California coast

Gift Ideas for the Wanderer

Vintage Surfari Wagons’ Big Sierra Skies Camp Tour

Vintage Surfari Wagons’ Big Sierra Skies Camp Tour

Ready to find a fun and thoughtful gift for your nature-loving friend that they will actually enjoy and use? The best gifts for avid adventurers are those that will fuel their passion for nature and give them a reason to get outdoors. With that in mind, here are some ideas to wrap up for the outdoorsy people on your shopping list.

Glamping Accessories

Worldation explains glamping is a trendy way to enjoy the great outdoors without being unplugged completely. If your giftee loves glamping, consider getting them a fun glamping accessory that will make their time in the outdoors a little more comfortable.

You can never go wrong with a big, fluffy blanket or a portable espresso maker. Portable chargers, gourmet s'mores kits, and light strings can also make for great glamping gifts. If your gift recipient likes to stay in wifi-enabled yurts or campers, you could even get them a versatile and powerful streaming device so they can get cozy in front of their favorite shows after a day of outdoor exploring.

Useful Outdoor Gear

Most hikers and campers are always thrilled to receive new gear they can use on the trail. For example, a good-quality daypack is one of the best things you can buy for an active adventurer. Other hiking essentials, like a hydration bladder, water filtration system, and trekking poles, can come in very handy on long day hikes and overnight trips in the wild.

Even if your giftee already has every piece of hiking gear imaginable, they can never have enough comfortable hiking socks—99 Boulders recommends merino wool for its temperature regulation and moisture-wicking properties.

Gift Cards and Passes for Fun Activities

Non-material gifts are another great option for the nature lover in your life. Consider giving the gift of a fun, memorable experience with a gift card or pass for an outdoor activity. For example, a gift card for Vintage Surfari Wagons is the perfect travel-inspiring gift for anyone with a case of wanderlust. The gift cards are available in $100 increments and can be used to rent a campervan or book a group expedition for an unforgettable road trip experience. Vintage Surfari Wagons

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Some other great experiential gifts include a National Parks Pass or tickets for zip-lining, gondola rides, or an aerial adventure park. REI also recommends gifting an experience you can do together, like a kayak tour, snowshoe adventure, or camp cooking class. On top of the gift itself, your special someone will have fond memories to look back on.

Educational Books and Guides

Books can make some of the best gifts! They’re affordable, personal, easy to wrap, and perfect for those people on your list that say they don’t want any presents. From trail guides and survival handbooks to elegant coffee table books filled with stunning landscape scenes, there are endless books you could get for the outdoor enthusiast in your life. Wilderness tales and true adventure stories written are also great ideas.

If your gift recipient really likes to read, consider getting them an e-reader so they can take all their favorite books with them on hikes and camping trips without adding excess weight to their pack. Many e-readers even have backlit screens, which make them great for night-time reading after the sun goes down.

Buying a gift for the outdoorsy person on your list might be easier than you think. There are several great material and non-material options out there that are sure to inspire and excite glamping enthusiasts and ultralight hikers alike. In the end, your gift recipient will love any present that you’ve put this much thought and care into.

Written by: Ted Fernandez

Sweet Vacation Story

Christina Beam Photography

I’ve held back on posting about our epic California roadtrip for so long, which is sort of silly, because these are some of my favorite images I’ve taken in my life.

But here’s the truth: These photos are really intimate.

Not in a way, as my 8-year-old would say, that’s “irreproriate.”

But in a way that shows my little family at what I think is our very best: Loving on each other. Drifting apart for little individual moments and mini adventures, then drawing back together by the common pull that makes us The Beams.

Building this family with my husband Erik is far and away my greatest accomplishment in life, and the truth in these images feels a little scary to share.

It’s not all pretty smiles and perfect poses. We’re unshaven, we’re scratched and dirty, we’re in unwashed clothes, but my God, are we happy.

When we told friends and family about our plans — fly to California, rent an ‘85 Volkswagen camper van in Orange County, and drive it up to Northern California and back along the Pacific Coast Highway — they always said, “Wow.”

“Wow,” as in, “That sounds amazing… I would love to do that with my family.”

And also, “Wow,” as in, “All five of you are going to be camping in that van for two weeks? You’re not staying in any hotels? And you have no reservations anywhere, you don’t know where you’re going or what you’re going to do?”

Yes. Wow.

It was important to Erik that if we did this that it be a true adventure. That we relent to the unknown. That we not only trust that we will be okay, but that if we leave room for the unexpected, we will be rewarded with beautiful, heart- and life-changing things.

And as always, Erik was right.