9 Great Gifts For Travel Lovers You Haven't Thought Of
With the fast-approaching myriad of gift-giving occasions, I thought this the perfect time to share a few ideas for those globe-trotters, road warriors, and world explorers in your life. Gifts, from my experience, they can REALLY get excited about. And I swear this has nothing to do with a certain someone's impending birthday.
1) iTunes gift card. When I'm traveling, iTunes is my best friend. From long flights to long nights with non english-speaking television, iTunes music, tv shows, movies, and apps keep me sane, entertained, and in the know. So much so that I should probably be building iTunes into my travel budgets.
2) Gift your air miles or rewards. When I used to travel all the time for work, I racked up free flights faster than I could use them. If you can spare a trip or have tons of frequent flyer miles, gift them to someone who will use and appreciate them immensely. My brother generously did this for me which led to my first RobinGoesTo adventure and a life change for which I will be forever grateful.
3) Shutterfly, Costco (or other vendor) photo gift. When you get that invite email from your friend to view her recent trip photos, save that link! Surprise her with something personal that she'll see everyday showcasing photos from her own trip. Like a set of mugs featuring the different wild animal pics she took on her African safari. Or a mousepad emblazoned with her favorite Caribbean sunset.
4) Pet sitting, housecleaning, or gardening while they're away. You may not travel for 6 weeks at a time like I do, but there is no better gift than having peace of mind about your home while you're gone. Offer to walk Fido each day, shovel snow in front of the house, or water the garden.
5) Buy them dinner. But not just any dinner. Find out where they plan to travel next (for real or just a locale they'd love to see someday) and hit up a restaurant of that country to experience and familiarize them with the food. Learning names of traditional dishes and delicacies helps tremendously when viewing a menu in a foreign language for the first time.
6) Know where he buys his shoes? If so, get him a gift card from there. With the amount of walking I do when I travel, I wear out more pairs of sneakers these days than I ever thought I could.
7) An all-in-one travel converter/adapter. If you travel abroad at least once a year, invest in this puppy. You'll never have to worry about what the outlets look like no matter where you go! I got mine at Best Buy before my last trip and it was a life saver. I had planned for Indonesia but did not plan for the unexpected overnight layover in Singapore where the outlets were different. My dying phone loved me for it.
8) Starbucks gift card. If you've read my blog in the past, you know (despite my typical, everyday aversion to this chain in the States) I spend time at Starbucks when I travel. I'm not alone. It's hard to avoid while abroad between the easy wifi, locations in every airport, and feels-like-home favorite drinks. A last resort gift for the haters perhaps, but it WILL be utilized.
9) RobinGoesTo gifts! Whether you've been there or aspire to go, my collections of photography and home decor aim to inspire travel and adventure in everyone. Check out RobinGoesTo.com for unique gift ideas.
