Gifts for People Who Travel a Lot

N E W  Y O R K, Dec. 1, 2003 -- Some people travel with a toothbrush and acredit card.

Others prefer to be prepared — sometimes even pampered. Forthese travelers, there are holiday gift possibilities galore — frompractical items like book lights and electrical adapters, toextravagant presents like trendy bags or a digital camera. And forthe traveler whose suitcase is already bursting, go for the giftcertificate.

GIFTS FOR A CRUISE: Have fresh flowers or a bottle of champagnesent to someone's room, or buy a gift certificate, in the form ofan on-board credit, for use at a spa or shop on the ship. Contactthe cruise line by phone or Web site. You should know what companythe recipient is sailing with, plus departure place and day. Notethat you cannot purchase credit for use at a casino.

GIFTS FOR DISNEY: You can order gift certificates for Disneytheme parks and resort hotels. Call (714) 781-4400 for Disneylandin California, or (407) WDISNEY for Disney World in Florida. (Disney is the parent company of ABCNEWS.com.)

GIFTS FOR DOMESTIC TRAVELERS: For travelers headed to Boston,New York, Seattle, Chicago, Hollywood, San Francisco, Philadelphiaor Southern California, consider buying a CityPass. Each bookletcontains tickets to a half-dozen local attractions. If you live ina CityPass region, buy the booklets for guests who want to sightseewhile visiting you over the holidays.

For details, visit http://citypass.net/cgi-bin/citypass/ or call(888) 330-5008. Prices vary, but CityPass provides at least a 50percent discount over regular admissions. In New York, the $45CityPass gets you into the Empire State Building, the Guggenheim,the Museum of Modern Art, the Intrepid, the Museum of NaturalHistory and the Circle Line cruise around Manhattan. And inChicago, a $49 CityPass buys admission to the Hancock Observatory,the Art Institute, the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, the AdlerPlanetarium and the Museum of Science and Industry.

GIFTS FOR A ROAD TRIP: To give AAA memberships as a gift, callyour local AAA or look for the "gift membership" form atwww.aaa.com. Allow 10 days to process paperwork; if the recipientis already a member, AAA will add a year to the membership. The $55fee provides roadside emergency service, maps and drivingdirections, and discounts at many theme parks and hotels.

Other gifts for carbound travelers: travel coffee mugs, booklight for passengers, road atlas, prepaid cell phone and/or prepaidphone card, backseat blanket, books on tape, individualized bags oftoys and snacks for kids, and for snowy weather, a shovel,long-handled brush, and ice-scraper.

GIFTS FOR BOOK LOVERS: Think books for armchair travelers.Classics include Paul Theroux's The Great Railway Bazaar, abouta train trip around the world, or E.B. White's Once More to theLake, about summers in Maine. A current best seller is FrancesMayes' Under the Tuscan Sun.

Or consider a personalized book-of-the-month gift from "AuntLydia's Book Club," a service offered by Book Passage, anindependent bookseller with stores in San Francisco and CorteMadera, Calif. Book Passage will custom-choose a book on travel (orany other subject) and ship it anywhere, gift-wrapped with a cardfrom you, once a month or bimonthly for a year. To arrange, call(800) 999-7909, extension 450, or send an e-mail toclassesbookpassage.com.

Just be sure to tell Book Passage what topics the recipient isinterested in — whether it's adventure travel, New England, Asia,fishing, or whatever. All selections are returnable; large type andbooks on tape are often available. Book Passage owner ElainePetrocelli says recent selections for travel enthusiasts in AuntLydia's club include Jan Morris' The World, about her 50 yearsof worldwide travel, and Tony Horwitz's Blue Latitudes: BoldlyGoing Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before.

Guidebooks also make good gifts. Travel agent Jeanne Fond, whoworks for Seven Seas Cruises and Tours in Orange County, Calif.,recommends the Dorling-Kindersley DK's Eyewitness TravelGuides, and especially for budget-minded travelers, Fodor's,Frommer's and Rick Steve's guides.

GIFTS FOR TRAVEL ABROAD: An electrical plug-in adapter makes apractical gift for folks who travel overseas with small applianceslike electric toothbrushes or hairdryers. Even when theseappliances come with a switch for dual current, sometimes theactual plug won't fit without the adapter.

A small flashlight or book light is also useful in other timezones, where travelers may want to read or hunt for some small itemin their luggage after the lights are out.

GIFTS FOR TRANSPORTING POSSESSIONS: Duffles, small travel bagswith compartments for toiletries, and backpacks — especially thosewith detachable daypacks inside — all make good, moderately pricedgifts. For hikers and sightseers, get a fanny pack with holder forwater bottle, glasses or cell phone. Money belts may be useful forthose venturing to exotic locales.

L.L. Bean (www.llbean.com or 800-221-4221) offers a "personalorganizer," from $19 to $39 depending on size, for transportingsoap, shampoo and similar items in a compact, accessible way. Thewater-resistant nylon bags fold up to the size of a magazine; theycan be hung from a hook and zippered open to reveal a built-inmirror and mesh pockets. Personalize the gift with travel-sizetoothpaste, shampoo, hand cream, lip balm, ear plugs, travel alarmclock, and a blackout blindfold for sleeping. For theexercise-conscious traveler, an elastic stretching exercise band(like the 6-foot-long item offered atwww.simplefitnesssolutions.com for $12.95) rolls up small for easypacking.

For gift-givers with bigger budgets, look for Tumi's wheeledduffles and suitcases (www.tumi.com or 800-322-TUMI). Althoughpricey, in the several hundred-dollar range, they are sturdy,stable and have carrying straps and multiple compartments; somehave separate bags for laptops that zip right inside the luggage.

GIFTS FOR OUTDOOR WARRIORS: For skiers, snowboarders and otherwinter adventurers, think leg warmers, arm warmers, waterproofgloves, and gadgets — like high-tech ski goggles ($95, Wisdom SnowPersimmon Lens) or a three-in-one electronic compass, temperaturesensor and stopwatch ($49.95) from Altrec (www.altrec.com or800-369-3949). For campers, a full-length sleeping pad fromTherm-a-Rest ensures a good night's sleep.

For ecotourists and those bound for warm climates and developingcountries, create a care package with heavy-duty sunscreen; plasticrain poncho in a small, flat pouch; Permathin mosquito repellent(spray for clothes, cream for skin); small binoculars; flexible,wide-brimmed hat; plastic protective covering for passport; afirst-aid kit (Adventure Medical Kits offers a variety, dependingon destination and needs); and a pouch to protect film from airportX-rays. A Leatherman all-in-one pocket tool (from $20 to $50) isalso a good gift; it's the 21st century-equivalent of a Swiss Armyknife.

GIFTS FOR PRESERVING TRIP MEMORIES: Give a scrapbook. Remind thetraveler to save ticket stubs, brochures, postcards and photos.Offer to help an older person or child fill the book when the tripis over.

For a high-tech gift, think digital camera. Rick Sammon, authorof Complete Guide to Digital Photography (W.W. Norton, $45),says that a 3-megapixel digital camera works for most amateurphotographers, producing images up to 8-by-10 inches. Forpoint-and-shoot photographers, Sammon suggests picking a camerawith different shooting modes — landscapes, portraits, close-ups,etc. — that will automatically set aperture and shutter.Accessories include inkjet printer and storage devices (memorycards, CDs, DVDs) for images.

AP writers Nick Wadhams, Brian Witte and Verena Dobnikcontributed to this story.