Here it is folks, the Christmas season 2011 edition of the very best Travel Gifts. Experienced road warriors know that little things can make a HUGE difference in how much you enjoy your time on the road. For example, when I replaced my clunky old ThinkPad with a svelte, lightweight iPad, I was in frequent traveler nirvana for months. No more barely being able to open the laptop because the big fellow in the seat in front of you reclined halfway into your lap. No more lugging 4 pounds of computing beast. No more keyboard. Well, OK that last one kind of sucks, but even that has solutions…
My point is, frequent travel places unique demands on your gear: generally, it’s just you and one 40 lb (or preferably less) bag of gear on the road for 9 months of the year. Every product you choose to take with you has to be multifunction, lightweight, durable, and good looking enough to impress the stewardess. Those were my parameters in choosing this years’ Best Phriekin’ Travel Gift Ideas EVER, and I think the results speak for themselves.
Before we begin, I should note that “traveler” means many different things to different people. This gift idea list is targeted at business travelers, frequent travelers, and people who love to travel for fun (staying in hotels, traveling with a suitcase by plane, etc.) If you’re more of a trek the Amazon with only a wooden staff, leather whip, and some tea kind of chap, you might prefer our list of gift ideas for adventure travelers. And if you’re backpacking around the world for 18 months and spending half of it in the bush, you might try this list.
Otterbox
When I was a wee lad, our travel gadgets involved leather bound scroll and a feather pen. If we wanted to remember something, we would write an epic poem about it. But the kids these days expect to be able to immediately post their adventures to the Facebookery, or the Tweeterverse, or whatever, which means they’re usually packing some pretty hefty gadgets. Fortunately Otterbox is a company that knows gadgets, and more importantly how to keep them safe on your travels. A must-have gift.
Personalized Passport Holder
Personalizing a gift makes it seem that much more special. There’s something about running your fingers over high-quality leather embossed with your initials that makes even an everyday item like a passport case somehow feel just that much better.
Space Saver Bags
These Space Saver Bags by Samsonite are one of the frequent travelers’ best secrets. Why? Well, for starters they dramatically reduce the bulk of your luggage, so that you can fit everything you need into a carry-on, and avoid luggage fees and long waits at check-in and baggage claim. Second, they’re clear so can breeze through security without having some ogre from TSA pawing through your undies. And finally, they keep everything in your suitcase organized, separated, and easy to find. That’s a lot of cool for not a lot of green…
Book: Life is a Trip
Judy Fein’s Life is a Trip: The Transformative Magic of Travel has charmed critics and readers alike. Some have said that it’s helped them rediscover why they love travel — especially in times like these. Heady stuff. Seriously man, check out the reviews.
Book: Once in a Lifetime Trip
There are vacations, and then there are once-in-a-lifetime trips, the kind you’ll be telling friends and family about for years to come. For many people the travel adventures they experience on voyages like this will be among the highlights of their life. Once in a Lifetime Trips can help you find that kind of inspiration, plan for it, and savor it.
Eagle Creek Pack-It Cubes
Once you’ve packed with pack-it cubes, you’ll never go back to the jumbled chaos of tossing everything in the suitcase, and spending precious travel time ironing clothes once you arrive. Instead, just unfold and you’re ready to go!
Leather Toiletry Bags
This Christmas, give a gift of accessible luxury, like this leather toiletry bag. This gift will give your traveler a little piece of home that they can take on the road.
RoadMaster Car Desk
For the folks on the road so much they’ve turned their car into a portable office, the RoadMaster Car Desk will be a revelation. A laptop plate keeps their laptop secure and accessible while files and other supplies are kept underneath.
Leather Jewelry Roll
Women travelers like to be able to take some jewellery along when they travel, whether it’s for a business trip or a honeymoon (but hopefully not the same stuff on both). This leather jewellery roll provides an amazingly simple (yet classy) way to keep your jewellery protected as you travel, without lugging along a valuable-looking jewelry box. One of the best gift ideas for women who travel a lot!
If you’re into adventure travel or hiking, it’s probably not news to you that Ex Officio makes the best darn travel shirts anywhere. Lightweight, compressible, wrinkle-resistant, easy to wash and quick-to-dry — I could go on, but you get the idea. Most important to me however, is that my Ex Officio clothes are just some of the most comfortable clothing items I wear, traveling or not.
CaseLogic Laptop Case
Still looking for more great gifts for travelers? Check out REI’s gift suggestions for travelers, like the Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel, shown below:
