By Chinelo Ngene
You are reading this article because you have a friend who’s been bitten by the travel bug and you have no idea what to get him/her this Christmas.Generic gifts and hampers are great for your boss or neighbors you don’t really know that well but feel compelled to gift, but when shopping for a friend you definitely need to put more thought into it.
It’s perfectly understandable. Sometimes buying gifts for a traveler requires a little bit of research and some creativity. You need to take into consideration what his/her travel style is, if you want to give something useful or inspiring, and your budget.
An essential part of the holidays is gift giving. Yes, we love the smells and the color and the lights and the food, but we love the gifts more. You can’t deny you feel a little bit more of the holiday spirit when you open up a brightly wrapped parcel or receive a hamper with all your favorite treats. But lo, it is better to give than to receive, and it’s about that time you start getting your Christmas shopping list together.
Thankfully, we’ve done most of the heavy lifting for you, and compiled a great list of budget-friendly items you can gift your traveler friend this Christmas.
A Luggage Scale
Excess luggage rates are extremely ridiculous right now, and they will not be getting any better this holiday season when everybody’s eye is shining. A luggage scale is a great gift because it can be useful before getting to check-in. Your friend can weigh his/her luggage and be more conscious of what’s being packed
Novelty Maps
The world scratch map is a fun, colorful way for your friend to document and show off all the places that have been crossed off hi/her bucket list. Every time they go somewhere new, they can scratch off the gold panel to reveal the color-coded areas. Crumpled maps are also fun because you no longer have to worry about your map getting crumpled up and unusable. These are designed to be crumpled and stuffed in your pocket.
Notebooks and Planners
There are a bunch of notebooks, journals and planners readily available at malls and bookstores all around. All you have to do is find one that has an underlying travel theme. It doesn’t have to be too pronounced – ones with pictures of destinations or travel quotes will do. Or, go the extra mile and get the NAVI planner, which is specially created to remind travelers of the importance of going places, and encourages them to see the world.
Anti-Theft Travel Bag
Security is often a concern when traveling the world and exploring new cities and constantly worrying about losing stuff can put a damper on the fun of the trip. Give your friend the gift of security this year. Pacsafe Anti-theft travel bags make exploring a city much safer with slash-proof bodies and straps, zipper pullers that ensure thieves can’t dig into the bag, and RFID-blocking pockets that protect against identity theft so that passport and credit card details are not easily stolen.
Selfie Stick
Because the selfie craze has taken over globally, this is an extremely valid gift this year. Your friend can now take awesome pictures at the amazing places he/she visits without having to deal with the awkwardness of asking strangers for help.
External HDD
Why is this gift valid for a traveler? The answer is simple; everybody needs space. Being on the move a lot, it would be helpful to have important information and pictures backed-up in case something were to happen to your friend’s laptop or phone.
Books
Inspire your friend with other travelers’ great adventures. There are books that contain a collection of travelers’ stories specifically for this purpose and you can purchase a great number of them off sites like amazon. Be sure you know your friend’s taste in books first though.
Long flights and train rides are perfect opportunities to delve into some life-changing, motivational books (not necessarily related to travel) or test the mind by solving some puzzles. You might want to consider these as options as well.
Travel-Inspired Décor
Posters, Decals, models, ornaments, etc are a great way to keep your friend surrounded by the amazing world of travel. It may seem a bit cheesy, but people love cheesy. It’s why they pick up souvenirs on trips, no?
Gadget Organizer
I don’t know a single person who enjoys tangled plugs and mixed up gadgets occupying space in luggage. A gadget organizer is a great way to keep wires and plug organized, and also save some space. While you’re at it, why not throw in an earphone case as well?
Comfort
Gift your friend with something to make the trip a bit more comfortable. Travel slippers to wear on the plane or around the hotel, a warm shawl or cardigan to us on the plane, a herbal eye pillow, and a neck pillow and eye mask set are all examples of little gifts you could give that go along way.
Chinelo Ngene writes for Jovago.com
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