2019 Holiday Gift Guide for Travelers

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The Holidays are upon us! As you may have read, Christmas is one of my favorite holidays because I love giving (and receiving) Christmas cards. But presents can be nice too! Are you a traveler wondering what to ask for? Or have a traveler in your life and lost for a good idea? Below I’ve included some of my recommendations for travelers, by travelers, about travelers. Hope you enjoy!

For the traveler who wants to see it all

Photo courtesy of Newverest. Used with permission.

The Newverest World Scratch Off Map includes 200+ countries that can be scratched to reveal beautiful bright colors. My favorite part are the unique features Newverest maps provide. In addition to the included scratching tool (pennies just don’t work as well as you expect them to) the maps enlarge areas with many smaller countries to make them easier to see and include a Bucket List of internationally renowned locations and experiences. Newverest also makes maps of the Unite States and kids versions of both! Not sure which one your traveler will like? Give them a gift card to Newverest and they can choose themselves! 15% off with code  RV6CKMW71C4Y
Price: On Sale for $29.97

For the traveler who keeps home close to the heart

Photo courtesy of Well Told. Used with Permission.

Well Told’s beautifully etched maps are sure to impress and include glass and insulated drink ware to products for the home. They have an impressive slew of standard maps: cities, national parks, airports, even major marathon routes! But you can also choose your own, fully customizable map: your hometown, college town, favorite vacation spot. Their website will show you the sketch prior to purchase so you know you’re getting exactly what you want. I could not be happier with the Kansas City pint glasses I received - they even include arrowhead stadium and the coordinates of the house I grew up in! Not so cartography-obsessed? They also have etchings of famous literature and the night sky!
Price: Varies, $14-$35

For the traveler who cares about the environment

photo courtesy of GoSun, used with permission

I have two items in this category cause the environment deserves a little extra love. I just backed GoSun Flatware on kickstarter and couldn’t be more excited to get my reusable portable flatware. Eating in a hospital cafeteria, its easy to get discouraged by the enormous amount of waste our culture creates around food. Unfortunately, their campaign ends today!
Currently, I always travel with a 3-in-1 modular Utensil Set I got in Seattle. It is super compact, easily washable, and honestly, I can’t imagine not having chopsticks at the ready. If it doesn’t have rice and wasn't meant to be eaten with chopsticks is it really worth eating?

Another favorite environmentally-friendly product is the Nekteck Solar Charger I purchased for my sabbatical in Alaska and have used copiously since. It has two USB ports to pull double duty, is lightweight and compact, and has a zipper pocket to hold whatever you may be charging to protect it from the sun or from falling. You can easily strap it to your day pack when hiking or leave it out for a quick boost when you stop to rest.
Price: Varies, $5-$50

For the traveler who likes to sleep outdoors

Photo credit: @rebajohnson Used with consent through Madera Ambassador program

Madera Sleeping Bag and/or Hammock
Get and extra 20% off with the code fernweh20
I have the 14 degree sleeping bag and I love it. Full disclosure though, I have never had to sleep in it in 14 degrees because I just got it in August but this winter I will test it out. When I moved to my most recent work assignment, I didn’t have bedding and the window to my room was stuck open creating an indoor temperature of 43 degrees at night. Instead of buying bedding or fixing the window, I used this sleeping bag to stay warm and it did its job well beyond what was required. I spent most nights alternating which parts of me were in and out of the bag because it kept me too warm!
Madera is a brand that takes its love for the outdoors seriously. They create sustainable products, use recycled materials when possible, and plant a tree for each hammock purchased (64,000 and counting!). They create a variety of well-reviewed outdoor equipment which I encourage you to check out, but the sleeping bag is the only one I can speak to personally.
Price: Sleeping Bag $60-$80; Hammocks $79-$90

For the business traveler whose sidekick is a suit

Photo courtesy of Impressed Bag Co. Used with permission.

I love the sleek and elegant style of Impressed Bag Co’s Preston Bag that works as hard as you do. Multi-tasker to the core, the Preston is part duffel part garment bag so it can keep your suit nicely pressed and wrinkle-free giving you and it a polished appearance. I wear scrubs and so don’t need a bag like this, but I love the sly magic trick when the bag suddenly becomes two. It has great reviews and if someone I know gets one I will be first in line to watch it in action.
Price: On sale for $249

For the traveler who is always on the hunt for flight deals

Scott’s Cheap Flights Premium Membership is a well known game-changer in the travel world. Saving subscribers an average of $550 per trip, this subscription service emails users flight deals from their selected airports to destinations spanning the globe. $405 round trip to Namibia!? $530 from NYC to Johannesburg and Greece!? $430 round trip from Kansas City to Finland!? All their deals seem too-good-to-be-true but aren't. Nothing stepped up my travel game like Scott’s Cheap Flights. Get 10% off using this link until Nov 30th!
Price: $49/year

For the traveler who is also a voracious reader

An Amazon Kindle. I was reluctant to get a kindle when they first came out. I couldn’t imagine losing the texture, smell, and tangibility of a book- the thrill of turning a page. But when I tried to take the first two 700+ page tomes of Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles with me on a two-week, back-pack only trip to Hungary, I broke down. I haven’t regretted it since. I still prefer paperback books and often pick them up at hostels and bookstores while traveling, but nothing beats a kindle for its weight, size, and carrying capacity compared to “real” books, and there is never any anxiety at a potentially bookless 8-hour flight.
Price: Varies, $89-$200

For the traveler who loves jewelry

Photo courtesy of Peat Fire Jewelry, used with permission.

Peat Fire Jewelry is a brand born of travel. Founder and creator Erin came up with the idea for her jewelry business while vacationing in Ireland. While it is definitely a brand for Ireland lovers, her pieces can be adored and adorned by any traveler. Full of Irish Earth and Connemara Marble, she utilizes organic materials straight from Ireland. Her Coordinates Collection can be customized for wherever in the world your heart lives.
Price: Varies, from $20 - $175

For the traveler who wants to learn a foreign language

Photo courtesy of italki, used with permission.

Italki credits. I spent a month of this year in a French Language Immersion program in Montpellier. Prior to that, the majority of my learning was due to the wonderful tutors and language exchange partners from italki. I have tried numerous online language learning programs and apps (I can think of six off hand) and italki and Pimsleur are the only two I can recommend. While Pimsleur is a prerecorded conversation that you mimic for 30 minutes a day, italki is completely dynamic and specialized. While many services through italki are free of charge, I highly recommend the paid community tutoring to anyone wishing to travel and envelop themselves in a foreign culture. You can purchase credits for yourself or a friend with individualized tutoring ranging from $6 to $60 an hour.
Price: Varies, free options available

For the traveler who has little ones

Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

Wonderbly is a personalized book-maker I absolutely adore. All their adventure books are personalized for the name and gender of your child whose avatar you can choose with different skin and hair color to best represent them. Their best seller and one of my favorites is the Lost My Name book, which I have started giving to all my friend’s children. They love learning about the animals or fairytale creatures and that moment they realize they’ve collected all the letters of their name - its a great feeling. The paperback versions are great for airplane and car rides. A tip I’ve learned is to give it to the child on the plane or in the car - if it’s new it is more exciting and attention-grabbing vs a book they’ve had read to them a hundred times. Luckily, you’d have to take a lot of trips to run out of the story books Wonderbly offers, all with an empowering message for youngsters still trying to figure out how the world works, and how it should.
Follow this link for $15 off your purchase
Price: $24.99

For the traveler who loves authentic foods

Eatwith is a foodies’ dream. A collective dinner brings together travelers and locals for authentic or experimental cuisine. Each experience is unique and may include shopping at the local market, learning to cook a local dish, or even a celebrity chef. You can search by your location and travel dates and see what is available for a range of prices, ranging from $ to $$$$. Not sure which experience your traveler would like best? They even have gift cards!
Price: Varies, gift cards start at $1

For the traveler who likes alternative accommodations

Nomador or WWOOF subscription. While these may take a little more planning, they more than cover the cost of themselves. Nomador is an international house and pet sitting service that allows you to connect with people in a country you are traveling to who let you stay in their house while they are away, provided you feed their cat or water their plants. I stayed for 3 weeks in Paris with just a $35 3-month subscription. That just over $1 a night! France is littered with Nomador users but when I looked in Portugal it was hit or miss. If you know where you’re going, or if you travel frequently, it is easy to see if Nomador is a good fit. WWOOF matches you with farms of various types - bee keepers, horse ranches, vineyards, homesteads, and more - where you work in exchange for room and board. Unfortunately, it is even more country-specific than Nomador so you have to know a little more about where you want to go. I did 2 months on a remote homestead in Alaska through WWOOF USA and regularly return to visit my host family farm. Both are great options for slow travelers who really want to immerse themselves in the culture of a place.
Price: Nomador $35 for 3 months or $89/year; WWOOF $40/year in US, varies by country

For the traveler who has everything

Let’s face it. Our travel needs are first world problems. Most of us travel out of excess, not need. Omaze Charitable Gifts takes that at face value. Through partnering with celebrities and charities that are working to make an impact on people and our planet, they offer lottery-style O-mazing vacations and experiences for donations to the supporting charity. Donate $25 to Ol Pejeta Conservancy on behalf of your traveler, and they get 100 entries to win an all-expenses-paid Kenyan Safari to see the last remaining Northern White Rhino on earth. Donate to Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation and find yourself on the set of Star Wars in Tunisia. Have people won trips with a $25 donation? Yes! Is it likely? May the odds be ever in your favor.
Price: Starting at $25

What is on your wish list this year? Any gifts you travelers love that I didn’t include? Let me know in the comments below and maybe it will make an appearance in next year’s guide!