When special gift-giving events like birthdays come around, my family is constantly asking what they can get me. And I must admit,  I’m not the easiest person to shop for.

I typically don’t have very many good ideas to give my husband or daughter, but usually can come up with some new book or a decoration for the house I’ve resisted purchasing. However, this week for my birthday, Steve and Meghan ventured out on their own and came up with some FANTASTIC gifts that I truly love. They are perfect for anyone who enjoys travel like I do, so I thought I’d share them here.

First, my daughter, Meghan, got me this great card that says, “Live for life’s adventures.” It was a blank card, which I just love, because I got to read a personal message that came from her heart.

 

Inside, she wrote a lovely birthday note and hinted that my gifts were a couple things for wherever my travels take me.  I couldn’t wait to open them! The first gift was a bucket list notebook she said she found at Michael’s.

Isn’t that a great idea? I’ve never really written out my bucket list and this is a great little book where I can  list all the things I’d like to do in my lifetime and then enter the date they were each completed. I’ve already started making my list … travel to Greece, go on an African safari, take a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon, see a Pow Wow, meet the Compassion International child we sponsor, and the list goes on and on.

It even has sections for seasonal and yearly bucket lists just to keep me on track. Which I desperately need.

There are sections in the back for bucket lists for specific places, things I’ve already accomplished (a reverse bucket list) and a travel bucket list by country, state, and city.

I thought it was a great gift and one I will definitely use. The second gift Meghan got me was a similar notebook, but this one was all about organizing my notes when I’m traveling.

I loved the first page of the book that said, “Be brave enough to dream and strong enough to act.” How timely, as Steve and I embark on a  new adventure this year.

Inside, there is a section for a general packing list (which I’ve needed for years) and pages to track our budget for individual trips and then log travel expenses. That will come in especially handy as we do more traveling for business.

The majority of the book is then pages of travel logs where I can jot down notes about our destination, favorite foods, best moments, the weather, and favorite sites.

Meghan said she thought this would be a great resource for helping me remember things from our trips for blog posts, without taking the time while we’re enjoying a vacation to write posts right then and there. She was right and I love it.

As for Steve, for my birthday he sent me flowers (love, love, love getting flowers) and gave me a hand made certificate that I cannot wait to use, because it involves travel. The certificate stated he’d moved some money in our budget for me to use on a trip to the Pioneer Woman’s Mercantile in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and at the Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, Texas,  AT MY DISCRETION! He included a sentence that said I could choose any I items I would like without worry of him rolling his eyes or saying anything about them.

You know what this means, right? If I want to buy yet another kitchen gadget or an overpriced throw pillow (or two), he will not say a word. It’s going to be magical, I tell you.

He also indulged my obsession with office supplies since we’re going to be doing even more travel blogging from our home office. He got me new mechanical pencils, colored markers (my all-time fav), a spiral notebook for my church notes, paper clips, and a laser pointer for the travel classes we’re going to teach this fall. I’ll admit, I was just little giddy.

All of the gifts I received were so well thought out and made me feel so loved and appreciated. This now 48-year-old traveler couldn’t ask for anything more.

Do you have any gift ideas for travelers? Let us know in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you. 

As always, THANKS for sharing (and pinning)!