The Christmas season has snuck up on us once again, stores across the U.S packing away their half-off Halloween decor and putting up mini-Santas and red and green ornaments as fast as they can, not giving us much time to transition into the gift-buying season.

If you are one of those people who consistently buy all their Christmas gifts late each year, we understand (no really, we do). If you are one of those who like to plan ahead and carefully decide who gets what when Santa rolls around, then good for you, we envy you (no really, we do).

Either way, whether you are shopping well ahead of time or you are scrambling for last-minute gift ideas, if you are shopping for a travel lover, this list is your new Godsend. Just call us your travel gift gurus, because we’ve got you covered!

Here are our top 5 choices in Buy and DIY for gifts this holiday season!

Buy:

• A TRIP
  Okay, so we didn’t actually count this one in our official list count, but if we are being truthful, the first thing that comes to mind as a really excellent gift for a travel lover is a trip itself. This is a pricey option to give as a gift, however. If this seems like something you would really like to gift this year but don’t quite have the funds, consider starting a savings account or mason-jar-travel-fund for your wanderer. This will both motivate them to save themselves and give other family members the option to pitch in and help out (plus you’ll still get the credit for starting it!).

• Globe/Wall Map
  If you know a travel-lover, you probably know they have a hoarder-style collection of travel memorabilia somewhere around their house or office. If they don’t, even better, you can start one! There are several different styles of decorative and useful globes and wall maps, the pair of them together with our top choice for what to buy for your travel lover this year. For something funkier try finding a large corkboard map outline, then put push pins in the spots your traveler has been.

• Home Decor
  Home decor to us is a little different than just your average globe or wall map. If you really look around, you can find almost anything to decorate your home with, travel wise. From lampshades to bedspreads, shower curtains to actual window curtains, the internet has it all! Our favorite find recently? The handmade-looking patchwork map quilts (look on our Pinterest). They are both gorgeous and timeless.

• Jewelry
  Now obviously this choice is more geared for the female travel junkies in your life, but it is a great option nonetheless. There are several different gorgeous options for travel-centric jewelry today, from globe earrings to map outline necklaces. There are even rings with city skylines or the engraving of the date of your special trip on them. You can propose to the one you love with a trendy travel ring, or just show the special women in your family how much you care with a sweet city skyline necklace (our current favorite!).

• Scarf/Gear
  We’re sure you’ve seen something travel clothing-related floating around the interwebs lately, whether it's an all-in-one travel jacket with more pockets than you can count on both fingers or it’s a stylish new travel hat that folds into a pillow. Okay, we actually haven’t seen that last one, but what we have seen is a trendy new travel scarf, an in-style neck warmer and passport/money holder all in one. The best part? No one will even know your valuables are in there.

• International Adapter
  If the person you are buying for travels across seas a lot then you may want to consider something a little more practical, like an all-in-one adapter or charger. There are several high-tech options for power banks, solar chargers, and international adapters online and in stores around the U.S today, so this one won’t be hard for you to find (and if they are serious travelers, they will really love it!).

DIY:

• Shadow Box
  The internet is obsessed with this idea right now, and so are we. Making your own shadow boxes as keepsakes for special trips is both sentimental and beautiful, something any travel lover, male or female, will enjoy seeing hanging in their home. We suggest buying the most simple stock shadow box, decorating it to make it more themed to the trip or the person, then filling it with ticket stubs, tokens, flowers, anything small and memorable you picked up in the city, plus of course a few key photos. Treat it like a 3D scrapbook, and make it personal to their experience.

• Travel Kit
  This idea is another one of those more practical ones, but again will be truly loved if the person you are buying/making for is a true travel junkie at heart. Of course, you will have to buy the things to put inside the travel kit, but putting it together and customizing it is half the fun with this option. Make a kit based on what the person you have in mind does the most, whether it’s rock climbing in the desert (first aid gear, high energy snacks, water, cold packs, etc) or flying for business (games, Dramamine, snacks, travel pillow, earphones, etc).
  

  Pixabay Public Domain

• Luggage Tags
  This is a newer trend we are seeing, both online and in the airports, that we fell in love with. It is probably true that the person you are buying travel gifts for flys quite a bit, and it is probably true that they have either lost their luggage or have been with someone else who has. That’s why we think this idea is perfect for DIYers, a chance to make a personalized travel-ornament meant to both help the traveler and look great on their suitcase. The sky's the limit when it comes to your design and creation method, so have fun with this one!

• Journal/Photo Book
  While you can just go out and buy any old stock image travel journal or photo book, we think it is way more heartfelt and good-looking when someone makes their own. Like many things on our DIY list, this is something that gives you the chance to personalize the item to that specific person's liking, making the cover a photo of their last trip or favorite weekend getaway spot. This provides an overall better chance they are going to use the gift and keep it well into their traveling years. Our bright idea with this suggestion? Modge podge an assortment of ticket stubs and travel photos to the cover of a basic diary or journal. The collage-effect will be personal and funky.

• Passport Cover
  This is a newer thing we have seen on the internet and airports recently as well, a new design trend for passports that ranges anywhere from intricate map leather work to simple photo covered cases. The plain fact is that any avid traveler has a passport, and any extremely avid traveler uses it often enough to want to protect it from further damage and also make it stand out from others, a personalized way of ensuring it won’t get lost or mistaken for another.

 

For more details on each of our choices for top gifts for travel, lovers head to our Travel Gift Pinterest board here. There are multiple examples of each option listed! Be sure and follow us on Pinterest and Facebook for more!