Last Minute Gift Ideas for Travelers
Its t-minus two days until Christmas. Already we’ve hit the “too late to ship” (without taking out a second mortgage) point. But maybe you’ve procrastinated (like me) or perhaps you have been busy with your own travels (either wrapping up time for business travel or hitting the road for your own leisure). Meanwhile the gift card sections at the local drugstores and groceries are starting to look a bit ransacked – not a Vanilla in sight and many other popular choices are thinned out. No worries – I have you covered with a few of my last minute gift ideas for travelers!
I have referral relationships with many of these merchants and may earn commission or product credit if you shop via my links.
Priority Pass Membership
Priority Pass is like having an airline club membership on steroids. Domestically in the US it offers access to many United Clubs and independent clubs where one can enjoy free wifi, complimentary food and beverages, and comfortable seating away from the airport hustle. Internationally, it opens the doors to even more options. I like the mid-range membership that includes 10 visits a year which is about how often I would utilize it.
Subscription to ExpertFlyer
A gift certificate to ExpertFlyer buys the frequent traveler in your life twelve months of premium access to flight availability, seat maps, upgrade availability, and other “agent only” information for most major airlines. I’ve raved about ExpertFlyer before – for good reason – this subscription pays for itself with the first flight cancellation or major vacation award booking issue as the traveler can see what the agent sees on his/her screen. This is my most valuable travel tool!
Wines from Naked Wines
Naked Wines is a customer funded winery where young aspiring winemakers can produce and market their own wines. Many of these talented producers work by day for heavy hitting wineries – but your recipient can try their wines for a steal!
Send a voucher and your recipient can customize their own case.
Graze Snack Boxes
These are great for the traveler on the go and can be customized for personal preferences or dietary requests. I’ve shared my love for Graze before – I always have their snacks in my purse! At only $6 a box, this is a great way to deliver a fun gift on a tight budget.
Next Issue Subscription
Nothing is better for a long flight than a new magazine – except unlimited new magazines on your iPad or tablet! Next Issue lets users download all the latest and greatest reading material for one low monthly fee. Best of all, you can start your user out with a free 60 day trial to be sure they love it… and then pay the fee later. (This is great if you are cash strapped now but want to give something good!)
Sample Box or Curated Collection Subscription
I’m a sucker for sample boxes – I love having travel size toiletries I can toss in my bag for a trip and subscription services keep me in steady supply. Ipsy is only for women but Birchbox offers both a mens and womens service – and you can start a gift subscription for as few as three months. Your recipient can customize their preferences to receive what they’d like and the box costs are, at most, $10 a month. You can read my side-by-side comparisons for November as well as prior months.
StitchFix is a curated personal shopping service. A gift certificate to StitchFix would allow your recipient to receive 5 fashion items to try on at home. The styling fee for the box can be applied to the cost of any items kept. You can read my October review as well as prior months to see how I’ve liked the service (my next box arrives next week!)
Kiva
Want to give a gift that keeps on giving? Gift Kiva credit and your recipient can participate in microlending to a deserving entrepreneur in a developing country. I have given many Kiva loans over the years as a part of the Milepoint lending team – together our team of frequent flyers had loaned over nine million dollars (that’s NINE million dollars!) since 2012. The team will hold a raffle at FTU in Dallas in April as it works it way to passing the ten million mark in 2015.
I hope this gives you a few last minute gift ideas for travelers. Merry Christmas Eve eve!!!