by M. Sparga

Created on: July 02, 2007

If you're shopping for an adventurous traveler, you don't have to settle for an obvious choice like a sporting and outdoor equipment store or a department store. Places like REI and Sears certainly have some useful options, but if you want to find a really creative gift, there's a variety of other stores where you can find something that your adventurous traveler is sure to enjoy, something that shows a little more creativity than a gift card to a sporting goods store.

You might not have thought about shopping at a paper store, right? But a lot of stationery stores or even bookstores have journals and photo albums that fit with a travel theme. You can look for gifts that are relevant to the type of travel that your recipient has planned. For example, if Africa is in their near future, see if you can find something with a safari theme. Journals and photo albums are always handy for documenting the experience of traveling. Or if your gift recipient is into scrapbooking, you could give them some supplies to make and decorate a scrapbook of their adventures.

Also don't underestimate the gift shop of your local zoo or aquarium. You might associate this sort of gift shop with simple trinkets like souvenir key chains and magnets, but most of these places also harbor treasures that will appeal to adventurous travelers of all ages. For example, most zoo gift shops have the best selection of plush wild animals that you can hope to come across. If you're shopping for a young animal lover, one of these exotic stuffed animals is sure to be a hit. Plus, some of the proceeds might go toward protecting endangered species or helping to preserve the rainforests that your adventurous traveler loves to explore.

Zoo and aquarium gift shops also have fun hats and shirts; if you know someone embarking on a trip to the Australian Outback, they might get a kick out of getting their very own Outback hat. You can also find home decorations, books, and posters featuring animals and scenes from nature for those who like to bring a little of the outdoors into their home.

As you shop for the gift, think about all of your options and what might be the most fitting for the recipient. Try shopping around online, at the usual sporting and outdoor goods stores, and of course at less intuitive stores. No matter what your budget is, and no matter what the interests or destination of your gift recipient are, you can always get creative to come up with a great adventure travel gift.

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