The end of year festivities surrounding Christmas are always a wonderful time for catching up with friends and family, but finding the perfect gift can be stressful. Present shopping is not always easy, especially if you’re environmentally conscious and understand how much waste is produced by this one single day each year. Buying gifts that are simply stocking fillers or things people might not even want/need just adds to the landfill and waste pile up. So if you are looking for a Christmas gift idea for a traveller in your life, then here are some of my suggestions for thoughtful gifts that they will love (from a fellow travel lover).
1. Gift them an experience
Most travellers value experiences over ‘things’ so this can be a really thoughtful gift. Companies like Red Balloon offer a great selection of experiences, anything from hot air balloon rides to spa packages to safari experiences or luxury getaways. They also offer gift cards if you’re not quite sure what activity they will enjoy the most. They currently have a 30% off Christmas sale on some experiences. And the best thing is it can be purchased last minute with minimal wrapping effort!
2. Passport holder
Making sure to keep your passport safe and undamaged is super important when traveling. You can find ones with beautiful designs that also have RFID blockers which help prevent scanning of cards and passports by criminals trying to steal your information. You can also find passport wallets large enough to fit cash and power bank chargers for the ultimate carry on wallet. Take it from me, a person who had issues whilst travelling due to a damaged passport, it’s a great – but often overlooked – item to have!
3. Apple AirTag
Apple’s new AirTags are a great way to keep track of your personal belongings, and this can be particularly important when you are traveling and moving around a lot. The small tags can be put on keys, in backpacks, camera/laptop bags, drones and even added to passport holders. One of the most stressful things that can happen when traveling is losing your things, so help your loved one out with a gift they could really thank you for one day.
4. Camera gimbal/stabiliser
I think travellers across the globe can agree that taking photos while traveling is something we love to do. And now with the rise of video content thanks to apps like YouTube and TikTok, videos also help to capture the raw and real moments in fun and cinematic way. But to capture the moment right, you want to avoid those shaky takes from unsteady hands or wind.
Zhiyun offer the best camera stabilisers in the market for both cameras and mobile phones. The camera stabilisers are a must for anyone who wants to take smooth videos as the heavier camera weight causes less than ideal movement when filming. For those who choose the ease of their phones, Smartphone Gimbal’s can also act as a selfie stick and tripod for those solo travellers. Mobile phones these days take incredible photos and videos, but making sure they are clear and smooth can make a world of difference.
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5. Personalised photo book
Have photos from a recent trip you took together? Or can you access a group of their favourite travel photos? Creating a coffee table photo book is a really thoughtful gift and one they will cherish forever. I have gifted my close family members photo books before of trips we have been on and they loved them. Such a great way to look back on some amazing memories and a great thing to show off to guests when they visit.
I use Snapfish most of the time as it has an easy program that makes customising the pages so simple. They also have many different options for sizes, paper finishes, covers and designs. If you were wanting a faster option, K-Mart have photo centre’s and a fast turn around in store.
6. Airport lounge pass
Start their next holiday in style and gift them a lounge pass to enjoy food, drinks and a quiet place to relax before their flight. It’s also a great idea if you know they have a flight booked already with a longer layover in a certain airport. They won’t forget the experience!
7. Trtl travel pillow
Say goodbye to bulky, hard to carry travel pillows and hello to this new scientifically proven technology for anyone who wants to sleep on their travels. The Trtl pillows keep your head upright with its head and neck support whilst also being able to fold down to a smaller, more travel friendly size.
8. Portable water purifier
Clean and safe drinking water isn’t always accessible out of a tap and constantly buying plastic water bottles is terrible for the environment. You can read more about my experience going plastic free for a month (and how challenging but rewarding it was). So help your friend/family member out by gifting them a portable water purifier. Depending on the type and price, some may filter out harmful bacteria but not all viruses, chlorine and other nasties that can make you sick. There are also water purifiers that don’t have a filter mechanism so should only be used on clear water and not murky/dirty water.
The Steripen Ultra Rechargable Water Purifier is one of those, perfect for travel to countries that have running tap water, but the safety of it is unknown.
Another option is a water bottle that does filters out chemicals, heavy metals and even micro-plastics as well as purifying the water to rid it of viruses and bacteria.
9. Packing cubes
Packing cubes are something that many overlook as non-essential but once you start using them, you will never go back. They make packing so much easier and not only that, but they make finding exactly what you need way less of a hassle. The days of emptying your whole backpack out to find that one item are over.
10. Flatpack toiletry bottles
Another major hassle when packing is bulky toiletry items. They undoubtedly take up a lot of space and weight, but now there is an easier option. Matador now have FlatPak Toiletry Bags that make it much easier to pack. It eliminates the extra space needed when your bottle is half empty and they’re much more flexible to fit in even your carry on!
11. Cordless portable hair straightener
Not only are these straighteners lightweight and small for the ease of packing, but having a cordless options that you can charge and use on the go is perfect for anyone wanting to be camera ready at all times!
12. Digital portable language translator
Having one of these can be really useful in countries where they don’t speak a lot of English or if you are wanting help to learn a language. You can speak straight into the device and it will translate the speech back to you. Some also have cameras to translate things like menu’s, signs, maps and other important information. You can get translators as small devices or even earbuds to serve a dual purpose.
13. Something personal
Finally, gift them something personal. Make them a nice card or write out some vouchers for certain favours or activities you can do together (even as simple as ‘a hug’ or ‘movie night of your choice’). Why not bake them something, offer to take them on a day out anywhere they want, cook them dinner or take them to their favourite restaurant? As explained at the very start of this article, travellers enjoy experiences over material things and that certainly is true when it comes to spending quality time with people they love.
Hopefully some of those options helped you! And if you’re a travel lover yourself, leave some Christmas gift ideas for travellers in the comments below.
Merry Christmas everyone!
