10 January 2024
16 mins Read
There is an art to gift-giving. You need to know what makes a person tick – and for real impact, what meaning or memories they will attach to the gift long after the festive season ends. The Australian Traveller team have curated a list of gifts that are sure to inspire your gift-giving this Christmas and are guaranteed to be used with fondness by your loved ones throughout the year ahead.
Perfect for: peace of mind for your forgetful friend
This gift could suit so many loved ones, from the grandparent who struggles to find their car to that friend who always manages to be the one whose bags go missing on a flight to the partner who is always asking you if you’ve seen his keys – it really is such a versatile gift.
Track your most valuable items in real-time with the new Samsung SmartTag2.
Samsung loyalists will love the changes to the new SmartTag2. As the second iteration for the brand, the new and improved Bluetooth tracker comes in White or Phantom Black and features a longer battery life, a slimmer design, a UWB chip that has been made standard, and better water resistance with a rating of IP67 (which means it can withstand short periods of immersion in water; between 15cm to one metre) – making it durable enough to put on nearly anything and deliver real-time location information when it’s most needed. You can purchase as a single tag or a four-pack and accessorise with an array of cases available in Lavender, White, Mint, Blue, Black, and more. Note, that this product is only compatible with a Samsung smartphone.
Price: single tags retail for $55; four-packs for $169; and silicone protective cases for $39.
Perfect for: the world traveller
What could inspire memory-making more than a suitcase that carries your belongings around the world? In theory, a carry-on suitcase is guaranteed to never be lost in transit, so it makes sense to splurge on one that will reflect a little of the owner’s style and personality.
Travel in style with the July Carry On Pro.
The July Carry On Pro gets our vote for style alone, but it is also full of clever, functional features. From the ejectable power bank to charge your electronics on the go to the easy-access hard-shell front pocket for your laptop – the brand wastes nothing in its pursuit to design the perfect suitcase.
July Carry On Pro comes in different colours.
Available in seven colourways – including moss, navy, shadow lavender, and clay – you can choose one that suits your loved one’s style. Personalising it with their initials, name or an inside joke is also a lovely touch. And if organisation is their version of bliss, throw in July’s packing cells too.
Price: luggage from $395 and packing sells for $95 for an eight-pack
Pack your things with ease using July’s packing cells.
Perfect for: the skincare junkie
A skincare routine is a daily ritual – and this gift is sure to have the recipient thinking of you during every application. The meeting of two fabulous female Aussie founders has gifted us this year’s most coveted lineup of skincare gifts and sets: Go-To x Alémais 2023 Holiday Collection.
Go-To x Alémais gift sets should be part of your Christmas planning.
The skincare brand and luxury fashion label have pooled their talents to create a range of 11 gifts and sets wrapped in a custom, limited edition Go-To x Alémais print. The Face Hero Extra (a personal favourite of the writer) makes its long-awaited return, along with the advent calendar – reimagined as a treasure chest. Go-To will also be donating one dollar to Lifeline for every boxed limited edition Holiday set sold.
Price: from $24 to $249
Drift to sleep with Go-To x Alémais limited edition silk pillowcase.
Perfect for: the chic summer picnicker
Roll up, roll up. You will want to do a victory lap when you peg out your stylish Miss Amara Picnic Rug at the park. The rug is soft, versatile and so stylish it can be used as a tapestry, a boho throw over your bedspread, a backyard hang or blanket for an early-morning meditation. The picnic blanket is made of 66 recycled bottles saved from landfill and the summer picnic rugs are comfortable, lightweight, compact and easy to shake out when the day is done.
Price: From $129
The Miss Amara Picnic Rug will be your go-to accessory for the warmer months.
Perfect for: the business traveller
The Backpack from MAISON de SABRÉ has a lot of features that will appeal to business travellers. Reimagined in Resilon Nylon, The Backpack has a priority pocket for a phone and a compartment for a 16-inch laptop and can carry a 500ml bottle of water, too. The Backpack is designed with a 12.5L capacity and made from 100 per cent recycled GRS-certified Resilon Nylon fabric, and is lightweight and comfortable to wear thanks to its ultra-padded straps. Travelling overseas? Stash your passport in the secret compartment. There is one internal zipped pocket and three internal slip pockets.Price: $279
The MAISON de SABRÉ Nylon Backpack is the perfect travel companion.
Perfect for: the lady who loves culture and food in equal parts
Slip behind the curtain into the opulent Ladies Lounge at Mona, Australia’s largest privately owned museum and art gallery in Hobart, and dine on high tea for two. The space, inspired by artist and curator Kirsha Kaechele, is reserved for females only and features feather lamps, velvet draped walls and a high tea degustation delivered by a dancing butler.
Partake in an indulgent afternoon high tea for two at Mona. (Image: Kirsha Kaechele)
This is one gift that is sure to be remembered. The experience includes decadent nibbles prepared by Mona’s executive chef Vince Trim, matched refreshments and museum entry. Don’t forget to dress in your finest attire.
Price: $500 per pair (available Saturday and Sunday only)
Slip behind the curtain into the opulent Ladies’ Lounge at Mona. (Image: Kirsha Kaechele)
Perfect for: the entertainer who loves to throw a dinner party
If your Secret Santa loves Greek food – and feeding hungry guests – then this cookbook is exactly what you’re looking for. Authors Helena and Vikki Moursellas (twin sisters famed for their time on My Kitchen Rules) are here to share their fun and modern spins on the Greek classics in Peináo: A Greek Feast for All. Give the gift of memorable feasts spent around the breakfast table, mezze for friends in the backyard or candlelit dinner parties. It’s a recipe for creating memorable moments centred around food.
Price: $55
Get your hands on Peináo: A Greek Feast for All.
Perfect for: the European summer addict
Much of the Christmas season is spent with loved ones eating around dining tables, kitchen benches and alfresco setups; the gift of a handcrafted ceramic platter is sure to be a treasured addition to all gatherings.
Spice up your Christmas dinner with handcrafted ceramics from Alex and Trahanas. (Image: Lucy Laucht)
The latest collection from Alex and Trahanas, Ceremonies, is inspired by European summers in Puglia (specifically The Thinking Traveller’s luxury villa Casino Doxi Stracca), rituals and traditions passed down through generations in kitchens and around tables. The Apulian hand-painted ceramics come in a calming palette of sea green, muted neutral tones and terracotta.
Complete your dining set with the latest collection from Alex and Trahanas. (Image: Lucy Laucht)
Our favourites include the Schizzato Ceramic Oval Platter ($280), Spiaggia Ceramic Side Plate in pink ($85), Ceremonies Ceramic Scalloped Bowls set of 3 ($135) and the Large Face Serving Plate in beige ($280). Any piece from the collection will make the perfect gift for your Christmas host this year.
Dine with Alex and Trahanas’ newest edition Ceremonies. (Image: Lucy Laucht)
Perfect for: the frequent flyer
Yes, you read that correctly, Dyson has launched the newest noise-cancelling headphones on the market. Dyson Zone aren’t your average headphones though; in true Dyson fashion, they’re designed to tackle both noise pollution and air pollution to make travelling a breeze.
Gift your loved ones Dyson Zone headphones. (Image: Tom William Chapman)
The headphones have 11 microphones to reduce noise pollution and monitor surrounding noise, with the ‘transparent mode’ ensuring you stay alert while travelling. Better yet, unlike some other popular noise-cancelling headphones, Dyson Zone rejects surrounding noise when making phone calls, so the caller doesn’t hear all the user’s environmental noise.
Dyson Zone noise-cancelling headphones are a great travel companion.
The real hero of this product is the removable visor that projects purified air. Ideal for when you’re on a plane or travelling to particularly polluted destinations, the visor filters out ultrafine urban pollutants and allergens so you can breathe clean air no matter where you are.
Enjoy up to 50 hours of battery life for audio-only and four hours of life for audio and purification. You can charge them while using the visor if you’re on a plane and need more than four hours of use.
Price: From $999
Dyson Zone tackles both noise pollution and air pollution.
Perfect for: the adventurer
Investing in good quality luggage that will last years is so underrated. Samsonite has a well-deserved reputation of being one of the most trusted luggage brands in the world and their Proxis collection is durable with innovative features designed to resist wear from years of travel and adventures.
Samsonite Proxis are designed to resist wear from years of travel and adventures.
With a 10-year warranty and an additional WeCare service plan to accompany the warranty, you’ll receive no-questions-asked repairs and regular services to keep your suitcase as good as new.
Price: $949 for the 75cm suitcase and $999 for the 81cm suitcase
Samsonite is one of the most trusted luggage brands in the world.
Perfect for: the picky coffee drinker
If your loved one enjoys a fine cup of coffee and cares deeply about the impact of their daily habit on the planet, this insulated drinkware brand ticks all the boxes. Project Pargo bottles and cups are built for travel, functional and stylish – and they keep drinks cold or hot for hours on end. But perhaps the best part for your coffee lover is that the stainless steel and thoughtfully designed shatter-proof lid means no taste transfer.
Enjoy your coffee in a Project Pargo cup.
Project Pargo was born on the road when its founders saw the human cost of not having access to clean water up close. Now, every product sold allows Project Pargo to provide a person in need access to clean water for five-plus years. The 12oz Insulated Coffee Cup comes in 11 colours (our pick is LOVE Lilac). You can also bundle your picks and save.
Price: From $44.95 for the 12oz (350ml) cup
Project Pargo offers sustainable and stylish coffee cups.
Perfect for: the busy woman in need of a book to escape into over the break
Good Company is the latest release from the bestselling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About Love (and if your loved one hasn’t read these add them to the list too!). The fictional tale is told from the perspective of Andy, a stand-up comedian, set adrift on the sea of heartbreak after his long-term girlfriend ends their relationship, forcing him to rethink everything he thought he knew about women, flat-sharing and his friendships.
Dolly Alderton writes with such relatable rawness and depth on the topics of heartbreak and friendship but also manages to create sharply funny moments (I am currently a few chapters in and have already been left in fits of hysterics, twice). The challenge will be savouring this book and not consuming it all in one sitting.
Price: From $18
Good Company by Dolly Alderton is a story of heartbreak and friendship.
Perfect for: the stylish traveller
Often when we travel, disrupted routines can make us feel less like ourselves. If you have someone in your life who prides themselves on their luscious locks, the Dyson Airwrap multi-styler is the perfect gift. Available in two limited edition colour ranges for the gifting season – Blue Blush and Ceramic Pop – the Dyson Airwrap allows for easy styling (essential when you’re on the go) without heat damage. And the versatility of being able to curl, wave, smooth or dry hair with one device is a smart travel move when you have limited space in your luggage.
Price: $949
Achieve the perfect curls you’ve always wanted with the Dyson Airwrap multi-styler.
Perfect for: the organised traveller
There’s no need to pack light for your carry-on thanks to this new very lightweight, all-leather duffle bag from MAISON de SABRÉ.
Travel light with the new MAISON de SABRÉ The Duffle Bag.
The well-thought-out design means there’s not only plenty of room in the expandable main compartment but there’s also a pocket for everything, thanks to eight compartments, including an external passport-sized zip pocket and internal padded laptop sleeve. A hidden zipper on the rear can be used as an extra hidden pocket or a handy trolly sleeve.
Price: $439
The Duffle bag is easy to manoeuvre.
Perfect for: the wine-lover
Be transported to the lush vineyards of France with this stylish and surrealistic set from Maison Balzac, an Australian brand that channels the spirit of owner Elise Pioch Balzac’s homeland through an imaginative array of candles, homewares and more.
Feel festive with this set from Maison Balzac.
The Bordeaux wine decanter and matching glasses are hand-blown and adorned with delicate clusters of red grapes. Pair with good conversation and a cabernet from Coonawarra, considered the region’s Aussie cousin, for a dinner party with a difference. The decanter and set of two glasses are also sold separately if you don’t want to buy the whole set.
Price: $389
The wine decanter is adorned with grapes freshly picked from the vine.
Perfect for: the person who misplaces everything
If you’re like me and you regularly misplace your belongings, the Apple AirTag is probably the most useful gift you’ll ever receive. Pop one in your luggage, one with your passport, attach one to your keys and one in your backpack and watch your days become astronomically easier.
Attach an Apple AirTag to your bag.
Connected to the Find My ecosystem, if you lose any of them you can easily ping it in the Find My app or ask Siri where it is and the AirTag will play a sound. Plus, there are safety features implemented that will alert you if an AirTag that belongs to another person is travelling with you, to prevent unwanted tracking.
Price: $99 for a four-pack and accessories from $12.95
Make your travels hassle-free with Apple AirTags.
Perfect for: the camping addict
Laze between palm trees in Nakie’s Recycled Hammock with Straps, the world’s first hammock made from 100 per cent recycled material.
Lie comfortably on the Nakie Hammock.
Not only can you or your loved one relax to the max in this soft and comfortable hammock, but do it guilt-free. Nakie’s products are made from recycled plastic bottles, and the company plants four trees for each item purchased in its reserve in north-west Madagascar – a country repeatedly devasted by deforestation.
Price: $129
Nakie Hammock is a camping staple.
Perfect for: the picky holidaymaker
Struggling to purchase a gift for that friend who already seems to have everything they need? Give them the gift that keeps on giving; an Airbnb gift card is like booking a holiday for your loved one to wherever they want to go! What’s more, you can add an amount of money that suits your budget. Whether they want to book a secluded spa retreat in the middle of the mountains or a huge house by the beach that can fit all their friends, you’ve got them covered. And who knows, you may even get an invite!
An Airbnb gift card is the perfect gift for your fussy travelling friend!
Perfect for: the one who’s always thirsty
Frank Green seems to be taking over the world – and it’s no wonder why. The Australian brand is making sure you stay hydrated AND stylish. One of their best offerings is the 3-in-1 Insulated Drink Holder, which comes in a variety of colours. A triple-threat as a stubby holder for cans, a cocktail cup and a tumbler with lid and straw, you’ll never be caught sipping a lukewarm beverage in summer again. From camping and road trips to parties and pool days – this drink holder is suitable for all occasions.
Price: $49.95
Perfect for: the friend who loves a bit of fizz in the festive season
It is universally understood that Christmas is a time for bubbles. And splashing out on this gilded bottle of booze will definitely help smooth the way to a successful silly season. Champagne Tsarine, from the world’s second oldest Champagne house, Chanoine Frères, has launched its most glam bottle to the Australian market and it positively pops in a golden glow.
The golden Tsarine by Adriana.
The golden Tsarine by Adriana Champagne is a statement piece that will add a bit of bling to your drinks trolley. Connoisseurs will treasure the Gold Cuvee Bottle to toast Christmas, New Year’s Eve and beyond. The cuvee boasts aromas of peach and brioche that mingle with subtle notes of orange blossom. Woo-hoo. Let’s get the party started.
Price: $199
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