We’ve all been there – looking for a last minute gift. And we’re not talking time to run to the store last minute, we’re talking I need a gift NOW last minute!
Check out these ideas for ultra last minute gifts for your favorite travel lover.
Go Digital, Think Tech
Tech is almost always a great last minute gift for travelers and digital gifts can be bought quickly online and sent to anyone anywhere in the world.
A digital gift subscription to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime are all great ways for travelers to get their fill of their favorite TV shows and movies on the road.
Amazon Prime not only lets travelers instantly stream thousands of movies and TV shows, but it also has a few extra perks for travelers, including borrowing a book for free each month from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, and free two day shipping on most items.
An Apple iTunes gift card or a Google Play gift card is also pretty much a no-fail gift. Though it doesn’t win any bonus points for originality anyone glued to their mobile phones or tablets will definitely appreciate them.
Travel apps are also a great way to please your travel lover: Check out this list of some of our favorite, must-have travel apps to get you started.
And did you know that you can easily gift an app directly from your Apple device using your account? Here’s Apple’s guide to sending an app to another user. All you need is their email address. For Google Play you still need to purchase a giftcard however they’re now available internationally so finding one shouldn’t be very difficult. You can find a list of countries you can purchase a Google Play card here.
Get Their Book On
Books and travel go hand in hand. The good news is that e-Readers like the Kindle Paperwhite make it easy as pie to pick up a digital e-book as an ultra last minute gift for your traveler.
Here are a few sure fire picks:
Not a lot of people know about the Traveler’s Handbook series. These are books written by some of the best travel bloggers in their niche, and each one is packed full of great advice.
Fellow travel blogger Jodi Ettenberg’s wonderful Food Traveler’s Handbook is perfect for the traveling foodie.
The Solo Travelers Handbook by Janice Leith Waugh would make a great gift for a traveler heading out on their own. There’s even a Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook, a Career Break Traveler’s Handbook, a Cruise Traveler’s Handbook, a Luxury Traveler’s Handbook, a Family Traveler’s Handbook, and an Adventure Travelers Handbook.
While we’re on books, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts is probably one of the most iconic travel books out there. It’s a great read about long term travel that’s chock full of practical advice.
If your traveler is the practical sort, the new book by Matt Kepnes (aka travel blogger Nomadic Mat) called How to Travel The World for $50 a Day gets great reviews on Amazon.
How to Live a Life of Travel by Derek Earl Baron (aka travel blogger Wandering Earl) is a solid choice as well, both for inspiration and for some real nuts and bolts travel advice.
Take a tour
If your travel lover’s the type who enjoys tours, buying a tour through a well-known company like Viator or G Adventures is a great choice.
G Adventures and Viator are well known companies that offer tours for almost any destination you can think of. If your traveler has a home base, a tour close to home can be a great gift too.
Get Philanthropic
There are a lot of fantastic travel-related charities out there, and a donation to one would make a great gift for the philanthropic traveler.
We like Heifer International (which provides gifts of livestock and training to those in need), Kiva.org (which gives micro loans to individuals in developing nations), and Nothing But Nets (which provides mosquito nets for children in areas with malaria).
Still stumped? What about the obvious?
You knew we were going to go here, and really we have to. If you’re looking for a truly last minute gift, a gift certificate is a quick choice.
And if you put a little thought into it, you can get yourself some great brownie points for a carefully chosen gift, even if you buy a gift certificate. The key here is to think about what your travel lover wants.
The nicest part about gift certificates is that they can be found everywhere from the corner store to every major big box store. Our local grocery literally has a wall of them for seemingly every store across Canada.
If you’re a little stumped on which gift on to get, Amazon.com has done some of the work for you and come up with a good list of travel gear and gadgets, and there’s always the option of an Amazon gift card so your traveler can buy whatever he or she likes.
Outside the gift box
If your traveler isn’t into the material things but you want to help further their travels, here’s a few extra ideas.
Did you know you can even buy flights online? Expedia is a great place to look for baseline fares and getting them accommodation through Expedia, Booking.com or Airbnb is a great choice too.
Looking for a great deal on your next Airbnb? Click on this link to get a $35 USD credit if you sign up with a new email (and we get a credit, too).
LivingSocial, known for finding a good deal, is an option that many people don’t think about as well. You can sometimes find amazing travel deals here.
Do you have any other ultra last minute gift ideas for travelers? We’d love to hear them!
Above photo by Daniela Olivia Avina on Flickr.