10 Perfect Gifts for Travelers Who Read (2012 edition)

For the Traveler Who Reads

It goes without saying these days that if you are a dedicated reader and you travel, you must have an electronic reader of some sort.  And, of course it helps if that reader has e-mail and Wi-Fi capability. Do yourself a favor and get an e-ink screen, so you can read on the beach or at the Parisian sidewalk cafe. If you choose the new Kindle Paperwhite,  it even has built in illumination for reading in bed. Unless you want a larger tablet, I think Paperwhite is the best for travelers. ( With Wi-Fi, $119 or $139 depending on whether you can tolerate advertising from Amazon)

For the Traveler Who Writes

Did you ever sit down to write in your travel journal and think, “I wish it had maps” or “I wish it had a graph page or two”. If you’ve dreamed of having a custom journal made just for you–Bound For Anything journals and memos are made for you. Literally.  You go to the web site of Bound for Anything, choose the exact kind of pages you want to be added to the blank or lined pages in your journal (like city maps, shown here) and they bind it and ship it to you. Voila! a custom travel journal. And to make it easy for you to gift your favorite traveling writer, the website features a gift card. So make your own, or send a gift card to your favorite traveler. Free shipping should be available in November. So don’t wait. ($15 to $55) (NOTE: The journals are 4″ x 6″–pretty small, and the Memos are a half inch smaller.)

For Harry Potter Fans

Are you or someone you know one of the 8 of 10 people in the world who have read or seen Harry Potter in book or movie? Did you drool over Jessie Voigt’s suggestions to travel to Harry Potter locations? Choose between two Harry Potter fan-pleasers. These are more poster than book, but the posters come bound in a large (12″ x 16″)format.

Harry Potter: The Definitive Movie Poster Collection

By Insight Editions, Warner Brothers Entertainment

ISBN: 978-1-60887-113-1

Paperback | $24.99 | 40 Pages

September 2012

Harry Potter: The Quintessential Images

By Insight Editions, Warner Brothers Entertainment

ISBN: 978-1-60887-142-1

Paperback | $24.99 | 40 Pages

September 2012

For the Explorer

Are you celebrating that the Mayan calendar will start a whole new cycle on December 20 instead of ENDING the world?  Plan a trip to Mayan cities. Here’s inspiration in a book.

For the Traveler Who Cooks or the Cookie Lover

Ever wonder who invented the chocolate chip cookie? Curious about cookies from the countries you’ve visited? Know where the tradition of Christmas cookies came from? Snack on the facts, or bake with the recipes. Our own Brette Sember has assembled all you want to know about cookies in this beautiful, well-researched e-book. She even conveniently provides a gift certificate so you can give it as a gift. Just go to Brette Sember.com ($9.99)

Option TWO: Order Cookie, A Love Story for yourself at Amazon with this link  and bake some International cookies for Christmas gifts, matching them to places your giftee has visited.

For the Music-Loving Traveler

Kerry Dexter, who has written extensively about road trip music both here and at Music Road, suggests this CD to pop into the player on your next road trip. Tim Grimm came across a long out of print book of short stories set in the history of the Ohio Valley . He heard songs in the stories and took the book to his friends Tom Roznowski,  Michael White, Krista Detor, and Carrie Newcomer. The five, all accomplished songwriters based in Indiana, came up with the album Wilderness Plots. More about the making of Wilderness Plots here. (MP3 $8.99 and CD $10.36 + shipping at Amazon)

For the Traveler With A Pet

Pamela Webster, our pet travel expert, found this great pet travel accessory. Keep this gorgeous bag packed and you can leave in a moment with your favorite furry traveler. The outside mesh pouch keeps water (or tennis balls) available while the attached, collapsible bowls and food storage pouch help you easily feed your pet before enjoying outdoor dining on the deck. You’ll find the K-9 Cube and other outdoor gear at Mountainsmith.( $60)

For the Intrepid Traveler

In  Best in Travel 2013: The Best Trends, Destinations, Journeys & Experiences for the Upcoming Year. Lonely Planet crams an enormous number of travel temptations into this small (almost pocket-sized) book, filled with colorful pictures. Top ten lists of “best” locations might have been named the top ten places you’ve likely never been, as the countries, regions, cities and activities chosen seem to focus on off-beat places rather than those that usually draw the most attention. Ecuador and the Solomon Islands? Hyderabad and Hobart? Best places to see elephants or get a tattoo and 13 other off-beat collections round out the book. Great fun for the travel-infected.  ($14.99)

For the Photographer Who Travels

I’ve seen a lot of photography guides, but many are too technical for the every-day traveler. Others are too large to take with you, and who’s going to remember all that stuff while you’re on the road?  Top Travel Photo Tips: From Ten Pro Photographers by Chuck Delaney seems just right to me. Portable, well-written and clearly illustrated. Advice and tips from people who know. Each photographer has his/her own specialty, so you get the benefit of many different outlooks in this book from Skyhorse Publishing. I checked out the Kindle sample on my computer screen and smart phone, and it looked great, but don’t get it on an e-reader unless you have color! ($16.95 list price, $12.71 + shipping at Amazon, or $3.47 for Kindle).

 For Every Traveler

Aveda products in the Himalayas.

A hotel in the Caribbean first introduced me to Aveda bath and body products and it was love at first sight. You can even get travel sizes that you can slip in your carry-on. This year they are offering  gift packages that come in paper handcrafted by the Himalayan Bio-Trade Cooperative. My personal favorite is the wake-me-up scent of Mint in the Refresh-Mint gift package. But you have many other choices, including Relief . Your tired travel feet have not lived until they’ve been massaged with Rosemary Mint Foot Relief. Choices for men and women and for the home. See their Gift Selections at the Aveda website. ($17-$66)

Most of the products were sent to me for review, at my request because I thought they would be interesting for you. Others did not make the grade. I use my own discretion in what I recommend.
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Tags: Aveda, Christmas gifts, cookies, gift books, gifts for pets, gifts for photographers, gifts for readers, gifts for travelers, Harry Potter, Lonely Planet, recipes, travel photography, Vendome Press