Holiday Gifts Curated by the JourneyWoman Team for all the Travel-Lovers on Your List

While the best gift any traveller can receive is travel itself, that’s not in the cards for everyone this year. To ensure that the holidays spread joy to all JourneyWomen, we consulted the experts — our team — to compile the ultimate traveller’s gift guide. Here, our Editorial team and Women’s Advisory Council present our top gift ideas for the travel lovers on your list (don’t forget to gift yourself — ’tis the season!).

(Please note: this article includes Amazon affiliate links, but we only ever recommend items we think are relevant for you and we’ve tried ourselves that will benefit. you on your travels). If you decide to purchase an item through Amazon, we will receive a small commission that doesn’t add any cost to the purchase of an item.)

Top 10 Travel Essentials

Gift options for a traveller are virtually endless, but here are 10 things we think every traveller should have.

1. Travelling with all of your pills, vitamins and medication can be a hassle. We love this organized pillbox. It‘s small, portable and comes in a four-pack. 

2. A travel plug converter is one of the most useful and often forgotten items on any traveller’s packing list. Stock up for yourself and the other traveller’s on your list. Is it exciting? No! Does it make a great stocking stuffer or addition to a gift basket? Sure does!

3. Having a remote portable mobile phone charger is a must for travel. Snapping photos or using maps to navigate your way around a city drains the phone’s battery. This charger is highly rated and can charge a number of devices. 

4. A passport case is a great way to keep all your documents together and organized for when you need them. This one comes with RFID blocking technology to help keep all your documents safe from high-tech pickpockets. We also love the fashionable patterns and colours!

5. Pandemic travel means stocking up on sanitary essentials. A few of our recommendations: Disinfecting wipes, Tide to Go stick, toothbrush cover, and travel bottles.  

6. Nora suggests bringing Aqua tablets for water purification. She says: “They are so small and fit anywhere, and in times you are headachy and grumpy from dehydration, they come in handy when you aren’t 100% sure the water from the sink is as drinkable as you need.”

7. Marilee suggests bringing a headlamp when travelling, especially one that has a red function to use in the jungle, on the beach, or in the savannah looking at critters. Our top headlamp recommendations are from Woods and the Peltz headlamp from MEC. 

8. Kathy likes her foldable/packable lightweight duffle bag that comes in a variety of colours. It is perfect for extra storage if you are bringing too much home. 

9. Nancy suggests packing cubes. Again, not the most exiting of gifts, but they make such a difference in keeping your clothes organized in your backpack, bag or suitcase. They are also perfect for dirty laundry or wet clothes that you want to keep separate from the rest of your suitcase. 

10. For a fanny pack that is stylish and functional, look no further than this waterproof nylon bag. Its close-to-body design makes it perfect for keeping valuables close.

A JourneyWoman never leaves home without her boots!

Boots are a symbol of empowerment for women. Don’t you feel instantly like a warrior queen when you put on a good pair of boots? They are we as JourneyWoman take our first steps in to conquer the world around us. Boots give us strength and stability beneath our feet to walk for miles and explore areas never seen before.

Boots have been a notable symbol for JourneyWoman as the founder of JourneyWoman Evelyn Hannon wore her red boots with pride and give her the confidence to travel solo, sparking inspiration for generations of women to come. 

CEO of JourneyWoman Carolyn Ray loves her Ariat Horseback riding boots for their comfort and long-lasting quality. Carolyn used these boots on her recent horseback riding trip to Banff which you can read about here and absolutely recommends them for comfort and style. 

Joy loves her red boots, pictured below, which caused a flurry of attention on our Facebook group. She says: “Sometimes, you need kick-ass boots to keep moving.” Don’t we know that! 

Indigenous-owned brands to support

Editor Amanda has been coveting several pairs of earrings for months from Indi City! Any piece of jewelry from Indi City (Indigenous woman-owned Canadian business) makes a powerful statement. 

Cosmetics from Cheekbone Beauty, now available at Sephora, are another great option. This sustainable beauty brand benefitting Indigenous youth is owned by an Indigenous woman.

Spirit Bear Coffee is 100% fair trade and certified organic for the coffee lovers on your list.

Give the gift of pure sweetness with traditional maple syrup made in Neqotkuk Tobique First Nation.

Mother Earth Essentials has great gifts for the holidays all made using Indigenous cultural practices and local plants. Two of our favourites are the aromatherapy kit and homemade soap which are made using traditional Indigenous plants.

Accessories For Travel

A JourneyWoman is nothing if not practical, but we always want to look fashionable. 

Stock up on our sassy flamingo JourneyWoman bandana designed by our very own Dr. Mary Clark!  

Mary also recommends a scarf, always a great idea to pack when travelling as it has so many uses. A scarf is great for sleeping, keeping warm, fancying up an outfit, or adding modesty when visiting a religious site. 

Our sterling silver JourneyWoman necklace is a gorgeous new addition to the JourneyWoman store and is custom-made upon order.

Buffs are great for their versatility and can be worn for a long time without washing. We’re planning to produce a JourneyWoman version soon so keep an eye out! 

Amanda suggests these reusable travel straws that can be personalized and are from a black-woman-owned Canadian business. 

Reusable shopping bags are perfect to bring when travelling as they can be used for groceries, extra clothes or wet clothing.

The JourneyWoman luggage tag is a staple in this community, perfect for spotting other JourneyWomen when you travel!

Books and notebooks

Travelling is not only fun because of the places you get to go, but because of the memories, you get to keep. These novelty gifts are helpful for writing down the places you have been and finding new places to explore!

This traveller’s notebook is small, lightweight, and makes a great gift for a traveller.

We love this scratch-off world poster to help visualize all the places you have been and want to go.

The National Geographic Destinations of a Lifetime has such wonderful photos of the world’s most incredible places.

The JourneyWoman notebook is a classic notebook to slip into your bag and use for anything your heart desires.

Wanderlust travel challenge card game is such a great gift idea for travellers to explore every part of the town they are in and is full of conversation starters to meet new people while travelling.

A Final Note

Our friends Dawn and Angela are launching a first-of-its kind gift box – including a plush blanket, reversible comforter and more – designed especially for seniors to help them feel at home when they can’t be. Called Rest and Nest, their goal is to uplift seniors by making purpose an essential part of their experience. Dawn is hoping to sell 75 boxes before the holidays. If you happen to know a family that could use this, please don’t hesitate to order one online on her website.

Books make great presents too! 

The JourneyWoman Book Club has been exploring books around the world for months – visit our Book Club page for more ideas and suggestions.