It’s that time of the year! It’s time to stock up on gifts. From loved ones to colleagues, sometimes it’s difficult to pick the perfect gift. I love giving edible or travel themed gifts, especially for those who “have it all”. Â A nice bottle of wine or a box a chocolates is a small luxury without breaking the bank. You can also surprise the traveler in your life with packing cubes, a new set of luggage, or even a surprise trip. I’ve spent the last month testing and researching the best items for the Dining Traveler Holiday Gift Guide… Here are my picks:
Dining Traveler Holiday Gift Guide:
Small Edible Gifts: If gifting a colleague, acquaintance, or friends, a small edible gift can be a nice touch without breaking the bank. I love the idea of gifting a small luxury box of chocolates, such as the Godiva Seasonal Chocolate Truffle Flight.  Another delicious sweets gift option are  McCrea’s Caramels. These yummy small batch caramels are made in Boston using local ingredients. I’m currently obsessed with their curried butternut caramels. Also, you can’t go wrong with coffee! Not only does La Colombe have gorgeous coffeehouses (I love their new one in the Shaw neighborhood of DC), but you can order their beloved coffee online. Dining Traveler Tip: combining some of these small edible gifts together in a beautiful basket, it makes a thoughtful and delicious gift idea.Â
Gourmet Gifts: Looking to impress your inlaws or an important client? Show your love for food with beautifully packaged gourmet gifts that you can easily order online. I appreciate a well-curated gift, such as the Maille truffle mustard gift set. Not only are the mustards exquisite, but the presentation is gorgeous with a black box with gold accents. Another luxe gourmet pick is the Di Bruno Bros. French cheese collection. This expertly curated bundle contains five French cheese-pairings and a rustic French sausage (from Di Bruno Bros’ very own certified cheesemongers) transporting any traveling foodie to Paris in an instant.
For the Wine Lovers: This holiday gift guide would not be complete without wine! Wine is one of my favorite items to gift during the holidays. Whether it’s bringing a nice bottle to a party or gifting it to a friend, wine can represent not only a gift but can bring memories of a destination or a special memory. A great option at a reasonable price point (avg $10) is Campo Viejo Tempranillo, a wine from the Spanish Rioja region. During my travels, I always bring back either wine or spirits from that destination. If you have friends like me, consider getting them a VinniBag. VinniBag is a durable travel accessory with inflatable air chambers that protect and insulate  liquids and fragile items.
Books: Another great gift idea for a traveling foodie is a great food book. From memoirs to colorful cookbooks, there’s an incredible selection out there. I fell in love with Chef Gaston Acurio’s Peru cookbook. The design, the colors, the photographs are beautiful! One of my travel reads this summer was Real Food Fake Food by Larry Olmsted. It really puts things into perspective in terms of how food is marketed in the United States. I will never be able to look at parmesan the same way! On my reading list this winter is Mincemeat, the memoir of Italian chef Leonardo Lucarelli. Looking forward to read all about the behind the scenes of the Italian restaurant industry.
Travel Accessories: I am not a fan of backpacks but I made an exception for Samsonite’s GT Supreme Laptop Backpack. It strikes the balance of fitting my camera, lens, backpack, wallet, and chargers while compact enough to fit on top of my carry-on suitcase.  Another great travel accessory is the EatSmart TravelWise Packing Cube System. This set of 5 packing cubes help you organize your clothing items and are perfect for a carry-on. For $24.99, it’s an affordable gift for the traveler in your life. For a luxe travel gift, give the Lincoln +Lenox R’mila scarf offered at Global Creator, the new travel accessory website with gorgeous items curated by luxury travel writer Amy Hayes. A scarf is the perfect gift for the jetsetter in your life…Â
Travel: Â For an epic travel gift, look into the new WOW Air routes from BWI to Iceland starting at $99Â during mid-Winter. You can also find flights (with layover in Reykjavik) to the rest of Europe for under $500. Perhaps it’s the right time to whisk away a loved one or gift yourself an epic solo trip!
Hope the Dining Traveler Holiday Gift Guide gave you great ideas on what to give this holiday season! What’s on your wish list?
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What great ideas! I really like the look of the Samsonite backpack. It looks like it is very spacious but well compartmentalized so it still easy to find things. Of course, my favorite on the list is wine! Both to give and to receive.
Thanks! Love the backpack (and I’m not even a backpack person)! Agree, wine makes a great gift!
Love the gift ideas for edible and travel themed gifts! I love picking up international cook books as gifts for my foodie / travel friends, as they always love experimenting with new exotic recipes. Even better if you ca bring home some of the spices it mentions in the book!
Love the idea about adding the spices! Thanks for stopping by!
Oh wow – so many goodies, just in time for the holidays! Just looked up McCrea’s and it’s available in so many shops in Massachusetts! We live in the Boston area too and this would make a lovely shopping add-on! This year, I made it a point to pick up local products wherever we traveled – so we’re well stocked on honey, hot chocolate, coffee, olive oil, wine and chocolates 🙂 Thanks for sharing this post.
Supriya
I’m in love with McCrea’s. I sampled them for my article and ended up buying for my friends… so good!
So many unique ideas, the list is full of essential items. With holidays so close, this list is a useful tool for people like me who find it hard to decide on gift items.
Thanks!
Thanks for the tip and I will bear that in mind. ~ and I love cook books. @ knycxjourneying.com
Cookbooks make a great gift!
My husband would love the French cheese collection. He can never have enough! Love the Samsonite backpack too. That looks like a great option for travelers!
You can never go wrong with cheese!
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