Gift Ideas for Travelers

Guest Author - Barb Conley

Whether the people on your gift list are commuters, weekend sightseers, summer tourists or armchair travelers, the possibilities are limitless. Here are some ideas to jump start your shopping imagination.

Travel Journals
Journals provide double pleasure by capturing the experience of the moment and retelling the story for years to come. There are many different kinds to choose from, here’s a sampling.

1000 Places to See Before You Die Travel Journal by Patricia Schultz

Travel Notebook by Eboo – daily log, sketch pages, stationery, stickers.

PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions 2009: The Unique Travel Guide, Planner, Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake! by Jennifer Marx, Dave Marx, Allison Cerel Marx

Wanderlust Travel Journal 5x8 by Tony Liten – record your travels, plus places for ticket stubs, postcards, etc.

The Traveler’s Companion, planner, memory recorder, keepsake storage, etc. by Hello Traveler!

Kids Travel Journal or Road Trip Activity Journalby Galison

Wall Calendars
A nice way to armchair travel all year. Here are a few suggestions.

California National Parks, California Coast, Sonoma County, California Places

Wild & Scenic Oregon, Oregon Wine Country, Oregon Tide Wall Calendar

Vanishing Seattle, Pacific Coast Lighthouses

DVDs
Travel videos are helpful in planning a trip, a great memento of a past trip, and terrific armchair travel. The TravelVideoStore.com has a large selection, including:

Over Washington, a Public Television Presentation that gives a birds-eye view of the lovely scenery and variations of the Washington State – beautifully done.

Oregon Lighthouses The Silent Sentinels, Oregon Waterfalls, Oregon Covered Bridges

Nature Wonders Yosemite Park, Destination Napa Sonoma Wine Country, Dive Travel: The Famous Kelp Forest and Giant Sea Bass, La Jolla, San Diego, CA.

Miscellaneous
This list goes on and on. Great as single gifts or consider making a traveler’s gift basket.

CDs, Books on tape

Subscriptions to travel magazines such as:Sunset Magazine, Northwest Travel Magazine, Oregon Coast Magazine

Book lights,book marks, book plates, gift certificates for books

Games like Oh the Places You'll Go! Travel Card Game by The Wonder Forge, Rubberneckers: Everyone’s Favorite Travel Game by Matthew Lore and Mark Lore and other travel edition games such as Scrabble, Boggle, Yahtzee, Blokus, Chess, Checkers, etc.

Travel scrapbooks, supplies and stickers

Compass or travel clock

Document holders, Space Pack bags, luggage tags, travel jewelry organizer

Car travel accesories like map holders, sheep-skin seat belt covers, cigarette lighter adapters and appliances like an electric blanket, heated travel mug or map reading light.

Restaurant, cafe and snack store gift certificates or make your own snack kit by taking a basket and filling it with goodies for the road.

More Miscellaneous Ideas

Kids Car Organizer XL

by High Road – this looks like it would be a great gift for any kid that car travels for fun or the daily commute. Stores games, activities and snacks, provides a workspace for coloring and so on.

Neck pillows, sleep masks, travel blankets

Traveler road kits with jumper cables, flash light, flares, and so on

Car seat or trunk organizers

Toiletry bags like the LL Bean Personal Organizer

Travel irons and clothing steamers

AlphaSmart 3000, USB Word Processor – battery operated

Astronomy software like Star Gazer 4.0 by Ventura® Educational Systems

Still More Miscellaneous Ideas

Travel items for pets like travel seats, beds, etc. check out www.travelingpetproducts.com

Handheld GPS units

Rolling tote bags and luggage

Noise cancelling headphones

Portable DVD, MP3, and e-book players

Picnic baskets and backpacks, check out www.picnicfun.com for ideas

Binoculars, digital cameras, special lenses for cameras

Pay as you go cell phones w/minute cards

Digital tape recorders

Portable, battery-operated word processors by AlphaSmart w/USB cable for downloading to PC

Travel Gift Certificates

Air, train, bus travel certificates

Gas station gift cards

AAA memberships

Hotel and restaurant gift certificates

Gift certificates for travel stores like Brookstone, The Travel Store, LL Bean, Land’s End, REI, TravelSmith, Ex-Officio, etc.

Specialty Travel Gift Certificates

Day passes or annual memberships to zoos, aquariums, museums, etc.

Certificates for hot air balloon rides, local view plane or helicopter rides

Kayak or bicycle rental certificates, ski lift certificates

Specialty tours like whale watching, wine tours, eco-tours, etc.

City Pass Gift Certificates are good for admittance to popular attractions in a specific city for a specific number of days at discount prices. For example, the Seattle admit one adult package includes the Seattle Aquarium, Harbor Tour, Pacific Science Center, Woodland Park Zoo and either the Museum of Flight or Experience Music Project for $44.00. City Passes are also available for Hollywood, San Francisco and Southern California. www.citypass.com

State Park or National Park Annual Passes

Happy shopping and happy traveling!


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