20X WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS GIFTS IDEAS FOR 2023

We always love writing these kinds of articles because they get us right into the Christmas spirit! The unprecedented times are behind us, and the travellers among us are anxiously waiting to be able to travel the world again. Whether you’re looking for a gift for him or her, these 20 Christmas gifts and ideas are all you need.

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ORIGINAL GIFTS:

Book a wine tour and tasting at Chateau Amsterdam!

Hidden in Amsterdam North, you’ll find Chateau Amsterdam. This urban winery works with grape farmers from all over Europe from Spain to Germany. Created and cured in barrels in Amsterdam, they make about 20 house wines from red, to white and even orange! You can visit their wine shop, but they also host wine tours & tastings throughout the day. We think this is such an original gift to give someone! Tip: try their exclusive Fantastic Mr. Vox red wine or buy one of their Christmas boxes!

Chateau Amsterdam

Buy your own Barrel of Wine

You probably won’t find a more personal gift: an exclusive wine from your own barrel! At Koop Een Vat you will be linked to a winemaker of choice who will help you compose your unique wine. Additionally, you pick the colour, the grape and the time the wine sits in the barrel: you decide! Follow how your wine develops in the cellar at the winery. Let yourself be taken on a wine journey in which you remain involved from start to finish: from picking the grapes to the first sip of wine with your name on it. You can also share a barrel with friends or family, the perfect gift for wine lovers! More information about Koop Een Vat can be found on the website.

Have you ever slept in a wine barrel? 

Buy Justdiggit Bunds and cool the planet!

If you are worried about the planet, and you want to give someone an original present, try Justdiggit this year! They are currently re-greening the grounds of Africa, twice the size of Europe! By digging half moon like-shapes – called bunds, they are letting rainwater in. This method has proven to work very effectively and helps vegetation to grow. More green, means more rain, and cooling down the planet. One bunds only costs €8, and you also support an African farmer indirectly. More info here!

Dutchies

Founded by a Dutch lady who travelled through Africa with her family, she got inspired and Dutchies was recently launched. This super stylish Crossbody accessory is perfect to use for your phone. They also sell leather phone cases Iphone and Samsung is soon to follow) It’s handy, fashionable and is made with strong materials. We love it! Get it here.

 

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A post shared by Dutchies | Crossbody fashion accessory (@d.utchies)

PrintMySuitcase by Princess Traveller

We have gone through a bunch of suitcases in our lives but sometimes you need to make it fun, next to being practical! Princess Traveller is very innovative when it comes to their assortment of suitcases but there is one we love this year. Print My Suitcase makes it possible for you to design the look of your own suitcase! From print, to text and colour, perhaps even a photo. It’s totally up to you! We own their Sumatra suitcase which is partly made from recycled PET bottles which we love. You can choose any suitcase from their website and start designing. Next time when you’re walking to the gate, you will be one of a kind. 🙂 

Amsterdam Jewellery by Riverstones

If you love Amsterdam as much as we do, this is the gift you want to buy yourself (or a loved one for that matter). Riverstones has been around for many years and is offering all sorts of jewellery but we especially love their necklaces, bracelets and earrings, dedicated to the capital of the Netherlands. They call it “Beauty of the City“, available in plated gold & silver or 14K gold. Just to point out that their 14K gold is responsible, meaning that it is traceable and has been obtained with respect for people and nature. Love it!

Give yourself (or someone you love) a Staycation!

Why not? We asked ourselves. Since the pandemic started, staycations have been booming! You can check our favourite staycations of 2022 here but we would like to highlight three staycations that you must make a booking this year or the next! 

• Op Oost (midrange)
  If you love good quality food and a home away from home, Op Oost is the staycation for you. This month we are giving away a special Winter Escape at Op Oost including breakfast and oysters with champagne at check-in. So keep an eye out on our IG account in December!
• Havenlake Village (luxury)
  Beautiful luxury watervilla’s in a quiet part of Vinkeveen. order sushi, champagne and take a shower underneath the stars. Relax in the outside bathtub and strike down in the living room to watch your favourite Christmas movies. Read more about Havenlake Village.
• Zwier (budget friendly)
  Perfect for those that want a getaway from the city (it’s only 15 minutes away from Amsterdam!). At Zwier can practise yoga, sail a boat across the river, eat organic food but more importantly, you can go offline for a few days. Bring a book, music and you will feel recharged.

At Havenlake Village

Hotel quality sheets by Cotton Suite

If you are a frequent social media user, you must have seen a photo of cotton Suite in your timeline. Pretty girls sitting on a bed enjoying their fresh sheets. Just another ad? We can tell you; these are THE BEST sheets we’ve ever had, period. It feels like waking up in a luxury hotel bed and we’re not just saying that. We bought our first pair of Cotton Suite sheets last year and therefore we want to tip this Christmas gift idea to you, because you’ll make someone very happy indeed! The prices are very reasonable and they offer great package deals for covers, pillowcases and sheets. Thank us later!

Reading Off the Beaten Track on our Cotton Suite sheets = best morning

Personalised Passport Holder

If you travel around the world, there is one thing you always need to take with you; your passport. So why not make it look good right? We had our own passport holders printed on vegan leather last year. Print your name, logo or whatever you want. We used a special technique where it’s pressed down on the material, making is stand out. Buy it at OurGreenStory.com

Wander-Lust passport holders

Destination Box by Avila

As travellers, we miss the flavours of Italy, Argentina or even Costa Rica! If you miss travelling as much as we do, this is the perfect Christmas Gift for 2020. Nice to give as a present, or even better to taste it yourself. Experience the world in different boxes and dream away at your favourite destination. You have various options but we tried the Italian Box Deluxe! Traditional Italian wine, a cooking book, cookies, vinegar and a fragrance are included. Furthermore, with every purchase you support the Avila Foundation which supports children in Venezuela. 

Vertellis Game Holiday Edition

If you want to give an original gift that will really get the conversation going, check out Vertellis. This game has been played by more than 2 million people and is the perfect excuse for going offline during Christmas. Consequently you will really connect with family and friends by playing this game. Reflect on the past year together and share your dreams and plans for the coming year. Get to know your family, friends or colleagues even better! Note; this game is only available in Dutch. 

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BOOK TIPS:

Off the Beaten Track by Wander-Lust

Travel had a tough time these past 2,5 years, but people are traveling again so this book is for you. Covid has taught us that we want to seek the unknown, less people, more authenticity. Off the Beaten Track shares off beaten destinations, unique places to stay, secret restaurants and all divided in continents and countries. There are 22 hidden islands to discover, accompanied “nearby” and more familiar spots. Are you looking for adventure and do you like to be surprised? Discover places in the world that have not yet been discovered by mass tourism. Including photos and tips from various national and international photographers, travel journalists and travel bloggers. Get it here for 22,50!

The Adventure Book

She has sold more than 20.000 books so far and when you see this detailed travel journal, you will understand why. Fill your journal the way you want: write, draw, paint, paste photos, stickers, pieces of paper, leaves, stamps…anything that reminds you of your travels! The Adventure Book includes maps of the world and continents that you can color in to keep track of where you’ve been. All 196 independent countries in the world have a place here for you to fill in, plus 68 additional territories (264 in total). Blank pages for those special places that deserve extra space. Filled with many challenges, fun things to do, memories to collect, experiences to tick off, bucket lists to complete, ideas for what to draw or paint and lots of free journaling options. Basically, the ultimate gift for travel lovers! It’s not cheap at €49,95 but it’s the only travel journal you need and you can keep using it, forever! 

Sanny Side Up Planner, 2.0

Sanny Verhoeven (you may know her from this YouTube channel) has created this one-of-a-kind-planner. It’s a year planner without dates so you can fill them in yourself and start at anytime you want. Furthermore, the planner comes with 52 video’s that you can unlock with a QR code where Sanny gives you tips and advice. She explains; “We all have dreams, but how do you ensure that your dreams not only stay in your head, but that you also take concrete steps to get there? By scheduling them!” The Sanny Side Up Planner 2.0 is a must have Christmas Gift for self love and creating the best version of yourself. 

Children Books

If you have kids, you know books are always great as a (Christmas) gift. Take a look at these children books that emphasise diversity. Good for you, great for your kids!  

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CLASSIC MUST HAVES FOR CHRISTMAS

One-of-a-kind Christmas Decorations

Pimping your Christmas Tree 3.0? With the decorations from Dante6, Vondels, and Sissy Boy your Christmas Tree is one of a kind. If you want to go bright and bold check out Vondels. This Amsterdam-based brand was founded in 2015 and now sells to more than 20 countries worldwide! Donuts, candy, pineapples, coffee cups, birds, and many more sparkling options are available. A perfect gift for the holidays if you ask us!

Dante6 x Marlien Besselink

Did you know you can cut down your own Christmas Tree for free at Veluwe Park this year?

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GADGETS:

Galaxy Watch4 by Samsung

Track your sleep, count your steps, and stay active with the brand-new Galaxy Watch4 by Samsung. Nowadays there are many smartwatches to choose from, but we can highly recommend this watch as a gift. Why? It’s stylish and lightweight and you can personalise your design (you can even upload your photos!) Get notifications when you connect it with your (Android) phone and intergrade all your phone apps. Take it outside, walk those 10.000 steps a day and find out how well you sleep (you’ll be surprised!). Furthermore, this watch also comes with an optical heart rate sensor (PPG), electrocardiogram (ECG), and bioelectrical impedance (BIA) sensor. An all-round smartwatch your BF or GF will be more than happy to see underneath the Christmas tree this year!

DJI Action3

As full-time travellers using photography as a business it’s the one thing that was unmissable; a good action cam. We invested in a drone from DJI (the best one out there in our opinion) but DJI recently launched the new Action Cam named the Action2 which is pretty damn awesome if we say so. Like most action cams it’s compact, waterproof, dustproof, and shoots in 4K. But at DJI they are taking it to another level. First of all, there is a magnet built into the cam so you can attach it to different accessories. You can shoot wide angle but it also snaps macro with a lens you can attach. The horizontal feature keeps everything stabilised, even if you are doing something wild. It has slow motion but also timelapse features and films up to 160 hours without charging the battery. Ok, you get it, this is THE gadget you want to be packed under the tree. 

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SKINCARE

EmerginC Skincare

This high-class (vegan) skincare line is one of our favourite brands when it comes to taking care of our skin. By all means, there are so many products nowadays that it’s quite difficult choosing the right product, so let us break it down for you. All EmerginC products are paraben free, no animal testing has been done and they don’t use synthetic colouring or fragrances. Today, emerginC can be found at THE top spas in many countries around the world and we are so happy we’ve discovered it! For travellers; they have a handy travel kit with all the products you need! 

DIY Soap Products

Dry skin and winter go hand in hand, unfortunately. Thank god for scrubs and body creams! At DIY Soap you can create your scrub with coffee, salt, or sugar. Add some almond or coconut oil and top it with the most amazing scents like lavender, roses, or cinnamon. No time to pass by the store in Amsterdam? You can buy several hand-created scrubs and creams online. Another nice fact: all the ingredients are organic and natural! To learn more about DIY Soap, check this article. diysoap.nl

As shown above, you certainly have enough choice this season to get yourself or someone you love that extra special or unique Christmas Gift! 

Merry Christmas y’all,

Wander-Lust