This was published 8 years ago
Travel related gifts: The best (and worst) Christmas presents for travellers
By Ben Groundwater
Is your favourite traveller going on holiday soon? Buy them a splurge.
'Tis the season to be jolly, which means 'tis also the season to go through the hell of trying to figure out what to buy everyone for Christmas. What do they all want? Who knows? You'll probably get it wrong.
If your family or friends are keen travellers, however, it's easy. With this handy little list you'll be able to knock over your present buying in no time, and get back to the beer and prawns. These are the best – and worst – gifts to buy for a traveller.
BEST
Get 'em a Go Pro or a small digital camera.
Photo fridge magnets
It's a little conceited, but travellers love looking at their own photos, so why not have some of their snaps turned into fridge magnets? There are several websites now that do this (and will post them out to your house when they're done), and it's a great way to help travellers keep in touch with their memories.
A GoPro
Guidebooks are only a good gift if they're digital.Credit: iStock
Anyone in the slightest bit techy, or who has some creative flair, or who just likes carrying a selfie stick and recording their every move, will absolutely love a GoPro. They're small, sleek, and the footage they capture, particularly of anything action-related, is amazing.
A Leatherman
There are about a million jobs a Leatherman pocketknife can do on the road, from running repairs on things like backpacks and hiking shoes to getting the cork out of a bottle of wine. About the only thing they can't do is go in your hand luggage.
A portable charger
Phone battery deaths are pretty much the bane of the modern traveller's existence. You can solve this with a portable charging pack, or, for the really hardy explorer, a solar-powered phone charger.
A Turkish towel
This is more a stocking filler than anything else, but it's a handy one. Turkish-style towels look good, they pack down small, and they're easy to get dry before they go back in your bag. And, like a sarong, they have loads of different uses.
Small digital camera
You don't need to lug around a gigantic DSLR these days if you want really high quality photos. Brands such as Canon, Panasonic and Sony have now released pocket-sized cameras with full manual controls and excellent image quality. For travelling photography fans, it will change your life.
Carry-on sized toiletries
Plenty of high-quality toiletries makers now sell their products in sizes that will allow you to take them onboard a plane with you – the perfect gift for anyone who does a lot of business travel, or just likes to look nice when they arrive somewhere.
A splurge
Is your favourite traveller going on holiday soon? Buy them a splurge in their next destination – the kind of thing they'd never think to spend their own money on. Get them a night in a fancy hotel, or a meal at an expensive restaurant, or a massage, or a hot air balloon flight, or anything they'd never normally do. Trust me, they'll enjoy it.
Qualifications
For travellers, the world opens up even more when they're licensed to do new things. So this Christmas enroll your family or friends in a scuba-diving course, or pay for them to get their boat license, or do their solo sky-diving certificate, or get a motorbike license, or take a photography course. All will come in handy on the road.
World scratch map
These are made for kids, but they'll also work for colossal travel dorks – they're world maps covered in gold foil, allowing you to scratch off each country as you visit it. You then stick the map on your cubicle wall at work and sit there waiting patiently for people to walk past and say something like, "Wow, you've been to Cuba?"
A voucher
This might be for something like Airbnb, or Viator, or Uber, or Expedia, or Red Balloon, or Eurail – whichever you choose, a voucher from a travel provider will definitely go down well.
Money
This might just be the ultimate gift. As a Traveller staffer so beautifully put it: money weighs nothing, and it can be used for everything, anywhere. It's not very imaginative, but it sure is useful.
WORST
A chunky travel diary
Many well-meaning relatives will bequeath upon you a gigantic brick of a book that you're expected to lug around the world for a year to record your memories. It's not a terrible idea as such, but fairly impractical. Especially since the invention of blogs.
Guidebooks
Go for the digital ones! Or a gift voucher for Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Hard-copy guidebooks are quickly becoming a thing of the past. They might be good for research before you leave, but they're a nightmare to carry on a long trip, and an unnecessary one.
Travel clothing
Unless your gift-ee is heading to Everest base camp, or trekking for weeks through the Amazon jungle, they're probably not going to need specialty travel clothing. No mozzie-proof shirts, no zip-off pants, no micro-fibre towels, and no wide-brimmed hats. This stuff is all completely unnecessary.
Luggage
In and of itself, this is not a bad idea at all. Great luggage is something you'll value for years. But choosing the backpack or suitcase you love is such a personal thing that it's highly unlikely you'll get it right for someone else. If you really insist on this, it's best to take them down to the store with you.
What do you think are the best and worst Christmas presents for travellers?
Email: b.groundwater@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Instagram: instagram.com/bengroundwater
See also: The cheapest day to fly over Christmas
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