It can be difficult to pick out gifts for fellow office workers, especially in a secret Santa type situation where you are paired with someone you hardly know. There are gift cards that can help you out with this sort of thing. Cards for department stores like Wal-Mart can be used for anything from photo prints to a new television; however, if you want to put a little bit more thought into your gift, and narrow down the range of items that are presented to your gift recipient, you might consider buying them a museum gift card instead - give them an experience instead of a thing. Here's more information on finding and choosing the right card.

You might be inclined to dismiss the museum gift card idea because hardly anyone visits museums. Not true! Museums are alive and well. And there are so many different kinds of museums out there that no matter what your co-worker is interested in, there's one he or she would find fascinating. There are museums that focus on art history and others that display wartime information and items. Some museums are filled with old airplanes while others display rows and rows of eccentric shoes from the collections of famous people while still others focus on a sport like hockey or baseball.

How do you figure out which museum your co-worker would like a gift card for? Have a conversation with them. Ask them about their likes and dislikes. Do they like famous artists? Old military badges? Jazz music? See if they have any recommendations for museums to take your fictitious visiting relatives to. You can also visit their cubicle and take note of the type of decorative items and bric a brac that they have chosen to surround themselves with. These are all clues as to what type of museum they would like to visit.

Even if your co-worker doesn't have the time or inclination to wander around an art museum looking at all the canvasses, a gift card from a museum is still a nice choice of gift. This is because museum gift cards can be used for more than just admission fees. They can also be used to cover the cost of registering for museum programs such as ghost walks, art classes, or fundraisers, any of which will provide the user with an interesting and unique experience that he or she might not otherwise have taken the time to discover.

Check the yellow pages and the tourist handbooks for museums in your area. Once you have decided whether you want to buy a card for your local museum of natural history or the hockey hall of fame, visit the museum. Gift cards are usually sold in the gift shop, which can be accessed without paying the entrance fee. Some museums also have online gift shops where you can order a virtual card that you can email to your co-worker as a coupon code or physical cards that can be mailed to the office.