Struggling to think of the perfect Christmas gift ideas 2018? Are you stuck on what to buy for a friend or family member that loves camping or travel? We have prepared this post to help you find the perfect gift for the person that’s got everything. Buying gifts is getting harder in a world where we pretty much go out and buy everything we need. So I have put together a few things you might not have considered for your closest happy camper/traveller. 

I have recently been trying out a few different products that I think are worth considering as Christmas gifts ideas. I’m always looking for something a bit different that’s useful and something someone wouldn’t consider buying for themselves.

Our top Christmas gift ideas 2018

Here are my top Christmas gift ideas for 2018. I would be happy to receive any one of these gifts and I think you’ll find them helpful also.

Solar Lanterns

I recently came across this amazing solar product that we took camping on the Melbourne Cup long weekend. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I was pretty impressed with the product. I used these solar lights for reading in our camper at night, they give out enough light for me to read and they also lit up the whole tent when putting the kids to bed. The Solarpuff Lantern has a velco strap on the back which can be strapped to a tent pole. This enables the lantern to throw out more light than if it was left on the floor and in the way. Best of all the solar charge last for hours, I actually can’t tell you how long because it didn’t run out all weekend. I placed it in the sun each day, the weather was mild and they seemed to charge very quickly.

Who hates the dreaded trek to the toilet at night when camping? I hold off as long as I can but unfortunately for me its unavoidable! I put the solar lantern next to my bed at night and when I have to get up the light is right there for me to take with me. It has 4 settings one which is a softer glow, this means I can place the lantern on without waking everyone else while I get organised. The girls took one into their tent at night, they particularly liked the smaller twilight version and its red light function! Just click through options on the on/off menu button and you’ll find bright light, soft light, red light or flashing light. The lanterns come in a variety of colours including red, blue, yellow, green and pink perfect for any pool party as they lanterns are waterproof and can float on the top of the pool.

Click this link to purchase your Solar Lanterns online.

ShareSheet

The ShareSheet would have been a life saver when our kids were younger and considering how small my kids are I would have got a fair bit of use out of it. Most of us have had situations where the kids have had to share beds at one time or another. Well this amazing product will make sure the kids keep to their side of the bed and will ensure there will be no fights about who’s taking up most of the bed. Sounds like a dream right!

I know I find the sleeping issues most frustrating when travelling, this share sheet has a diagonal seam through the middle of a single bed sheet which keeps kids from kicking each other, rolling on each other or wake each other up during the night.  Perfect for camping or hotel rooms where you are trying to maximise space. It rolls up nice and small and can be packed away in a suitcase and comes in its own bag for easy storage.

If you have young kids and travel and camp regularly I think you’ll find the share sheet to be really handy and will save you a few headaches during the nights. You can thank me later!

Click the link to purchase your Share Sheet online.

Tesalate Towel

Now this Australian made and owned product will make you wonder how you visited the beach before without it! Especially if you’re like me and love the beach but hate the sand. This beach towel is sand resistant, yep you heard me right, sand does not stick to this towel, even when it gets wet the sand just shakes off when you pick it up. That means no sand stuck to your skin, no sand through the car, house and washing machine when you get home, sounds like a dream come true right!

That was pretty much how the tesalate towel came to be, the owners where walking back from a secluded Sydney beach with a wet, heavy and sandy towel and decided there could be a good market there for sand resistent towels. I’m sure glad they did as this product will transform your beach experiences for the better. The Tesalate towel folds down compact, its also quick drying and easily packed away for your next trip to the beach. Not only Australians are aware of this amazing product, the company has sold these towels in 70 different countries and has over 400,000 reviews online. Love a good old Aussie success story and happy to support them.

Click the link to purchase your Tesalate towel.

Packing cells

Packing cells transformed my travelling life when I first come across them.  Packing cells will make the perfect Christmas gift idea for any avid traveller. Packing cells come in 4 different sizes, XS, S, M & L. I use a small for underwear, a medium for bathers, pj’s, hats & accessories and I use a large one for shorts, t shirts and all other larger items. I change that a little if we are travelling to a cold climate place, maybe an extra large with jumpers and thermals. They keep everything sorted and in the correct place and saves me sorting through the suitcase and pulling everything out and needing to repack all the time.

Best of all packing cells come in different colours so I can colour code the kids packing cells and then there is no confusion over which cells are who’s. This again means the kids aren’t pulling everything out of the cases looking for their stuff and scattering the rest everywhere. Its a very organised way to pack and I take a spare large packing cells for all dirty laundry. Saves time when we find somewhere to do washing, you just grab the one large packing cells and all the dirty laundry is in one spot. If we are on a late flight, I pack a small packing cells with the kids pj’s in it in my carry luggage, when we arrive I pull it out and the kids are in bed before you can say ‘I’m tired mum’. Same with bathers if we have an early flight and the kids will want to swim as soon as we arrive.

There are a number of different suppliers for packing cells, I use Kathmandu however you could find the equivalent product online if you wanted to. I suggest going with a good quality one that will last and has a good strong zipper on it.

Lonely Planet Guide Books

I will never say no to a Lonely Planet Guide book. Now, normal people buy the guides when they have booked a trip and want to start researching what they will do. I, on the other hand, will purchase a Lonely Planet if I am considering going somewhere! As you can imagine I have a few of them as I generally consider a new place every time I watch Getaway.

Lonely Planet is the world’s best guide book in my opinion. They were originally aimed at the budget/backpacker market however they have become a more mainstream general guide book, covering mid tier and luxury options as well. We often follow the self guided tours found in the books which saves us a lot of money as opposed to paying for tour guides. The restaurant recommendations are handy as well and they are always well researched and updated with current information.

So if you have a friend or family member that’s planning an upcoming trip, click the link and buy them a current Lonely Planet Guide for Christmas.

Why do I support these companies?

We hope these products have solved a couple of tricky gifts for you and you’ve found it useful. I’m an advocate for all these products and can honestly say I’ve tried and tested them before they have made it to my list. If you do purchase any of these products please leave me a comment below, I love hearing I have helped you and most of all I love to hear what you thought of the product.

Safe travels and Merry Christmas for all of us at Our3kidsvtheworld.

Sal, Craig & Our3kids.