Give the gift of exploring and experiencing the world (even from an armchair). Here’s our Editor’s Pick of gifts for people who love food and travel (including yourself).
Keep this list handy be saving it to Pinterest. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.
Gifts for Food and Travel Lovers: Books
A Paris Christmas: Immoveable Feast A charming story about an American in Paris who, after being raised on white bread, spends the holiday in a Parisian home with their meals and traditions.
A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen When one chef told me this book, by another chef, was his favorite, that told me something about the credibility of this book.
Big Night (the book with recipes) In a New Jersey town, two Italian immigrant brothers struggle to keep their restaurant
afloat. Includes recipes.
Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South Fans of the TV series, A Chef’s Life will feel that they were part of the process of host Vivian Howard writing this cookbook. With familiar people and homey recipes, it’s a must-have for southern cooking fans.
Forays in France: A Flavorful Memoir is written by our very own Europe Editor, Irvina Lew. It is part travelogue, part travel tips and part cookbook. It’s all a lovely, personal but practical book about a woman traveling at many stages of her life, making it relatable to everyone.
Forays in France is written by Real Food Traveler’s own Europe Editor, Irvina Lew.
Mincemeat Italian chef and anthropologist Leonardo Lucarelli sketches behind the scenes life in a restaurant kitchen.
My Life in France The story of Julia Child’s years with her husband in France where she wrote her first book and had many wonderful culinary adventures.
Pati Jinich’s Mexican Today Learn how to make doable traditional and modern Mexican dishes with this beautiful and easy to follow cookbook.
Cat Cora Cooking from the Hip This is our go-to recipe book that is as interesting to read as it is practical to use.
My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life In the year after Ruth Reichl was left out of a job after decades as editor and chief of Gourmet magazine, she went through a personal crisis and did the one thing she knew she could do well – cook. This poetic and poignant cookbook is the result.
Nourished: A Memoir of Food, Faith & Enduring Love (with Recipes) Equal parts travel book, love story and recipe book, this new book gets you thinking about life, wondering where to travel next and cooking up delicious things in your own kitchen.
The French Chef in America Written by Julia Child’s nephew, Alex Prud’homme, the book follows what happened in Julia and Paul’s lives once they returned from Paris to America.
Two Carry-Ons and a Plan: Retiring as Full-Time Nomads – This couple, who are “living their best lives” tell all of us dreamers how it’s possible to pack up, pick up, and live all around the world on a doable budget.
Image courtesy Chris Englert, author of Two Carry-Ons and a Plan.
Gifts for Food and Travel Lovers: Travel Gear
AceCard Wallet Tracker is as thin as a credit card and fits in your wallet, letting you know where your wallet is lost or stolen. Its Apple Find My compatible and is RFID blocked. Use your phone to locate it. Handy!
Doctor Plotka’s MouthWatchers travel toothbrush– Handy and hygienic, these toothbrush is always in our LuxePak (see above), ready to travel when I am. It works well, stays clean, and folds up to stash away.
Dr. Segal’s Energy Socks – Compression socks that help prevent fluid from pooling at your ankles and help keep blood flowing, thereby preventing DVT (deep vein thrombosis) – but in cute, stylish socks that you’re happy to show off
Freegrace Premium Hanging Toiletry Travel Bag is my new best friend! After a lot of searching, I finally found the one item that will hold my jewelry, toiletries, medicines, and more, in one, nearly-flat, easy-to-pack bag that hangs up. It’s the first thing I unpack when I get to my hotel room, keeping everything clean, dry, safe, and off the bathroom vanity.
FYY Travel Cabel Organizer Pouch Electronic Accessories Carry Case is my newest travel tool. Put your earbuds/earphones, charger chords, power chords, flashdrives, charger packs and more in one place and pop that into your bag or backpack. I used to have these items spread here and there in my work/travel backpack but this has decluttered and streamlined everything, saving me room in my bag. Bonus, it comes in pink.
Grill Masters Club – If you’ve tried to recreate the great ‘cue you had on your recent trip to the South, belonging to this club might help. Get the goods and the recipes every month.
A monthly subscription to Grill Masters Clue delivers a monthly box of products for the grill master in your life.
Kate’s Real Food Bars – Give yourself, your friends, even the college kid going back to school a box of these delicious bars which fill in, healthfully, when food isn’t available.
Mizu 360 System – This can literally be a life-saver if you are concerned about the quality of the water you’re about to drink. At the very least, it helps turn yucky tasting water into really good water, wherever you are, even if it’s just in your hotel room.
Pure Zen Steepware – Take your favorite tea, hot or iced, or refreshing fruit water with you when you travel with this handy water bottle you can steep in.
RV Super Bag – Throw in this product which makes making the bed in an RV easy.
Skreenz Screens – Give your RV-lover a really useful gift with these screens that keep bugs out but breezes flowing in.
The Lady Jane collection of Wallaroo Hats provide sun protection, flexibility for travel, great fit (even for large heads), and beauty. They are designed in collaboration with actress and artist Jane Seymour using her painted scarves as accent.
Me, wearing one of my go-to Lady Jane Wallaroo Hats while on a cruise. Photo by RealFoodTraveler.com.
The Mer-Sea Classic Travel Wrap – It’s a blanket, it’s a travel pillow, it’s a stylish wrap that is perfectly packable and is a great accessory to wear.
The Mer-Sea Tassel Wrap – Your must-have in warmer climates, it’s a swimsuit coverup, a sarong, a scarf, or a light jacket over your day-into-evening outfit.
TOOVREN 2-in-1 Travel Belt makes your backpack, tote, purse and more able to be secured onto your suitcase’s handle. No more trying to hold onto your bag’s handle and your suitcase handle at the same time!
Hungry for more? Visit the Real Food Traveler shop on Amazon.
Gifts for Food and Travel Lovers: Travel-Inspired Cooking
Gourmia XL Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry looks sleek, is easy to use for a variety of functions. It comes with a fantastic recipe book with lots of international recipes, making it easy to bring some of your culinary travels home with you.
The Gourmia XL Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry.
Hungry for more? Read about the Gourmia Digital Air Fryer Oven.
Zavor Noir 11″ Grill Pan lets you enjoy a grilled flavor, and look, to fish, meat, poultry, veggies, and fruit. We love the deep sides, removable handle, that it’s oven-safe (minus the handle), cleans up easily, and contains no toxic elements.
Imusa Caldero pot provides a deep basin for stovetop or even cooking. The review of it is one of our most popular articles. See why they call it the Everything Pot.
Challenger Bread Pan helps you turn out authentic, beautiful, and crusty bread every time. It’s also great for cooking non-bread dishes on the stove top, in the oven and on the grill. Find out why we like it so much.
Make bread like a pro using the Challenger Bread Pan. Photo by Real Food Traveler.
Hungry for more? Unusual things to pack for your vacation rental.
Gifts for Food and Travel Lovers: Movies
Paris Can Wait Diane Lane is the somewhat neglected wife of Alec Baldwin in this love letter to France. She accepts a ride to Paris from her husband’s business associate only to make numerous beautiful, delicious stops along the way. The movie will really strike a chord with food photography buffs.
CHEF Jon Favreau leads an all-star cast about the restaurant and food truck business. The food scenes and music are fantastic. It’s a feel-good/eat-good movie.
City of Gold Follow the late Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold as he explores and reviews restaurants in Los Angeles. It’s a unique view into the world of restaurant reviewing.
The Lunchbox A sweet, poignant movie about a mistaken lunchbox delivery and the surprising relationship that results.
Tortilla Soup A Mexican-American master chef and father to three daughters has lost his taste for food but not for life.
Mostly Martha A headstrong chef has to take on her stubborn young niece. The one thing that unites them is cooking and an Italian sous-chef who comes into their lives.
No Reservations In a similar plot to Mostly Martha, a somewhat cold chef gets a young relative thrust upon her life that is not set up for children. But a kind cooking competitor shows up to make it all better, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart.
East Side Sushi Juana, a working-class, single mother fights to achieve her dream of becoming a sushi chef.
Julie and Julia This is the back and forth story of Julia Child’s years in France in the 1940’s and Julie Powell in the 1990’s. Powell became famous blogging about her desire to learn to cook via Julia’s cookbook. You’re going to want to make Beouf Bourguignon afterward, just warning you.
Today’s Special should not be watched without a plate of Indian food in front of you. The movie blends love, family, obligation and culinary creativity as beautifully as it blends the ingredients for a good masala. Actress, chef and cookbook author, Madhur Jaffrey is one of the stars.
Big Night (the movie) A failing Italian restaurant run by two brothers gambles on one special night to try to save the business starring Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci.
— Curated by Courtney Drake-McDonough, publisher and managing editor of RealFoodTraveler.com
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