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Travel

Gimme gimme: Travel enthusiast

Holiday gift ideas for people who love travel.

By JANET K. KEELER
Published December 3, 2006

Other gift ideas for the:
Book lover | Art aficionado

The gift list is endless for people who like to travel on planes, trains and automobiles. Guide books, language tapes, money belts, luggage, journals, cameras and all sorts of electronic gizmos can make travel easier. Sometimes, though, a gift speaks to why we travel, rather than how. We unwrap gift ideas for people who love to think about their last journey almost as much as they want to go on the next.

World in the round: A  globe lets experienced travelers show off where they’ve been and inspires novices to daydream about where they want to go. There are many types from which to choose, including antique, illuminated and talking. Look for them at department and book stores. On the Internet, check out the nearly 1,000 globes for auction at www.ebay.com or the many styles at www.worldwideglobes.com. You can spend as little as $25 and as much as $1,000.

A year of memories: It’s nice to be reminded every month about special places visited while on vacation. Or the places you dream about going. The guidebook publisher Lonely Planet has a good selection of wall and desk calendars. Look for them, and others, at Borders and Barnes & Noble. Most are less than $15.


The better to see wild life: Binoculars are one of those items that you always wish you’d brought but most likely forgot. Outdoors stores, such as Bill Jackson stock a variety; 9501 U.S. 19 N, Pinellas Park,  (727) 576-4169. Magellan’s has a powerful hand-held version, the MiniScout 7-power, for $34.85. Go online at www.magellans.com or call toll-free 1-800-962-4943.

For those digital moments: Gift certificates to a local processor or an online digital photo service, such as  www.ofoto.com, www.snapfish.com or www.shuttlerfly.com, can make getting prints easier. A photo album is a lovely companion gift.

Acting globally: Consider a donation in your globetrotter’s name to a charity such as World Vision or UNICEF. An amount as small as $25 can make a big impact by purchasing health supplies and such items as a backpack and school supplies for a child in the United States. Get more information at  www.worldvision.org or www.supportunicef.org.

To stuff in stockings: Luggage tags, not a green yarn bow, may be the only way to distinguish your suitcase on the carousel now that every other one is black with wheels. We like ours with a sense of humor. Tags that say “You won’t look good in my clothes” and “Not worth taking” are among the offerings from Luggage & Gifts. Tyrone Square Mall, St. Petersburg,  (727) 341-1067, and Westfield Countryside Mall, Clearwater, (727) 669-7079. They are $4.25 each.

Eating at the right places: Most guidebooks have dining information, but for travelers whose main reason for getting there is eating, nothing will do but the slim, maroon Zagat books. The guides are updated annually for the most part and the 2007 America’s Top Restaurants is a must for any gourmand who travels a lot domestically. Buy it at bookstores or online at www.amazon.com for about $15.

On my list: If it’s noon here, what time is it in London?  (5 p.m.) I’d like to commemorate my favorite trips and places with four identical wall clocks and engraved city name plates mounted underneath, like you see in an old-time newsroom. My clocks would show the times in San Francisco, Woodstock, Vt., London and Bombay. For anyone buying for me, the matching black-and-white clocks can be found at discount stores or online, and trophy shops will make the place plates for about $6 each. I won’t ask for anything else. Until next year.

[Last modified December 2, 2006, 16:27:17]