Knowing you, you're a pretty easy person to pick up a present for come Christmas time – 'Just a quiet time with the nearest and dearest' is probably the kind of thing you'd say. Classic you, that.
Then again, it's not you that's got you worried – it's your brother's girlfriend, your #vanlifer aunt and uncle who're spinning their tinsel-adorned motorhome all the way down from Cumbria in the name of a turkey dinner, and – of course – your not-so-little-anymore nephew who's about to jet off on his gap year (hold tight, Thailand!).
So, with the big day looming there's no need to panic, because we've got you covered – here is our annual guide to the best presents for travel lovers. You'll find all kinds of gifts at all kinds of prices, from great value stocking fillers to blow-the-budget suitcase solutions. So, without further ado, here goes...
The best gifts for less than £25
Call us a bunch of Scrooges or call us street savvy, but sometimes the very best gift is a well thought-out item that you can bag on a real budget. So whether you're buying for the office globetrotter in secret Santa, picking up stocking fillers, or just buying the obligatory prezzie for your second cousin Keith, here are a few of our favourite travel-related gifts that you can pick up for a pony or less:
Field Notes
Expedition journal, £9.99
When you're on the road, nothing beats committing all your favourite finds and holiday highlights to paper. There's no better way to do it than with this journal from amazing American brand Field Notes: it's waterproof, it's tearproof and you get three for less than a tenner. Winner winner turkey dinner. londongraphics.co.uk
The North Face
Base Camp Travel Canister Small, £25
Got that family member who thinks they could probably climb Everest, but actually gets the wobbles when walking up Primrose Hill? Yep, us too. This is the gift for them: a cool little washbag that's exactly like the famous North Face Base Camp duffle bag that's seen hundreds of summit attempts down the years. Everyone can dream, they just don't have to dream big. thenorthface.co.uk
Stance
Stormtrooper Snow socks, £21.76
Christmas would be absolutely nothing without socks: 'But what have they got to do with travel?!' we hear you scream. Well, these bold-print bangers aren't just a timely tie-in with the latest Star Wars film, they're fine-tuned to support your feet while skiing and snowboard, too. Not half bad. shore.co.uk; stance.com
Go Travel
Power Bank 4000
We love a useful present. We love a useful present even more when it's bright yellow. We love it even more when it's clever enough to be able to tell what device you've plugged into it, and adjust its power output accordingly. We also love a functional present that's clever enough to do all that for less than twenty quid. go-travelproducts.com
Lonely Planet
Atlas of Adventure, £24.99
Beach holidays: nice in theory, but we know that you get bored after a couple of days. It’s OK, we won’t tell anyone – but we will tell you to go out and by this beautifully put together book. It’s the ultimate travel inspiration – when you’re not reading Escapism, of course. lonelyplanet.com
Bioderma
Gentle Beauty Essentials Kit, £20
Sun, sand and long haul flights all leave your skin in pretty poor shape, so wrestle back control with this travel-sized gift set of skin-soothing solutions. For just twenty quid, you'll bag a top-notch facial cleanser, some hand and nail cream, a moisturiser and a mini shower gel. Now that's quite the haul. escentual.com
Discovery Channel
Smartphone microscope, £9.99
Trick out your mobile with this cool and inexpensive clip-on microscope and telescope. With zoom up to 30x, it's great for taking pictures and videos of tiny creatures and, er, working out which tiny piece of currency is the one you're looking for. thegiftexperience.co.uk
The best gifts for less than £75
Sometimes, when you really want to show someone how much you love them, you just need to mine your bank account for the readies, untie the purse strings and let that money go. After all, what's a few bob on a present for someone you love? That's the spirit...
Eastpak
Andy Warhol bumbag, £30
Love it or hate it, the Eastpak bumbag is back, and it's back to stay. Stand out from the crowd (literally) at next year's festivals with this four colour Andy Warhol-print fanny pack that's perfect for keeping your passport, cash and valuables away from pickpockets in the most vibrant, punchy way possible. eastpak.com
Scotch & Soda
Fair Isle beanie, £39.95
Amsterdam-based brand Scotch & Soda give a deliciously Dutch twist to classic Fairisle woolies with this outrageous orange number. Put it on on Christmas morning and never take it off again (largely because you'll probably have terrible hat hair). scotch-soda.com
Very
Mini drone with camera, £49.99
Ever since the hobby drone was invented, Christmas Day has been about one thing: annoying the cat by flying a tiny, buzzing quadcopter around the living room. Whether you want to impress the kids, or are a big kid yourself, get snapping with this low-budget piece of airborne goodness. very.co.uk
very.co.uk
Tumi
ID Lock™ Slim Card Case, £75
Sleek, sexy travel products are the name of the game for legendary American luggage brand Tumi, and this slimline cardholder is no different. It'll carry essentials with ease, and has an inbuilt RFID lock that'll stop you getting scammed when you're on the go. We love it when style meets function. uk.tumi.com
JBL
Clip 2 Speaker, £49.99
There’s no natural landscape that isn’t improved by the sound of Rihanna’s latest choon blaring out from speaker, right? Jokes aside, this handy-dandy little fella is great for all sorts of things: music on the go, for one thing, but also terrorising your mates when you start singing in the shower at full volume. wiggle.co.uk
RiutBag
Crush daypack, £39
Any traveller will reap the benefits of this super-lightweight backpack from RiutBag. All of its zips, access points and pockets sit against your back, making it far more secure than your average bag. Plus, it packs right down when you're not using it. Double win. riut.co.uk
Lifestraw
Universal, £37.90
Got a loved one planning on travelling the world? Get them this genius gadget, which removes 99.9% of waterborne bacteria and viruses, whether you’re drinking from taps or rivers. Trust us, they’ll thank you when they avoid a case of Delhi belly. lifestraw.com
The best gifts over £75
Hey, big spender! Feeling extra generous this year, are we? You've reached the money end of things, but that's no biggie – you've got the budget, and you've got it to splurge. Here's how you should spend it this Christmas:
Roxy
Wildlife snow jacket, £250
You see this? This is way more than just a pretty jacket. As well as Japanese-inspired inky palms and wave patterns, this waterproof women's snow jacket is partly constructed from recycled materials, so it's lighter on the planet. Oh, and it also has Biotherm® skincare in its collar to protect and moisturise your skin as you ride. Pretty clever, eh? roxy-uk.co.uk
Fjallraven
Övik knit sweater, £130
If you're going to go down the Christmas jumper route with your gift giving this year, you might as well do it with gusto. This fairisle sweater – part of Swedish brand Fjallraven's traditional outdoor range, Övik – stakes a serious claim to the festive throne (if you believe Santa comes from Swedish Lapland). fjallraven.co.uk
Lumie
Zest alarm clock, £125
How do you take the stress out of an alarm clock? Get rid of the actual alarm, duh. Not only will this clock wake you up with a much less annoying burst of bright light, if you use it for a few days before your next trip, you can start adjusting your body to a new time zone, and cancel out the worst of jet lag. lumie.com
Ted Baker
Brunswick suitcase, £295
Pair a lightweight build and super-strong polyester outer with the design credentials of Ted Baker and you've got a case that'll have your loved ones sashaying through airport lounges and city streets for a long time to come. It's also available in three sizes, from cabin size to shopping spree-friendly large. We'll take all three. caseluggage.com
GoPro
Hero6 Black, £499.99
If you love someone, and we mean really reaaally love someone, then the cost of a single gift should be no barrier to what you buy them. Especially when it means you'll get to see absolutely everything they're up to around the world in beautiful 4k video. Basically – inquisitive parents, this one's for you. gopro.com
Elliot Brown
Broadstone watch, £495
This beautiful, durable and water-resistant watch is ideal for adventurers. Shock-resistant and with a solid marine-grade stainless steel case, the Broadstone Adventurer is built to survive even the harshest elements. Yes. Please. elliotbrownwatches.com
Filson
Lined Wool Cape coat, £485
Looking cool while you keep warm is something of a conundrum. Not in this water-resistant, toasty 100% virgin wool coat from Seattle-based outdoors outfitter Filson, though. This jacket will set someone up forever, because every Filson product is guaranteed for life, meaning that when it (eventually) burns out you can get it fixed for free at one of the brands stores. It's the gift that keeps on giving. filson.com/uk
Amazon
Kindle Oasis, £239.99
Everyone’s got that slightly chaotic, off-the-wall mate who’s likely to break anything they touch. Enter Amazon’s waterproof new e-reader, able to survive immersion in up to 2m of water for up to an hour, with all the usual Kindle benefits. Who's up for a spot of reading in the pool then? amazon.co.uk
