With the holiday season quickly approaching, we found ourselves in need of a festive gift guide for the travelers in our lives. We’ve searched the globe and scoured the web for our favorite types of gifts so you can tailor the selection to your traveler, and add a few of our personal favorites. If you’re stumped on what to give to a travel lover, you’ve come to the right place.   

Luggage presents for a traveler 

You can’t go wrong with a classic. Every world traveler needs luggage. And this season’s options are more stylish than ever. We love a hardback suitcase that makes traveling that much smoother. For weekend getaways and overnight trips, a leather duffel bag helps your traveler enjoy a short trip with only the essentials. For days trips, make sure the traveler in your life is ready for anything with a stylish leather backpack or day bag. When you’re gifting the ultimate jetsetter, a quality passport holder is key for protecting this important document. If you’re looking for a fun stocking stuffer, pick up a set of leather luggage tags. It’s a must-have and your traveler will think of you on their next great adventure. Still searching? Take a look at more of our recommended luggage. 

Luxe travel accessories 

In search of Christmas gifts for a traveler who loves to fly? We’ve found a handful of luxurious accessories we’d personally like to have on our next red-eye flight. A set of noise-cancelling headphones is a must for any frequent flier. They’re ideal for listening to favorite tunes or simply blocking out the din of the cabin. Help your friends and family still feel luxurious while traveling with silk accessories. Or, help them get extra cozy with a cashmere traveler set – a gift that will take them from in-flight to in their hotel room in ultimate comfort. We’ve craving this set that includes a sleep mask and pillow. A compact grooming kit is ideal for keeping up your look as you go. And if you’re looking for a gift that specifically fights jetlag, we’ve curated a collection of high-tech products.  

Gifts to make their life easier 

Any avid traveler knows there are aspects to travel that can get tough. From delays and tech troubles to language barriers and culture miscommunications, we could all use a few more tools in our toolbox to improve our world travels. Our festive gift guide includes a portable water purifier that may not be the first gift that comes to mind for the luxury traveler, but will come in handy. So many bucket list locations and sought-after destinations require filtered water, and this on-the-go purifier is just the thing when you’re on the go. On the techier side, why not help your traveler stay charged and connected with a portable charger? We are also fans of this sleek translator. No more flipping through dictionaries or searching online. Lastly, we’re fans of Tile Mate, a small device you attach to your luggage, bag or even keys to track its location. Then simply use their app to locate your item and say goodbye to lost luggage. 

@tilemate3

You can take it with you 

Some of our favorite luxury gifts for travelers are not things you think they need, but decadent gifts they’ll appreciate. This collection of pampering presents will make their hotel room feel like home—maybe even a little more luxurious. If you know their favorite scent, pick up a small fancy candle they can enjoy during their trip. The familiar aroma will remind them of home, and it won’t take up space in their luggage on their return trip. You can also delight their senses with a perfume and body lotion set in their favorite fragrance. For lounging in between adventures, a silk robe and elegant pair of velvet slippers will feel like the ultimate luxury.  

@deltoro

Travel the world in gifts 

One of our go-tos is a gift from a destination your traveler has just been to or is traveling to next. But no terrible snow globes, magnets and spoons here. For example, your friend who just got back from Italy will be reminded of la dolce vita with a leather coin purse or silk scarf. And nothing says luxe like a Swiss watch. Delight their taste buds with a bottle of wine from one of their favorite spots or destinations. Your Francophile friend will enjoy a bottle of Champagne. Scotch whiskey is a classic choice, and Japanese sake with have them armchair traveling with every sip. 

From the practical to the pampering, our festive gift guide encourages you to have fun being creative with your gifts for the traveler in your life. Do you have more luxe gift ideas? Leave a comment. 

Have you ever considered booking a festive train journey? The Christmas season is the best time of year to treat yourself to all the glitz and glimmer luxury train travel has to offer. We scoured the globe in search of seven of the most beautiful train journeys this holiday season. Step aboard with us. 

CTA Holiday Train 

Watch the Windy City whizz by on Chicago Transit Authority’s very own Holiday Train. This festive tradition, now in its 31st year, takes travelers throughout the city on eight train lines and the elevated Loop (or “L”) decorated in thousands of colorful holiday lights and décor. Santa and his reindeer lead the charge in an open-top flatcar lined with Christmas trees. The Holiday Train is more than dazzling lights, it also delivers hundreds of food baskets to local community organizations and charities. In some years, the train has delivered 600 food baskets through the season running from after Thanksgiving until Christmas.  

@barrybutler9

 Napa Valley Wine Train 

Take in the best of California’s rolling Napa Valley aboard one of their three festive Jolly Journeys. Families will love Santa’s Cookie Car for the opportunity to visit the man himself while sipping a cup of warm cider or cocoa and nibbling on holiday cookies. Take your celebrations up a notch on the Gourmet Holiday Express. This journey includes a three-course holiday meal, holiday cookie and cocoa, digital and printed photo with Santa and a table-side visit from Santa in an antique Pullman dining car. Or, soak in stunning views aboard the Very Merry Vista Dome journey where you’ll enjoy fine dining paired with 360-degree views. Whichever you choose, you’ll be welcomed at the station by cheerful carolers. 

@winetrain

Polar Express  

Head to Colorado for another festive train journey on a vintage steam train aboard the Durango & Silverton’s Narrow-Gauge Railroad’s Polar Express. Your half-hour journey begins in Durango Depot with a welcoming musical pre-show. En route to the North Pole, sip hot chocolate and feast on sweet treats as the conductor reads the award-winning book by Chris Van Allsburg. Upon arrival, enjoy a musical light show and a visit from Santa—complete with gifts, his reindeer and elves and characters from the Polar Express movie. 

@dsngrr

Santa Claus Express  

Our search for the best train journey takes us across the Atlantic to Finland’s Santa Claus Express. This double-decker overnight train takes you from Helsinki to Finland’s northernmost region of Lapland passing through spectacular winter landscapes. On a stop at Rovaniemi, the “official residence of Santa Claus,” children can drop off signed letters for Santa, visit an elf school, ride a reindeer or even take a snowmobile safari. As you wind through the winter wonderland of snow-capped trees, you’re also in the perfect spot to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. 

@vrmatkalla

Canterbury Christmas Carols 

Hop over to the UK for a beautiful train journey on one of Belmond’s British Pullman trains. The Canterbury Christmas Carols train finds you aboard a luxurious train traveling to the historic city of Canterbury. Sit back in your plush seat as you indulge in an elegant three-course brunch and sparkling Bellini. In Canterbury, tour the famous cathedral accompanied by the Canterbury Singers and do a bit of holiday shopping before stepping back on board. Enjoy a Champagne toast before savoring a four-course dinner paired with the sommelier’s wine selection. Finish with coffee, tea and petit fours.

Festive Lunch 

You can also celebrate the season on the Festive Lunch British Pullman train. Your vintage train departs from London’s Victoria Station. Relax in your wood-paneled carriage as you travel through the British countryside on this elegant, round-trip journey. Begin your fine dining experience with a welcome glass of Champagne in cut glassware. Then, tuck into your five-course meal served on commissioned china atop white linen.  

Bath at Christmas 

Lastly, Belmond’s Bath at Christmas experience will find you embracing the best of the Christmas season on this festive train journey to the World Heritage City of Bath. Begin with a bit of bubbly, brunch and coffee or tea in your Art Deco carriage. In Bath, enjoy shopping in the town’s traditional Christmas market. Here 170 chalets tempt you with unique gifts, festive food and hot drinks. Wander the historic streets and pop into the quirky shops while the sounds of Christmas add to the holiday mood. Back on board, clink glasses over a champagne reception followed by a decadent, four-course, wine-paired dinner. 

@belmondbritishpullman

@belmondbritishpullman

Explore more Belmond train trips and get inspired by celebrities who ride the rails. We can’t wait to welcome you aboard our luxury train journeys.  

Where will you travel with Luxury Gold? 

Seeking out the most expensive food in the world is a decadent way to travel. Fortunately, journeys with Luxury Gold can take you to far-flung corners of the globe where some of the most expensive food in the world originates, and sometimes, is found right on your plate. 

If you find yourself asking “What is the most expensive food in the world?” look no further. From wagyu beef to white truffles, here are some of our favorite foods and destinations to sample the world’s finest flavors and fare.  

The most expensive food in Italy  

You can find the expensive and sought-after white truffle in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. White truffles are harder to find compared to other truffles because they only grow near certain types of trees. But the discovery is well worth it for their powerful flavor and aroma. On our Ultimate Italy tour, you’ll embark on a foraging trip for these aromatic truffles guided by an expert truffle dog. 

Italy’s prized, and often high-priced, olive oil is yet another reason to live la dolce vita with us. In Umbria, sample specialties such as fresh truffle-infused cured meats and regional olive oils with the help of a local gourmand who’s eager to share the roots of Umbrian cuisine from the region’s lakes, deep forests and rich earth.  

Spain & Portugal 

Take your taste buds from the delicacies of Italy to the finest meats of Spain and Portugal. One of the most expensive foods in the world is Iberico ham, a type of cured meat from Spain and Portugal. The best quality Iberico ham comes from free-range Iberico pigs that eat a diet of acorns as they roam about oak forests in the final years of their lives. Some of the very best Iberico ham is labeled black label – look for pata negra in Spain or porco preto in Portugal. Explore Spain & Portugal in Style, or book a luxury trip to Spain with us, enjoying fine dining in restaurants such as Michelin-starred L’Antic Moli in search of this expensive meat.

Croatia 

To indulge in the bounty of the sea, journey to Croatia to savor one of the world’s most expensive and luxurious foods: oysters. In the quiet fishing village of Mali Ston, sample fresh, briny oysters just out of the water that thrive in this salt-rich channel.  

Japan by land…

Leave Europe behind and jet off to Japan with us to discover the country that boasts some of the most expensive food in the world. One of Japan’s most well-known and high-priced foods is the famed Kobe beef. This marbled, rich type of Wagyu beef comes from one type of cattle breed in the Hyogo Prefecture. The regulations around the authenticity of Kobe beef make it more difficult and expensive to find. So, why not seek it out on your travels?   

@kobe_beef_official

Beyond beef, Japan has many of the world’s most expensive foods such as Hokkaido’s rare black watermelon, which needs several months and plenty of space to grow. This fancy fruit can only be purchased at auctions and can fetch around $6,000. Japan has also become known for producing the rare, and increasingly harder-to-find, Matsutake Mushroom. 

And sea… 

The waters of Japan also produce some of the world’s most expensive foods. You may be familiar with Fugu, the most dangerous dish on the planet. Strictly controlled by Japanese law, Fugu is lethal if not prepared correctly. Chefs must have years of training before they can prepare it. Japan’s Bluefin tuna is also among the most expensive seafood in the world. Its high cost is due to intense marbling and finely balanced flavors. 

New Zealand  

From rich waters to bountiful earth, venture to The Land of the Long White Cloud for Manuka Honey. This sweet substance native to New Zealand comes from the Manuka Bush and is known for its healing properties. The honey’s antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits can cost around $500 per kilogram when purchasing the highest grade. Even if you’re unable to sample this sweet nectar, our New Zealand itineraries offer plenty of rich, nature-focused experiences to write home about. 

Madagascar 

For an extravagant sweet finish, we take you to Madagascar for another of the most expensive foods in the world: vanilla. This island off mainland Africa produces vanilla pods that can fetch up to $600 per pound. The high price is partly due to the intensive labor required. On the single day that vanilla blooms the pollination must be done by hand. Journey to Africa with us to discover more tastes and treasures. If you’re able to procure this prized vanilla, just imagine what pastries you could whip up! 

Whether you’re in search of Australia’s fine wine or farm-fresh, authentic fare in Ireland, there’s a Luxury Gold journey for every palate.