Around this time, everyone and their flight attendants come up with a list of gifts to buy your travel-loving friends and family. Most of these lists are for first-time travelers (suitcases, packing cubes, passport covers) or for people who travel a lot because they create travel content (new GoPros and other film equipment, selfie sticks, drones).
What about everyone in between?
If you make more than one trip a year, nationally or internationally, you already travel more than the average American. You are part of that. 60-65% of working Americans do NOT use all their vacation days! If you’re reading this and you haven’t taken a vacation this year (or in recent years), let this be the sign to start making plans for 2025! I have another post with suggestions where to travel in 2025 for every month of the year!
But for the vast majority of travelers, we are just that. Travelers. It’s not our first time and for the most part we travel because we enjoy it – not because it’s our job. We already have the basics of cases and chargers, and most of them don’t require the extra frills and whistles for full-time influencers or content creators.
For reference, no, I am not a full-time influencer or travel writer. I don’t work remotely from 9 to 5 and travel with the PTO. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: frequent travelers don’t need STUFF. They don’t want things. If they did, they would buy those things instead of spending all our money on travel. So here are the ACTUAL gifts I would like to receive as a frequent traveler, and what I gift to my other traveler friends!
Airline gift cards
If you really want to surprise your travel friends, you can never go wrong with an airline gift card. I bet your travel friends probably spend their free time looking for travel deals. I know that, because that’s what I do. Flights are usually one of the most expensive parts of a trip, so an airline gift card is the perfect way to make their favorite activity a little more accessible. If you can, try getting them a gift card from their favorite airline – here’s how to make a gift card extremely thoughtful!
If they don’t have a favorite airline, you can choose from some of the most common US airlines, such as American Airlines, as well as airlines such as Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines.
House cleaning services
This is a golden gift for everyone, but ESPECIALLY for travelers. Packing for travel can be extremely stressful, and in the week or two leading up to the holiday, many travelers are busy tying up loose ends at work, between getting their nails done, hair done, planning of their itinerary and searching their itineraries. their closet to ensure they stay clothed during the trip.
There isn’t that much free time on the books to actually clean the house.
Whether they prefer to have their house cleaned before they leave or when they return, it’s always comforting to know they have a cleaning gift they can lean on and help shed the pounds.
Babysitting/pet sitting offers
Of course you can travel with your children and/or pets, but sometimes it’s nice to get away from it all and focus on yourself or your partner. If you are able, it would be a great gift to offer a baby or pet sitter so your friends can have a much-needed vacation without having to worry about child/pet care.
It seems like a basic gift, but it’s actually one of the hardest to obtain and one of the most stressful aspects for travelers. But when their children or pets stay with you, they can enjoy their holiday with peace of mind with someone they trust and care about. Plus, you can continue to improve your relationship with their children/pets!
Local experiences
You know, just because your traveling friend isn’t actively traveling doesn’t mean he or she can’t enjoy the activities they do while they travel. At home. If your friend enjoys visiting museums and cultural exhibits while traveling, gift them a membership to one of their home museums. Look for unique tours or experiences available in their hometown and sign up for them – bonus points if you join in too!
Another fun idea would be to plan (and sponsor) a staycation for them! Often, many of us who love to travel never actually prioritize exploring our own backyards. Who knows, they might stick around (and hang out with you) more often if they fall in love with their own city.
Family/friends trip
Last, but CERTAINLY not least, if you want to give the perfect gift to a travel lover… give the gift of travel, but include it! This may take some coordination, especially with the hectic schedules most of us have right now, but planning a trip for and with your loved ones is such a caring display. Not only are you getting something you know they would love, but you are also giving them the most precious thing of all.
Quality time.
Depending on how many people this trip will include and the different travel styles and interests everyone has, booking a cruise is the safest bet. They are quite affordable, accessible to different physical and mobility levels, and offer numerous activities and excursions suitable for all ages!
