Travel-Related Gifts They’ll Love Receiving this 2023 Holiday Season
Updated: Oct 6, 2023
No matter the holiday or celebration, gifts tied in with travel are always welcome. They are appropriate for Christmas, Hannukah, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and retirements. And they’re great for a recipient doing anything from a weekend camping trip to a six-month around-the-world cruise.
As the world continues to open up, the pent-up demand for travel is bursting at the seams, making people anxious to book vacations for 2022 and 2023. What better time to gift a travel-related present? I’ve put together a holiday gift guide with five ideas. Whether from one person or several people, these gifts may check off someone on your shopping list.
Candles
Candle scents can invoke memories and feelings. Some of my favorite “travel scents” from Yankee Candles are Mediterranean Breeze, Catching Rays, Poolside Oasis, Turquoise Sky, and Seaside Woods. You can support smaller businesses by looking for candles in a local candle shop, on Etsy, and nearby stores that carry Yankee Candles.
These are to burn at home. Never plan to burn a candle on a cruise ship or in a hotel. If you want the ambiance on a trip, battery-operated flameless candles are a great option.
Gift Bag / Gift Basket
Use your imagination to build a package of items that can be fun, practical, or both. You can pick up pieces at nearby stores or online. The best part is that you can build a bag or basket on any budget. Our article, 49 travel-related items that can be purchased at Dollar Tree is great for ideas and inspiration for a travel gift bag or travel-related stocking stuffers. This is a gift you can make for under $10 on up.
Luggage
I was excited to receive a set of luggage from my parents for my graduation. Afterward, as a young single travel agent, I especially took advantage of it. Luggage can be a fantastic gift.
However, I’ll warn of two conditions on this. First, avoid the too-popular black suitcases or any other that can easily be picked off the airport baggage carousel by someone else thinking it’s their bag. The second condition is to know the preferred style of luggage of the person you are gifting: hard or soft-sided bags, color, and other factors. Luggage is a gift that gets used for years and is thought of each time your family member or friend travels. If luggage is out of your price range, how about a collection of luggage-related items such as matching luggage tags and straps along with TSA locks?
Payment Toward a Booked Trip
If your friend or loved one has a trip already booked, contact their travel agent to make a payment toward their vacation. I’ve assisted clients with this often over the years. A lot of the time, it’s people making a payment toward a honeymoon, but I’ve helped people gift part of other vacations, too. I can type a gift certificate for the purchaser to have something to physically give to the recipient.
A Vacation
This is the Holy Grail of gifts. I’ve worked with:
Employers gifting a trip for an employee
Employees pitching in together to buy a trip for their employer and their spouse
Someone giving a gift to their significant other for the two of them to get away (Tip: Make sure you are booking a trip that’s their dream or your joint dream.)
Adult “kids” put together a vacation for parents
Grandparents gifting the grandkids to join them on a trip (After discussing this with the parents.)
Grandparents or parents giving a travel experience for the entire family
Over the decades of my career as a travel professional, I’ve seen the power of travel. Whether the gift is small and recognizes the recipient as a lover of travel or an entire multi-generation family vacation, it’s hard to go wrong with a gift related to travel.
Happy Traveling!
-Connie