Isn’t it amazing how you go shopping with a great list, and as soon as you get home you discover there is something you need that somehow did not get on the list–so you need to go back to the store??

That’s kind of what happened to me with Ten Perfect Gifts for Travelers Who Read this year. So could we, maybe, make it TWELVE Perfect Gifts????

Great Product that does Good for Philippines

I have been so saddened by the pictures coming out of the Philippines as people deal with the aftermath of that tragic typhoon. As I was wondering what I might do that would help people, I remembered Doy Bags.  I have recommended Doy Bags as gifts before. I have given Doy Bags as gifts just about every year since I discovered them.  So what is a Doy Bag? They are products–mostly book bags and purses, made of recycled materials–principally soft drink cartons. They are colorful and durable and clever and one -of-a-kind and a practical gift. They are made by a women’s cooperative from the Philippines that employees more than 500 women, many the sole support of their families. They create jobs as well as helping to keeping thousands of pounds of material from being scattered on the ground or piling up in landfills.

What could be a more perfect gift for a Traveler Who Reads? An International, eco-friendly, fair-trade, practical and pretty gift. And, you would be providing work in the Philippines to people who are totally shaken by the recent events.   I checked with the company, and their factory is in the Manila area, which was not touched by the typhoon so their workers did not suffer directly, but the whole country is devastated by the disaster and it touches just about everyone’s lives.  Check out the Doy Bags site for a complete list of their products. Prices for gifts for travelers range at $5.99 for an adorable luggage tag to $39.99 for a woven 12″ x 14″  shopping bag. Several gifts are specially for kids like pencil cases and backpacks. There’s even jewelry made out of magazine pages rolled into beads. Have fun shopping for your Doy Bag gift.

New Series of Handbooks for Travelers

Second, I was reading Mara Gorman’s every-so-well-written family travel post which I get in my e-mail box, and learned that she has just launched a book called The Family Traveler’s Handbook. That is pretty exciting for anyone who every contemplated traveling with their family, because Mara writes a lively and practical and entertaining blog, Mother of All Travels, so I know that this handbook is going to be just what traveling mothers (and fathers) need.

But not only should I have talked about Mara’s new Family Travelers Handbook, I should have told you about the whole family of  Traveler’s Handbooks, published by Janice Waugh. It isn’t often that we see an individual start a publishing company that does so much in so short a time. These professionally published books are available in print or in e-versions from the Traveler’s Handbook site or from Amazon.   Whether you’re wanting some tips on cruising, adventure travel, traveling solo, volunteer traveling, and a half dozen more topics…these books are for you (or someone on your gift list.)