8 Last-Minute Christmas Gifts For the Travel Buff In Your Life
So you’ve left Christmas gift shopping to the absolute last minute again? What’s new! Luckily, there are a few precious days left to avoid those disappointed-yet-unsurprised reactions from your loved ones. If you’re shopping for a friend of family member who loves to travel, it’s even easier.
Frequent travellers know the value of having a few key items to stave off boredom or make commuting easier. From handheld gaming consoles to smart travel accessories, there’s a lot of fun products out there for any budget.
Read on for our eight Christmas gift ideas for travel buffs.
Aesop Travel Kits
Aesop is the Australian skin care brand beloved by high-end restaurants and your fancy aunt. This seal of fanciness makes it a perfect Christmas gift.
Aesop offers a range of travel kits, such as Departure (including rinse-free hand wash, rosehip seed lip cream, hydrating hand balm and more) and Arrival (including body balm, cleanser and much better shampoo and conditioner than you’ll find in the hotel shower). They’ve also got more lavish packs with names like Vienna, São Paulo and Nashville.
Nintendo Switch Lite Console
Released a few months back, the sleek and compact Nintendo Switch Lite is earning rave reviews from gamers. Essentially a smaller version of the Switch, this new handheld unit is light and streamlined for travel.
The Switch Lite system plays the library of Nintendo Switch games that work in handheld mode. That means a lot of options for passing the hours across the worlds of Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and Pokémon. This is a generous gift, and for that you deserve adulation, but don’t expect to see the recipient for the next few days.
Apple World Travel Adapter Kit
Try not to be jealous of your friend/family member/significant other’s upcoming world tour. The least you can do is make sure their devices are always charged.
Apple’s World Travel Adapter Kit says it all in the name. It’s a set of seven AC plugs that fit different power points around the globe. Simple. No excuses to miss your texts or FaceTimes, then.
GoPro Hero8 Black
Given the $600 hit to your savings, you have to really, really love someone to gift them a GoPro.
The recently-released GoPro Hero8 Black is packed with features for adventurous travellers (who also want to make their friends jealous with high-quality videos). The compact camera can record 4K video at breakneck speeds, and it’s also waterproof. Go on, make a loved one happy with your last-minute largesse.
Sony Noise-Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones
Sure, this one’s also a splurge. But don’t you want to be the hero of your friend’s next flight?
Noise-cancelling headphones can transform the economy cabin experience, shutting out the din of snoring seat neighbours and rattling drinks trolleys. A long-haul flight will never be blissful, but it can be made marginally better with the right kit.
Tile Mate Bluetooth Tracker
There a few things more stressful than last-minute holiday packing. If ‘be better organised’ is perennially on your loved one’s New Year’s resolutions, they’ll probably appreciate the Tile Mate Bluetooth tracker.
With both an app and trackers in various shapes and sizes, Tile Mate is a neat way to find your keys, wallet, phone or even your passport. (Whatever you do, don’t lose that.)
What It Costs: $79.95 AUD for 4
Belkin Portable Travel Charger
Now, we’ll be the first to admit a power pack isn’t exactly the sexiest present. But functional doesn’t always have to mean boring. With a slim and lightweight design that can easily slot into a pocket or bag, this is the kind of Christmas gift that saves hellish travel days.
Lanolips Leave-On Recovery Mask
We all know flying can do very abrasive things to your face. Chapped lips, dry skin, deep eye bags, a weird sniffly half-cold: it’s almost inevitable you’ll feel your worst.
Packed with hydrating ingredients, Lanolips’ leave-on recovery mask ensures you can wake up feeling semi-fine about your reflection in the hotel mirror. It’s also a well-priced Christmas gift for someone on the cousin or casual friend tier.
(Lead Image: Nintendo Switch Lite / Nintendo)
