Holiday Gift Ideas for Travelers
What to get someone who loves to travel!
It’s the holiday season!!
And that means festive sweaters, fun décor, and of course, gifting.
I hate getting meaningless gifts… the ones that someone just bought just because they “have” to buy you something as societal norm. I usually end up returning it feeling like that person doesn’t know me because I would never get this for myself. I’d also rather spend money on adventures than on some big box store gift. So here’s some gift ideas for someone who wants to experience life than return an ugly sweater.
A gift card for an airline. Hear me out! Best gift I ever received was for my 21st birthday and a friend of mine gave me 100$ gift card for American Airlines. I didn’t know that gift cards for airlines existed at that point. Turns out, they never expire! I think this is a great gift for anybody because at some point, someone will need a flight to somewhere and they can get that flight for less. I’ve gotten other airline gift cards and some of trips were basically free! My trip to LA for my 23rd birthday cost me nothing because I found a very good, cheap flight and my gift cards covered the entire cost. What a way to celebrate my birthday!
Hotel gift cards. Also a good idea because hotels can also be expensive. Sometimes more than the flight! Even if you don’t know what hotel they might frequent, any hotel chain will do! I always frequent Hampton’s because who doesn’t love a free breakfast!
Gift cards to museums, day passes for rides, etc. If you know of an upcoming trip that they’re going on, find out a place that they might like and buy a gift card for there! Maybe they like art and there’s an art museum there. See if it costs anything and buy them an experience there. You’ll probably receive some texts of some art pieces that they thought you might like!
Travel bag/purse. Always a good option. There’s so many travel purses nowadays and they’re universal too! Maybe even a fanny pack or backpack so they can throw out that old smelly one they carry around all the time. Nothing like a fresh start!
Travel items. - small compact hairbrush, shampoo, conditioner. I am always looking for small travel size items that I can fit in my backpack. They have some nice travel items out there that are just perfect!
Packing cubes. These are a game changer and are probably at the top of my list. Bought a couple sets off of Amazon and they changed the way I pack now. I like the ones with an extra zipper so it gets even more compact. This is how I’m able to fit so much in my backpack and travel only using that.
7. Journal. My mom bought me a journal before I went to London and I still use it to this day. When I’m eating alone at a restaurant, I pull it out and work on it really living in the moment. Most of my days are go, go, go. Get to this place then to that place. When I finally sit down for lunch or dinner, I take a breather and pull out my journal. It also has souvenirs in there like cute paper napkins, train tickets, stickers, etc. You can get a prompted journal like that one I have or get a blank one and let them fill it up with their thoughts!
8. Ear Plugs. ALWAYS NEEDED. Even when traveling with my family, ear plugs are always needed. They make some really nice reusable ones. Loop is a great brand they have different settings on them too for different experiences like for sleeping versus going to a concert.
9. Sleep mask. Like ear plugs, these are also always needed even when traveling with family. I always use mine on the plane to block out light. Also when people get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom that bathroom light hits you (physically, too, sometimes! I swear!) and it’s hard to go back to sleep again. Always best to have a sleep mask handy.
10. Hair ties. When traveling to different places, sometimes you begin to sweat. Whether that be from wearing multiple clothes that didn’t fit in your suitcase or from running so that you don’t miss your flight. And I don’t know about you, but I am always losing hair ties. One minute, they’re in my hair or on my wrist and then suddenly, they’re gone! There’s probably a bottomless pit somewhere that just holds all the lost hair ties.
11. Word search, crossword, games. If I’m not journaling on trips, I’m probably doing a word search! My grandma, actually, gave me this idea before my trip to Paris this year. It was a game changer! I had so much fun with the crossword and did it on the plane, train, on the beach, etc! You can find these anywhere and they’re not that expensive!
Searching for Words!
While eating a pain au chocolat with some fresh squeezed orange juice.