Best Travel Gifts For Crafters

Crafters know that time flies while they’re working on their creations. So what could be a better – or more productive – way to pass the time on a long road trip or flight than with a DIY project?

We’ve found a variety of easy-to-tote craft kits that will let travelers while away the hours while making friendship bracelets, cross stitching powerful messages and scrapbooking their adventures. Whether they’re experts or beginners, there’s something for everyone. In fact, they’ll be having so much fun, they may wish their trip was actually longer!

A long train or car ride is a great time to learn to knit and this kit, thoughtfully curated by the experts at Purl Soho, is the easiest – and best looking – way to do that. The most difficult part will be choosing from the dozens of beautiful colors of Super Soft Merino wool! The kit also includes needles and patterns that are so easy to follow. Your recipient will be so proud of their accomplishment, you just may be gifted the scarf they make. Price: $72

Looking for gifts for Taylor Swift fans? This kit just may be the answer to their wildest dreams. Friendship bracelets are a staple of her record-breaking Eras Tour and this kit will keep Swifties busy as they fly to her international concerts. It’s curated by the makers of the now-iconic “87” bracelet Swift herself wore to a Chiefs game so it’s about as authentic as it comes. The exclusive kit features beads in a variety of shapes, colors and letters along with enough string to make up to 13 (IYKYK) tradeable bracelets. Price: $49

All crafters will appreciate the sentiment of this lovely – and funny – embroidery canvas. Likely to inspire a laugh or two from fellow passengers, it comes with everything your recipient needs, including the printed fabric, thread, needles and hoop. Perfect for crafters of all levels, it even features a Beginner Guide full of expert tips and stitch diagrams for those embarking on their first embroidery project. Price: $31

For many travelers, journaling is the best way to remember a trip. This lovely kit adds a scrapbooking aspect to the experience so your recipient can turn the journal itself into a personal work of art. Not only does it come with a handmade leather mini notebook but it features a plethora of decorative details including vintage stickers, papers and washi tape. It will inspire them to write more and more. Price: $86.99

Subversive Cross Stitch Barbie Monologue Kit

This is not your grandmother’s cross stitch! Even the most ardent feminist will feel that they’re doing important women’s work by stitching the empowering speech America Ferrera gave in Barbie. The kit comes with fabric and floss, both pretty in pink, as well as a bamboo hoop and two needles. This is a real conversation piece and will likely make the passenger next to them think twice about manspreading or hogging the armrest. Price: $29.99

Field Notes is already a favorite of travelers, who use the legendary notebooks to document their experiences, and this kit comes with everything they need to elevate their game. It features both two-packs of the brand’s popular Streetscapes Sketch Books along with a zippered fabric bag containing Blackwing colored pencils, No. 2 pencils, Field Notes Clic Pens, an eraser and Bands of Rubber to hold it all together. Your recipient can spend their time coloring Steve McDonald’s architectural city illustrations or drawing their own on the high quality paper. Price: $89.95

Wool and the Gang Circus Scarf Beginner Knitting Kit

A scarf is an easy and satisfying project for a beginning knitter – and, because this one is so stylish, it’s also a great travel project for those with more experience. What makes it even more special is that you get to choose three different balls of super chunky Crazy Sexy Wool from dozens of colors. It takes about six hours to complete so your recipient can feel accomplished walking off a cross country flight with their new scarf proudly wrapped around their neck. Price: $85

Each edition of this clever series acts as a journal/guidebook, offering descriptions and coloring pages of some of the most iconic sights in the world. Each book covers one city – Tokyo, Paris, New York – and features room for your recipient to jot down their own thoughts and itineraries as well as do some coloring. These will become meaningful keepsakes. Price: $16.99

Intermediate level knitters will love this kit that includes everything they need to make a gorgeous sweater in the softest Mohair. It even comes with circular knitting needles so there’s no worry about whether they can be taken on a plane. Choose from more than a dozen gorgeous colors and add buttons or let them supply their own. The pattern is easy to follow and the result is likely to garner lots of compliments. Price: $103

Instead of simply reading a book while they travel, let them embroider one (or three) with this beautiful kit. Beginner-friendly, it’s a celebration of both literature and stitchery – two relaxing and travel-friendly pastimes. The kit includes the pre-printed fabric, hoop, needle and embroidery floss and the finished piece will look warm and welcoming hung in their reading corner or displayed on a bookshelf. Price: $32

It’s said that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at a skill so aspiring artists will be glad that the daily prompts in this sketchbook can keep them on track while they’re traveling. The set comes with 10 pencils and a pretty zippered case, all featuring Lisa Congdon’s distinctive designs which will act as inspiration themselves. Price: $40

For those who need a little creative inspiration, this book is it. Wendy Conklin’s Chair Whimsy offers a gorgeous line of eye candy chairs as well as popular online classes that teach how to design and upholster them at home. It’s impossible not to smile while scrolling through the collection or turning the pages of her new book. By the time your recipient lands, they will be ready to redecorate their home. Price: $29.95