My Favorite Gifts for Full Time Travel

It’s that time of year again. People are making their lists and checking them twice!

If you read our blog, chances are you or someone you know is traveling full time. I’ve put together a list of some of my most favorite items that anyone (traveling or not) may love to receive this Christmas season. In no particular order, here are some of my favorite things.

Travelers Notebook

I am in love with this planner system. Jonathan and I both have one and we use it every single day! The Traveler's Notebook is small enough to fit in my handbag, but big enough I can actually read what’s on my calendars. The best part is it’s totally customizable. I’ve gone with a monthly and weekly calendar in mine, along with an extra lined insert for taking notes and writing down ideas and things to remember. What I love most is the calendar inserts that you can begin on any day because it’s all empty dates. You pick what month you want to begin and just fill in the dates yourself. No more waiting until the New Year to get started. You can read more about this planner on this post I wrote awhile back!

Wall Basket

Space is extremely limited in an RV, but traveling or not, a good wall basket is extremely useful. Store produce, table linens, utensils, or even plants in them, and have less things on your counter. I may or may not have spent the last 3 years searching for the perfect wall basket. We just purchased this set and I’m in love with the geometric details. Plus, if your house is on wheels like ours, it’s one less thing to have to move on travel day!

USB Oil Diffuser

Pretty much everyone I know is a lover of essential oils and when you’re traveling full time you know that every inch of counter space is precious. There’s no way a standard size diffuser was making the cut in our tiny Airstream. We made sure to add extra USB ports all throughout our home so that we could use USB powered items whenever possible, and that includes this little oil diffuser. We actually have one for the truck as well. With 6 people in a tiny space, diffusing calming oils is a must. Not only do they smell amazing, they also keep us healthy and purify our air.

Deuter Backpack

Every adventurer needs a good hiking backpack. We love our Deuter Airlite 28. It's the perfect size for day hikes. We've tried several packs over the years but we keep coming back to this one. But if you're unsure of which one would be best for you, just hit up your local REI and have yourself fitted by their specialists. They know what they're doing!

BagPodz

Storage is everything while traveling. You don’t want to be going to the grocery and coming home with 20 plastic bags. Not only is it extremely wasteful, it’s completely unnecessary. Grab a set of 5 or 10 BagPodz and get yourself in the habit of taking in your reusable bags. We’ve had them in our truck for years and I don’t even have to think about it anymore. Taking our own bags in to stores is just what we do. They’ll hold more items and are way stronger than the plastic bags. Plus, many big box stores and even locations markets are beginning to charge you for your plastic bag usage. Get ahead of the game and just bring your own. You’re doing this earth a huge favor!

Stasher Bags

It kills me every time I buy a box of Ziplock bags. I have this inner struggle of feeling extremely bad for contributing more plastic to a landfill, but also...it’s just so convenient. Though we aren’t completely zero waste, we have made a switch to these Stasher bags for almost everything. Not only are they easy to use, but they also come in super cute colors. They’re great for taking snacks on hikes or in the truck on drive days. They’re easy to wash and don’t take up too much space. This is a switch I was happy to make!

Bamboo Toothbrushes

This was an extremely easy switch for us. We’ve stopped buying plastic toothbrushes after watching a documentary that showed hundreds of plastic toothbrushes washing up on beaches around the world. It was disturbing. Amazon makes it so easy. Just add this pack of bamboo toothbrushes to your Amazon cart and give yourself a pat on the back. You may have just saved a turtles life! While you're at it, toss in this adorable biodegradable floss that comes in a zero waste container! All you'll need to buy is the floss refills! Score.

Magma pots

We’ve had these since we started traveling. Ours are all worn, but this nesting Magma set of 7 is absolutely perfect for our family. It comes with a 5 qt stock pot, a 9-1/2” sauté pan, a 2 qt sauce pan, a lid for the smaller pot and a lid that fits both the larger pot and pan, a removable handle and a bungee to keep them all together. Honestly we don’t use the bungee, but I can see how it would come in handy at times. I love that they nest together and only take up as much room as the larger pot. We’ve had ours for almost 5 years and they’ve held up great. A great space saving option for traveling families or those who want to live tiny!

Smithey Cast Iron Skillet

Though we do love our Magma set...if weight was not an issue, I’d make the switch to all Smithey Cast Ironware. I am in love. Their pans are nothing short of a work of art. The inside is already as slick as your grandmas cast iron pans. I’ve not had anything stick to my Smithey skillet. Just go check out their site. This hand forged Farmhouse Skillet as well as their new Dutch Oven have me staying up all night thinking about what I could get rid of to make room for these in our tiny house on wheels. Seriously...I cannot tell you how great they are, just go get one for yourself!

Hydro Flasks

We don’t go anywhere without our Hydro Flask water bottles. I’m serious. They even go with us to restaurants. We each have one and it’s our main cup we use every single day (except for Jonathan who prefers his Yeti because it fits in the truck cup holder). The point is, get yourself a good reusable container and stop buying plastic water bottles! It’s 2019 people! Anyone will gladly fill up your Hydro Flask, and you won't be sending off hundreds of bottles to the landfill each year. It’s not only a gift for you, it’s a gift to our planet!

Berkey water filter

Now that you’ve got yourself a super cute reusable water bottle, you’ll want to fill it with the best quality of water you can. Do yourself a favor and get a Berkey. I can say with certainty that we are full on water snobs. We’ll take our own water to restaurants because often theirs is downright awful. Even our kids notice the difference in the quality of water from place to place. We will never be without our Berkey water filter. Yes, it’s a large up front cost, but you’ll be drinking the cleanest water out there and saving money by not buying water bottles ever again! It's truly worth every penny.

Green Mountain Grill

If you love smoked meats, grilled pizzas, or smoked bacon chocolate chip cookies, you're going to want to get this Green Mountain Grill for the one you love. We use it every week. Traveling with the Green Mountain Grill (we have the Davy Crockett size) has been fantastic. We smoke loads of meat each week and we can even use it as an oven. I've baked bread, pies, cookies, pizzas and much more in ours, and we highly recommend them to anyone who wants to travel with a grill or smoker. Plus, cooking outside in the summer keeps the heat down inside the trailer!

So there you have it!

These are my top favorite gifts to give this Christmas season. So, be a good friend and buy me that Smithy Farmhouse Skillet...I mean....

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About the Author

Ashley Longnecker is the fiercely independent tattooed and dreaded half of Tiny Shiny Home. She's a woodworker, photographer and maker of delicious baked goods. She loathes schedules and makes every day an adventure.

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