form of exercise, an Ebike offers riders the chance to beat traffic, increase muscle strength, and release stress. It is environmentally friendly, and with a top speed of just 25 miles per hour you don’t need a special license to operate one. If you’re looking for something nice, something for a biker that might be at the point where they would appreciate a little boost, an Aventon Adventure Ebike is the perfect gift!

Two years ago, my wife and I both decided to move to the Apple Watch to track our steps, utilize the health app, respond to messages and pick up calls, and yes — even tell time. Durable and with the ability to switch out the band at the drop of a hat, the Apple Watch is incredibly powerful, extremely customizable (countless watch faces allow a formal look, a fun look, or just about anything in between), offer crash and fall detection, and so much more! The Apple Watch will sync to your Mac computer, iPad, or iPhone, is water resistant, and is a great partner in your journey to get in shape and stay healthy. This is yet another item I am itching to upgrade, but have not done so yet because the watch I have is still like-new. Durable, durable, durable. A great gift that’s more than just fun, but is quite useful.

There seems to be a theme with some of these products, and a tablet is another item to add to the list. I’ve had an iPad for years and I am dying to get a newer model, but mine is at least 5–6 years old still runs like a champ. It runs everything I ask it to run, is fast, and doesn’t have a scratch on it. If your retired friend, family member, or coworker doesn’t yet have an iPad, they will absolutely appreciate your generosity. The iPad, for those not familiar, looks and feels a lot like an iPhone as far as layout, its apps, etc. Larger in size than the iPhone, the iPad also offers users the opportunity to take amazing photos, comes in multiple colors, will sync with your iPhone and/or Apple Watch, and has an app for just about everything you can imagine. Not just games, mind you, but the entire Google Suite and podcast apps can be paired with any bluetooth device (like a keyboard, for instance). IPad’s also have an impressive battery life — a great gift for any retiree!

With retirement comes more travel, and with more travel comes the need for a new travel bag! It’s always nice to have a variety of travel bags to choose from, so if your newly retired friend already has a few bags, how could another one hurt? Samsonite offers a few different versions of extremely nice bags that come in different colors, different sizes, and a few different designs. Even if you aren’t sure if this is a need, bags like this are always a want. Wouldn’t you like to have one? Me, too. An excellent option at an affordable price.

If you’re the type of friend that can afford to go a little higher-end with your retirement gift, this Nikon Digital Camera is an incredibly useful gift and gesture for a traveling friend. It’s perfect for a new grandparent wanting to get millions of photos of their grandchildren, a garden lover, or that new retiree who just downloaded Instagram and wants to take lots of photos of their meals. This model offers 18 scene modes, has a 40x optical zoom lens, offers Bluetooth connectivity, and lots more. A great gift for anyone!