Flightster

5 gift ideas for travel freaks

• by Shannon Albert
• on November 17th, 2010
• 3 Comments

I am a fan of making gift suggestion lists and love traveling so this is a fun post for me. I hope you’ll get some ideas for people on your list or share some of your own thoughts. Here are five of my gift ideas for travel freaks this holiday season.

1. Brookstone’s Travel Comfort Set

I love Brookstone more than the average person but I’ve chosen to just list one item on this list instead of the 12 I’d like to list. The one item I’m listing here is the Travel Comfort Set containing a cozy knit blanket and inflatable pillow. These items are not bulky so they can be packed easily into a carry-on. I’ve always brought along my own blanket but with many airlines charging for blankets, it’s an even better idea now. Some people may also want to take along an eye mask and Brookstone has a few of those to choose from as well (oops – mentioned two products instead of just one. I can’t help myself.).

2. Container Store’s Luggage Handles

The Container Store makes me happier than almost any store. They have many items to choose from but their luggage handles are a very stylish way to make your luggage more easily identifiable. Many years ago when we bought our red luggage, we thought we were pretty clever since we thought it would stand out on a baggage carousel. Unfortunately, many other people thought they were clever and did the same thing. These handles provide an easy way to fix that issue and the label on the inside makes it easy to find you should your luggage get lost.

3. Flip Mino HD Video Camera

Last year, I was lucky enough to receive the Flip Mino HD as a gift and have loved it so much. Flip has come out with a couple of other video cameras as well but this remains the best camera option in my opinion. When you order the camera online, you can customize it any way you want which makes it even more fun to use (mine has a world map design). I recommend getting a tripod to use with it (Flip makes one but any standard tripod will work) and if you want to charge it in the wall, you should get an adapter for that (I just use the built-in USB to charge it on my computer). This camera is so small and easy to use – perfect for just about anybody including travelers.

4. Eagle Creek Luggage

That red luggage I just mentioned? Yeah, it’s gotten old and worn out and we’re looking at buying all new luggage. By far the luggage brand I hear mentioned and recommended the most is Eagle Creek. Buying a whole set at once is pricey but you can work on acquiring the set one piece at a time (or help somebody else acquire it by buying a piece for them). Using the wish list or gift registry options on REI.com can help you let other people know which pieces you would like to get. Tip: signing up for REI’s Gearmail email list will get you a 15% off coupon.

5. Chi Mini Travel Dryer

Anybody who uses Chi products knows two things: that they are very good quality and that it’s hard to live without Chi brand products once you’ve gotten used to using them. The mini version of the blow dryer does not disappoint and gives the same silky result that the regular sized blow dryer does but at a fraction of the price and size. The mini flat iron gets mixed reviews but might be worth considering as well.

There are so many great gifts that travelers would love. What ideas would you add to the list?

Shannon Albert

Shannon loves to share awesome, fun and hopefully useful info that she's collected and to connect with other travel freaks. She loves the planning part of travel as much as the traveling itself. Shannon's background includes working as a web developer and as a digital producer for an advertising agency. She lives in Texas with her husband, 2 kids and dog. New York City is her favorite city. Her blog is shannonalbert.com.