Gift Guide for those who love to travel

I think that we all have those people in our lives who love to travel, always appear to be travelling or else are just about to head away to go travel the world. It can be difficult to know what to buy as you don’t want to get them something that they won’t use while away but you also want to get them something for Christmas so it can be a tough one! I have done a lot of travelling over the past few years so I thought that I would share a Gift Guide for those who love to travel of things that I thought could be useful and a great gift.

So up first are some useful technology bits and pieces;

1. I know I already mentioned wireless headphones in my Gift Guide for Him but these Sony wireless noise reducing headphones will be the gift probably most used when your loved one is away – especially if backpacking in noisy hostels!
2. When I was travelling one of my worst fears was that I was going to lose all the photos that I had taken while travelling – s sturdy external hard-drive like this LaCie Rugged one should last a few knocks without breaking.
3. As great as smart phones are I always find that their batteries are not so great so a portal charger would be a fantastic gift. While you could pick one up for €10 that will charge the phone 1-2 times, I think it is worth paying a little more for an Anker charger that will charge the phone up to 7 times – depending on where they are travelling they may not have access to constantly charge the charger.
4. If the person is planning on visiting different countries then the power points may differ depending on country so this Swiss Travel Charger should cover them in most counties.

The Bigger Ticket Items

Okay – so there are some bigger ticket technology items that you can purchase for the intrepid traveller, you may need to talk to them about them first to see if they will use them but here we go:

1. A good travel laptop – take a read of this Forbes article to get a better idea of what they think a good travel laptop should do (they are certainly more the expert than me.
2. As you know the GoPro camera is one of the best cameras out there for filming on a small piece of equipment and if the person is adventurous then a GoPro Hero 4 could be the way to go (there are different models so do look around)
3. DSLR Camera – if the person loves taking photos then a Nikon DSLR will certainly step up their game. Do shop around on these and see what you think they will use and what lens they will need etc. Personally the D3200 has been great to start with.
4. A Kindle is a good idea if the person loves to read-  they can down load loads of books but this is so lightweight and convenient that they will barely notice it in their bag.

And now for some more non-techy items (well mostly non-techy);

1. A silk mummy liner – these can be invaluable when travelling – especially if staying in hostels
2. SteriPEN – if travelling around areas that may not have the cleanest water this portable water purifier may be a good idea
3.  Packing Cubes – I love these!! Sometimes while travelling it can be a slight relief to feel organised.
4. These Mini-Emergency Kits are adorable – but also so functional. They would be perfect for friends who love to go away at the weekend and are available in so many patterns.

And lastly – something not to buy though you may think very practical… a travel plug! This is something that is recommended so many times and even when I worked in an outdoor retail store colleagues of mine would recommend it to backpackers – but honestly I ask all you backpackers – when was the last time you actually went ‘oh no, I forgot the plug for the sink’?