For me, December is the absolute worst time of year to go shopping. There are just so many great things around I just want to spend spend spend!
I made a travel gift wish list last year of all the things I was wanderlusting over and I thought why not do the same this year.
As it’s Mad Friday, here’s a collection of products that I think would make any traveller happy:
1. Travelogue
When I first saw this I had no idea what it was. But it had the word ‘travel’ in it so I knew it was worth a closer look and I’m glad I did. The Travelogue pack contains a lined journal plus a range of scratch maps to log where you’ve been.
This is a great gift if you know anyone who’s off on a round the world, it’s even got space to keep any collected bits whilst your away.
2. Happy Jackson travel wallet
Happy Jackson is a range I found at Selfridges, and their stuff is great for gifts. They have something for everyone. Last year I included a Crumpler travel wallet which I loved because the zip keeps everything safe. But I can’t help but adore this one:
I love all the sarcastic little lines on their products!
3. The perfect book for people who love stylish travel… and cats
So this ones my wild card. If, like me, you love travel and cats, then this book is a goodie.
If you don’t already know Choupette, (every cat lover really should) she is the feline companion of the very amazing creative Director of Chanel Karl Lagerfeld.
‘The Private Life of a High-Flying Fashion Cat’ is a look into Choupette’s lifestyle. A chic gift for cat lovers and it gives an extremely unique perspective on luxury travel.
4. The Manchester cookbook
The Manchester cookbook was released back in November and it’s been a real hit already. It features guest recipes from a number of well-known chefs such as Simon Wood, Aiden Byrne and Simon Rogan as well as food from local producers and suppliers from all parts of Manchester.
It’s a fabulous collection, a perfect gift for anyone, not just Mancs. For people like me who only eat halal, I love that there are featured dishes from restaurants that we wouldn’t normally be able to eat at but now we can attempt to recreate them at home. Such as the ‘twice cooked lamb’ from Iberica.
Keep a lookout in the near future for my attempts at recreating a restaurant dinner at home using The Manchester Cookbook.
5. Travel-inspired wall art
I love my wall art. We tend to buy a piece every time we go away but there’s always the odd painting or poster I fall in love with online.
I came across Airport Tag on a tweet by the Travel Bunny (a fab travel blogger you really should be following) and I absolutely loved it! There’s not too much on there, but the stuff that is there is pretty cool!
This airport code poster is one of my favourite pieces. I just think it looks fab! great addition to a travel bloggers office space… and the best bit is MAN is on there 🙂
If ordering from the UK make sure you check all the terms regarding shipping.
6. GoPro
Lets be honest, who doesn’t want a GoPro these days? This thing is everywhere because they do exactly what they say on the tin. I don’t own one myself (yet) but Mo and I took my sisters for a test run when we went to Rio and we had lots of fun with it.
The perfect addition to an adventurers kit list. It’s so small and nifty and there’s enough attachments and features available to keep gadget lovers busy for a long time.
7. A paper plane necklace
Just to clarify I don’t mean a necklace actually made out of paper. I came across this piece over summer and fell in love with it. The beauty of this sterling silver paper plane is definitely in it’s simplicity.
A charm to offer luck and freedom, this is a sweet gift for anyone who’s planning to jet off and explore.
8. Something for the memories
A huge fan of keeping travel mementos and creating scrapbooks, I was introduced to Project Life by a dear friend at work as an easier way to create albums. It really is quite revolutionary. For anyone who wants to create a handmade album but without all the months of hard work, Project Life is definitely the way to go.
The albums themselves are beautiful and come in different sizes and all the internal photo pockets are pre-organised so all you have to do is slip your photos in and get yourself a quirky accessory pack to jazz it all up with. Simples! I particularly love this travel themed card pack:
9. Books, books and more books
This time last year Mo and I were in Thailand and faced with a number of challenges but without a doubt the most useful thing we packed were the Kindles we received as a Christmas gift from our fab friend Z.
I was against them for so long, sad that we were pushing aside the good old paperback but I have to be honest they are one of the best things since sliced bread. The screens don’t give you headache, saves space when packing, fits into almost every bag and at least this way we’re also saving paper. Win win 🙂
10. Last but not least… the gift of travel!
Not saying you need to fork out for an entire holiday package (although that would be nice) but there are plenty of holiday voucher cards available.
Ryanair offer a gift card that starts from 25 quid and on this budget airline that could easily get you a return flight to somewhere like Amsterdam or Oslo. I know lot of people have a love-hate relationship with Ryanair, but for anyone wanting to travel on a budget it’s the best way to go.
There are some amazing travel gift lists knocking around on other blogs too:
The Travel Hack – Travel Hack’s Christmas Wish List
Always a firm favourite of mine, this year Monica has a whole series of lists for all types of travellers. Love the ‘experience’ one.
The Planet D – Favourite Holiday Gifts for Travel
Came across this list on twitter and it’s got some fab suggestions. I love the ‘smart envelope’ for wrinkle free shirts!
Any other fab travel gifts I should be purchasing??