We’re entering the season known for eating, drinking, and imbibing in one too many slices of cake. Among partygoers, there are those among us whose sweet tooth is a little more pronounced than most. When it comes time to shop for your favorite foodie, how often do you grab a bottle of moscato or an extra large box of chocolate, knowing that the gift will be gone faster than you can say “those chocolates are wrapped.”
This year, I’m proposing non-edible gifts for foodies that are sure to fill their heart instead of their stomach. Whether your foodie friend spends their days hunting new dishes in faraway lands or hanging out on the couch waiting for their UberEats, these gifts are sure to last longer than those chocolates!
Note: This blog post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through the links on this page, I will earn a small commission at no additional charge to you.
Top Christmas gifts for foodies who love to travel
Food pun t-shirts
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I crack myself (and hopefully my followers) up on a regular basis with my silly puns. Because puns spread cheer and this is the season for ALL the cheer, I’ve released my very own line of food-inspired pun merchandise.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Here’s one especially for the Texans:
For the wine without the hangover, it’s the most WINE-derful time of the year!
Rollie Shoes
Shoes aren’t exclusively for foodie travelers… but a comfy pair is essential while perusing farmers markets, going on food tours and wandering from food truck to food truck.
When I lived in Melbourne, I was introduced to this innovative shoe brand: Rollie. (No, they don’t have wheels.) They’re actually named for the founder’s wife, whose career as a flight attendant mandates packing light and hours on her feet.
Now, we all get to benefit from Vince Lebon’s traveler’s mind and passion for shoes. These are designed to be one of the lightest weight shoes on the market, in a fun and funky style, with premium materials designed to last.
Rollie sent me a pair of their Side Zip Boot in Black and Cheetah to test out in London’s rapid descent to winter. I affectionately call them my mullet shoes: business in the front, party in the back, and they earned compliments as I waltzed through the Christmas-decorated streets of London.
While they do take a bit to break in (speaking from experience, I’d recommend scuffing the bottoms a bit to avoid a slip on wet pavement in front of a crowd of people), they’ve quickly become my favorite travel shoe.
The site calls them lightweight and at .04lb, they are lighter than a pair of flip flops! What that really means is you’ll be able to pack at least 10 extra bars of chocolate. The website says the memory foam and canvas socks make them comfy, and they DO feel like walking on a cloud. But comfy shoes really mean more energy to go eat more food! (Or the ability to walk and burn it off.)
I used to visit the South Melbourne Market on my lunch break to ogle Rollie shoes, now, I just have to remember to look up from my feet so I don’t run into people.
Get a pair for your favorite foodie who likes to travel here. The extra weight available in their suitcase might just earn you a special gift when they return home!
Donut Towel
Sometimes, getting a beach bod means pressing pause on donut consumption. Affirm a love of donuts with this beach towel.
If you’re lucky enough to visit Morocco, like I did recently with Azrac Surf, they may even bring the donuts to you ON the beach!
Foodie eye mask
I received this mask from a couple followers on Instagram who thought I’d love it… and they were right! This funky silk eye mask is reversible and designed to be worn on airplane rides to let the flight attendant know whether the flyer prefers to be woken for a meal or left to sleep.
The silk fabric is comfortable and the sizing is perfect so I didn’t feel claustrophobic (which is why I usually skip eye masks). After testing it out on planes, I can’t travel without it— it’s been an integral part of my beauty rest ever since!
Travel Guide Book
Losing myself while discovering new places is one of my favorite pastimes. The getting lost part comes naturally to me and discovering new places typically comes from a Google search of “where am I?” and “what restaurants are near me?”
When you’re traveling on a tight schedule, it’s more important to know where you are and what you want to see, do and eat.
When I visited Cinque Terre, I found myself drawn into an adorable gelato shop in Corniglia which boasted basil gelato made with herbs from their garden. If it weren’t for the woman in front of me clutching her Rick Steves guidebook, I never would have known that their miele (honey) di Corniglia flavor was the true highlight of the shop.
Don’t use a guidebook as your only source of information, but it’s a really great place to start. Fodor’s, Lonely Planet and (the Corniglia gelato guru himself) Rick Steves are great gifts for foodies traveling abroad.
Food pun phone cases
I wish I could wear a punny t-shirt every day. I truly do. But sometimes, we’ve got to put on ‘real’ clothes and go to jobs in offices where Converse shoes don’t pass for office attire.
Donut worry! With a dessert-inspired phone case, these puns travel!
Happy Socks
Usually, when I wear my food, it’s a total accident. But I love Happy Socks’ foodie-themed apparel. Their latest Andy Warhol collection pays homage to his banana prints.
But they also carry hotdog, hamburger, carrot and gingerbread among many other fun and colorful designs!
Carry On cocktail kit
Have you ever been hit by the urge for a margarita at 30,000 feet? W&P has the perfect gift for you! They’ve created carry on cocktail kits for your favorite drinks! These TSA-approved kits contain everything but the alcohol.
The Bloody Mary kit includes a bar spoon, Bloody Mary mix and rimming salt while the Moscow Mule kit includes ginger syrup, a muddler and a 1/2 oz jigger. All kits contain linen coasters and enough ingredients for two cocktails.
HappiHappu Print
I’m kind of obsessed with Melbourne-based artist, HappiHappu. She captures the desserts I love and miss on her Instagram and even recreated one of my Instagram photos!
View this post on Instagram
If you’re looking for a card to accompany a gift or a one-of-a-kind print, check out her Etsy Shop for donuts, ice cream and some Pokémon, too!
BONUS: Babe Lash
Ok, so this one isn’t just for foodies! A friend recommended Babe Lash to me earlier this year, saying that after using it for a few months, her eyelashes looked longer and fuller. Before my travel days, I probably spent thousands over the years on eyelash extensions, so I figured an investment of $65 for a 3-month supply of Babe Lash Serum couldn’t hurt.
Holy moly! I think my friend got sick of hearing from me, because every morning when I put on my mascara, I was floored at how I could actually see my eyelashes! After some unprovoked gushing on social media, the team at Babe Lash reached out and sent me a few more products to try.
In addition to the Babe Lash Serum, which I swear by, their Volumizing Mascara is the only one I’ve ever used that doesn’t flake off or end up underneath my eyes. It comes off when I want it to and not a moment before..
If you’re waiting to see results from the serum, the Fiber Extend Mascara is dual-sided with Viscose Flock Fibers designed to give you extra fullness on one side and nourishing mascara on the other.
But if you’re gifting just one thing, the Babe Lash Serum is the best place to start. It works within four weeks to give the appearance of longer, fuller lashes, and that’s something to celebrate!
I’m happy to offer 20% off to you, until January 31, 2019 when you use the code SWEETWANDERLUST on Babe Lash’s website.
Happy shopping!
I hope this gift guide for foodies helps you to think outside the chocolate box this year! Share your favorite foodie gift in the comments!
Pin this post!
