Gift Guide for Travelers

You won't find frivolous luggage tags or passport covers in this Holiday Gift Guide for Travelers.

For Money magazine's December issue, I interviewed travel experts about what they'd like to give (and receive) this year.

The panel of travel experts included:

Meredith Hanrahan, Chief Travel Officer of Cheapflights Media (www.cheapflights.com) and a million-mile frequent flier who has logged more than 175,000 miles in the past 9 months

Marybeth Bond, author of 50 Best Girlfriends Getaways in North America

Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of CruiseCritic.com

John DiScala, founder of JohnnyJet.com

From a lightweight Delsey suitcase to a TSA-friendly Samsonite laptop bag, it's hard not to add these great gift ideas to your holiday wish list.

Photo: Courtesy Delsey

The Best Airport Gift Shop

Of all the retail stores in all the airports, my hands-down favorite is Muji to Go, an outpost of the Japanese home goods store that displays minimalism at its best. Located in JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at JFK, the shop opened last fall and is packed with affordable last-minute gift ideas.

If you can’t leave New York without some Big Apple paraphernalia, the store carries black-and-white cloth handkerchiefs imprinted with a city map ($8.50).

You’ll also spot simple but cute travel clocks and foldable cardboard speakers, as well as the usual travel accessories (socks, neck pillows) to help make the trip home a little bit more bearable. Yes, you could load up at other airport gift shops, but for the most part, you’ll walk away from this store with something you can use long after the vacation stupor wears off.

I’m hooked on the stationery and office supplies—other than the rainbow of gel-ink pens, I keep buying the recycled-paper notebooks ($3.50). I find that the blank pages are just right for taping in ticket stubs and other travel mementos.

Photo: Amy Chen

Travel Gift Guide: Map on a Necklace

Keep your vacation memories close with this handmade sterling silver pendant (etsy.com, $42). The Florida-based designer can customize the map to frame the destination of your choice. She also recycles vintage maps to make cufflinks, earrings, rings, and coasters. Order by Dec. 10 for Christmas delivery; add $5 for engraving.

To find other travel-related gift ideas, just search for "travel" on Etsy.com, the eBay for handmade crafts.

Photo: etsy.com

Best Travel Gift for Kids

If you're looking for a gift that's a bit more low-tech, I'm all about these building blocks from Muji. I first discovered this clothing-and-housewares chain when I lived in London six years ago, and was thrilled when it expanded to New York last year.

Befitting its cosmopolitan name, the City in a Bag ($14) is a set of wooden blocks that each represent the skylines of London, Paris, New York, and Tokyo. After all, no one is ever too young to start learning about the London Eye, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, or Tokyo Tower.

Photo: Muji

The Ultimate Travel Gift Guide

Skip the frivolous presents this year and give something that's actually useful. For example, I handpicked this Lego digital camera (digiblue.com, $50) because the three-megapixel camera is sturdy enough even for the biggest kids. Who says practical gifts can’t be thoughtful and fun?

The 12 other products in this guide are sure to cover any traveler’s wish list, including your own.

See gift guide and slide show

Photo: Budget Travel (Levi Brown)