Best Gifts for World Travelers

A couple years ago, I received an awesome surprise gift from my cousin and this prompted me to think of the best gifts for world travelers. My cousin Anna had me in our family’s “Secret Santa” or “Chris Kringle” gift exchange. Although I didn’t ask for anything, she knew what to get me: a book and a map. I had just returned from a 3 month trip around Asia and Anna was thoughtful enough to give me these thought provoking, mind~expanding gifts. It got me thinking that I could create a concise list of gifts that travelers will especially appreciate. Here’s what I came up with as a list of the best gifts for world travelers:

The 5 Best Gifts for World Travelers

1. Books

If you’re a world traveler, chances are you are curious and open minded. What better gift than a book? A good friend once told Brian and me that the greatest gift you can possibly give someone is a book because it has the potential to expand their mind. I suggest either a travel book, a book that can enhance their character, or a book that might alter their perspective on life. Here are a few suggestions:

Travel Books:

The Beach
Into the Wild
Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Hatchet

Philosophy Books:

Living with the Himalayan Masters by Swami Rama
The Holy Bible (this version is recommended by my dear cousin, Bob)
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life

2. A World Map

Chances are, if your gift recipient is a world traveler, they’re fascinated by maps. Give them a map and watch them start telling stories of their travels, where they’ve been, where they’ll go. World maps might seem cliché to some but in reality, each world map is a bit different…. some are vastly different (see photo at the top of this post, image credit to: valeriepieris on reddit). I’ll never forget seeing this map before Brian and I made our trip to Asia.

Give your loved one the map & watch them instantly become magnetized to it. Brian has been known to pick out a spot on a map and “go there” mentally…. Visualizing being there for a short or a long while. This is indeed a lucid practice 😉

3. A More localized map

A map of a special place is one of the best gifts for world travelers. Getting a world traveler a map of one of their favorite countries or favorite cities. Travelers love closely examining maps of the countries, cities, and towns that they’ve been to. Remember, there are vintage maps, pocket maps, wall maps, all sorts of maps…. So get creative!

Local Map of Italy, image credit: Shutterstock

4. Travel Yoga Mat

Many of our readers practice yoga but even if you don’t, it is nice to have a mat for exercising while on the road. Who knows, maybe your trip around the world will be in your inspiration to take up the practice of yoga. If you have a mat, it will be that much more accessible. All yoga mats are not created equally… some can be difficult to travel with while others are very convenient. For more on travel yoga mats, click the link to read the great post that our friends Brandon and Anne wrote on this.

5. Printed Photos

Travelers love seeing the photos from their journey. It instantly brings back memories of great times. Check their blog or Facebook page for photos from their trips. Consider blowing up a photo and framing it for them or creating an entire album. If it’s that extra special person, invest a few days to make them a travel collage like the on Brian made in this post. Photos are tangible and practical, they’re involved in the recipient’s everyday life. Photos are last but definitely not least on our list of best gifts for world travelers.

For most, the best gifts for world travelers will probably be inexpensive gifts — but also very thoughtful gifts. The key to making a lasting impact on a traveler is to touch their heart and/or to make them think more deeply.

Please note that there are no “affiliate links” in this post. In other words, we are not compensated by anyone if you are to click the links within this post and make a purchase. We’re simply hoping to assist you in finding meaningful gifts for loved ones 🙂

Have you ever given/received any of these best gifts for travelers?
What are other thoughtful gift ideas for travelers?
Let us know in the comments section 🙂

~ Margaret Thatcher

~ Andy Rooney

~ Dale Evans

~ Calvin Coolidge

Final Scene of It’s a Wonderful Life and Why it Matters at Christmas

If you’ve ever seen this film, there’s no doubt that this final scene is moving. If you’ve never seen this film, I encourage you to do so.

Why I Disliked It’s a Wonderful Life in My Youth

Growing up, my family watched It’s a Wonderful Life every year at Christmas time. I remember dreading having to watch the movie mostly because I could not understand it in my youth. For a ten year old kid, the movie was unappealing because it was:

• In black and white
• The characters sounded funny (1930’s American English)
• It was “boring”

What It’s a Wonderful Life Means to Me

Over the years, I’ve grown to love It’s a Wonderful Life. Today, it is my favorite movie and I’ll even go as far as saying that it has literally changed my life.

I enjoy the film more and more each time I watch it. After watching it last night, I felt compelled to share my experience on Lucid Practice.

What is It’s a Wonderful Life About?

As a boy, the protagonist, George Bailey had always wanted to travel the world, build buildings, and shape the direction of the rising USA. However, after high school he ended up staying in the, “crummy old town” he grew up in because of circumstances outside of his control.

Midway through the movie, mistakes and hardships have compounded and George is in a bad place. He contemplates suicide at which point he asks God for a sign.

God grants George the magical gift of seeing the world as if he had never been born. One of the film’s many strengths is in its ability to depict the horror of the condition of George’s hometown, his family, and his friends without his presence in their life.

After the powerful scenes that ensue, George’s guardian angel says, “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole to fill, doesn’t he? … You see, George, you really had a wonderful life. Don’t you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?”

What We Can Learn from It’s a Wonderful Life

The poignant message of It’s a Wonderful Life is this: Be a good person and make a positive impact (even if your efforts seem to go unnoticed) on the world. This is the way Brian and I intend to live and that’s the reason Lucid Practice was Founded.

The scene above is the climax of the film when George realizes that the adversities in his life are minuscule when compared to the gift of life itself. The struggles and suffering that each of us have and go through can be looked at in the same light.

This is one of the ways I have looked at life and it’s been an incredible instrument, arming me with positive energy in the face of adversity and negativity.

The scene above and this outlook on life can be directly related to this eloquent quote:

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” ~Albert Einstein

What if we all looked at life this way? And not just throughout the Christmas season, but all the time….

Here are six traits that are emphasized throughout It’s a Wonderful Life:

• love
• family
• community
• friendship
• honesty
• faith

It’s a Wonderful Life and Christmas

The above traits are also qualities of Jesus. To me, the definition of Christianity and Catholicism is simply, “being Christlike.”

So this holiday season and beyond, be Christlike (even if you’re not technically Christian). Remember how sacred the gift of life is and do your best to make a positive dent on the universe.

Merry Christmas to all of the Lucid Practice Community!

Love, Paz