The 2016 TravelLatte Holiday Gift Guide

It’s been said there is nothing a traveler likes more than the open road. We think that’s not entirely true. Travelers also love well-thought gifts! I mean, who doesn’t? A gift that comes from the heart and says “this made the think of you” is a gift that will be cherished. After all, it’s those gifts that we will continue to use, and think kindly of the giver no matter where in the world we are.

This year, we searched for gifts that make life on the road better, or bring a bit of travel to our homes. A few favorites return from years past, along with several new items travelers will use and appreciate. Except for the last two items, all of this year’s picks are available via Amazon by following our links. (TravelLatte is an Amazon Affiliate.) In fact, there are even more great gift ideas at the bottom of this page. We know you’ll find something that’s just perfect for the hard-to-shop-for globetrotter on your list. Or perhaps, you can just print up this list and leave it out for Santa to see. Maybe he (or she?) will get the hint. 😉

Favorite Finds

Last year’s most popular new find was the selection of throw pillow covers from Airportag. It’s a fun way to decorate your nest with reminders of where you’ve landed, and they make great gifts for the travelers in your life. This year, Airportag has added some fun tote bags to the mix, too. Maybe you can’t send them to celebrate the Yuletide in Montreal, but you could send YUL to them, and that’s almost the same thing. Right?

The Luckies of London Scratch Map is a perennial favorite! It’s a fun way for you and your globetrotters to track your travels and show the world where you’ve been. Why just figuratively scratch countries off your list, when you can literally scratch them off a deluxe map of the whole wide world? Been to Bora Bora? Scratch it off. Seen the Seine? Scratch it off. Where to next?

Least Favorite Losses

Nobody loves losing their luggage. Navigating luggage trackers, though, can be as daunting as navigating the airport’s lost and found.

Of all the GPS tracking devices we have seen lately, the small but durable Yepzon One is our favorite. It’s an easy-to-use tracking device for anything you don’t want to lose…like your luggage. Toss the Yepzon One in your checked bag – a full battery charge will last up to a week – and follow it on the free Smartphone app. There is no OFF button, so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally shutting down, or wonder if you turned it on. Yepzon One comes with a middle-of-the-road price tag and six months of usage. After that, it’s $4.95 per month (for up to 5mb), with coverage in the US, Europe and Russia. Other areas have roaming packages available. Simple design, simple to use. When it comes to gift giving (and luggage finding), simple is good.

Power to the People!

In airports, train stations, hotel lobbies, and coffee shops around the world, every traveler has faced the same dilemma: One outlet with a bajillion (or at least two or three) people needing to plug in. Heck, even when you’re the only one there, sometimes you need to charge up more devices than you can plug in. That’s why we love these two power plants:

Belkin’s SurgePlus 3-Outlet Mini Travel Swivel Charger has three outlets plus two USB ports (2 Amp, so you can plug in your iPad, too), and a built-in surge protector. So much handiness in one little plug-in makes a great travel gift!

Yubi Power makes a sleek and slick four port charger, which folds up into an even sleeker, pocket- or pack-able size. There is no standard outlet, but it does have one 2.4 Amp, and three 1 Amp USB ports. Comes in a variety of outlet types (US, Europe, UK, etc) to fit the region you live or travel in.

Because everybody is working for the weekend

Sometimes all you have is a weekend and you want need to make the most of it! The New York Times’ series of inspirational 36 Hours guidebooks will help every traveler make the most of minimal time with well-planned itineraries around the world. Choose destinations in Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean, USA & Canada, or Asia & Oceana. Or, if you’re the Go Big or Stay Home type, get the 36 Hours World (3/36/365) version with 365 36-hour adventures in 3 volumes. Great for daydreaming, planning and, of course, gifting!

Because sometimes you just need a cocktail. Shaken, not stirred.

Dear Old Dad used to buy the coolest and/or goofiest gifts in the belief that Christmas is not a time to be practical. You might never buy yourself a kit to turn airline mini-bottles of liquor into premium cocktails, but some nice Santa-type could. (Dad, we’re talking about you!) There are several varieties of the Carry On Cocktail Kit: Gin & Tonic, Old Fashioned, Moscow Mule, and the classic Champagne Cocktail. But this is the holidays…go for the Hot Toddy Kit. (You’ll find them all in the TravelLatte Store below.)

The Gift of Adventure

Travel memories are made in the adventures you take. You can make sure your travelers bring home lots of memories with a Tinggly gift box. It’s akin to booking excursions in advance: You pick the gift, they pick the experiences. Maybe it’s shark diving in New Zealand, or wine tasting in Paris; learning about tea in China, or riding in a classic car in Cuba. Tinggly offers more than 350 adventures in 100 countries, at three gift/price levels that start at just $79 (plus shipping).

The Gift of Lounging

Who doesn’t love an airport lounge? Comfy seating, free Wi-Fi, a cup of coffee, and some snacks sure make airport time less stressful and more productive. Airline lounges are nice perks, but if you’re not flying that airline, don’t have that credit card, or don’t have an expensive lounge pass, you’re not getting in, right? Actually, not right! Private lounge clubs are now “a thing,” and they have the perks we love. Priority Pass is one of the largest networks, with more than 1,000 lounges in 500 cities worldwide. Membership makes a great – and greatly appreciated – gift for your frequent flier. Membership options start at $99 plus $27 per visit, up to unlimited access for $399, and guests get in for just $27.

For the Traveling Instagrammer

Instagram is great for sharing vacation pictures, but we’ve discovered the greatness of turning those pictures into awesome souvenirs from our travels! squared.one will print your Instagrams and other photos on magnets you can arrange on the fridge, the filing cabinet, or metal frames on your wall. Or you can turn those photos into picture books, wall art, and cool retro prints to proudly display your Instagramography (which may or may not be an actual word). Great for Christmas or anytime, for gift giving and getting!

PS: Not an Instagrammer? You can upload photos right from your laptop. You can crop out the parts you’d rather forget, too. And everything ships for just $5 worldwide. Unless you spend more than $50. Then shipping’s free!

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Ready for Holiday Shopping? Our last two gift recommendations can be purchased directly through the links provided. Everything else is in our handy Holiday Gift Guide Amazon store below, along with a curated collection of other gift ideas. When you buy a product through our store, we get a small commission. There is no extra cost to you, but it helps us keep travelling and blogging. And for that, we thank you!

Some other gift guides we enjoyed reading from some of our favorite travel bloggers:

• Travel pro Johnny Jet provides one of the best lists we’ve seen yet, with gifts for the art and activity of traveling, over on TravelSmith.com.
• RoarLoad.net: What to Get the Adventure Traveler in Your Life This Holiday Season
• 1Adventure Traveler: 12 Fantastic Gifts for Spirited Travelers
• Smarter Travel: 10 Travel Gifts You’ll Want to Give Yourself
• Chronic Wanderlust: Gifts for Travellers for Any Occasion
• Casual Travelist: Unique Gifts for the Traveler on Your List
• Traveling Well for Less: 25 Great Travel Gifts Under $25
• The Points Guy: 7 Great Low Tech Travel Accessories for $15 or Less – A word on this one: Nobody said travel gifts had to be sexy, and, as the author points out, these are not. But they are useful, and that’s sexy in its own way. (Isn’t it?) Also good if you happen to be the one on a budget, trying to save up for travel!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy a product through these links, we get a small commission but have not been otherwise compensated for our Gift Guide recommendations. All of these products are gifts we would be happy to give. (Or receive!)