After all the cancelled flights, postponed bucket list trips, and long weekends that have been tentatively rescheduled for sometime in the future, 2020 has left us with a serious case of wanderlust. If you’ve got any travel lovers in your life, we’re sure they’re feeling exactly the same.
With the holiday season coming up, now’s a great time to remind them of all the adventures yet to come with a travel-inspired gift. Things are a little different this year and whilst it might not be quite as easy to think of great gifts for the traveller in your life, you can still choose a thoughtful present that will help transport them to their favourite place and make them feel connected to the world.
We’ve rounded up our favourite holiday gift ideas for travellers who are stuck at home right now. It’s time to get excited about exploring the world again in 2021!
Homesick candles
Do you know someone who’s missing their favourite place? Maybe they’ve had to miss out on their annual trip to NYC, or they had a once-in-a-lifetime trip to India planned that’s had to be postponed.
Homesick candles are a great alternative whilst they can’t get to their destination, with smells that will instantly transport them to that place. There’s a candle for every US state, as well as ones that evoke the smell of specific cities and far-off destinations.
World wine subscription
We all know someone whose favourite part of any holiday is sampling the local wines. If that’s your friend or family member, they’ll love a wine subscription that sends wines from all around the world directly to their door every month.
Bright Cellars is a great option, as the recommendations are tailored to the recipient’s personal tastes.
Propolis spray
Over winter, we could all do with a bit of a boost to our immune system. Propolis has a wealth of germ-fighting properties and contains over 300 vitamins, minerals and compounds, making it the ultimate natural remedy.
This one from Beekeeper’s Naturals is also super easy to take on the move and is TSA-friendly, making it perfect for chucking in hand luggage for on-the-road immune-boosting when it’s time to travel again.
Calpak power luggage tag
This power charger is a fantastic choice for getting excited about travelling again. A sleek luggage tag that doubles as a powerful battery charger, it’s a must-have for long airport stopovers, and it also means there’s no need to worry about losing juice when getting snap-happy while you’re out and about with a camera phone.
The CityRadio
One of the best parts of travelling is soaking up the sights and sounds of your destination. While we can’t help with the sights, The CityRadio from Palomar is a great way to tune into the sounds.
It connects live to 18 different radio stations around the globe, from Athens to Tokyo — perfect for travellers who are missing the whole wide world.
Smartphone UV sanitizer
When travel is on the cards again, it’s essential that we’re all more hygiene-conscious than ever before. This phone sanitizer-cum-charger is the perfect two-in-one gift for keeping a phone and other small objects clean whilst on the move.
Polaroid Hi-Print pocket printer
If you have a friend who loves to take photos on their travels, but never bothers to print them off, this is the ideal gift for them. A handy pocket-sized printer, it instantly spits out high-quality photos on self-adhesive photo paper.
It’s perfect for popping in hand luggage to print off those spontaneous snaps of their favourite people, places, food and views — and until we can travel again, it’s a sweet way of rediscovering their local area and capturing all its best angles.
Antibacterial film mask pouch
Along with a passport, camera, currency and guide book, a face mask will be an essential travel item when travel resumes in the near future.
This antibacterial film mask pouch makes a great gift for anyone with a trip in the works — and it’s even better when paired with a printed or patterned reusable mask, like these map-print masks.
A future adventure
The other wanderlust-inspired goodies on this list are fantastic, but nothing will excite your travel-obsessed friends and family quite like that trip they’ve been dreaming about all year.
Whether it’s a local weekend escape or an epic vacation abroad, a future travel experience is the ultimate gift for the adventurer who can’t travel right now.
