The Best Travel Companion Gifts.
The very best gift for your traveling companion is time spent together. However, a thoughtful travel gift is always appreciated. Here, we present some of our favorite practical travel gifts. Tried and tested, we travel with all of them. Truly, we do!
Our Top 5 Practical Travel Gifts for the traveler in your life.
We love gift giving, any day of the week, especially when choosing something for the traveler in your life. Whether a part-time traveler or living the travel lifestyle, here are our travel must-haves!
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Bose Headset.
Bose noise canceling headset is still at the top of our practical gift guide. Why? Because we wouldn’t travel anywhere without them. They eliminate the constant shhhhhhhhhhhh noise you hear while flying, make it possible to listen to in flight entertainment, and aid in eliminating noise from fussy travelers. Plus, when you get to your destination, you’re all set up for doing video, podcasts or attending your Zoom meeting. Bose makes all of this better. In fact, Bose makes it great!
I was clueless about the value of a noise-canceling headset for many years until I found myself seated next to a gentleman who proceeded to put on a headset. He noticed my inquisitive look and offered to let me try them on. I had no idea! It was so peaceful and restful, if only for a few moments.
Whether at home or in the skies, Bose goes with me. My latest are a beautiful silver color, are very comfortable and come in a compact travel case. Check out the latest Bose out here. We think they are the ultimate ever-so-practical-and necessary travel gift!
Gift’s from SCOTTeVEST.
SCOTTeVEST scored high with our readers in our “Pickpocket” blog post which you can view here. Jack particularly likes the multi-function, multi-pocket Q.U.E.S.T vest! Yes, that is exactly what he received as a birthday “travel” present. Now, it goes everywhere with him.
SCOTTeVEST is a quality travel clothing company. I love their tagline of “It’s not rocket science, it’s pocket science.” Designed to carry all the gadgets tech gear you want with pockets to spare. Whether male or female, SCOTTeVEST has something to suite every style and taste. Here is your link to all things SCOTTeVEST!
Travel Gifts for everyone from Columbia!
We simply couldn’t imagine traveling without Columbia. It was a surprise to us to discover that 90% of our travel clothes are from Columbia. There are so many items we can recommend because we have them ourselves! Plus, if you shop off-season, the savings are tremendous. And, Columbia alway seems to be having yet another great sale.
We like Columbia because the quality is there, the clothes wear and perform well, they are E-Z to wash and dry and the pricing is very reasonable.
Check out the winter sales event for men and women on Columbia. Jack and I both have the 3-in-1 interchangeable jackets and love them. You can check out one of the men’s jackets here and women’s jackets here. For more men’s travel gifts from Columbia, click here.
For women, the choices are just as inspiring. A must have is a raincoat. There are many to choose from, but I like the Women’s Arcadia II Jacket. Pants, leggings and slacks are easy case, breathable and stretchy. And their assortment of tops is excellent. Any one or combination of these warm tops will make a very travel gift this season! I wear them traveling, hiking, shopping or even sometimes just lounging at home.
Carry on luggage.
Whether traveling now or in the future, a gift of carry on luggage is always welcome. Plus, if your travel companion (or you!) have been trying to downsize your travel gear, carry on luggage gets you headed in the right direction.
With all the choices in luggage these days, our main considerations are suitcase weight, durability, and cost. More and more airlines are weight restrictive, making a lighter suitcase highly desirable.
Most all suitcase companies have a “light” line but be sure to check the “specs.” Some manufacturers advertise lightweight luggage which is anything but. As a point of reference, try to keep your “lightweight” selection below 6 lbs.
Samsonite has their Lite-Shock and Cosmolite lines that are all super light. As their name implies, Aerolite has several affordable lightweight carry-ons and Travelpro has a nice softside lightweight offering. Any one of these makes for a nice, practical gift for you or your favorite traveler.
A few years ago, I treated myself to a Black Label Lite Shock 20″ Samsonite. While it is on the pricy side, substantial discounts can occasionally be found on sites like Amazon. My purchase was made at an actual Samsonite store. The suitcase was on sale plus my AARP card got me an additional 20% discount!
The clerk only mentioned it as I appeared to be leaving without the suitcase. Make sure to ask about this if you are in a store looking at luggage! I’ve never heard of an AARP discount before but it made the purchase “doable!” It is super light, easy to manage, and keeps me from “over-packing.”
“Comfortable” Travel Gifts.
If you’re Boomers like we are, maybe some items to make flying more comfortable would be appreciated by your travel buddy. We fly with a host of “comfort” items which are enumerated here in our “Travel Lifestyle” blog post. If your travel companion is like Jack, he may not personally seek out these items but will appreciate them when the time is right. (ie when he’s sitting uncomfortably in an airplane!)
This is a comfortable travel pillow/blanket combo which I like and your travel companion will too. I use it both as a pillow and support for my lower back. The blanket has been a lifesaver on numerous occasions. I recently bought this set by Proglobe, and am now in love with memory foam items. If I didn’t already have a blanket and neck pillow, I’d certainly consider this memory foam neck pillow and blanket by Worlds’s Best!” Who wouldn’t love these as gifts?
This Cocoon Inflatable Air Core Travel Pillow comes highly recommended, by ME. It’s perfect when sleeping against the airplane window. You will find several different varieties here.
My final favorite recommendation is the Thermarest Lite Seat. This ends up being used by one of us on most flights. I also used it for my back while on a very uncomfortable water taxi in the Galapagos. Sit on, lean against, or use for your back, it does it all. If you only want one thing, get this!
An eclectic mix of travel gift ebooks.
If you’re just looking for a different kind of travel gift, may we suggest a couple of ebooks? After all, a Kindle is small enough for even your carry-on. But, these are not your “normal” travel guides. Read on.
In October, 1972, an Uruguayan Air Force airplane carrying a rugby team crashed in the snow covered Andes. Alive by Piers Paul Reed, is the true story of how 16 of the original 45 passengers managed to survive until they were rescued 10 weeks later. It is an incredible story of determination, courage and the sheer will to live.
Jonathan Franklin’s “438 days” is a mind-blowing incredible read about Salvador Alvarenga, who left a small Mexican fishing village in November, 2012 for a two day fishing trip. He ended up adrift at sea for 14 months, after encountering a violent storm. What he did to survive is beyond comprehension. He finally washed ashore on the Marshall Islands, 9000 miles away, in January 2014. I couldn’t put this one down!
If you occasionally feel travel is too hard on you, reading Laurence Gonzales’s book, “Deep Survival“ may put things into perspective. This fascinating book is a journey through several different disasters, and how split second decisions or one wrong decision can send the best laid plans into chaos. Even better, the author analyzes these events, and comprises the “12 rules of survival.”
Have you ever heard of the Mongol derby? Neither had I, until I chanced upon “Rough Magic-Riding the World’s Loneliest Horse Race” by Lara Prior-Palmer. This unbelievable race involves riding a succession of 25 wild horses across 1,000 kilometers of Mongolian grassland. This race recreates the horse messenger service created by Genghis Khan. At the tender age of 19, the author entered the race. Be prepared for the adventure of a lifetime with this book!
SeniorswithLatitude online store.
Looking for something “Kauai?” Then check out our new SeniorswithLatitude online store here. We’ve only just begun so our product line is (very) small, but take a look if you’re looking for a Kauai clothing. We’re taking our travel photos and putting them on tote bags, crop tops, hoodies and more. We plan to add more products every day!
Happy Travels!
We hope you found something perfect for your travel hero (or yourself) here, or maybe, you’re “the companion” who now has some hints to drop. Either way, we hope you enjoy your travels.
And while you’re here, please sign up in the sidebar to join us in our future travels. Have a suggestion of your own best travel gear? Drop a note below in comments, We’d love to hear about it. Until we meet (again) have happy and safe travels.
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