Nine practical but fun Christmas stocking gifts for travelers

Still looking for the perfect Christmas stocking stuffer for the traveler in your life?

Need a fun but practical gift that is lightweight and small enough to fit in a backpack or carry-on bag?

Here’s nine Christmas stocking stuffers might just do the trick.

The mini Scratch-off map (16.5 in x 12.75 in) might just be the perfect gift for the frequent or round the world traveler. It features a gold top layer that can be scratched of, turning each place that the traveler has been blue.  Buy one as a gift and one for yourself and have a race to see who goes blue faster.

Uncommongoods.com sell a travel stub diary which would make a great companion gift to go with the scratch-off map. Unfortunately, it’s out of stock at present so you wouldn’t be able to turn it into a stocking stuffer. But there’s always birthdays to buy for.

Add some color with one of Flight 001’s bright orange, green, pink, or blue universal adaptors . With such bright colors,  you can almost guarantee they won’t be left behind in the hotel room.

If your traveler is heading anywhere hot next year, they’d probably appreciate a cool scarf that’s not only cool looking but will also keep them cool. These Heatcutters can be worn around the neck or wrist, come in a variety of colors and designs. Before using, soak them in cold water for 20 minutes and they’ll keep you cool for 48 hours.

Business travels in particular will love the Tugo luggage drink holder that attaches to the sides of a carry-on bag handle. Guaranteed to hold the coffee cup (or any other type of cup or bottle) upright while on the move, it ‘s a simple but amazingly practical travel gadget.

Another practical gift is the collapsible packable Travel Wine Glasses. Made from BPA-free plastic, the stem can be unscrewed from the bowl and packed away into the handy travel pouch. And if you want the wine loving traveler bring back a bottle or two, then you might want to add a couple of VinniBag wine carriers to the stocking as well.

The gadget heavy traveler will no doubt find a use for the Curvyman Cord Keeper. With him around, you can keep all those cords untangled and wound neatly in one place. There’s even a clip provided so you can attach the curvyman to a keychain.

Give the backpacking traveler a paper shower pack.  Who knows, one day, they might just thank you for it.

Long distance travelers, trapped in a freezing plane will find the lightweight cool max blanket a life saver as they never have to use another scratchy airline blanket again. This super soft blanket will keep you warm and can be packed away into a small sack when not needed.

For more fun  and practical Christmas gift ideas, check out Perceptive Travels stocking stuffer lists for 2010 and 2011 and also online travel accessory stores such as Flight 001 , Travel Smith , Le Travel Store , and Magellan’s.

But you’d better be quick as time is running out for ordering and receiving products before Christmas.

(image by BazzaDaRambler via flickr)