How many people on your gift list are living, traveling, or dreaming about living and traveling, in a van?
Do you have someone in your life that has chosen to live the Vanlife or just travels so much that they seem to be living on the road, constantly? Sometimes these folks are the most difficult to buy for at holiday time because their lives are so minimal.
One of the reasons for living in a van, besides being mobile, is making a small footprint on the environment. “Stuff” is kept at a minimum because of the space issues, and everything that is in the van needs to be extremely useful in some way. I’ve asked around my groups on facebook and twitter for recommendations for this year’s Vanlifers’ Holiday gift list and here are the results!
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Gift Cards/Cash
Vanlifers’ LOVE gift cards and cash. They are probably the one group of people on your list that won’t think you are lame for giving out gift cards. If you don’t know your person’s favorite stores or gas stations, how about a Visa Gift Card? They can be used anywhere for anything. Other gift cards your vanlifer or long term traveler might find useful on their walkabout might be a few of my favorites – absolutely Trader Joe’s and/or Whole Foods are top on my list, Lowe’s, a Southwest Air or other airline gift card for an emergency flight home, Starbucks, and Amazon eGift Cards
Gas cards were the most requested of all the cards!
Clothing
My favorites this year are 32 Degrees base layer underwear. Bottoms are thin enough to wear under jeans or leggings, tops could be worn alone or under other long-sleeved tees or button ups, and both add an extra layer for warmth.
Or, anything made out of Merino Wool.
Boot socks also made the list this year! This winter is forecasted to be pretty frigid in the Midewest and Eastern states, so keep your vanlifer’s feet warm and dry!
Solar Lamps
Luminaid lamps are on my list! These inflatable solar lamps are also a phone charging station. When not in use they take up minimal space by deflating them.
Water Filters
Probably the most expensive item I’m going to put on this list also comes from my own wish list – a Travel Berkey Water Filter! Ohhhhh and awwwww! I can’t quite figure out how I will mount my future water source, but that’s the least of my concerns.
Camping Gear
Someone bought me this Coleman Flashlight for my van warming and I have to say that it’s pretty useful – and powerful on full blast!
A Thermos to keep food and soup warm while driving or while waiting for meal time.
A Portable Travel Blender! I’ve been looking forever for a strong hand crank blender, but this battery powered one seems to have the ability to do what I need – make smoothies.
A way to read books without lugging the books around. Personally, I love real hands on books when I’m reading. But to save space and have everything all in one place seems to be a cool thing too. The Kindle Fire HD10 is not only a space saver, but also an entertainment center, and includes Alexa.
Preparedness
If your vanlifer is spending a lot of time in California, or in the Western states, particularly in later summer or fall, consider getting them a high quality mask or a pack of N95 or P100/s to have on hand in case of forest fires. They may never be caught in one, but one never knows which way the wind will blow. The climate is changing and the last few years have really amped up when it comes to drying out and catching fire in The West.
Still A Good Choice
Items from last year’s list that I still think are fairly good choices: the Beverage Thermos, the Resistance Bands, the Dutch Oven, and the portable Jump Starter!
National Park Pass
For those vanlifers who are free to travel throughout the US, at $80 per year, the National Park Pass is a perfect holiday gift! The Annual Senior Pass is $20 and the Lifetime Senior Pass is $80 – so if your vanlifer is 62 or over – make sure you get the deal! Just make sure your vanlifer doesn’t already have one, as they are non-refundable and non-transferable.