With Christmas just around the corner, hopefully you have your major holiday shopping done by now. If not, don’t fret. We’ve got you covered! We always seem to be looking for small, last-minute gifts for our family, and we’re here to help you find that perfect gift to cross off your list this year.

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For the Kids

This is a pretty easy one – make it fun, and don’t let them get bored. These will help. The rest of the adventure is up to you!


Amazon Kindle Fire – Our two kids have these, and we don’t go anywhere without them. They’re a great way to pass the time on all kinds of trips, and are nice and slim so they’re easy to pack. Our kids are bookworms, so this keeps all their tomes in one place.

Card Games

Card games work pretty well on trips because they are easy to pack, and you can use the tray tables on trains and planes to help you out. Here are a couple of our favorites.

Uno and Phase 10 – AftT Favorites

 

 


Reusable Stainless Steel Straws – I know our kids would love these! They’re good for the environment, and best of all, they won’t collapse when you’re trying to suck down a milkshake. Important details folks…


Polaroid Snap Instant Digital Camera – Do you have a budding photographer in your family? This modern Polaroid camera will make it super-fun by letting them save their pictures digitally on an SD card, but also print out 2×3 prints right from the camera, Polaroid style. How fun is this!?!

For Mom and Dad


Kindle Paperwhite – The Paperwhite is a solid e-Reader and great for travel. It packs easily, holds a charge for weeks at a time, and holds a ton of books.


Belkin Mini Travel Charger – Make sure you have enough outlets to charge your electronics when you’re travelling with this travel charger. With a slim profile and a couple of USB ports thrown in, it’s a solid choice.


Canon PowerShot G9 Point and Shoot Camera – We’ve been really happy with our little Canon point and shoot. This one is a step up and at 20.2 megapixels, it’s no slouch. It can shoot in RAW, is super-slim and lightweight, and takes fantastic photos. It also comes in black, but I think the silver/tan is pretty swanky.


eBags Ultralight Packing Cubes – Packing cubes are great. When they are ultra-slim and light, they’re even better!


Portable Luggage Scale – Don’t get caught off guard at the airport and get charged an outrageous fee for a bag that’s too heavy. This portable scale will pack easily and you can weigh your luggage an rearrange before arriving at the airport. Because nobody wants to see your unmentionables scattered around the check-in desk while you try to rearrange everything…

For the Adventurer

If you know someone who likes to be outside, then here are a few things they’ll be grateful for. I personally own the first two, and a version of the third, so I know they’re useful. Make up some home-made granola to take on their hike, and you’ll be their holiday hero.


Camelback M.U.L.E. Hydration Pack – This is  a great pack and one that I use for skiing and short day hikes. I love it because it’s slim, holds lots of small gear like flashlights, granola bars, maps, money, etc, and also has a 100 o.z. water bladder in it. It also comes a few other colors. Love it.


Packtowels – Packtowels are great because they are super-absorbent, dry quickly, and pack easily. They are great for camping, but also for travelling in general. They come in all sizes and different materials, so choose what works best for you. Tip: the small ones work great for wiping sweat away on hikes or hot summer days.


LED Headlamp – These are really useful for so many things, but when you’re trying to set up a tent in the dark, you’ll wish you had one for sure. This one gets great reviews and is only eight bucks. #winning

For the Road Warrior

Traveling for work can be a blessing or a curse. Here are some gift ideas to make things a little easier for the person who is passionate about good hotel wi-fi and closing the deal in the morning, so they can make it home for dinner.


eBags Professional Weekender – If you need a backpack to store lots of gear and gadgets, this is the one. In fact, if we needed to buy a new one for the kids as a carry-on, this would get a serious look. It has lots of pockets to keep things separate and will also fit over the handle of your wheeled carry-on bag which is great for navigating airports in a hurry.


GoToob bottles – 2oz, TSA-approved bottles for all your shampoo, conditioner, etc. If you don’t want to give up your regular stuff for what’s in the travel isle at your local Wal-Mart, give these a try.


Travel Organizer for Cables and Accessories – This clever case will keep all your cables and electronics accessories neat, and will keep you from unpacking a tangled mess by the time you get home.

Just For Fun!

Fill-in-the-country Cork Globe – I love this. It’s a small globe made from cork that you can put pins in, but you can also color in the countries that you’ve visited with a marker. Small enough to fit on a desk or coffee table, it’s sure to be a good conversation starter.

National Parks of America: Experience America’s 59 National Parks (Lonely Planet) – I love coffee table style books with great pictures. Who doesn’t, right? Since we here at AftT have U.S. National Parks on the brain this year, I thought this would be a good one.

Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel: Our List of the 500 Best Places to See… Ranked – This one sits on our coffee table at home and is the one book that has recently instilled the most wanderlust of any other. Tremendous book, and a great one to flip through and daydream.

Wide Angle Lens for Camera Phones – If you want to have a little fun with your mobile phone and take your photos up a notch, try this wide angle lens attachment. It’s an inexpensive way to improve your photos when travelling light.

Tiles – These are a cool way to keep track of your stuff. They attach to key rings, or you can drop them into a bag, stick them to a laptop, or slip into a wallet. If you lose something, use the app to track it down. Smart.

Movies to Inspire Travel

Buy the versions with the digital copies and then use the code to unlock the movie on your favorite provider (iTunes, Amazon, etc). Also, the Disney ones can be synced to Amazon so you can download them easily on your Kindle devices. Perfect for the kiddos!

Happy Holidays!

From all of us here at Along for the Trip – thanks for reading! Hopefully this will help you make the holidays fantastic for a special traveler in your life.

Be sure to also check out our guide to choosing the best carry-on luggage!

 


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