Christmas gifts for children who love to travel

As a family we love to travel, and I'd like to think that we manage travelling with children fairly successfully! With Christmas coming up I thought I'd put together a little gift guide of bits and pieces that would be brilliant gifts for any adventurous children that are on your shopping list. They are all things that I've chosen myself, and in most cases they are things that we already own and I can recommend personally. Happy browsing!

For children that want to carry their own essentials

Trunki ride on suitcase - Our children love their Trunkis, and while I don't find them very practical for travelling on a plane (although they are fab for the airport) they are great for when travelling by car and the children love the responsibility of doing their own packing.

Pull along suitcase - A small pull along suitcase is very practical for older children, and I love this one that has a little seat belt on the front for a favourite teddy or doll.

Small rucksack - A small rucksack is perfect for hand luggage on the plane. Choose one with a zip so that you can keep everything safely inside, and small pockets on the outside are handy for frequently required items.

Bum Bag - Maybe not as fashionable as they once were, but a bum bag is brilliant for children to carry a few essentials out with them on a day trip - like some money, a phone or a snack - without having to worry about carrying a larger rucksack. Especially great for theme parks where you don't want to leave a bag in a locker.

Keeping children entertained while on the move

Kids Headphones - If your children will be using tablets or other electronic devices in a public place then you need some headphones. We've been using these ones for a few years now and they work brilliantly.

Pencil and Paper Games book - There are lots of different pen and paper books out there but I particularly love this one as it's a really good mixture of the classics and some new games. The games are played on tear out sheets, and there are plenty of pages. The games are also easy to replicate yourself on some blank paper.

Dobble - Card games are great for travel, and Dobble is particularly good as it appeals to both children and adults.

Travel 4 in a Row - Travel board games can be tricky as they sometimes have lots of small parts which can be difficult to keep track of, especially if you are trying to play in a car or airplane. It's worth looking for magnetic versions, or one like this 4 in a Row game where all the pieces can be kept reasonably contained.

Stocking fillers for travelling children - small yet useful

Small carabiners - These are brilliant for attaching things together so that they don't get lost. I recently used some for attaching neck pillows to rucksacks, they are also great for attaching teddies if they have a label loop, or holding some types of water bottle.

Zippable plastic wallets - I give each child a small zippable folder to collect leaflets, postcards and other souvenirs. I also use them to corral pens, crayons and scrap paper.

Home décor for travellers

Large World Map - We have a large map poster up on the wall and it's great for helping the children to understand where we are in relation to the rest of the world and to see where we will be travelling.

Scratch World Map - There are various ways that you can track your travels, you could stick a pin in a map or you could try a scratch off world map to mark where you have been.

Illuminated Globe - A globe makes a lovely gift for a child who wants to learn about the world, it's a much better visual reference than a flat map and there are all sorts of different types available to suit the age of your child.

My Little Adventure bedding set - I love this bedding set which is decorated with the countries of the world.

Photo credit Annie Spratt via Unsplash