HOLD YOUR HORSES I’M WRITING AN ARTICLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AGES HOORAY. Why? Well, the writing cloud has lifted today, and I felt inspired by my friend who has just booked a trip to Thailand. Jealous and inspired that is 😉

Now that it’s coming up for Christmas and Chanukah (keeping my Jew family happy by throwing that one in!), I wanted to write about all the gifts that I feel would be amazing to receive if I were going backpacking, specifically to boost my mental wellness, as someone who suffers with Depression and Anxiety. This is by no means sponsored (because only like 100+ follow me on here and one of them is definitely just my Mum, hi Mum) but simply ideas to help people in similar positions to me. Also, hi Dad if you’re reading, feel free to add these to my Chanukah gift list…it’s in a month. So here goes, let’s do it.

Why should you buy a Christmas gift for a backpacker to boost their mental health?

Firstly, in case you haven’t realised this from my blog, I LOVE backpacking and I LOVE travelling. This is not to deter you from how much of an incredible time it is, but I cannot emphasise enough the importance of maintaining your mental wellness when you’re away – especially if you’re travelling alone for the first time. Backpacking is probably the best thing I’ve ever done in my whole life; I made great friends, I travelled solo (big deal for me!) and I experienced cultures and countries that blew my mind. The food was great. The locals were awesome. But sometimes, it was very difficult. Loneliness is a thing, and incredibly hard to deal with when you’re surrounded by people you may not like. I learnt slowly that I wasn’t going to bond with everyone, and just like life, not everyone you meet is going to be your cup of tea. That’s okay, I’m sure I wasn’t everyone’s either. I was there to travel – making friends was a bonus. Additionally, there were times I was homesick, times I was ill (and in hospital in Malaysia) and other times a special person or group of people left to go home, and I would just miss them. When you have diagnosed Depression or an Anxiety disorder, emotions are felt even more deeply – and sometimes, there’s not even a reason for it. If I was with people I would be honest and tell them how I was feeling – and they’d be incredibly supportive and kind – but the times I felt low and was alone were not always easy, and that isn’t shared as much in comparison to the highlight reels on Instagram. Small and thoughtful gifts that can aid you in situations that don’t feel so great can be a blessing – and not often thought about in comparison to other gifts you may think of buying.

Now that family and friends are searching for the perfect Christmas gift for someone off travelling, I would like to say that you’ll be doing a big favour by choosing a present that can ease stress, remind this person of home comforts when and if they need it and simply help with self-care on the road.

Top 5 Christmas gift ideas for backpackers to support mental health

Mental Health App Subscription

Yup! I was once gifted a 6-month subscription by an old friend to Headspace, the meditation app, where I discovered loads of guided meditations (quick morning meditations or longer meditations for when I was feeling stressed), sleep stories that calmed anxiety and helped me nod off and breathing exercises. It was such an incredibly thoughtful idea and really benefitted me. Calm is another app I’ve heard good things about, so check out both and see what suits the person you’re gifting this to the most. As an added note, if this backpacker is staying in dorms, these meditations are great to do when people are snoring (or other things) next to them – I found them more useful than listening to music too✌️

A nice looking notepad/travel journal and pen

Cliché but in a good way. I received a really nice, personalised journal before I went travelling and it was one of my favourite gifts. I found writing was a great way to not just reflect on my trip (and all the positive experiences I was having) but also an outlet to express myself when I wasn’t feeling my best. It gave me time to figure out what was going on in my brain, what I could or couldn’t do to help the situation and then I’d feel so much better afterwards.

Self-care kit

There’s nothing wrong with combining a few small gifts together which together can make for a nice day or night of relaxation when away. Think face masks, sachets of calming Lavender tea bags (just remember they need to boil hot water when they’re out there!), an aromatherapy roll-on like Lavender or Eucalyptus, known for their soothing properties and a little sleeping mask – because everybody needs sleep. Make sure to add a card with a nice message in to read – because why not.

Mental Health Books

I’m one of those people who prefers the feel of a book to the ease of a Kindle. It’s quite annoying actually because I already pack WAY too much, and adding four books in there is incredibly unhelpful – both for storage and my back. Anyway, whether you’re like me or prefer how much simpler it is to download books onto your Kindle, I would always suggest books as a gift to those going away – whether that’s a digital copy or a paperback is up to you. I’m writing about my favourite mental health-related books here, which have always helped me, but really any book is always good to help one’s brain. My favourite books to read have been The Wrong Knickers by Bryony Gordon, who I could relate to whilst also crying with laughter page-by-page, Matt Haig’s Reasons to Stay Alive, which was written so perfectly I couldn’t bear to put it down and of course, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, whose journey of grief and the mental strength she discovered hiking the Pacific Crest Trail  I connected to deeply.

A great travel pillow

Hear me out. Those travel journeys are tough – uncomfortable seats on night buses, uncomfortable bunk beds on night trains, uncomfortable chairs on Ryan Air, the list goes on. A solid travel pillow is a blessing, because my god, if you’re getting no sleep, you’re not going to feel great. For space, inflatable travel pillows are useful BUT they’re not always the firmest. The classic travel pillow is a good one, easily bought at Mountain Warehouse or Decathlon, although a friend used this particularly cool-looking travel pillow and was well rested after long flights we took together. Have a think about what would best suit the person you’re gifting to for their backpack/luggage and go from there.

To summarise…

Whether you’re shopping for a seasoned traveller or a first-time backpacker, these Christmas gifts are a unique way of buying something valuable for their upcoming trip. Supporting mental wellness on the road is always important and I hope that choosing one of these gifts helps those in times of need, relax, stay mindful and help them continue to enjoy their adventures.

Have a Christmas gift idea for backpackers to boost mental health? Let me know in the comments below!