Gift Ideas For The Traveler In Your Life

“There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.” -Mandy Hale

How is it that the holiday season is already around the corner? If you’re like me, the fast-approaching Winter holidays might already be catching you off guard and you haven’t started shopping for gifts yet! 

No worries! I have some suggestions that would be great ideas for the traveler on your list.  Of course, if you shop like I do this time of year, you’ll have fun buying one for them and one for yourself! 

Gift cards

Whether you are a traveler or not, everyone loves a gift card.  For your traveler, gift cards might be helpful to fund them toward buying that nice suitcase or expensive camera equipment they’ve been eyeing.  Some great gift cards to consider would include Amazon, and Uber gift cards, gas cards, or gift cards for restaurants for that meal on the road.

Another option would be to check with your traveler’s favorite travel agent. Some travel agents offer gift cards or would accept payments toward a trip that your traveler is paying for.

RFID wallet or credit card sleeves

An essential item that I don’t travel without is RFID protection for our credit cards. We limit how many credit cards we travel with but to protect those that we do carry, we use RFID credit card sleeves.  Amazon has great options for small RFID wallets and credit card sleeves, making this an easy and useful stocking stuffer or gift for everyone on your list, especially the traveler.  Oh, and get some for yourself! 

Personalized luggage tags

I have a set and I love them!  Mine came from an Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/listing/885154865/personalized-luggage-tag-gift-for-travel?ref.  I added my logo on one side as well as enough information on the other side to successfully reconnect with my luggage if necessary.  These are personal and functional, and your traveler (or you) will love them!  I have one for my carry-on, another for my suitcase, and extra ones for other bags I carry with me when we travel.  If you need to know what to include on the tags when you order, check out my suggestions at https://letsjustgo247.com/2021/08/11/luggage-tags-how-why-you-should-use-them/.

Scratch-off or Personalized Travel Maps

For those who travel, keeping track of where we’ve been can sometimes be a badge of honor!  Etsy has great options for the traveler in your life.  Search by “scratch-off map” and the options are endless.  There are maps of the United States as well as World maps so no matter where your traveler goes, there is a map that fits them. 

Another excellent option is a personalized travel map of that once-in-a-lifetime trip that your traveler can enjoy and use to remember their adventure.  Check out Altas.co at https://atlas.co. If you follow Kara and Nate Buchanan’s popular YouTube channel, you know that their travels inspired these custom maps. The maps are easily customized and are offered in various sizes and framing options.  This is a really thoughtful option. 

Compression Packing Cubes

I discovered packing cubes years ago but even better was my discovery of compression packing cubes.  Every traveler needs to maximize the space in their carry-on, suitcase, or backpack, and a good compression cube helps with that while keeping your traveler organized.  As a result, I have several sets of compression cubes sold on Amazon by Tripped Travel Gear.  You can find them and other travel gear this small business sells at https://trippedtravelgear.com.

Reusable water bottle

No matter where or how we travel, staying hydrated is vital, and carrying a water bottle is a good idea.  My favorite water bottle is Hydro Flask.  These water bottles keep the cold beverages cold and the hot beverages hot, for long periods.  I always pack an empty bottle to get through TSA or make sure my bottle is full and ready to travel on our road trips.  This is a great gift that keeps on giving!  Find their lineup at https://www.hydroflask.com.

Stocking stuffers

As a traveler, the travel-size aisle in Target is some of my favorite shopping, and stumbling on a really good travel-size aisle makes me happy.  Whenever I come across a trial-size aisle, I slow down, browse, and grab extra supplies for future travels so I have them.  A neat idea for the traveler on your list would be a stocking hung with care, filled with the tiny versions of their favorite toothpaste, tissues, makeup removal wipes, pain relievers, toothbrushes, Tide pens, and anything else you can find. 

Other stocking stuffers could include TSA-approved luggage locks, earplugs so your traveler can sleep on the plane (you can get these in any drug store), or shampoo/conditioner bars (great to travel with versus liquid versions that won’t go through TSA or could burst in your luggage). 

Shopping Tips

As the holidays approach, I hope to shop small if can. You’ll notice that I’ve recommended shopping on Etsy.  Generally, these businesses are small ones but be mindful that available stock could be limited or you may need 1-2 weeks or more for delivery around the holiday season.  I also look to see where the Etsy shops ship from.  I try to focus on companies in the United States when the shipping time is tight. Many Etsy shops will note in the listing what their current ship time is and with the holidays approaching, now is the time to shop to make sure that you get your orders in time!

I’ve also recommended items from Amazon.  I know what you’re thinking.  Amazon is not a small business.  Well, yes and no.  If you don’t know, there are small businesses that use Amazon to store, pack, ship, and handle returns.  They are known as FBA or Fulfilled by Amazon businesses.  If you too are focusing on the support of smaller businesses this holiday season but you love shopping on Amazon, look for the seller listed on each Amazon product listing.  In the case of Tripped Travel Gear, as noted earlier, you’ll see “ships from Amazon” and “sold by Tripped Travel Gear.”   There are small businesses using Amazon to sell their goods. 

Other gift ideas that you might consider for travelers on your list would include a travel adapter for a traveler heading overseas, a portable charger for cell phones, a luggage scale, or noise-canceling headphones. 

Be sure to share my blog with anyone asking you what you’d like for Christmas. 

Merry Christmas and Happy wishes for your future travel.