Gifts for Travelers Part 2: Travel, Sustain, Plan

This is the second of two quick lists of travel inspired gifts. They are quick, because I thought of making them kind of late and most should be pretty easy to pick up at the last minute.

The second list (this list) is all about gift cards (purchased and homemade), donations and ideas for next year. The first list is books and is here.


Gift Cards:
To purchase or create

If you have the means to send someone to Italy for a week, by all means go for it! If an entire trip isn't exactly in this year's budget, you can at least help them along. Here are some options:

A lot of travel providers now offer gift cards. Some can be emailed or printed at home, making them perfect for last minute gift givers! Here are some examples: American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, Jet Blue, Hilton, Hyatt, Amtrak, BedandBreakfast.com,  and Travelocity. You might also want to take a look at Gift Certificates.com

BE CAREFUL! Make sure read the fine print. Some of these cards come with a lot of rules, for example Hilton Cards cannot be used to make a reservation and Amtrak Cards cannot be redeemed online...

I recently wanted to help send my mom and step-dad on a trip. I love train travel and they aren't huge fans of flying, so I was very excited that Amtrak offered gift cards... until I found out that you can't use them online. Our local station is only open from 11:00 pm - 6:30 am. A little inconvenient. Not too mention, I was having a hard time trying to decide what denomination to buy, so they could purchase a ticket without spending too much of their own money or ending up with an awkward balance left on the card.

In the end, I decided to create my own Gift Certificates for them. The gift certificate included a certain dollar amount and free travel planning (by me!). I love this idea, because you can really personalize it. Plus, if they don't spend it all, I will give them the balance to spend on cab fare or a snack in the dining car.

You can Make Your Own using anything from, Illustrator to Microsoft Word to paper and markers! Best of all you can make them at the very last minute if you need to.

Another option is to buy a generic gift cards from a credit card company such as American Express or Visa Gift Cards. Visa even offers "Travel Money." You can tell them, or suggest, that it's for travel, but they will be able to do what they want with it. It's more flexible, but not as fun as the other options.

 

Vintage Mother's Day "coupons" -
not travel, but still...

Note: If you decide to make your own certificates, be sure that you follow through and make sure the recipient won't feel weird about cashing in. I usually only give these to my close friends and family. I know they will take me up on it! 

I've been making certificates (or coupons) for my Mom for years. She keeps them all and she usually waits a while to cash in. I think I'll call her now and make a plan for a Matinee!


 More Gift Card Ideas

Valentine's Certificate for Todd

Gas Card for road trippers
Cooking Class at a destination for foodies
Restaurant at a destination for everyone
Spa Treatment at a destination for pamperers
Place Specific Experiences like hot air ballon rides, zip-line tour, sunset cruise, a picnic, a gondola ride etc.


Donations
Most travelers that I know travel because they appreciate and want to experience other cultures. Helping sustain these cultures is important to these folks.

I like giving to Heifer International. Their mission begins "Heifer envisions… a world of communities living together in peace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet." (complete Mission here)  and they make is really easy! You can buy and print gift cards online. Great for last minute.


Here are some additional global ideas: Doctors Without Borders, Riders for Heath,  Red Cross, unicef, Nothing But Nets, The Girl Effect and Global Giving 

If the person you are buying for has a connection or love for a specific place, consider looking into ways to donate to that area, especially if it has recently suffered an natural or man-made disaster. Examples include: Cinque Terre,  Haiti, Japan, Joplin and New Orleans. 

This is just a small sampling. Please comment if you have suggestions!

Next Year

Campari Soda bottles.
Image from this cool website:ninainv

If you are traveling in 2012, consider picking up unique small items for gifts. I am not talking souvenirs so much as something about the place. Traditional cookware, handmade jewelry, and unique food items are fun examples. as long as they will travel and keep. I would love it of someone decided to that I needed an assortment of Campari Soda bottles!