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 When it comes time to buy a travel-loving friend a gift, it’s easy to feel stuck on what to get. Journals are great — but not all travelers are journalers, and those that are often have at least a few blank ones on hand. Here are unique takes on classic ideas for the various kinds of travelers in your life.
 
For the foodie: send delicious global flavors right to their doorstep.  Try The World with top chefs from Argentina to Morocco and assembles gorgeous boxes filled with curated delicacies from each country.  Delivered every month, each box contains descriptions for how to use the tasty and exotic flavors in your own recipes.
 
For the well-accessorized: customize a favorite map to make cufflinks bracelet, or pendant. Have a special place you want to commemorate? Maybe the place of a first date, or a favorite childhood destination? This can be a beautiful and deeply personal way to show your traveler that you know what matters to them most.
 
For the crafty commemorator: check out this simple, beautiful way to re-trace steps and wonderful memories with a map and thread. The maps can be titled, as well. Imagine a wall decorated with these minimalist representations of adventures!  
 
For the traveler who has everything and wants to give back: Why not make a donation to a favorite cause in your traveler’s name? You can choose organizations that support environmental stewardship, advocate for people in crisis, promote education, or help bring beauty.
 
For the traveler who’s always up for adventure: I’ve written before about how experiences pack the biggest punch, happiness-wise. At Experience Days  you can give the gift of a lifelong great memory to someone you care about. Try everything from hang gliding to art lessons throughout the United States. What a great surprise for honeymooners or a friend’s next big adventure!
 
For the gadget-junkie: this funky, color-coded 4-in-1 adapter (is perfect for the tech-savvy traveling family and will help ensure everything stays running smoothly.  For the hardcore gadget-junkie, what about these stylish vests, hoodies, and jackets with interior pockets (for men and women) to hold everything from smartphones to keys to water bottles?
 
For the photographer: If your friend is never without her smartphone or camera, why not make it easy for her to create beautiful, lasting photo albums, calendars, or prints of her best shots? At Artifact Uprising , she can connect directly with her Instagram account and assemble her most gorgeous memories.
 
 
If you need help planning the next adventure to fill an album, stitch on a map, or wear around your neck — contact me today! Let’s get started!. Book a complimentary Exotic Travel Planning Session.

Photo by Mikael Frivold on Unsplash

​Many of us believe that because we’re going on holiday, we should take a ‘real’ camera but it’s a pre-smartphone mindset that deserves challenging. Sure, if you’re an avid photographer with expensive equipment and a range of lenses, this won’t be the case. But for most of us, we take photos to remember our experiences and share them with friends and family. So here are 5 reasons why your phone might be all you need:

1. You always have it on you, so you’ll never miss capturing a moment.

On vacation, you’re going to use your phone to find your way around, book and store tickets, check the weather, to translate, to convert currency, to choose the perfect restaurant, and so much more.
Your camera can’t do any of these things, and with space in your luggage always being a premium it’s hard to justify packing a one-trick-pony camera.

1. Phone cameras are simple to use but give quality results.

With no complicated settings, anyone can snap great photos. Check what megapixel camera your phone has. An 8-megapixel camera will deliver a good quality hi-res print to a size of 20”x24”. As a guide, the iPhone 5, which came out in 2012, is 8 megapixels. Most newer Apple or Andriod models have 12-megapixel cameras. Compare that to the point and shoot you have and you might be surprised.

1. Your phone camera makes sharing photos easy.

Having your images stored on the same device as your apps makes your life so much easier.
You can;

• seamlessly add photos to your social media accounts, and email or direct message them to friends or family.
• use one of the countless editing apps to improve the images, add filters, text, and a myriad of other fun stuff.
• create collages or memory books which are a modern-day version of photos albums.
• use a postcard app to send personalized postcards to family and friends without the need to find stamps and a post-office. And they will be received before you get home.

 

1. Your phone offers both storage and back up in one place.

No one ever wants to lose either their phone or their camera, but they are replaceable; your vacation photos are not.  With a little bit of techno-savvy (ask your grandkids) you can set your phone up so that your images save automatically to the cloud as well as your phone. Should the worst happen, at least you will be able to retrieve your vacation memories.

1. Just like your camera, you can print photos taken on your phone.

Many websites and apps offer you the facility to upload your photos for printing, whether it’s on paper, or mugs, or cushions. You can make calendars, jigsaw puzzles and a surprising array of items that make superb gifts.
Smartphone photo-specific printers are very affordable and have some fun applications. Better still, they’re small enough to take with you, meaning that you can almost turn your phone into an instant camera. (Remember those?)
Need some inspiration on where to travel, check out our selection of virtual tours. https://www.amazingtravel.com/virtual-tours.html

Ready to start planning your next vacation, book a complimentary exotic travel planning session.