Holiday gifts for green travelers

You know who they are — the friends who ride their bikes to work every single day, rain or shine; who never splurge on a shower more than five minutes long; who spend their carbon-neutral vacations on sustainable tours run on veggie fuel; who are so green they’re practically purple.

Don’t even think about getting them more reusable bags this year (those are so ’90s environmentalist). Instead, consider these more cutting-edge gift ideas for the environmentally conscious or wanna-be-green travelers on your list. All prices listed are excluding tax.

Voltaic bags
These bags are futuristic in design and function. The exteriors are embedded with waterproof solar panels that give you, with the larger bags, up to 14.7 watts of energy. A battery pack stores extra power generated, so you can listen to your iPod or charge your cellphone or laptop during non-sunlight hours too. If you’re not yet eco-impressed, get this: The fabric on these totes is made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (soda bottles).
Cost: $199 to $599

[Photo: Voltaic Messenger, Voltaic Systems, $229]

Vashon Organics Defense Deluxe Travel Pack
This handy pack equips the traveler with toiletries laden with germ-fighting, natural essential oils. Included in the kit are body wipes, a bar of soap, shower gel, oil, salve, a body scrubber and a soap dish. Tea tree oil, used in the gel and body wipes, is an anti-fungal agent, so perhaps it’s useful for those travelers who like to get off the beaten track.
Cost: $49

[Photo: Vashon Organics]

Greenopia guides
These hip consumer guides — available for Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City — serve as an excellent urban resource for uncovering the green you need in a city. Well-researched and quite pretty too, the directories feature a wide range of goods and services including organic restaurants and eco-friendly dry cleaners. They’re more suited to a city’s short- or long-term residents rather than casual visitors.
Cost: $16.95 to $17.95

[Photo: Greenopia]

National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass
Got a national parks junkie on your list? Give him or her unlimited access to some of our country’s greatest natural treasures with this handy, wallet-card-sized annual pass. The pass allows entry into federal recreation sites that typically charge an entrance fee.
Cost: $80 for a regular pass; $10 for a lifetime senior pass

[Photo: National Park Service]

Do you have any environmentally friendly travel gifts to recommend? Share with us in the Comments below.

- Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 16, 2008 at 6:54 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Eco-Travel, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.