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Holiday time
Whether or not you shop on Black Friday (I don’t, here’s why), you probably still aren’t quite done with your holiday shopping. There are always one or two people on your list who are hard to buy for. If one of those hard-to-buy-for people happens to be a traveler, you’re in luck. You can find gift ideas for travelers all over the Internet, including right here at SoloFriendly.com. Better still, you can buy these gifts online and avoid the mobs in stores. Here, in no particular order, are some of my suggestions for some great gifts that your favorite solo traveler is sure to love, in a range of prices:
- Keurig B30 Mini-Brewer coffeemaker and Mini-Brewer Tote Bag – Allows the traveler in your life to bring great brewed gourmet coffee wherever they go. The coffeemakers run about $80, the tote bags about $20. (You could probably find a suitable tote bag cheaper by shopping around.)
- Plush Neck Pillow – It’s hard to nap on airplanes without getting a crick in your neck or slumping over onto the person next to you, and when you’re traveling solo, that can be embarrassing. I just bought one of these during my last trip, and it was a great investment. It made napping so much easier. These come in a range of styles and prices, but shouldn’t cost more than $20.
- Ruled Moleskine Pocket Notebook - This is the perfect travel journal. I take one with me on every trip to write down my experiences, thoughts, reflections, and other details of my trip (like prices or where I got that great sandstone picture). At 3.5″ x 5.5″, they’re the perfect size to fit into pockets or small purses, discreet, and yet I have never been able to write enough to fill an entire notebook on one trip (and I am a thorough notetaker). Cost: Approximately $10.
- Digital Camera - Or, if they already have a good quality digital camera, consider buying some handy accessories for them, such as a 2gb memory disk, a flash card reader, or a carrying case.
- The XShot 2.0 – This tool helps solos take self-portraits while traveling, without getting their arm in the shot. Cost: Approximately $22.
- Travel Backpack – I love backpacks. I carry one with me all the time, at home and away. They’re so versatile. They make great carry-on bags to stuff under the seat in front of you on airplanes, great daypacks for roaming around city streets, and great hiking packs. I usually have a bottle of water, snacks, camera gear, and a sweater in mine.
- Space Saver Bags - There’s only so much luggage one person can carry, and these little space savers help the solo keep it to a manageable number. With the extra baggage fees airlines are imposing these days, believe me,these can save your favorite traveler some money.
- A Good Book – When traveling alone, there is nothing so useful as a good book to while away the minutes between ordering your food and its arrival, the hours waiting for your flight in the airport, or the days sitting in a lounge chair next to the resort pool.
- GPS Navigator - The downside of driving alone in a strange place is that you have no human navigator to read a map or driving directions to you. The GPS was just made for the solo traveler. The cost of these is coming down (thankfully!), so you can get a decent GPS for under $100.
- MP3 Player - Sure most everyone has one of these already, but maybe the solo traveler in your life could use an upgrade. Next to a good book, these come in very handy to while away the hours of tedium that sometimes accompany getting from point A to point B.
- Solio – The accessory charger for the environmental traveler. It uses the power of the sun to charge your mp3 player, cell phone, and other gadgets. Clean energy, baby! Price runs around $100.
- Extra Minutes/Gift Card for their Cell Phone – You want them to stay in touch with you, don’t you? Make it easy for them with time you’ve paid for.
- Noise Canceling Earbuds – These increase the sound quality of your entertainment device and make it less likely you’ll be bothered by outside noises like a jet’s engines or the crying baby two seats behind you. And they don’t mess up your hair the way headphones do. They come in a range of prices.
- BagRagz - Make sure their luggage stands out instead of looking like every other piece coming off the conveyor belt. Given the wild colors and designs they offer, you’d better be real sure you know the recipient’s taste!
- And if you really want to splurge, there’s this neat little item: iPod DVD Player – The perfect size DVD player for travelers who don’t want to increase the weight of their carry-on bags! Costs about $270.
