Throughout the year we try to keep track of things that catch our eye, and we put them here all in one place. Knock your holiday shopping out quickly and spend the rest of your time planning your next trip! Happy Holidays everyone!
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Along for the Trip’s Family Holiday Gift Guide
For the National Park lovers
America’s National Parks are near and dear to our hearts (check out our page here). If you have someone on your list who feels the same, then this collection is perfect!
59 Illustrated National Parks
We picked this book up this year during our visit to Rocky Mountain National Park and it’s amazing. Anderson Design created old-school WPA posters for each park and paired them with a bit of history and tips for planning your visit to every park. Permanent coffee table book.
National Parks of America: Experience America’s 59 National Parks (Lonely Planet)
This is a book that we’ve recommended for a few years now. It’s a great reference for planning a trip to the parks with solid tips and info. The beautiful photography will have you flipping through ’til the end.
National-Park-Inspired Blankets from Pendleton
We’re in love with Pendleton’s National Park collection. From warm wool blankets to hiking socks, each park in the collection is designed with a unique palette of colors and designs. Pendleton has been making woolen goods in the USA for over a hundred years, so it’s quality stuff. If park-chic is a thing, Pendleton is on point.
Choose from these parks: Acadia, Badlands, Crater Lake, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Olympic, Rainier, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Yosemite. Shop by park collection here.
For the Harry Potter fans
Harry Potter: A History of Magic
One of our family’s Harry Potter highlights was visiting the British Library for their exhibition of Harry Potter: A History of Magic. Now through January 27th 2019 you can see this exhibition at the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library in New York City! Surprise your favorite muggle with tickets to the event here.
If you can’t see it in person (or even if you did already), bring the magic home with this official companion book to the exhibition. It covers all the cool history, relics, artifacts, and folklore that stokes our muggle fascination with magic.
Best of all, it includes J.K. Rowling ‘s notes, drawings, and manuscript snippets, detailing her process for creating the world of Harry Potter.
Platform 9¾ Color Changing Umbrella
Ward off the rain with this color-changing umbrella from the official Warner Brothers Shop. The graphics change to full color once the rain starts – perfect for a Harry Potter walking tour around London.
Harry Potter Dopp Kit
This Harry Potter Dopp Kit Bag will keep all of your toiletries and sundries nice and neat when you travel – no sorting hat required.
For the Roadtrippers
Kindle Fire HD Kid Editions
We’ve gotten to the point where our Kindles are a must for road trips. They’ve held up well and the kids like them. These Fire HD Kids Editions are pretty much kid proof.
50 States, 5,000 Ideas: Where to Go, When to Go, What to See, What to Do
A while back we reviewed this book. Just like the name suggests, it’s full of great ideas and places to visit – perfect for planning a great road trip through the USA.
The Hobbit on Audiobook
Audiobooks are a great choice for road trips, and this past summer we got hooked on them. Check out our post on The Great American Read for some inspiration, then try Tolkien’s The Hobbit to get you started. Also consider giving a membership to Audible. We are really enjoying ours.
For the Sightseers
Give a CityPASS or GoCity Card
CityPASS and GoCity cards are perfect for getting the maximum amount of fun out of a city for the best price. If you know someone who’ll be visiting, get them a card! The cards don’t activate until the recipient visits their first attraction, so these make a great stocking stuffer!
CityPASS Destinations
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Houston
NYC
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Seattle
Southern California
Tampa Bay
TorontoGo City Card Destinations
Boston
Cancun
Chicago
Dubai
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Miami
New York
Oahu
Orlando
Philadelphia
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
Shanghai
Sydney
Washington DC
All California
All Florida
For the Shutterbugs
Polaroid Snap Touch Camera
Our daughter loves taking travel snaps with her Polaroid. It’s a fun way for her to capture memories, and the instant gratification of a Polaroid is cool.
SanDisk Extreme Pro Memory Cards
Extra memory cards are a photographer’s best friend. They’re also small and relatively cheap, so stock up! These SanDisk ExtremePro cards are fast and work well.
Gift Certificates from Shutterfly
Give the gift of travel memories with a photo album from Shutterfly. We try to make one for each trip we go on. They’re easy to make, and are a fun way to document your epic family vacations. Send your friends and family a Shutterfly Gift Certificate here.
Camera Sling Bag
Our current camera bag is shot, and the more gear we take with us means we’re looking for a better solution to carry it all. For days spent exploring a city or playing in a theme park, we’re looking at switching from a typical case to a sling-type case.
This affordable bag from Amazon carries just enough gear to get the job done, flips around for quick access to the camera, and has an integrated rain cover (great for dealing with the afternoon showers in Florida theme parks).
Camera Gear Backpack from LowePro
For day hikes and longer treks through a National Park, we like this Backpack from Lowepro. It’s got lots of pockets and cubbies for extra lenses, a loop for securing a tripod, and a built-in rain cover.
For the Globetrotters
Kalya Underseat Carryon Bag from eBags
This year we purchased our first underseat luggage, and it’s a great way to stay organized, maximize space, and skirt baggage fees. Be sure to check out our guide on underseat luggage here to help you decide, but we settled on the eBags Kalya. It pairs perfectly with our eBags TLS carry-on and the integrated USB port is clever.
GoToob Travel Tubes
Don’t get stopped at security because you have too many liquids. Put it in a GoToob and forget about it. They’re sturdy and easy to refill.
Shampoo Bar and Tin from Lush
Start eliminating liquids altogether and travel with a shampoo bar from Lush. They lather great, have nice scents, and help you sleep easy knowing you helped keep plastic bottles out of our oceans. They’re handmade and animal-friendly also. Grab a tin to keep it in and you’ll be all set.
Noise-Cancelling Headphones from Bose
Bose has carved out quite a niche in the headphone market, and frequent travelers swear by them. One of the keys to restful long-haul travel is a quiet airplane cabin, and these Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones will help you find that bliss. No crying babies. No snoring seatmates. Just quiet.
Keep an eye out on Black Friday/Cyber Monday for deals on Bose headphones. There are usually several deals to be found!
What did we miss?
What are some of your favorite item your family travels with? Let us know in the comments!
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