By Natalie B Compton
Loved and loathed, Valentine's Day is a holiday that can bring stress or joy depending on whom you talk to.
For some, that anxiety stems from struggling to find the right gift for a loved one. If your loved one loves ti travel, you've come to the right place.
While vaccine distribution may give us a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, it's still not safe to be taking your Valentine on a big, romantic holiday (although you can go ahead and plan one for the future).
In the meantime, you can still appeal to their love of travel through a travel-related or travel-adjacent Valentine's Day gift.
Here are some ideas to get you brainstorming:
Cookbooks, beach reads and coffee-table books
Add something to your loved one's bookshelf that reminds them of their favourite places.
That could be a cookbook that captures a destination's flavours and stories. There are great contemporary and classic travel reads, too, such as “Into the Wild” or “Black Girl in Paris” or beach reads such as “Eat Pray Love”.
If your Valentine doesn't want to do much reading, try a coffee-table book based on their favourite travel memories like “Gray Malin: Italy” or “Patterns of India: A Journey Through Colors, Textiles, and the Vibrancy of Rajasthan”.
Eating, drinking and cooking
What did your Valentine love to eat and drink on their favourite holiday? If they love to cook, special ingredients may be the perfect gift.
Is your Valentine deeply devoted to tahdig from Iran? Surprise them with Kashmiri saffron. Valentines who miss the flavours and aromas deserve the a special spice package.
Maybe they need tools to recreate their favourite food from a past trip. That could be a molcajete from Mexico, a Japanese chef's knife or a Lao sticky rice steamer pot.
Conversely, does your Valentine hate cooking? Try ordering already made specialities straight from the source.
On the beverage front, help them drink like they're travelling by gifting something for their bar cart. A bottle of peated Scotch will trigger sensory memories of Scotland. If you went wine tasting together somewhere special gift a bottle from the same region.
Camping equipment
The pandemic has inspired a new generation of campers. Whether your loved one is a seasoned camping pro or one of those who hopped on the bandwagon, gear that supports their hobby may make a great Valentine's Day gift.
There are about a million different ways you could go with this one. You could get apparel to keep them warm or just looking cool, camping cooking essentials.
Virtual travel experiences
While many won’t be able to go on a far-flung romantic trip on Valentine's Day, they can virtually.
Through the magic of the internet, take your loved one on a walking tour of Norway, a ravioli class in Capri, a yoga session in Delhi, or a free tour of New York that focuses on its historic love stories.
Future trip experiences
If the idea of a staycation just isn't cutting it, surprise your loved one with the promise of a future getaway.
You can take advantage of savings now on trips to take later.
Buy credits and vouchers or make bookings (very) far in advance with tour companies, hotels and experiences – just make sure they easily can be cancelled or rebooked.
Travel-y toiletries
Support your loved one's self care with travel-tinged bath and beauty products. Plenty of the world's beloved hotels sell their toiletries, candles and robes. You can also think of local bathing rituals from the places your lover loved to visit.
Anything Bourdain
Pay homage to the patron saint of travel while surprising your significant other this Valentine's Day.
There are a lot of Bourdain gifts to choose from – whether its one of his classic books like “Kitchen Confidential” or something less well-known, like one of his graphic novels.
For the chef in your life, there's “Appetites: A Cookbook”, as well.