10 Creative Ways to Present a Travel Gift

Suitcases, noise-canceling headphones, travel pillows. Many travel gifts can be neatly packaged in a box and placed under the tree. But what about gifting a trip? 

In a recent survey of point.me members, we found that more than anything else, people want experiences and travel opportunities as gifts. 

• 80% of people would rather receive an experience instead of a tangible item
• 60% of people would rather receive a travel gift card instead of a retailer gift card
• 79% of people would rather receive a roundtrip economy class flight instead of a high-end electronic device of their choice
• 93% of people would rather receive a roundtrip business class flight rather than a designer luxury item of their choice 
• 81% of people would rather receive one gifted trip each year rather than multiple physical gifts each year for various holidays, birthdays, and events

So, should you just print out the ticket and wrap it up? You could, but we’ve got some other ideas, too. 

If you’re presenting someone with the gift of travel, here are ten creative ideas for how to make the unboxing a little more special. 

1. Create a riddle with lines in various gift boxes. Have the recipient open the boxes in order and, when they have the answer to the riddle, give them one last present that confirms the location. 
2. Do a scavenger hunt around the house; again, each box they find can be another clue to the location of the trip. 
3. Gift them a guidebook to the destination — this is especially helpful if you want them to help plan the trip! 
4. Plan a night themed around the destination: wear the type of clothes you might wear there or items that are representative of the place (e.g., a safari outfit for South Africa or a beret for France), cook dishes that come from the place, and watch movies or listen to music from that location. 
5. If you’ve booked a cruise, safari, or guided tour, wrap up the brochure for the operator so they can get a first look at the experience. 
6. Have a photo of the destination turned into a puzzle; reveal the destination once they have put it together. 
7. If you haven’t settled on a location or date, you could create a handmade “coupon book” with items like “one free roundtrip flight” or “7 nights in a luxury hotel” that they can use in the future. 
8. For an in-frequent flyer, create a gift box of in-flight essentials like earplugs, an eye mask, and some nice travel toiletries. 
9. If you’re doing a specific activity, buy them an item or two of the gear they’ll need. For example, gift them a pair of trekking poles, and when they open them and are confused, you can explain they’ll need them for the hike to Macchu Picchu!
10. For a first trip, bucket-list trip, or milestone adventure, start a scrapbook for them. Print out the destination name and date for the cover, and start the first page with a copy of the plane ticket or a photo of the hotel.