My Annual Gift Guide
I love doing this post every year! As always, this gift guide includes things that we like and use. It’s not based around affiliate links or obligations to brands I’ve promoted or anything else. Enjoy! And if you’ve found amazing things that have made your travels easier or more organized, please let me know!
A Perfect Carry On Backpack
BUILT hired me this year to promote its travel backpack. I have a closet full of backpacks I like, but their version looked a little different so I accepted the partnership. I love this backpack! My campaign ended in August, yet when I traveled around the world in September, and then headed to Italy and Ireland in October, I traveled with their pack, and I’ll travel with it again over the holidays.
The BUILT pack is different because of all of its pockets. It’s by far the most organized I’ve ever been on airplanes! I love the front (soft) drawer for electronics and cables, the laptop pocket works well, and I have pens, toiletries, my passport, books and snacks all in different areas. Seriously, this backpack rocks.
Merino Wool Travel Clothes
I’ve been loyal to Unbound Merino for three years now. Their shirts have held up remarkably well (except for the one our cat ate), and they’re still my secret to packing light. Most of my trips this year were carry-on only, with just a couple shirts regardless of trip length and activities. Their new active line (shorts and a t-shirt) were my go-to outfit for cycling in Japan, hiking to a beach on Crete, kayaking, working out and anything else where I expected to sweat. And even then their clothes never looked dirty or smelled. And it’s perfect for any climate. I wasn’t hot in an Unbound Merino t-shirt on the beach in Zanzibar, yet the same shirt kept me warm on planes and was a perfect base layer for Antarctica. Super comfy too. Absolutely perfect!
Purchase direct. Use my code TRAVELBABBO10 to save 10% on your first order.
A Drone
My son is the drone pilot in the family. He travels with it sometimes, but mainly he uses it for class projects at school. He’s had a few drones over the years and right now the Veeniix V11 is his favorite one to fly. He loves the long battery life and how fast it is. It’s on sale right now for 40% off pre-Christmas.
Purchase direct. It’s also on Amazon but it’s more expensive.
Hybrid Flashlights and Head Lamps
We use flashlights and head lamps all the time and have several of each. The problem is that if they’re battery-powered, we then have to take extra batteries traveling or camping, and if they’re rechargeable, we worry about running out of power – like when my kids are going on night hikes in the Channel Islands with their schools. So I love the hybrid lights from Infinity X1. Charge them via USB, but then also use batteries if you want as a backup. They’re super high quality as well.
The Alps and Wonder Year
The Alps is my favorite coffee table book this year. I love that it covers the Alps – the coolest things to do and places to stay – in every country that the mountains go through, organized by country. There are some luxury properties, but there are also a lot of boutique hotels and perfect mountain lodges. It covers all four seasons as well. A perfect gift for those who love mountains and Europe!
Purchase from anywhere but Amazon! Bookshop.org is a good place to start.
And Wonder Year is absolutely brilliant for anyone you know who’s thinking about taking a year (or more) to travel the world with their kids. It includes literally everything that you need to think through before and during travel, like schooling, what to do with your house, what to pack, put in storage and give away, and lots more. This is NOT us – we’ve never taken a year to travel. But I still loved reading this book. It will give you the confidence to head off on a life-changing adventure.
Purchase from Bookshop.org or wherever you buy books.
Chocolate
I include chocolate every year. We love dark chocolate without emulsifiers (the fewer ingredients, the better) and are constantly trying new chocolates from around the world and then stocking up on our favorites. Some of our favorites from past years have gone way up in price, so we were excited to find Fortunato Chocolate based in Washington. Their standard 68% Dark is excellent, and it’s priced WAY below chocolate of similar quality elsewhere. We found their 1.1 Pound bar to be awkward to cut up and eat, but their Dark Chocolate Squares (with cocoa nibs and sea salt) and their Mini Squares are great, and a bizarrely good value. And when we ordered Almond Butter, my daughter finished off the jars so quickly (mainly spreading it on apples) that I never had a chance to try it!
Purchase here (not an affiliate link). Thank me later!
OluKai Slippers
I’ve posted often about how much I love OluKai. I’ve worn their sandals for well over a decade, and love their other shoes as well. But I’m including slippers here because I never really wore slippers before trying OluKai’s, and I now live in them. In Antarctica I took several pairs of shoes, but I ended up wearing my OluKai slippers 100% of the time I was on the ship – even when there was fresh snow on deck. They’re warm, they’re comfortable, and they have outdoor soles so you can run around town (or a ship) in them.
A Perfect Carry On Suitcase
When our kids were small we checked bags 100% of the time. We were traveling with diapers, car seats, strollers and more, and we didn’t want to be those people, holding up TSA lines with all their stuff, or losing track of things. But as our kids have gotten older, we’ve transitioned to carry-ons as much as possible. This becomes easier once kids can be trusted to look after their things – our kids pack their own bags and carry their own bags.
My 17-year-old daughter loves her Rollink carry-on and wanted me to include it in this holiday gift guide! It collapses for storage, but then expands for trips. And it’s hard-sided – I don’t know many hard-sided bags that can essentially fold flat!
Prana
If Unbound Merino makes it, I live in it. For everything else (swimsuits, rain jackets, jeans, khaki shorts and more), I default to Prana. I’ve been wearing and traveling with their clothes for 10+ years now and they never let me down! They have frequent sales so I rarely have to pay full-price – be sure to sign up for their email list to find out about sales.