Our final Christmas Gift Guide for 2022, this one covering our favourite subject, Travel. We may not have done much in the way of travelling for the last few years, but 2023 is looking bright with lots of exciting family trips booked. It’s been such a long time, I’ve forgotten what to pack! So here’s some gift ideas for any camping and travel lover in your family. Happy travels, and Merry Christmas x
#AD Disclaimer: Some of these products have been gifted to us for inclusion in this gift guide.
Rubik’s 3×3 Cube
As a child I had a Rubik’s Cube. Everyone did. But I could never master it. As an adult, I’m in awe of kids and teenagers who can solve the puzzle in a matter of seconds. It looks so simple, but for me it’s impossible! I even bought a book on how to solve it! We are including it in this Travel Gift Guide, because it is the perfect travel toy: it takes up little room, it is suitable for all ages, and it can provide hours and hours of (frustrating) play!
The Classic 3×3 Rubik’s Cube (£12.99) looks the same as it always has, but it has a new and improved mechanism that results in a smoother, faster and more reliable play. The traditional stickers have been replaced with plastic tiles which means no fading, peeling (or cheating)!
Camper’s Tea Towel
Do you love camping or do you have friends that love to holiday under canvas? You’ll find that avid campers have all the kit they need to cover all eventualities … wrong! I bet they haven’t got a special camping tea towel?! This fantastic Camping Illustrated Tea Towel (£13.00) is printed on 100% cotton in the UK with an original illustrated design that includes tents, chairs, enamel mugs, torches, walking boots! A unique gift that will be used camping trip after camping trip.
Bicycle Repair Tin
Bicycles can be great fun but they can breakdown sometimes or need maintenance. This Bicycle Repair Kit (€20.00) contains all the essentials needed to repair a puncture, tighten a seat or even raise the handlebars. For a small tin, that you can easily carry with you on a bike ride, it has everything you need inside.
Lonely Planet’s Where To Go When (2nd Edition)
Unlike many people, PackThePJs tends to visit destinations ‘out of season. This is usually down to availability, costs – because we can only travel during school holidays – and also because it is often less crowded. However, we’ve often felt sad that we’re not in a particular place at a different time – to enjoy a festival, event, or natural phenomenon etc. So Lonely Planet’s Where To Go When (£19.99) book has been a bit of a revelation to us, as it tells us – month by month – the best places to visit, and why. I can’t stop reading it … my next 3 years (at least) has been planned!
Zip & Flip Penguin Travel Pillow
As a child, I had a toy rabbit that used to travel with me on holiday. This Zip & Flip Penguin (€35.00) is a brilliant travel character cuddle toy, but it has an additional use. If you unzip it, inside is a microbead-filled travel pillow. Brilliant for long journeys by road, rail or air. A great gift for a young traveller.
Games 2 Go: Travel Tension
Travel Tension (£13.00) is the compact travel version of the quiz card game. Played in teams you have a set length of time to answer as many of the 10 answers to a range of questions as possible. The game includes a stack of question cards, a set of coloured counters (for scoring) and a sand timer. These items live inside the game’s case, so you can transport it with ease. This is a brilliant way to pass the time while travelling. A fabulous game for all of the family.
Journeys Made Key Fob and Tokens
This is such a fantastic concept. A keychain that you can personalise by adding tokens to it. My Journeys Made fob contains tokens of the countries I’ve visited. Whenever I travel somewhere new, I order a token with that country stamped on it, to add to my collection. I have even had some tokens custom-made, to include cruises I’ve been on. Having this key fob is a nice reminder of adventures I’ve had, but is also a talking piece too as when others notice it I find myself regaling memories from my travels.
Each keyring (£16.00) is made of genuine leather sourced from one of the oldest tanneries in the UK, in a variety of colours. The stainless-steel tokens (£4.00) won’t rust or tarnish and are engraved by the Journeys Made team. Get 10% off using this link or by quoting PackThePJs during the checkout.
Picnic Blanket
For anyone who enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, a really good picnic blanket is a must. This waterproof fleece blanket by Kamui (€30.00) has a lovely soft fleece material on the upper side, in a bright green and white check design. On the underside is a sturdy black high-quality waterproof 200D nylon coating. When not it use, the blanket is stored in its own drawstring bag.
Large enough for a picnic for 2-4 people, it can also double-up as a blanket to keep warm under … we often use ours to keep our legs warm while sitting with a flask of coffee in the open boot of our car watching our son play rugby! It’s machine washable too.
Tile Tracker
Tile Life360’s Mate tracker (£14.99) is an essential piece of equipment to keep tags on where your essential belongings are. Use it for keys, phones, pets, wallet, handbag … anything really! It now has a new modern shape and comes in an attractive plum colour, with a wider range and a longer lasting battery. Attaching the Mate to everyday things means that you can use the free app to find them. They are also available in multi-packs for multiple items. The range of the tracker is 250 ft / 76 m Bluetooth range, and it has a 3-year non-replaceable battery. The tile is water-resistant and works with both Android and Apple devices. There is also voice-assisted finding that uses Alexa, Google and Siri. A Tile Tracker gives you peace of mind.
