Best Travel Gifts

With Instagram feeds and Facebook updates bringing the world to our smartphones, “Wish You Were Here” postcards are all but obsolete. Introducing their retro-futuristic equivalent: custom postcard books of your vacation photos, courtesy of Artifact Uprising.

We may not be able to give the gift of exotic trips to all of the special people in our lives this holiday season. But helping them savor travel memories and plan for a future trip is definitely in the budget. We’ve put together a list of globe-trotting goods for this holiday season, none priced at more than $110.

It includes innovations like waterproof Bluetooth speakers, ultralight bags that convert from backpacks to duffels, and Kitson’s 10-in-1 portable cocktail tool (it’s a Swiss Army Knife for tipplers).

You can keep the next generation of travelers entertained with on-the-go art projects and delight foodies with new cookbooks that serve up the best of Tokyo, Brazil, and L.A. Then there are gifts that keep giving, like fair-trade accessories and a solar-powered charger promotion—buy one, and one is donated to the Philippines hurricane relief effort.

As we reflect on what we’re thankful for, our trips top the list. And we’re not alone. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, international travel was up 5 percent in the first eight months of the year, with a record 747 million people venturing outside their borders. And a recent TripAdvisor survey found that 88 percent of people think it’s worth making sacrifices to make memories. We couldn’t agree more.

Definity Digital Good Night

Help a jet-setter conquer the scourge of jet lag with this Definity Digital Good Night bulb. Most bulbs (and gadget screens) emit blue light, which tells the body not to make one of the hormones needed to fall asleep. Developed by NASA astronauts, this bulb filters out more than half of that blue light, helping travelers conk out more easily (store.earthled.com; $59).

4-in-1 AdapterThis handy Lego-like tool snaps together four plugs and one adapter to power up gadgets in 150 countries. The red, blue, yellow, and green components correspond to a color-coded map to help you quickly determine the parts needed based on your destination (flight001.com; $25).

Kate Spade Saturday Two-Tone Passport HolderIn 2013, Kate Spade launched sister brand Saturday with products in bold prints and bright colors like this two-tone leather passport holder. It comes with interior slots for a passport and three cards, plus a clear ID window and an exterior slot for stashing a boarding pass (saturday.com; $50).

Report a Typo