‘Tis the season of both gift giving and travel – two of the most rewarding, yet stressful, activities. I am here to make things a bit easier for you, with my guide to gift giving for the traveler in your life. Whether you are shopping for a friend who loves to travel, or your shopping for yourself, I’m here to help!
This list was generated based on years of taking long cross-country flights, and spending a significant amount of time away from home.
Have a trip coming up? Drop your destination in the comments section below! I want to hear where everyone is headed to this holiday season! I just got back from living and working in Madagascar, and am enjoying some much needed quality time with my husband and three dogs. We are all road-tripping from North Carolina to Boston for Christmas!
AWAY Luggage
I’m sure you’ve seen the ads on Instagram – but if not – here it is, the luggage of your dreams. Trust the public opinion on this one, this luggage company has gotten it completely right. Sleek, compartmentalized, durable, and fully functional – this luggage can even be personalized, making it the perfect gift this holiday season. It is a bit pricey, with the carry-on size costing $225 and the ‘bigger carry-on’ costing $245 (including the ejectable battery pack) – but it will last the test of time!
Kindle Paperwhite
My kindle comes everywhere with me when I travel. I use my kindle in transit and during my vacations and work travel at any given opportunity. It is incredibly small and lightweight, and holds more entertainment than I could possibly need on any given trip! I recently shared My Top 10 Kindle Reads of 2019, which include hyperlinks to all of my favorite books I read this year to download to your own kindle device! Amazon is selling the kindle paperwhite for only $99.99 right now!
Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled Duffel
If you are looking for something a bit more “rugged” than the AWAY suitcase, this is the bag for you. I have the 100L wheeled duffel, and that baby has come with me all over the world. Most recently, I brought nothing but that 100L duffel to Madagascar with me, with everything to last me 2 whole months. It is tough, water-resistant, and fits more than you think it would – costing $349!
I also highly recommend adding the Black Hole Cubes to your shopping cart – I brought THREE of these with me on my last trip (2 large and 1 medium). They organized my toiletries, electronics, snacks, and dirty laundry. They are easy to clean, and keep everything super duper orderly! They range from $29 – $49, depending on size.
BEIS Cosmetic Case
A fashion icon of mine, Shay Mitchell, started her own travel line and oh-em-gee it is beautiful. I have several items from this line (the cosmetic case, the passport holder, the luggage tag, and the weekender tote to name a few), but my favorite takeaways are the cosmetic case and passport holder. These are fantastic and affordable gifts to give the traveler in your life! The passport and luggage tag set is a reasonable $34, while the cosmetic case will run you $58.
BLAQ Eye Mask / WANDER Eye Mask
One thing I can assure you is that you are not likely to deplane as refreshed and rejuvenated as you might have felt boarding it. Flying significantly dehydrates the human body, and during long flights with intermittent sleep, the bags under your eyes are going to scream ‘I’M EXHAUSTED’. If you want to avoid that – either of these eye masks are for you! I always keep an eye mask handy to apply as we prepare for landing! There are lots of under-eye masks out there, but I prefer either the BLAQ Hydrogel Eye Mask ($29 for 5-pack (on SALE for $19 right now)) or the Baggage Claim Gold Eye Mask from WANDER ($25 for 6-pack).
Hydro Flask / YETI Tumbler
Those under-eye masks are only one part of the re-hydration equation – you absolutely must drink lots and lots of water during airplane-travel. I prefer either my Hydro Flask (I carry the 32oz wide-mouth bottle) or my YETI Tumbler (I carry the 26 oz).
Care to supplement your hydration game? NUUN tablets are my favorite way to give me a hydration (and caffeine) boost when needed. NUUN tablets are the perfect stocking stuffer, too, costing you only $7 per bottle!
BOSE Wireless Headphones
My husband gifted me these BOSE Quiet Comfort Wireless Headphones a couple of years ago, and I will not fly without them, no matter how much space I am trying to save in my carry-on. Does anyone else hate the ambient noise on an airplane? These are the comfortable solution to your attempts to drown out any and all background noise on an airplane. I personally believe you cannot put a price on peace and quiet, but these are on SALE on Amazon right now for $279!
Biolite 5+ Solar Panel
Have an upcoming camping trip or know someone who does? I used my Biolite 5+ solar panel every single sunny day in Madagascar to recharge my phone (and other devices as needed)! It is super lightweight, effective, and holds charge really well! Biolite has some other really awesome camping / solar power generated devices, and I encourage you to check them out!
A Blonde Escapes 
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