I promise I won’t be offended if you roll your eyes at this post.
I get it—many people find the holiday utterly insufferable with all of the forced “romanticism” and capitalist gifting. Whether you love or hate the holiday, I’ve rounded up a few items that any travel-lover would adore, regardless of whether these are given in the middle of February or not.
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As always, each item featured on this site is one I either own and recommend or would highly consider purchasing. When possible, I like to link to items that are ethically/sustainably made.
VALENTINE’S DAY GIFTS FOR TRAVELERS
1. Heart Succulent Garden* | Why are succulents a great gift for a traveler? Because they are so easy to care for! House plants are a luxury item for a traveler—they’re non-essential and often require frequent attention and care. With succulents, your recipient won’t have to fret about scheduling someone to take care of their plants while away.
2. Travel Incense | Does your amour (or your ami!) miss their daily ritual of ending the day by lighting incense or other fragrance items? This set contains sixty sticks and a ceramic holder, yet is tiny enough to squeeze into even the most overstuffed bag. Add a small lighter (the TSA allows you to carry one empty lighter with you when you fly, by the way) and tie it with a ribbon—voila! You’ve just made the tiniest, most indulgent, yet practical gift.
3. Wine Gift Box (for those 21+, of course!) | There are a number of gift sets and wine subscriptions on the market if you know what they like to drink. The wine-obsessed traveler will appreciate being able to enjoy the varietals they love from the locations they love to visit.
4. Other Wordly by Lee-Yum Mak | This sweet little book makes a great gift for the language-lover in your life. It’s filled with foreign words that have much deeper meaning than a single English word (such as komorebi—a Japanese word that means “the sunlight that filters through the leaves of the trees”).
5. Throw Blanket | Our long drives have changed for the better since we each added a designated “car blanket” to our vehicles. I’m notorious for getting easily chilled and also for napping during the ride. Having a blanket makes long rides much more bearable, and this one is better for the planet too—it’s made out of cotton rather than acrylic.
6. Le chocolat des Français | Skip the tacky, cheap heart box and pick up a set of Le chocolat des Français from their MoMA Pop-Up (in NYC? Even better! Have a custom bar made at one of their store events). The company sources natural ingredients for their chocolates (read more about their ingredients here), and each has a cheeky NYC- or French-themed design.
7. Men’s Heavyweight Overshirt | This heavyweight shirt is warm and functional to combat chilly days, and the color is understatedly festive. It also would translate well for travel, serving as both a shirt and a light jacket.
8. Fragrance Room Tag | Every so often we end up in a hotel room or Airbnb that smells a tad musty; having a packable, hangable tag like this would freshen up even the stuffiest room. Plus, having this in a suitcase would ensure that their clothes always smell fresh, too.
9. Dollhouse Heart Locket | This heart locket is a sweet, small necklace perfect for reminding your recipient of a past journey together. Just trim a photo or map and paste it inside so they can always have something to remember their adventure.
*this item is no longer available, and a similar product is linked
Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? If you do, how do you celebrate? And if you don’t, why not?
See you tomorrow for another Journal post!
