Looking for unique gift ideas for your favorite island lover? Our holiday gift guide has travel gifts perfect for her, for him, for foodies and for families. The travelers in your life will thank you!
TRAVEL GIFTS FOR HER
Travel-themed Carry-on Tote Bag
It’s a win-win: show off your love for travel and get a practical carry-on bag at the same time. Made in the U.S.A., Airportag’s colorful tote bags are available in 13×13, 16×16 and 18×18 sizes. There are also designs featuring IATA airport codes. From $24.90
Coral Sarong
Inspired by the sights of snorkeling and the colors of the Caribbean, this versatile sarong from West Indies Wear makes the perfect beach accessory. Made from 100 percent cotton, wear it as a dress, a skirt or a head wrap. (You can even wear it as a scarf for those days when you can’t get to a beach.) $25, shown in white
Luggage Tag Charms
Commemorate your favorite vacation spots with these adorable luggage tag charms from Jet Set Candy. Available in gold vermeil or sterling silver, each design features an IATA airport code — choose from destinations around the globe — and can be engraved for an additional fee. From $68.00
Island-themed Travel Subscription Box
Designed specifically for women, the Sunshine Society subscription box promises four to six hand-picked tropical gifts delivered to your door each month. Each box highlights a specific island and an interesting woman who lives there. Past boxes have included beach cover-ups, jewelry and handmade soap — all crafted by local island artisans. $45 per month
Travel Candle
Can’t make it to Lanai? Bring the scent home with the Excursion Travel Tin from Archipelago. Each features scents unique to the locale, like ginger, pineapple, mandarin in Lanai, and lemongrass, yuzu and sage in Bali. From $13
Travel Journal
AllSwell has partnered with My Tiny Atlas Quarterly and Earth Missions to host an immersive, guided trip to Tahiti in March 2017, and that’s what inspired the AllSwell Notebook No. 3. The cover was illustrated by My Tiny Atlas founder, Emily Nathan, and the notebook features half lined paper for writing, and half blank paper for drawing — the ideal travel companion for creatives. $21
TRAVEL GIFTS FOR HIM
Travel Camera
Long known for expertise at keeping cameras steady on drones, DJI has brought that technology to its newest offering, the DIJ OSMO. The handheld stabilizer uses the camera and gimbal from the company’s drone, but adapts them into a small handheld unit that shoots 4K video and 12 megapixel stills. The gimbal technology steadies your shot, even while you’re on the move, making your travel videos ones that your Facebook friends will actually want to watch. From $569.00 — Lori Barbely
Vintage Hawaii Metal Sign
Go back in time to the days when renting a surfboard on Oahu cost $1.00 per hour and a surf instructor would accompany you for only $3.00. Malibu Shirts aims to capture this nostalgia in all their products, including shirts, hats and posters. We especially love this homage to Hale Auau Surfboards, started by surfer Earl Akana and employed some of the top surfing champions of the day. $29
Rum of the Month
A new rum delivered every month? Sign us up! Taster’s Club curates top-notch spirits and sends them directly to you, along with a Rum 101 guide on how its made and in-depth flavor profiles. $79 per month
Airport Code Luggage Tag Poster
Celebrate your favorite airport with this typographic art print from Etsy maker offizina. Choose from existing designs or customize your own text with pre-made templates. $20.25
Islands Wall Calendar
Give a year-round gift of islands with our 2017 Wall Calendar. Each month you’ll see stunning photography of your favorite spots around the world, including Tahiti, Hawaii and more. $11.97
TRAVEL GIFTS FOR FOODIES
Pineapple Tumbler
Serve your guests their favorite drink with a tropical twist in this cool pineapple tumbler from Uncommon Goods. The tumbler is made of lightweight aluminum with a brass finish, and the removable lid can also serve as a base for the tumbler. $35
Food Travel Subscription Box
Curated by chefs, Try the World‘s box includes gourmet delicacies from a new locale each month (think red-curry sauce from Thailand or Nordic fudge from Sweden). A brochure explains how to enjoy the box’s contents, and anything can be reordered from the website.
Gourmet Island Sugar Set
This set of gourmet sugars from Uncommon Goods is after our own heart, in flavors like rum, coconut breeze, Jamaican ginger and lime slice. Use them to rim cocktails (piña coladas, mojitos, margaritas) or to add tropical flair to your favorite dishes. Plus, all sugars are organic and free-trade certified. $40
Unique Wine Stopper
Beach sand is unique to its destination: We’ve seen pink in Bermuda, red in Maui and black in Costa Rica. Dune Jewelry uses actual sand in its custom-designed pieces, ranging from necklaces to bracelets to watchbands. Choose from thousands of options already in the Sandbank, or send in your own sample — a tablespoon is all that’s needed to make your own personalized keepsake. For the beach-loving oenophile in your life, we really love this wine stopper. Or opt for a unique snowflake ornament in gold or silver to adorn your Christmas tree. $30
Bar Tools
The key bar tool for make-at-home mojitos and caipirinhas is a good muddler. We like Rabbit’s push muddler because the head spins and is designed to crush ingredients, rather than cutting them, which helps preserve the flavor. $15
Frozen Drink Maker
It makes sense that Margaritaville would perfect the frozen margarita. Their Bahamas Frozen Concoction Maker stands out from a blender thanks to the ice reservoir that holds a 36-ounce pitcher of ice. The ice is shaved, meaning bar-quality frozen drinks and an automatic setting ensure the proper proportion of ice to ingredients. Now you’ll just have to find that lost shaker of salt. $189.99
Anchor Cocktail Picks
Ahoy matey, never lose your olive again thanks to Uncommon Goods’ anchor cocktail picks. Sold in a set of six, the nautical gold-toned picks are strong enough to harpoon a pickled onion or pineapple slice. $14.99
FAMILY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL GIFTS
Polaroid Cube
This little Polaroid Cube is the perfect size for tiny hands and simple enough for kids to use. It takes pictures and video, and a magnet on the bottom of its housing is ready to mount to a metal surf (bike, helmet, skateboard) to capture the action. $149.99
Beach Blanket
This adorable round beach towel doubles as a blanket and was made especially for little ones. The Bonita Babies Beach Roundie from Bonita Beach Collection is 38 inches (larger than most baby towels), plus it’s super soft and durable. Playful designs include fish and turtles. $35
Shoes with a Purpose
Ix (pronounced “eye ex” and the Mayan word for water) is a charitable fashion company that sells Mayan handbags, jewelry and huarache sandals, like this cute kid-sized pair, handmade by artisans in Guatemala. The company donates 15 percent of its profits to help children in Guatemala have access to clean drinking water, empower the women of the community and reduce poverty in the country. $66
Cork Globe
Record the family’s travel adventures with this interactive cork globe from Uncommon Goods. Use the pushpins to plot where you’ve been or where you want to go, and attach keepsakes like pictures, tickets and mementos for each spot. From $48
Outdoor Game Set
Love bocce ball? Love horseshoes? Rollers is the new lawn game that combines them both, with a little outdoor bowling thrown in. We love how portable the set is, with a grab-and-go carrying case to hold the wooden pieces. It’s easy to bring it to the beach or on vacation. $49.95
Pineapple Pool Float
The weather outside may be frightful, but summer is just around the corner. The whole crew will love BigMouth Inc.’s novelty sized pineapple pool float. Can’t wait for the summer? Deflate and bring it along to your favorite Caribbean resort. From $29.99
