Sustainable Gift Ideas For the Traveler in Your Life

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Hands up if you feel like you don’t need more stuff this year? Yep, I thought so. I don’t know about you, but I’m almost overflowing with stuff. Stuff I will never use, never open and never wear. When it comes to gift giving we are so busy looking for new stuff for the people we love. Great gift ideas, something that they really want. But in a day and age when a lot of people rent instead of own a place, and have smaller living spaces, we don’t have room for infinite stuff. But what if you could give a meaningful gift without creating more waste? Enter my guide on sustainable gift ideas for travelers.

What can you get for someone instead of more stuff?

There are items that I sometimes need, practical items that are great to give and receive as gifts. But what else can you do instead? Every year at work I organize a holiday gift exchange in the office. Last year someone came to me with the idea of a “Nothing New” exchange. You can craft a gift, bake it, re-gift it, or get something from consignment. Anything but buy something brand new (with all the fun plastic packaging it comes with). While I’m not sure everyone’s going to be happy with my burnt cookie attempt, it got me thinking about what other great ideas there are for people that don’t involve buying more stuff, or buying sustainable items instead.

Experience gifts are the best sustainable gift ideas

I have been a big proponent for experience gifts for a while. I love doing fun things. Things I wouldn’t usually do in my day to day. My boyfriend Jeff and I always make each other a card for our birthdays or Christmas. Instead of spending $6 or more on a Hallmark-or-similar cookie cutter card that we’ll throw away in days, we put thought into making one. We have also always got experience gifts for each other, something we can do together.

We’ve booked cooking classes, painting nights, dining events and trips or small getaways. We do this every year for our birthdays, and for Christmas we usually get one or two practical gifts and then some experience gifts. I’ve started doing experience gifts for other people too. My parents visit me each year in Canada from the UK. Since I don’t see them very often, I would rather book an activity that they will remember than something they’ll put in a drawer and forget about. When I have an upcoming trip with Jeff we will plan activities for each other as gifts.

What to get for those who have everything?

There are lots of things you can get for people, but today I want to talk about some of the useful, more practical sustainable gift ideas and travel items. And of course some fun experience gifts to look at for the travel obsessed person in your life. Here are my top picks for the ultimate gift giving guide.

Cheap flights or a trip

I’m not suggesting you book round the world tickets for everyone, but cheap flights are often a great gift idea for you parents, kids or significant other. In Europe there are amazing cheap flight deals. Weekend flights to Paris, Rome or any other European city. I’ve managed to get some great deals, like last winter when I headed to Estonia for the Christmas markets.

In North America there are cheap winter breaks. My friend and I found return flights to Las Vegas for $145 CAD per person in January. And in the same month there were some great deals to Hawaii for $400 CAD per person, so we booked 10 days in Hawaii for June. Another option is to book a road trip somewhere if you want to be even more environmentally friendly. Find somewhere close by enough to drive to and plan a weekend away or longer. *Be aware of COVID restrictions and check into airline cancellation policies before purchasing

Hotels and accommodation

If you’re booking a flight or a road trip, you might want a hotel to go with it. Or maybe you’ve already booked your flights but find an amazing hotel you just need to book and surprise someone with. I have a couple of go to places for cheap hotels. The first is back to Skyscanner as they often also have hotel deals. The other is booking.com which is usually my top choice for booking hotels. Or how about a staycation in your hometown his year?

Some of the top hotels I’ve stayed at in the last year:

• Fox Hotel and Suites in Banff, Canada
• Sunline Paon Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam
• Fairmont Empress in Victoria, Canada
• Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Alberta, Canada
• The Westin Copley Place, Boston
• Lotus apartments, Luxembourg
• Fairmont Orchid, Big Island of Hawaii

Travel luggage

Luggage and backpacks always come in handy for people who like to travel a lot. Invest in a nice day backpack, or an overnight bag for those trying to keep luggage to a minimum. Herschel bag company has some amazing backpacks that look great, and are also practical.

For those who don’t feel like they can make it all fit into a carry on bag, I get you. I always struggle. But the good news is Herschel also sell beautiful suitcases for the chronic over-packer in your life.

Dining experiences

Whether you’re going on vacation, or staying at home, I love giving food experiences as gifts. My number one favorite thing is a fancy Afternoon tea. Sure, it’s a British thing, so you might want to try it while you’re in London. Especially if you get the chance to go to one at a palace like this Kensington Palace Royal High Tea. There are fun dining activities like this Naples dining experience using companies like EatWith which pairs you up with locals in the place you are visiting to both make and eat traditional foods.

Then my favorite of all the dining experiences, the cooking class. I’ve done a cooking class in Thailand and this one in Vietnam while on vacation and in Vancouver a couple of times too where I live. Recently I took an Italian cooking class that Jeff gifted me for my birthday. So much fun! Saving money? Why not cook someone their favorite international meal for dinner for their birthday at home?

Beer tours and wine tours

If cooking isn’t your thing, but drinking is, then I have great news for you. There are craft beer tours in most cities now, and I always look to take one to try some local beers. This one in Vancouver was one of my favorites. It’s a great gift for someone visiting me in Vancouver, or if we just want to try some new breweries ourselves. I am not a big wine drinker, but there are definitely great regions to try some wine tasting. California, Ontario, British Columbia to name just a couple. France and Italy if you’re over in Europe.

Re-usable water bottle

When you’re out and about during the day it’s time to get eco-friendly too. Instead of using a bunch of plastic bottles and throwing them away, get a nice water bottle for someone as a gift. It’s one of the most sustainable gift ideas (and one of the cheapest). They have so many different kinds now, different designs, colors and styles. All are so much better than single use plastic though. Try this sleek, Titanium sports water bottle which is light and easy to carry around, but strong for lots of outdoor activities and traveling. Or if you want something a bit more whimsical (or for the kids) then this cute penguin style stainless steel bottle is perfect.

You might be buying for someone who is going on a more outdoor adventure getaway. Then you could take a look at a water purification system that they can easily take with them. Perfect for hikes, camping trips, and traveling to places that may not have the cleanest of water. This water filter with water purifier straw is a great gift.

Book a weekend getaway

If you’re like me and live in a city, getting away from it all might seem like a wonderful idea. Last winter I booked a weekend cabin getaway for Jeff and I as his birthday gift. We didn’t go far, only just outside of Vancouver to the little ocean-side community of Sechelt on BC’s Sunshine Coast.

But it was a wonderful weekend, staying in a cute little cabin in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by trees, with a wood burning fireplace and a reading nook, it was just the getaway we needed. I found a great little unique travel-themed cabin on Airbnb that I would recommend to anyone. Sign up with Airbnb to get a credit to use on your first stay and/or experience.

Re-usable straws

Whether I’m traveling or at home I never go anywhere without straws. I live in Vancouver which is an incredibly green city, and a lot of restaurants have banned them. Others have them on request only, and the better ones have paper straws they offer. But since I can’t always guarantee it, I usually bring my own.

Paper straws like these ones are fun because you can get lots of cute and zany designs. I don’t mind them if I’m having a smaller drink that won’t take too long to get through, and they’re great gifts and stocking stuffers.

But if you have a tall drink or if (unlike me) you’re a slow drinker then your paper straw can be mush before you get through your drink. So I do love the stainless steel drinking straws. Great for the environment, re-usable, dishwasher safe and they now come in a variety of colors and sizes. My favorites are the rose gold looking ones like these ones. The packs all come with a brush and a handy bag so you can clean them if you need to on the go. 

Travel activities

So you’ve already booked a trip away somewhere and you want to book something fun for your family member or significant other. When I went to Thailand I gifted Jeff with a snorkeling adventure since I knew he wanted to try it. When we went to Whistler I booked us a snowmobile tour as a new fun activity.

For my birthday last year Jeff booked us a trip to Little Italy in Vancouver and we did an Italian food tour which was all the carby goodness I didn’t know I needed in my life. Amazing, and we learned a bit more about our own city too. Speaking of getting to know your own city, I booked this Vancouver walking tour for my parents when they came to visit and even booked it for a work social activity for my team. Great to learn a bit of history, and I’ve done the same kind of tours in other places too.

Language course

If the person in your life likes to travel, they might be planning a big trip. Maybe somewhere they don’t speak the language. A great gift would be a language course, either online or local to you. I did a Mandarin class in Vancouver which was a lot of fun, and have studied other languages online if I’ve been planning a trip there.

Then there are those who are thinking of a great way to travel but still work. Why not teach English abroad? That’s what I did, for 2 years in China. Read more about my experience here. In order to be able to teach in China I took a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course with i-to-i, which is easy to do online. For someone who wants to travel and work this would be a great gift. Especially someone looking for a gap year. And it’s the perfect gift they can take advantage of at home.

City tour

Back to fun things you can do when traveling, and a great gift if you know someone who is going somewhere. City tours. They can be walking tours, but also those big hop on/off bus tours. When my parents plan a trip now I know my Mum has a lot of trouble walking long distances. This is a great way for her to get around and also get a bit of a tour. We took one in New York, and I booked this one for them when they visited Brussels.

Although some bus tours are not cheap, there are others that have great deals. I’ve found it’s sometimes a good idea for day one of a trip while you get your bearings in a new place. Especially if that place involves a lot of walking. Most of these tours have multiple routes, night tour options, and one day, two day or more options.

Travel themed and sustainable subscription boxes

You’ve seen the Youtube videos of people unpacking snacks around the world. Doesn’t it look fun? Why not get someone who likes to travel (and eat) something as sustainable as it gets? A big box of international goodies! Universal Yums gets my attention every time. Who doesn’t want delicious food delivered to their door?! Check out their subscription boxes here. 

Then there’s Earthlove which is a sustainable eco-conscious gift box supporting small businesses, vegan and ethically responsible lifestyles. Just look at some of the nice things they offer.

Travel photo shoot or photo walk

There are the people who like to be behind the camera, and those who like to be in front of the camera. For those who are a little camera shy, but still like to take photos when they’re traveling, I would recommend a photo walk. I took one in Boston when I was there, and the photographer took us around the city showing us the best way to use the light, the skyline, and the crowds to make the perfect shot. It was a great beginner lesson in photography. Here’s a great tour in Morocco that includes a guide and photographer to help get the most out of your trip.

If you or someone you know is planning a trip somewhere special, look into hiring a professional photographer for a photo shoot. Most cities and popular vacation destinations have them. You can usually book a couple of hours with a photographer at one or more locations to get photos. It could be your friend or relative who is traveling solo, your parents who are traveling somewhere they’ve always wanted to visit. Or maybe even your sister or brother who are having their first family vacation. Check out vacation photographers on Viator for your chosen destination.

Choose eco-friendly and sustainable gift ideas

With the amount of waste that the holidays can bring, and all the packaging involved in buying a lot of products, I think it’s important to do our part and try to find more sustainable gift ideas. Whether that be something more practical, something made with environmental impact in mind, or an experience that you can either give or share with someone. Personally I’m excited to find new sustainable gift ideas to give each year, and the more new experience gift options there are, the more creative I am able to become. Find the perfect gift for someone you love this Christmas, birthday or anniversary, and reduce the single use plastics and non-environmentally friendly products that will sit in a drawer somewhere.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media links below. What sustainable gift ideas do you use for your travel-hungry loved ones, or those who try to live more environmentally responsibly