Gift Guide for Travel Lovers
It's not too late to find holiday gifts for the travel enthusiast
By Natalie Compagno December 19, 2022
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of Seattle magazine.
Make the new year one of adventure and discovery. If you have travel addicts on your “Nice” list check them off with any of these suggestions.
Travel books make personal gifts that never go out of style.
The Hedonist Guide Stunning Iceland and Magical Venice This exciting new series fuses location advice with coffee table book –practical as well as beautiful. A replacement for those tattered guidebooks stowed on lower shelves out of view.
Captured By the Sea Seattle-based photographer Jessica Cantlin’s latest gorgeous tome provides all the winter escapism your sun-starved friends and relatives crave.
The Hiking Book From Hell Norwegian humorist Are Kalvø takes on the PNW’s trendiest sport. This slim memoir will provide plenty of winter laughter both for those who are entranced or confused by the great outdoors.
Cookbooks featuring international flavors can bring back that perfect vacation with one bite.
Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook Experience 500 years of Jamaican history through its food, from esteemed food writer Melissa Thompson. Then dine on jerk chicken or ackee and saltfish while sipping on a Red Stripe–armchair travel at its most tasty.
Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook Puerto Rico’s vast USA diaspora is covered in depth by food columnist Illyanna Maisonet. Ancestral recipes passed down include ponchos with BBQ guava sauce and flan de queso. Si, por favor.
Travel apps can upgrade a trip with these (free) travel assistants.
Nimi This the first app built to share group travel memories. Track expenses, preview itineraries, and share uncompressed photos without needing to bug people to email, Dropbox, or AirDrop. Its exquisitely designed color mining makes every vacation snap look like a coffee table book cover.
Obi Ride sharing has gotten spendy. Tired of constantly switching between Lyft, Uber, and taxi-hailing apps to find the cheapest ride? Obi does it all for you.
PackPoint Strange but true: there are plenty of travel lovers who absolutely hate packing. PackPoint creates customizable packing lists based on a simple travel questionnaire, plus the weather at the destination. It’s that easy.
Accessories that are cool, stylish and necessary.
Kodak Ultra Mini Portable Projector Screen travel memories with friends or have a movie night on the go. Combine any blank wall and the Kodak Ultra Mini Portable Projector for instant images. This palm-sized projector produces a crisp, bright, high-def image from all the sources: iPhone, iPad, Android, or any HDMI-equipped laptop.
40 Blinks Seattle-based Bucky has been making the best eye masks for years. With such a large variety of eye-catching colors, get one for everyone in your travel crew.
Sony Cyber-Shot Camera Yes, phones have excellent cameras these days. No, it’s still not as good as this slim, affordable digital camera with 8X optical zoom, 20.1MB high-def, and intelligent auto-focus. Pop over to Glazer’s Camera and pick it up for the devoted photography fan.
Apple AirTag Never lose a (deep breath) wallet, car keys, purse, passport, backpack, laptop, remote control, dog, you get the idea….Ever again.
Mohala Sunglasses Stylish shades are on every savvy traveler’s packing list. Mohala Eyewear has gorgeous frames with inclusive shapes to fit all faces and bridges. Even better, each sunglass purchase sends a girl to school at Room to Read Girls’ Education Program. That’s the true holiday spirit.
Travel Foldable Electric Kettle Whether “cuppa” means tea, coffee, or a strong hot toddy, never go without again. This ingeniously constructed water boiler folds almost completely flat, insuring rich, Seattle coffee even in the world’s least-equipped hostel.
Columbus Globe The only thing travel addicts enjoy more than traveling, planning travel, or reading about travel is staring at globes and imagining travel. Columbus Globes are hands-down the world’s most beautiful planetary orbs as art. Treat your favorite geography nerd before Bougainville breaks off from Papua New Guinea in 2027 and spurs the world’s cartographers into action.
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