11 Ethical Gift Ideas
for Travel Lovers
In case you missed our news, we quit our jobs to travel in April! You might be asking…how on earth did you save up the money for this? We answered this question in a YouTube video, where we talked in-depth about ways we cut costs in our lives and re-prioritized our values. Here’s the kicker: we thought we were minimalists before beginning this process! As it turns out, we are still addicted to STUFF. Unnecessary, excess stuff.
This year, we are on a mission to rid our lives of this excess so as we approach the holiday season, we are looking to change up our gift-giving routine and focus even more on sustainability and uplifting small businesses! While this has always been a priority for us, we’re holding firm this year and not letting messaging in that tells us that we need more than we actually do need.
If you’re in a similar boat and want to make sure you’re picking sustainable gifts, we’re here to help! All of these gifts are ones that we have bought or received at some point in our travel-obsessed journey so we are confident that your loved one will love them, too!
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1.National Park Pass
This gift was a top priority for our list last year and we have put it to work by visiting 8 national parks this year! You can purchase the pass online on the NPS website or you can purchase one in-person at a National Park site. Please note there are alternative passes for certain demographics that may reduce the rate or make it free (ie./ seniors, military, 4th graders, US citizens with permanent disabilities, etc.). You can find information on these demographics here.
Total Cost: $80
2. Gift an Experience
We firmly believe that one of the best gifts for an adventurous heart is the gift of a new experience! Here are a few examples of experiences we have either gifted, received, or considered gifting over the years:
Climbing gym passes
Unique farm or animal visits (ie./Dev has been eyeing tickets to a local Highland Cow farm! hint hint)
Plan a day adventure through curated gift cards (ie./lunch, coffee, and an activity!)
RailExplorers - Pedal-powered rail tours available in 7 US states!
“Trail” gift cards - our home state, Kentucky, is known for its Bourbon Trail. Send your loved one on a tour through multiple stops of a local “trail” or, better yet, join them! For Phil’s birthday one year, we visited several stops on the Ohio Buckeye “Trail” and did a taste-testing to find the best Buckeye candies.
Tickets: movie theaters, live action theaters, spas, zoos, arcades, sporting events, escape rooms, etc.
Check out Viator for additional experience options no matter where your loved one is headed!
Total Cost: Varies, though we have generally spent between $25-$100
3. Thrifted (or small bookstore!) Guide Books
Before our trip to Venice, a dear friend gifted us our first Rick Steves guidebook and we are absolutely hooked! We don’t take a trip to Europe without buying the Rick Steves’ guidebook for the country and/or city. The pocket books are super compact & give a fantastic overview of Europe’s biggest tourist destinations, including walking tours, historic sites, & quick cultural tips.
Check out the inventory at Half Price Books or, if you would rather, purchase these books from a small, independent bookstore.
Total Cost: Typically around $4-$15 for thrifted books and $10-$20 for books from a local bookstore.
4. Local Artwork to Commemorate a Favorite Place
Is there a place that your loved one is absolutely enamored with? Buy them a piece of handmade art to commemorate their experience! Or, if they’ve moved away, purchase them a piece of artwork from home! While handmade art can be a bit more expensive in price (because of the time and effort put into the pieces), you can gift a small painting that could easily be framed in a 4x6.
We often purchase local artists’ postcards and frame them in 4x6 frames as a cost-effective way to remember our travels while supporting small business owners.
Total Cost: Varies, though postcard prints can be as little as $2-$3
5. Local Food, Coffee, or Tea
On our honeymoon to Kona, Hawaii, Phil & I toured a local coffee farm. 8 years later, I gifted him bagged coffee from that exact same farm. Oftentimes, food & drink items from meaningful places can offer an instant pick-me-up & transport you directly back into your favorite spot! We have enjoyed Hawaiian macadamia nuts on our anniversary each year, paired with a bottle of wine from the winery where we got married.
Small specialty grocery stores often carry a variety of small-batch local products, but you can also order several items direct from restaurants, farms, and coffee shops. A bag of coffee beans their favorite coffee shop 800 miles away is sure to put an instant smile on their face!
Total Cost: Varies by item.
6. Photography Session in an Upcoming Destination
Most of us rarely book photography sessions unless there’s a monumental occasion to commemorate. I know, I know…I’m a photographer so I may be a bit biased here, but it turns out that we are just as guilty! We decided to change that a few years ago and booked a local photographer on a trip to Prague and it was THE BEST experience! Constantine showed us around his home city while giving us gorgeous shots that reflected our relationship and the memories we shared in this new place.
If your loved one has an upcoming trip, consider gifting them a photography session so that they have long-lasting mementos of their trip. Check out Viator for an easy way to find local photographers across the world!
Total Cost: Varies by location, approximately $100-$400.
7. Upgrade their Experience
Here’s another gift in the “they already have a trip planned” camp: upgrade your loved ones’ trip experience! We have added on a 20-minute massage onto a hotel room stay for a loved one and have sent a bottle of champagne to the room of another in honor of their anniversary. In fact, when we were abroad during my birthday one year, Phil contacted our host and arranged for a bouquet of local flowers to await my arrival. These thoughtful touches really make an experience 5 star.
Here are some ideas for upgrading a hotel stay:
Pay for a room upgrade
Add a spa package
Send a bottle of wine or box of chocolates to their room
Arrange a flower delivery
Pay for a tab at the hotel restaurant or bar
Total Cost: Varies by item, but you can expect around $30-$100, depending on the type of upgrade.
8. Throw a Place-Themed Party or Dinner
This is one of my personal favorite gifts to give. Pick a place that you know resonates with your loved one and plan a day or dinner around their favorite place! When our friend was celebrating her first birthday away from Atlanta, we threw an ATL party complete with a Coca-Cola cake, peach cocktail, and letters from friends who were still living in Georgia.
For another friend who had relocated from Boston, we recreated her favorite brunch from Five Horses Tavern and whipped up a batch of cold brew made from Fuel coffee that we had shipped from Massachusetts. Curating a meal or party around a place that means the world to someone is such a fun way to show them you care!
Total Cost: Varies widely, but you can accomplish this with the cost of groceries for a meal!
9. Purchase a Subscription to a Language-Learning Service
This gift isn’t going to be for everyone, but it is a good option for someone who is looking to learn a new language! Oftentimes, metropolitan areas will offer a plethora language-learning class options which are usually the best option for learning a new language. Alternatively, a service like Babbel offers both online classes with a live instructor, as well as an app for self-paced introductory language-learning.
Total Cost: Babbel prices begin at $80.70 for 6 months. In-person language classes typically begin at $100.
10. Sustainability-Focused Travel Gear
While most of these gifts are focused on experiences over items, the truth is that we still need some stuff! If your loved one is looking for gear, consider one of these outdoor brands focused on environmental sustainability and ethical production. Just make sure you know what your loved one wants or will use to avoid buying unecessary items!
Here are a few of our favorites:
Cotopaxi - Certified B Corporation who uses renewable energy in all of its retail stores.
Patagonia - Certified B Corporation working toward 100% compostable, reusable, or recyclable packaging by 2025.
REI - TRUE-Certified company that diverts 84% of its operational waste away from landfills and requires environmentally-friendly Product Impact Standards for all companies represented in its stores.
Total Cost: Varies by item.
11. Travel Gear/Clothing Repair (or a Gift Card to do so!)
Phil & I have both been proud owners of Chaco hiking sandals for nearly 15 years now. These shoes have taken us on many adventures, including hikes through the PNW and many camping trips to Red River Gorge. You can imagine our sadness when, over the last two years, our trusty Chacos began to reject their soles, leaving the bottoms of our shoes flopping in the breeze.
Luckily, Chaco has the option to send your sandals off for a repair, keeping another pair of shoes out of a landfill! Shoe repair is much cheaper than a new pair of quality shoes, so we have transitioned into purchasing shoes that are long-lasting and able to be repaired when needed. Our local cobbler shop has fixed the soles of my leather boots not once, but twice!
Other gear companies like L.L.Bean will repair specific gear items. If you know your loved one is in need of some repairs to their gear, consider working with them to arrange a repair OR buying them a gift card to help them work on the repair in their time.
Total Cost for gear repair: Varies by item, but Chaco repairs are generally around $20-$60.
Need more ideas on items that a traveler may need? Check out our Ultimate Vacation Packing List for a list of all the items we make sure to pack any time we are wheels up!