Do gift guides drive you nuts? They are all over the place this time of year and most of them are just not practical. Sometimes they remind me of watching an Oprah’s Favorite Things episode several years ago. Oprah pulled out an item she loved and said something like, “And it’s only $50 so it’s a great gift for your mail carrier! I loooooove it!” Personally, I don’t have that kind of money. (I hope I’m not alone on this or I owe several apologies to my local postal workers).

I’ve seen a few gift guides this year tailored to “the traveler.” I’m not going to lie and say the items weren’t cool… but personally, I don’t really want to be weighed down when I travel with more “stuff.” There are so many blog posts and articles out there about packing light that I don’t think I’m alone on this.

It got me thinking about the kind of gifts I like to give and receive, and what other travelers might like as well.

How about something that makes you feel good, helps others, and won’t add kilos to your pack?

So here’s my Christmas Gift Guide for Travelers and Other Interested People

1. Make a donation (or reserve a baby blanket) to Haiti Babi.

Haiti Babi is an organization that seeks to keep families together by providing jobs for women. In Haiti, many children are in orphanages because their parents simply cannot afford their care. Haiti Babi provides women with the opportunity to learn a skill, produce a product, and make a living. The women knit and crochet high quality and stylish baby blankets for sale in the US. The organization recently held a very successful fundraiser and is getting ready to make an even bigger impact. As Katlin (founder of Haiti Babi) says, “Every mom should have the opportunity to care for her child.”

Full disclosure: The founder is a friend of mine from childhood and I am immensely proud of her. I worked with her on a project earlier this year to help promote Haiti Babi’s cause and Indiegogo fundraiser.

2. Make a donation to Iqra Fund.

A friend of Molly’s was traveling in Pakistan recently when she randomly met Genevieve Chabot. Genevieve and her husband founded a non-profit in Pakistan, Iqra Fund, aimed at serving and educating women and girls in remote regions. Iqra Fund’s goal is huge, but Genevieve and her team have the know-how and skills to make a big impact on the local communities. Please read more about Iqra Fund here because their mission and programs are too complex to discuss here. 

3. Give a Kiva Gift Card

After two years of lending with Kiva, I’m still hooked. If you haven’t heard yet, Kiva is an organization that makes it easy to lend small amounts of money to entrepreneurs all over the world. Once your loan is repaid, you can lend again…and again…and again.

So there you have it. A Christmas Gift Guide minus the “stuff.”

Another bonus is that donations can always be made last minute. So if you find yourself scrambling on Christmas Eve…

xo, jill