In this past Monday’s post, I mentioned some great birthday gifts I got from friends and family who know about my travel habit. That inspired me to put together a list of a few items that I’d recommend if you’re shopping for a traveler in your life (even if that traveler is YOU). These are great ideas for holiday gifts, but will work any time of year for any type of celebration. Then at the end of this post, I’ve also given a few suggestions of gifts to avoid. Enjoy and please proivide suggestions of your own favorite gifts in the comments section…I always welcome an excuse to continue window shopping!

Coach Class ($)
1. A good set of earplugs – cheap, easily portable and a lifesaver when dealing with a crying baby on a flight or a snorer in a hostel room.

2. Subscription to a travel magazine (Budget Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, to name a few.)

3. Packing Cubes to help organize your luggage

4. A Moleskine Journal – great for whatever you may need to jot down

Business Class ($$)
5. Donate the cost of a passport for someone who is just starting to travel

6. A new piece of Luggage – wide range of sizes and price options

7. iPad case with Bluetooth keyboard. – while it doesn’t completely replace a laptop, it is easier to carry when you’re trying to travel light.

First Class ($$$)
8. 1 Year access to Airport VIP Lounges – if you’re flying regularly, these lounges can make your layover a lot less painful. Check your favorite airline’s website for details or try Priority Pass for access to 600 lounges worldwide.

9. Mini Camcorder – easy to pack and great for getting footage for their next vlog entry.

10. Two words: PLANE TICKET – find out where they want to go and help them get there.

Priceline (Name Your Price with Gift Cards)
11. The Container Store Gift Card– lots of great packing and travel ideas

12. Amex Gift Card – buy whatever, whenever, wherever

13. iTunes Gift Card – lets your favorite traveler buy aps, movies and music to use on the road.

14. Flight 001 Gift Card – great store with funky travel items you don’t find just anywhere.

And from my personal experience, here’s a list of gifts you can skip:

1. Leather passport cover – they are nice and I actually do travel with one out of habit, but they really are not necessary. The customs agents always remove the passport right away, while seeming a bit annoyed that you slowed down their routine. Also, those covers can be deceiving. You may see the leather case in your bag, but not realize that the actual passport is not inside.

2. Anything bulky for the home. Especially in these hard economic times, I find a lot of serious travelers are looking to sell many of their home good like furniture, TVs, knickknacks to help fund their next trip. Rather than getting them something that they’ll need to store or sell, just give them the money you would have spent.

3. Very expensive luggage – unless you’ve got someone to porter your things from your mansion door to the luggage compartment of your private jet, I’d skip the very expensive luggage sets. They may look nice but they are going to get as beat up as the moderate priced stuff. Plus if you’ve got ‘LV’ written all over your bag, potential pick pockets will think you have more interesting things inside to steal.