It’s that time of year again, gift giving season! It can be a little tricky to buy someone a gift when they’re living in a small space; you want to give them a present but one that’s useful. Read on to see our recommendations….

1. Stickers

Stickers! They take up zero room and can be stuck on windows, laptops, fridges, books… you name it, they’ll stick on it!

2. Measuring Cups

What a sensible gift I hear you say. Well yes, I can’t dispute you on that. But, what a truly useful and sensible gift it is. No point lugging around scales when you can easily whip out your cups to measure flour, sugar, oil and all other neccessary cooking things. They stack away easily or can be hung from a hook. Perfect! I have been using cups for years in both #vanlife and #boatlife and I cannot reccomend them enough. They even feature in one of our videos, although mine are a slightly less practical ceramic set that could smash in transit (I’m surprised they’ve lasted the past three years tbh).

3. Reusable Make-Up Remover Wipes

Don’t believe in magic? You will now! There are a couple of different varieties of these cloths, and I was sceptical at first. With just a small amount of water absorbed into the cloth you can wipe off any make-up (waterproof too!) without the need for any cleansers, chemicals or anything. I do not know how it works, but the super soft microfibre material doesn’t aggravate your face and is simple to clean with soapy water. I don’t just use this for removing make-up, I use it to clean my face every day as I don’t wear make-up that often. I’ve also doubled it up to use as a body flannel too, it’s epic!

Another reason I’m keen on these cloths is the reusable factor. Wet wipes are a vanlifers best friend, but they’re not environmentally friendly. I’ve been using these wipes for years which means I’ve minimised my wet wipe usage to zero and not added any more wet wipes to landfill. Hurrah!

4. Adventure Rig Tee

Clothing is worn by pretty much everybody, so it’s always a safe choice as a gift! It’s also one of the ways we support ourselves on the road, and this tee was inspired by many of the adventure rigs we’ve encountered during our travels.

5. Fairy Lights

Festive as festive can be! Also look lovely all year round, add a wonderful glow to any room and require zero batteries (if you go for solar).

I am a huge fan of fairy lights, they are always within any abode I’m residing in. They just make everything magical!

I’ve ordered many sets of lights from eBay over the years, and they never disappoint.

6. Books…or more likely eBooks

When we moved into our VWT4 in 2014 I brought a handful of physical books with me, but hundreds of ebooks. I was once a naysayer of ebooks, couldn’t stand the thought of not physically turning a page, the smell of paper, using bookmarks, all that reading goodness. However in 2011 whilst working as a cleaner during University I downloaded the kindle app and the Song of Ice and Fire boxset (aka Game of Thrones). Having a smart phone meant I didn’t need to buy an actual kindle, I could have the free app. And I could literally read wherever I wanted. Like at work, hiding in the supply closet. Yes I confess I did that, but when it’s 7am and there’s nothing to clean what else are you going to do?! We all know how addictive Game of Thrones can be!

eBooks are amazing when you have limited space, as they only take up memory on your phone or reading device. So, if you know an avid reader why not sign them up to Kindle Unlimited (they have a free trial too!), or grab them an Amazon gift card to buy a load of ebooks from their Kindle store, or buy them a specific book using the ‘buy for others’ option.

7. Extra long charger cable

Need I say more? Living in a tiny space means a 3-5m long charger cable for your phone or tablet will more than likely allow you to charge it from anywhere in your home. Score!

8. Sandals (I know it’s winter but bear with!)

If you know Me and Theo then you’ll know we are avid sandal wearers. We literally wear them all the time, even building our outhouse Theo is rocking the socks and sandals.

The king of all sandals has got to be good old Birkenstocks, and we’ve both got a pair of the EVO lightweight ones that we wear all the time as slippers, shoes, fly swatters etc… they float too. Not sure why that’s relevant but there you go. Floating sandals for the win.

I bet you thought I was going to include 10 things like last year, but that’s it! Hope you enjoyed the recommendations, and that you have a lovely festive season :)

For MORE gift ideas check out last years van life gift list!

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