Christmas gift ideas

If you’re looking for Christmas gift ideas for travel-loving families, look no further, I’m here to help. Here are some splendid gift ideas for everyone.

Kids Pass

If you buy a Kids Pass you can get discounts of up to 57% at some of the UK’s top theme parks, cinemas and other attractions. There are also discounts and free kids meals on offer at a range of restaurants. You only need one Kids Pass per household, so it offers excellent value if you like going out on family trips.

Mums do travel readers can buy an annual pass for £30.00, which is a 50% discount on the full price.

Cost: £30.00. To buy a Kids Pass at this discounted rate of £30.00 go to kidspass.co.uk and use the discount code KPCMUMS

Eastpak soft suitcase

Our suitcases are all looking a little worn and in need of replacement. I’ve been eyeing up Eastpak luggage, especially as a friend tells me that her two teenage boys used Eastpak backpacks as their school bags and that they lasted all the way through secondary school, so their quality must be excellent. Besides their durability, I love the simple design of the Eastpak range as well as the fact that it’s all very light. Want one.

Cost: Eastpak Tranverz – luggage bags £105.17, Amazon.

Readly

Readly is a clever app which gives you unlimited access to more than 1,000 magazines and their back issues. For £9.99 a month you can read the latest editions of magazines on up to five devices – a perfect option for the whole family. You can have a free trial of the app to see if you like it before paying for it. There’s a vast range of magazines on offer, from children’s titles to travel magazines to Top Gear to Hello. I was sent the app to try out for three months and I thought that it was a great idea.

Cost: You can try Readly for free, and it’s £9.99 a month if you subscribe.

Magazine subscriptions

If you prefer printed magazines to reading them online, a magazine subscription makes a great gift for all ages. It’s a gift that lasts all year, and kids get especially excited when the latest copy of their magazine is delivered by the postman. Families who enjoy travelling may like subscriptions to National Geographic, National Geographic Kids, Lonely Planet Traveller or Family Traveller.

Cost: Depends on publication.

Map of the world

It’s great to have a high quality map of the world somewhere about the place for travel inspiration. Travel publisher Marco Polo recently sent me their World Political Wall Map, which I’m very pleased with. It’s laminated and it measures 120 x 80 cms. It includes the national flags of each country and is all in all a lovely thing to look at.

Cost: World Political Marco Polo Wall Map £9.98, Amazon.

Marco Polo World Map – image courtesy of Marco Polo

Children’s books

There’s a huge range of books available which are great for young travellers. Lonely Planet Kids have an excellent range of travel books such as The Lonely Planet Kids Travel Book, which features a different country on every page, and Adventures Around the Globe, a stylishly illustrated sticker atlas which is designed for younger children. I also really like these two beautiful sticker books for children: Stickyscapes London and Stickyscapes Paris, both published by Laurence King. Each book contains 100 re-usable stickers and a double-sided concertina cityscape

Cost: Depends on book.

Guide books

If you know that someone is going, or would like to go, to a particular destination, you could give them a guide book to help them to make the most of their trip. There are some great guide books on offer – my favourites include those published by Lonely Planet, the new Marco Polo Spiral Guides and the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides. If someone isn’t sure where they’d like to travel, Lonely Planet’s book The World: A Traveller’s Guide to the Planet would make a great gift – I’d like a copy myself.

Cost: Depends on book.

Bananagrams

This is our favourite game to take with us on family trips and it’s great fun. It’s a word game, a bit like Scrabble but without a board. It’s good for anyone who can read – younger players can team up with someone who’s a stronger reader if necessary.

Cost: Bananagrams Game £8.99, Amazon.

T-shirts with secret pockets

This is an excellent idea. The Clever Travel Companion clothing range features hidden pockets with zips so that you can conceal your money and documents when you’re travelling. There are T-shirts in different styles, vest tops, long johns and boxer shorts for men and women on offer. I was sent a women’s white v-neck T-shirt so that I could see what it was like. It’s made of high quality, soft, stretchy 95% cotton fabric and it has two zipped pockets at the side. My passport fits in to one of the pockets easily, and nobody would be able to get it without my noticing. I really like the T-shirt and will definitely wear it on my travels. If she’s nice to me, I may let my daughter borrow it when she goes travelling after her exams next summer.

Cost: Women’s Fitted V-Neck T-shirt with Secret Pockets, £19.o0, Clever Travel Companion. Use the code MUMSDOCLEVERTRAVEL at check out to receive a 10% discount on your order. Orders over $75 qualify for free shipping worldwide.

You can also buy these items from Amazon – the Clever Travel Companion Women’s Fitted T-shirt with Secret Pockets which I tried is available for £19.50 from Amazon.

Juice Cube charger

A juice cube charger is a very useful gadget for charging up your mobile phone when you’re on the move. We used ours a lot, until we lost it somewhere in our house. It will turn up eventually. You plug it in to an electric socket to charge it up and then connect it to your phone when you need it.

Cost: Juice Cube Charger £24.95, Amazon.