The economy might have a tight hold on our wallets, but it doesn’t have to make gift-giving a chore.

Photo by dougbelshaw

Choose a mix of practical, fun, and affordable goodies, and make this a holiday season they’ll appreciate.

1. Playing Cards and Travel Game Sets

A deck from your local drugstore should only set you back a few bucks, and you can find travel-sized games at specialty toy and hobby stores for under $20.

Cribbage is an addicting pastime that combines a wooden pegboard (available in foldable backpacker-friendly versions) with card game strategy.

Price: $21.98 | BUY

It’s particularly great for those long train rides or can’t-sleep-in-my-coach-seat red eye flights.

Price: $4.95 | BUY

2. Journal and Pen

You don’t have to be the next Hemingway to appreciate these goods. Even the most amateur of writers will covet a nicely bound journal and functional pen. Great for taking notes, keeping track of friends you meet along the way, and obviously capturing all those wild stories.

Get it on paper, and make the memories last.

Price: $12.21 | BUY

3. Binoculars

Outdoor chain stores like Sports Authority sell decent-quality, cheap small binoculars for less than $20. Bigger isn’t necessarily better in this case, and a tiny pair tucks nicely into a daypack.

Great for getting up close and personal with lions, tigers, and bears, while still maintaining a safe distance.

Price: $23.99 | BUY

4. USB Memory Card Uploader

Designed to fit in a pocket, you can’t go wrong with this great item. Perfect for the photo hound in the family, or the newbie who can’t quite figure out how images on that memory card magically appear on Flickr while you’re sitting at a Cambodian Internet cafe.

Price: $16.47 | BUY

5. Adaptor Plugs

Another sensible item, and critical for the jetsetter who plans to attack all seven continents. For space issues, you still might suggest they leave their hair dryer at home.

Price: $7.99 | BUY

6. iTunes Gift Card

Those bus rides across Africa and Indonesia can drag on for double-digit hours. Keep the music fan in your life happy with legal downloads of their favorite songs. Budget-friendly $15 and $25 cards are available.

Price: Variable | BUY

7. Travel Candle

Who says you can’t bring a little romance (and relief) into that stinky, cheap, bug-laden beach hut you just scored?

Travel candles come in handy tins, cost under $10, and stow away easily into a side pocket of a backpack. And they smell really good too.

Price: $3.09 | BUY

8. Number-dialed Combo Lock

Help mom and dad deter nosy thieves from pirating their passports and other valuables from their luggage. These little gems slip easily into a stocking, and with prices as low as $7.95, you can buy one in every color.

You can never be too safe, right?

Price: $11.99 | BUY

9. Travel Alarm Clock

While traveling for many signifies sleeping in till your heart’s content, there will be days when they’re grateful for that annoying buzzer, or they’ll literally miss that slow boat to China.

For about $10 or less, help ensure your best travel buddy makes that early morning plane, train, or bus to somewhere exotic.

Price: $9.95 | BUY

10. Jag Bag (or Silk Sleeping Bag Liner)

Ah, the gift of protection from bed bugs and other people’s bodily functions!

This chic liner will help prevent another sleepless night in a sub-standard hostel or shady guesthouse.

Let’s face it, not every place you lay your head is going to be a match made in heaven. Great for overnight trains and camping trips, too!

Price: $34.03 | BUY

11. Multifunctional Tool

Leatherman offers an impressive array of colorful, functional, don’t-leave-me behind multipurpose tools that fit nicely into a stocking. Sleek and stylish, these gadgets serve a variety of purposes on the go, not least of which is a handy dandy bottle opener.

Need we say more?

Price: $61.07 | BUY

12. Travel Manicure Set

Even the most rugged of guys will no doubt need to trim those toenails after a few long months on the go. This isn’t his last big chance to set a world record for the longest fingernails either.

The little scissors alone are a serious score; the rest of the tools might just be icing on the cake.

Price: $30.63 | BUY

My husband David and I are on a mad quest to simplify our lives after traveling around the world for 14 months. On that amazing adventure, we survived with the bare minimum crammed into packs on our backs.

A nomadic lifestyle brings its own set of challenges, but it’s incredibly cathartic as well.

Photo by robinvanmourik

I recently taught a seminar at several Northern California REI stores entitled, “Tips for Extended World Travel.” Among other things, packing and gear graced my agenda.

The audience audibly gasped when I displayed the Kelty Redwing 3,100 backpacks we used for our year-plus journey – the same packs we carried for our 2005 three-month jaunt through Southeast Asia.

On its website, REI says the Redwing “is a natural for day hiking, commuting or school“, which makes our feat even more commendable.

Photo by Reuben Whitehouse

All the stuff you think you need while traveling shouldn’t be the focus when you’re seeing the world. That said, you have to be smart about what you bring along.

Packing is always a bear; I don’t think anyone enjoys the task. After a few trial attempts with our gear spread across the bed, David and I found our dilemma comical.

Price: $89.99 | Kelty Redwing 3100

It was the ultimate lesson in non-attachment, much to my Buddhist delight. We simply had to leave some things behind.

Because we planned to spend most of our time in warm, humid climates, we packed accordingly. Rain pants and my favorite North Face vest didn’t make the cut.

Price: $69.95 | Redwing 3100 Internal Frame

Our heaviest layers were lightweight fleece pullovers and stuffable waterproof jackets.

When we did encounter colder weather – think Annapurna Base Camp in mid-November – we bought beautiful hand-knit sweaters in Kathmandu for the trek, and toughed out the rest of the chill by layering.

Coupled with multiple mugs of hot masala chai every evening, it worked.

I still chuckle when I review our final list.

My pack was a shrine to the nylon and polyester gods. In those seemingly small 3,100 cubic inches, I crammed a ton of stuff:

• Tevas
• Vasque Gore-Tex light hikers
• Flip flops
• Five pairs of socks
• Two pairs of pants
• One pair of shorts
• Six short-sleeve t-shirts
• Three long-sleeve t-shirts
• Three blouses
• One lightweight fleece
• One nylon pullover
• One tank top
• Two bras
• Nine pairs of underwear
• Long underwear
• One bikini
• One sports bra
• Waterproof jacket
• Plastic poncho
• Sun hat
• Bandana
• Extra shoelaces
• Money belt
• Fanny pack
• Silk sleeping bag liner
• Alarm clock
• Flashlight
• Cards
• Toiletries
• Earplugs
• Sewing kit
• Woolite
• Incense
• Travel candle

Oh, and the three scarves and headband I bought in India and Nepal.

Not to mention that at times, we felt like a walking drugstore. Despite a preference for natural remedies, we didn’t mess around on a trip of this scale. One-fourth of our packs held every pharmaceutical goodie we’d possibly require on the road:

• Anti-diarrheals
• Pepto Bismol
• Ibuprofen
• Cold/flu capsules
• Cough drops
• Digital thermometer
• Hydrocortisone cream
• Antibiotic cream
• Allergy pills
• Nasal inhaler
• Dramamine
• Vaseline
• Eye drops
• Wet wipes
• Antibacterial hand gel
• Gold Bond powder
• Travel-size toilet paper
• Band-Aids
• Pocket tissues
• Tampons
• Q-tips
• Sun block
• Deet
• Multivitamins
• Acidophilus
• Vitamin C
• Zinc lozenges
• Digestive enzymes
• Emergen-C
• Grapefruit seed extract
• Arnica gel
• Tiger Balm

Documents, journals, camera, binoculars, iPod, and anything else I failed to mention went into smaller carry-on backpacks.

Photo by WireLizard

A journey like ours changes you, and minimalism is my new mantra. Currently back in the States, I’m overwhelmed and annoyed by the consumerism and waste I witness on a daily basis. In light of global warming, my quest for downsizing becomes even more urgent.

Living with everything you own on your back has a certain charm to it…as long as I can ditch that pack each night.

Author carrying the Kelty Redwing 3100 in Malaysian Borneo – Photo by David Browne