It’s almost Christmas! Having a hard time coming up with gift ideas? Here’s a few off the top of my head for the traveler in your life:
Christmas Gifts For The Backpacker In Your Life
Stuffa One Wearable Carry-On
Cheap flights are not too difficult to find these days. With SecretFlying being a thing, and using the sites I listed in the 4+1 Websites for Booking Cheap Flights post, you should spend less than 100$ on a majority of your flights that don’t cross an ocean. Of course, most of these flights are on discount carriers where there is always a catch. The most common trick being the 70$ baggage fee that accompanies that $12 flight you booked to Paris. This Stuffa One vest is the solution to that. It wears comfortably like a normal Back to the Future vest, but it has 16-22 packable pockets that can be packed with up to 5kg (11lb) of clothing. Sure packing it full might trigger a second screening from the kind people of the TSA, but they aren’t the ones charging baggage fees.
ICONSPEAK Traveller Shirt
You may have heard of this one a few years ago as its initial release stirred up some major buzz among the top news and travel outlets including CNN, Today, and Lonely Planet. The ICONSPEAK Traveller Shirt has 40 pictographs that help you to communicate in any country without speaking the language. Whether you need to use the bathroom or are looking for some WiFi this shirt has you covered. It probably wasn’t worth the original $60 price tag but it has dropped in price considerably and now offers an array of customized colors and styles for different travelers.
GSI Outdoors Spice Missile
Take it from someone living in the Czech Republic, some parts of the world just do not know how the hell to spice their food. I hardly consider myself a foodie, but I’ve lost count of how many times it has been abundantly clear that the only spice in the house was salt. The Spice Missile is a pocket-sized game changer. I really wish I had heard of such a thing when I was preparing for my 9 month journey around the world a few years ago. A small bottle of Tabasco was the only thing that kept me satisfied in the case of a culinary emergency.
While the GSI Spice Missile is great for backpackers, it is indeed quite small. So if you are camping you may be better off going with the GSI Outdoors Spice Rack or the BlenderBottle GoStak Twist n’ Lock Storage Jars.
Pakems
Pakems are the simply best. I mentioned them in a previous post but they are absolutely worth mentioning again. Pakems are foldable shoes with rubber tread that weigh 15 ounces and come with their own little carrying bag you can strap to the outside of your backpack. They are a little goofy looking but they are ABSURDLY comfortable. I brought a pair of the low-tops to the Himalayas and after every day of hiking they were an absolute godsend. While writing about them last time I got inspired and decided to throw more money at their company. I now own two more pairs.
And One For The OTG
LampChamp Light Socket USB Port
So 99.9% of the population will never find themselves in a situation where this gadget is remotely useful. But the fact that you’re even reading this makes me think that you (or someone you know) may be that remainder heading off the grid this year. It is important to know that many times hotels on the beach in SE Asia or huts in the Himalayas are not wired to have functional power outlets in the bedrooms. In fact, in some cases where opportunity has been recognized you are asked to pay a fee to use an outlet on the premises. This handy little device will make sure you can keep your GoPro batteries full and your iPhone functional for the duration of your time away from civilization.
If you have any other great gift suggestions for travelers I’d love to hear about them. Shoot me a message or leave a link below.
Mike Risser
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