If you know one or two things about gifting, then you understand that the best way to execute it is give people stuff that they have been desirous of all along or that which will change their lives for the better significantly.
In this regard then, you might have a friend or kin for whom traveling by air is not something that they look forward to.
Whether they are one of the guys that are freaked out by the experience despite the fact that statistics indicate that you are more likely to be hit by a car than die in a plane crash, or they just find it tiring, this article is the right place for you to be if you want to help relieve some of their difficulty.
I will give you not one, or five, or ten, but 17 unique gifts for travelers who hate flying but have to.
1. An eye mask
One reason as to why people fear flying is that when their eyes remain open, it becomes a gateway for creating scenarios in one’s head. If you are seated by the window and see clouds beneath you for example, it is easy to start imagining what the h*ll would happen if the captain messed up.
With a mask covering your eyes however, you don’t exactly know what is around you so your imagination tilts in a different direction. Moreover, it is likely that once you keep it on for a while, you will find yourself sleeping.
The mask keeps out all light too so you do not have to be inconvenienced by the necessities of the passengers that you are traveling with.
2. Portable charger
When afraid, it serves you well to have a distraction, which in the case of travelers is a phone or tablet. Being that you would be away from home however, it is common that the battery shuts down in the middle of the journey. It helps a great deal then to have carried your own charger.
Planes will provide a charging spot but the catch is that you need to have your own USB. Incidentally, majority of passengers presume that even if they did not carry their own, someone around will have done so only to get on board and everyone turns to everyone.
To help a friend avoid this scenario, you can buy them one.
3. Kindle Paperwhite
Being that flying confines us into physical boundaries that limit how much we can do, people find themselves having plenty of redundant time than they would not have otherwise.
And for a reader, this is nature conspiring to bless them except for one thing; you can carry so many books.
A kindle however, can effectively carry hundreds of thousands of books whilst occupying the space of two or so books. That way, the individual traveling may switch from book to book dependent on the mood in which they are.
The kindle also has other features that make it even more remarkable e.g. the fact that it is waterproof so when it rains as a person connects to places, they do not have to worry about what comes of it.
4. Noise canceling headphones
Closing your eyes will come with comfort but if you want to make things even better, then you should do something about your ears too because while you may shut out your vision, chances are you are still going to be distracted by noise as a traveler through the ears.
Noise cancelling headphones are helpful in this regard because you do not only play music with them but they also keep out any sound coming from outside. This means that you do not have to play music too loudly to the detriment of your ears in order to outcompete other sounds.
5. Digital luggage scale
The applications of this device are impossible to underrate when journeying. It is the case for instance, that planes will charge passengers extra sums should their luggage exceed a specified number. Rather than wait to be surprised at the airport therefore, one who has a scale of their own can measure the weight of the items they are carrying beforehand.
Even if the said stuff fall in the range of paying, they will know so they carry the money with them. This applies to the changing weights when already on the move e.g. after buying souvenirs.
To make things more convenient, try to buy the person in question a scale that measures in both pounds and kilograms.
6. Neck pillow
Majority of the people traveling for at least two hours (which is most of the folks that fly) will sleep at one point. I mean, it is exhausting. Plus, why not?
Because one’s options are limited however, you are not likely to feel comfortable while at it i.e., you cannot lie down.
In the worst case, people will injure themselves given the awkward postures they will have endured and perhaps the body part that takes a hit most at times is the neck since it finds itself having to support the rest of the body, which is not a task that it is modified for.
Purchasing a pillow makes a difference in that the neck will be supported by its softness when the user is sleeping.
7. Passport and vaccination card holder
If it were up to me, we would have to abandon the hard copy model of travel documents. With all the difficulties of moving from one place to another, the last thing that you want to do is pay attention to mundane details on which everything depends. But alas, I do not run the world so we are stuck with them.
Thankfully, the holders can help this situation significantly. The thing they will achieve is place all the paperwork which might otherwise get entangled in the rest of the things you are carrying in one place.
8. Seat cushion
Another body part that has to put up with a lot when we are travelling is the butt. So much so is this the case that if you have pains there, it is unlikely that your doctor will allow you to travel.
This owes to the fact that for the most part of the journey, one has to sit on it and endure the friction that seats produce.
If you know what I mean, you will have seen passengers on the flight move their bottoms every now and then. Unless one is traveling in the business class therefore, it is a good idea to drop them something that will keep their sit-on company.
9. Collapsible water bottle
Food is something that you can afford to only consume at the connecting points or wait until you arrive for shorter journeys. It is different with water though. You might remain patient, but you will be in agony all the time.
To help a loved one avoid this misery, you can gift them a collapsible bottle. It is cheap and yet it does not cost much. All they have to do is wait until they have checked in and then they can proceed to draw water in it.
The beauty is that as opposed to regular bottles which are a pain because using them also means taking on the burden of carrying them around, a collapsible bottle, can be folded after use and kept in any space that you have to spare no matter how small.
10. Compression socks
If you know someone whose feet swell whenever they fly, do not take it as a health complication right away. First, buy them these stockings and see whether the issue remains. In many cases, the swelling stops.
This results from the fact that our feet always need a degree of aeration and if they do not get it, they will sweat, and consequently swell.
Travel is a particularly common hotspot for this problem since people are placed in situations where they have to wear closed shoes for extended periods of time.
Compression socks fit this puzzle well because you do not have to abandon your shoes when using them and yet they improve aeration too.
11. CDB snacks
This one is going to be somewhat controversial for a fraction of readers but if you find that you are not among this group, then it is alright to proceed with it. CDB is a component of cannabis though it does not get you high if taken.
I would particularly recommend it for individuals whose anxiety is so high since its intervention is different from everything that we have seen already in that rather than influence the body indirectly, it does so directly.
CBD-infused rainbow bites for instance, will cause an interaction with your neural network thereby producing a calming effect on the subject involved.
12. Phone mount
This gift is specific to persons flying small planes i.e. those that either have no entertainment provisions or are limited in terms of the options presented.
If you think about it, a phone mount keeps you paying for a low cost flight yet guaranteeing that you will not be bored. It achieves this by augmenting your phone since with it, you get to position the device in one place and focus on the content that it is playing.
Be sure to remind the receiver of the phone mount to download everything they need prior to boarding lest they find themselves stuck with it but having no use for it.
13. Earbuds
If the noise canceling headphones are too expensive for you, then you can instead go for the buds and sure enough, you will have your podcasts, music, audiobooks, and anything audio covered. Not to forget the audio parts of videos.
The best of these products are a miracle as they can go for as long as ten hours without requiring to be charged. And of course, they can always recharged with the case so it’s a miracle that you will have got them.
14. Adult coloring book
This is another fun way to stay engaged. The beauty is that these sorts of books remove the hustle out of what is an activity that everyone should enjoy more or less since you do not have to be a pro to come up with something decent (you will find simple steps to guide you through).
Other advantages unique to this gift are that it is done off the phone or computer thereby reducing the screen time of the person involved. You might also find that you have learnt a skill by the time the plane lands.
Bonus Gifts for Anxious Travelers
- Foot hammock
- Jewelry organizer
- Luggage strap