Everyone has that one friend or family member who defines the jetsetter lifestyle. They’ve been to France, Canada, and Africa, all in the last year. You love this adventurer, but hate buying presents for them, because honestly, what gift can you get at the mall that can compare with the exotic treasures they come across on a weekly basis?
“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” — Lawrence Block
This is where we come in. This gift guide for the traveler features 30 amazing products that’ll bring a smile to anyone’s face. These aren’t just any gifts, which is why we’re oh so thankful for Internet shopping, which allows you to have any of these delivered to your home just in time for any occasion, or the end of the year if you’re really cutting it close.
“A good traveler is one who does not know where he is going to, and a perfect traveler does not know where he came from.” – Lin Yutang
The gifts below cover a wide variety of aspects of travel, but you’ll be able to find at least a few that will be perfect for your lucky gift recipient. They all tie in to travel in one way or another, so you can be sure that they’ll be thinking of you often during their upcoming travels.
You’ll notice that there is a wide price range on these gifts as well. While the big ticket items are amazing gifts if you can afford them, most travelers will love the thoughtfulness of any of the less inexpensive items as well.
If the traveler you have in mind loves roughing it, then you need to get him a portable stove that will hold up, and won’t take up much space in a backpack. I’m talking about the Fire Maple Titanium Camping Stove ($50). The Fire Maple weighs in at just 41 grams and features stands made from high strength titanium alloy in order to support even the heaviest pots. Just screw your fuel into the bottom and you’re almost ready for a great meal. Perfect for any camping trips or even picnics.
I don’t know about you but I hate unraveling my apple headphone cord. The Engraved Earphone Organizer ($19) by etsy is made from genuine leather which has color variations depending on the cow hide. This natural old fashioned earphone organizer is classy and functional, all at the same time. It also includes buttons made from real brass. No more messy cords and dragging headphones hitting the ground. In tune with the holiday season you can also engrave your gift with whatever name you want to make it more personalized. All engraving is done by hand. The
The VinniBag ($28) is the perfect travel accessory for the traveler who likes to transport wine, liquor or fragile objects. The VinniBag has inflatable air chambers that insulate bottles from breakage. Your favorite bottle of Napa Valley red wine or Courvoisier is well insulated and ready to pop when you arrive at your destination. Easy to use and stores flat, can be folded up for storage when not in use.
According to the official website “VinniBag is a Versatile Traveling Companion”. Ideal for anything that comes in a glass bottle. The VinniBag is also eco friendly. Another reason for purchasing this gift is you will be supporting a mother and daughter entrepreneur team.
Have you ever experienced the frustrating scenario of having your smartphone be out of power when you’re trying to browse the net or make a phone call? The DURACELL powermat ($122) solves the problem of powering your smartphone while on the go. This device works with your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S3. A USB port is also included to charge other mobile devices.
The future is here, the Navdy is a Head Up Display (HUD) portable device that connects to your dashboard. The Navdy ($299) works in unison with iPhone and android smartphone apps. Keep your focus on the road without fumbling with your smartphone or GPS while driving. It features touchless geastures, voice recognition, a 5.1″ wide transparent HUD, WiFi, and an internal speaker.
If you travel to destinations where the water supply is questionable consider the Katadyn Pocket Water Filter ($287). This portable filter has a round pump handle with a shock absorber for pumping water. The Katadyn filters up to 1L of water per minute. The 0.2 micron ceramic filter removes all protozoa and most bacteria. The filter can filter up to 50,000 litres of water. A must have depending on where you plan on traveling to.
The Oculus Rift ($340) has to be the coolest thing since sliced bread. The Rift is a virtual reality device that brings gaming to life. Virtual Reality (VR) is making a comeback. VR was first popularized in the 1980s by Jaron Lanier an early pioneer. The mainstream media picked up on virtual reality technology with “The Lawnmower Man” film in 1992. Now virtual reality technology is available for the domestic user and game player aficionado. Instead of staring at your flat screen television, imagine immersing yourself 360 degrees in the gaming world. The Rift uses custom tracking technology, allowing you to seamlessly merge within your online gaming world. For the gamers out there this is a must have stocking stuffer.
Tired of getting your power cord tangled up or yanked out of its connection socket. Beats by Dr. Dre has created the studio ($330) wireless headphones, for your listening pleasure. Established in 2008 Beats Electronics brings recording studio sound to the average consumers ears. Get premium audio sound in a wireless portable package. Available in 9 different colors to match your smartphone, notebook computer or mobile tablet color scheme. Easily portable, the studio headphone folds up to fit in your carry on luggage bag.
Putting on these headphones is like being in the actual studio listening to your favorite musician. We all know that dead batteries cutting out while listening to your favorite tune is a major irritation. The New Beats Studio comes with built in rechargeable batteries that last for 20 hours. One of the best features besides the outstanding sound is the way Dr. Dre’s studio headphones fit perfectly on your head. A must have for any lover of fine music.
The GoPro Hero3+ Black ($400) captures life’s most active moments. If you do any of the following activities like skiing, surfing, go karting, motocrossing or kayaking this is the camera for you. It features video resolution up to 4k, 12MP photos up to 30 frames per second, and waterproof to 131 feet.
The Citizen Navihawk A-T ($400) is another quality watch from Citizen. Powered by Eco-Drive technology, this watch will never require batteries. It features atomic clock synchronization, world time in 43 cities, 1/100 second chronograph, 99 minute countdown timer, 2 alarms, universal coordinated time (UTC) display, power reserve indicator, and an anti-reflective mineral crystal. A great buy for the world traveler that can be worn anywhere.
The Stephen Kenn Travel Cocktail Kit ($275) is the ultimate solution to alcohol on the go. Everything you need for high quality cocktails fits in the beautiful leather-covered case. It comes with 9 bottles for storing your favorite types of alcohol, as well as mixing utensils, prestigious recipes, and a packing instruction book. This kit has the perfect amount of storage space and bottle capacity, typically allowing a traveler to have up to 3 different elegant cocktails when travel gets a little stressful.
Not every traveler is an alcohol lover, in which case the Timbuk2 X Blue Bottle Travel Kit ($179) is the perfect alternative. This gorgeous leather handbag is perfect for the coffee lover on the go. It contains a high quality Porlex hand grinder that has a stainless steel housing. It also has a small dripper, two tumblers, environment-friendly filters, and even a small sample of the renowned Three Africans drip blend coffee. With this travel kit, you’ll never be without great tasting coffee.
Not only is this pillow highly unique, but it’s insanely useful for a frequent flyer and built to last. Unlike most travel neck pillows, the HoodiePillow ($20) features a hood that is perfect for blocking light during a quick snooze. The hood is designed to fit almost all standard headphones, and is made from premium material for maximum comfort. It comes in red, blue, pink, black, and grey.
Everyone who has flown knows that there is always at least one crying baby seated nearby. Combine that with loud engine noise and flights often lead to irritation and ear pain. With QuietComfort 25 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones ($300), you’ll not only get a high quality music listening experience, but all noise will be blocked out. These over-the-ear headphones are extremely lightweight and comfortable, even for long flights. They come in two colors, a distinctive black or white.
The Buck 941 Travelmate Kit Chocolate Paperstone Knife ($52) is the ultimate camping knife and utility utensil. It features a versatile 4.87 inch blade that’s serrated for easy slicing and spreading. On top of the main knife, the kit also includes a multi-use fork. The fork has a bottle and can opener on the site, as well as a scraper and even a flathead screwdriver on the end. This knife kit is not only handy for frequent travelers, but also for camping expeditions and even small household chores and snacks.
For a non-traveler, a pen is a pen. For the seasoned traveler, however, a good pen makes your life a whole lot easier. Low quality pens break, crack, bend, and never work when you need them most. The Ballpoint Brass Travel Pen ($50) is an extremely durable and compact travel pen, made out of protective brass. It’s less than 4 inches long, but features a retractable tip to avoid unwanted leakage and personal injury.
The BookBook Travel Journal ($100) is actually a convenient travel kit disguised as a journal. It appears as a sophisticated leather-bound book, but can be opened to reveal several handy storage compartments. It can fit your tablet, charging accessories and adapter, along with pens and even a small to medium sized pair of headphones. This journal kit is perfect for the modern traveler who journals electronically. The disguise is incredibly handy to protect your valuable electronics from attracting unwanted attention on your travels.
The Salut! Travel Cup ($18) is amazingly compact. While it can be expanded to be a full sized 2.5 ounce cup, it can also be compressed and stored like a small hockey puck. Having a convenient cup is always a good idea for a traveler, and is much more sanitary that sharing flasks or other typical containers. The cup is made of pure stainless steel, which means you’ll have a tough time breaking or deforming it.
Unless you’re a big fan of beards, the ShaveTech USB Travel Razor ($30) is a must for any frequent traveler. Most electric razors run out of batteries quickly and aren’t always easy to charge while traveling. Anyone who has dealt with disposable razors know that they aren’t a long-term solution either. This travel razor looks small, but packs some real power. To add to its convenient size, it can also be charged in any usb port. When you’re done, give it a quick brush and slip it back into it’s sleek carrying case.
The Leggage Laptop Case ($80) is not an ordinary laptop case. In addition to being a top notch case, with a hard outer shell for protection and multiple pockets for storing pens, papers, and your passport, the case also functions as a foot stand and massager. The top of the case is angled for comfortable foot placement, and have ridges that allow you to perform a quick self foot massage whenever needed.
Like most people, getting to the airport on time, finding a parking space, or being dropped off at your terminal, getting through the lines at the front desk, watching your luggage zoom away to be treated like a hacky sack somewhere outside of your field of view, you want to speed things up as much as possible.
There are things that you can do ahead of time, early check in, and the like, to get you past the ticket window and such with as little waiting as possible. You still are not looking forward to the line over at the TSA security checkpoint, where you can’t be certain that you’re semi-nude scan pictures won’t be making their way onto YouTube any time soon.
Now, there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel called security checkpoints.
Oddly enough, it is called the CLEAR card ($180/YR).
Unlike some of the other options out there like PreCheck, SENTRI and Global Entry, CLEAR can be given to someone as a gift.
It is a bit more costly than programs like PreCheck, but it does have some advantages that PreCheck does not.
– 10% Discount at certain airport stores
– Free security line hopping when you are accompanying a minor under the age of 18
– 20% Discount for car rentals at Hertz
– You can add a family member for an additional $50.00
– 1-year free access to the Regus Preferred Business World lounges, 1,500 locations worldwide
– Incentives for referrals, both the person referring and the person being referred receive an additional 2 free months.
The BlueSmart Carry On Bag ($280) is perfect for the gadget-phreak on the go. The digitally controlled lock on this mean machine is approved by the TSA, has one majorly powerful battery recharger that can take on 2 devices at the same time, or can completely resurrect and recharge your smartphone up to 6 times.
The handle takes the guesswork out of how much gear you’ve got loaded as well as having an easy access compartment to show off your sexy MacBook air to the nice TSA agents without having to dig for it.
Add in the app for your phone that allows you to track it from across the airport or, as the network expands, around the world, and you’ll never be a part for long.
If you’re someone who likes to keep records of their adventures, this little number takes the effort on its brawny little shoulders and keeps track of time spent in the country you’re visiting, number of miles traveled, which airports you’ve been through and more through the phone app.
One of the best ways that I’ve found to pass time when traveling is by having a good book handy. With the Amazon Kindle Voyage ($219.00), you can quite literally keep 1000’s of good books handy.
All the newest kindle bells and whistles have been loaded into this little number. 300 PPI display has text looking like it was just pulled off the laser printer at work, and with it being fully wireless, you don’t need a computer to load new content on it.
The Wi-Fi + Free 3G option allows you to get new content, or access your online cloud account (free for all your amazon-based content) wherever you might be.
If you’re like me, you enjoy the feeling of paper under your fingertips when flipping through a book. With the Kindle Voyage, it’s the best of both worlds in that you get all the feel of paper, and all the benefits of being able to read in any light.
Something you don’t get to see everyday, a roll top duffle bag. The Filson Dry Duffle ($160) is coated in vinyl, has seams that have been welded together using high frequency radio waves, a technique dating back to the 1940’s which provides a strong, consistent leak-proof seal.
Not as high maintenance as leather and definitely nowhere near the cost of a comparable sized duffle. Designed to keep out, dust, dirt, sand and water as well as being functional and sleek with the extra tie down straps keeping the profile only as tall as needed.
There are going to be those times where you just are not going to be able to use your sleeve or untuck your shirt to clean the smudges off of that smartphone screen and you know you do not want to be looking around the inside of a taxi (shudder) for something to clean that screen so you can clearly see that the driver has been making wrong turns for the past 20 minutes.
With the Micro Fiber Lens Cleanse Patches ($12.00/Set of 3), ironed on the back of your tie, bottom edge of your jacket or possibly inside your sleeve, you’ve got the perfect little helper, designed specifically to whisk away all of those marks without the need to be tugging at your clothing.
When I first read about the Tile ($25.00), the only thing I could think was just how many I would need to restore some kind of order to getting ready to leave the house on the first attempt.
You can have up to 8 of these little guys linked to your account at anyone time. While they don’t have GPS of their own, any other phone with the Tile app on it will “hear” it, and report its location back to you via the cloud.
You know the old saying; “everything is in the last place you look for it”?
Besides the fact that you stopped looking after you found it, with the Tile, it actually shows where the ‘last place’ is, letting you start there.
Give one to your kids, spouse and leave one in your hotel room when on vacation and go explore with confidence.
Being a fanatic about one’s pet is nothing to take lightly. When I trust someone to look after my pooch while I’m away, I like being able to know they are being taken care of properly.
With the WhistleGPS ($129), you can do just that from anywhere you’ve got a cellular signal.
Not only can you tell where they are, but also where they’ve been.
If the kid you hired to walk Spot around the block and over to the dog park just stakes him out in the backyard and raids your fridge, you’ll be able to see that man’s best friend needs you to do some barking of your own.
It is never something one likes to think about, but there may be times when either a loved one, or we ourselves get into a situation where we may have to defend against attack.
With this creative piece of covert mayhem, even Mary Poppins could have broke out some ninja moves.
The Unbreakable Umbrellas ($129) come in 2 distinct flavors, standard and premium. Both live up to the Unbreakable name, and can really make the difference when the chips are down.
Plus, it is legal to carry everywhere, doesn’t raise suspicion the way carrying a cane might, and does an amazing job as an actual umbrella.
Can’t beat that with a stick. Maybe with this umbrella, but the stick is out of luck.
In today’s device addicted world, this may seem a bit too low tech, but if you’ve ever been out camping and your trusty torch or lighter goes out on you…well, those weinies are not going to cook themselves my friend.
The Flint Laces by RattlerStrap ($14) will definitely add some style points to go along with those happily surprised faces that have been sitting around that inert campfire waiting for you to work some fire starting magic.
I mean, come on, you just started a raging campfire with your SHOELACES! Awesome just called asking for your autograph.
In this day and age of the ‘Selfie’ craze, you will stand above and beyond those around you with the Joby Suction Cup and Gorilla Pod Arm ($30)
There won’t be any shots of you only arm’s distance away from the camera. No, you’ll be in the distance, as if you had a cameraman at your beck and call.
Better still, just you and that special someone, in the city, wanting to get a picture of just the two of you, but someone has to snap the picture, right?
You can take the risk and ask that creepy guy with the comb over who has been talking to an empty soda bottle about economics for the past 20 minutes, or you can wow your paramour even more by setting up the Joby, and taking care of business on your terms.
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