What do you buy for the person in your life who's always at an airport? Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy, has put together a holiday gift list built from the things he personally travels with — and it leans heavily on organization, comfort and a few clever safety picks.
The tech section is the strongest. His forever carry-on companion is Bose QuietComfort noise-canceling headphones, which he cites for sound quality and comfort on flights — and which typically dip in price during Amazon's Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Apple AirTags make his list too, useful for checked bags; several airlines now let you share an AirTag's location if luggage goes missing. For connectivity abroad, he recommends Maya Mobile's eSIM, $50 a month for unlimited international data and calling across more than 165 countries, plus Anker's 4-in-1 100W universal charger, which works as an adapter in over 200 countries and charges four devices at once.
The less obvious picks might be the most thoughtful. He packs a Kidde battery-operated carbon monoxide detector for hotel rooms — just remember to remove the batteries before security. For families, there's the CaseSafe by July, billed as the world's first trackable suitcase and compatible with both Apple and Google devices; it's $325 to $395 depending on features, though July is currently running 20% off sitewide through Nov. 29.
Airport-line skipping counts as a gift too: if you already hold Global Entry or Clear via a credit card credit, you can use another card's credit to gift a membership to someone else. Delta and United elite status holders can sometimes get Clear for free.
On the comfort side, Kelly flies in Lululemon Pace Breaker lined shorts and the brand's Metal Vent Tech long-sleeve shirt for long-hauls, and packs Bombas compression socks (a three-pack runs $91.50) to help prevent blood clots on long flights. Non-gear ideas include aviation-themed art from Pop Art Prince and Scout Design Studio, and Hotel Lobby Candle soy candles — 65-hour burn time, scents like Paris Nuit — that mimic the smell of a nice hotel lobby.
The meta-tip threaded through the whole list: stack your savings. Shopping portals like Rakuten and Rove let you earn airline miles or other rewards on top of your credit card points — Rove currently offers up to 9x miles at Best Buy — while the AAdvantage eShopping portal is running up to 4,000 bonus miles on holiday promos through Nov. 20. Buy the gift through a portal with a rewards card and you effectively pay less for everything on this list.
