Curated Gift List
Finding the right gift can be difficult, especially when you want something practical, thoughtful and within budget. This guide brings together my favourite ideas for travellers and food lovers, grouped by price: under 20 €, under 50 € and over 50 €.
This article contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a booking or purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us keep Travelling Cooks alive and sharing more recipes and travel tips.
Jump to
Gifts under 20 €
Gifts under 50 €
Gifts over 50 €
My wish list
Gift a book
Belgian gifts
Gifts Under 20 €
Small treats that make a big difference. Maybe instead of a bottle of wine when you are invited over for dinner, you can surprise your guest with a different kind of gift.
Inside this section you’ll find mini-themes: travel basics, clever gadgets, beauty favourites, fun games, and delicious foodie gifts. Something for everyone… and maybe something for you too.
✈️ Passport covers, luggage tags and card safety
Keep travel documents and cards organised and easy to spot in your bag.
Why I like these
An RFID card holder keeps your bank cards safe when you travel.
A personalised passport cover makes your passport feel a bit special.
Bright luggage tags help your suitcase stand out on the carousel.
🔌 Travel electronics & accessories
The digital luggage scale is a must, and an adapter set is an essential.
A friend of mine bought her rechargeable neck reading light with her on our short trip to Paris, what a great accessory; I have just ordered mine.
🛁 Toiletry & beauty
I just love the Bio-Collagen face masks. I use them at home and on a long flight just before sleeping. It helps me relax and avoid skin dehydration.
The 100 ml Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil is fragrance free and nourishes the face, body and hair!
I must admit I was sceptical when it came to packing cubes, but what a plus, you gain more space in your suitcase and you know where everything is.
🎲 Games
Here are some great cards games that you can just stick in your bag for a fun evening and you can make new friends with these.
🍽 Food lovers & cooks
My sister got me the bamboo trivet years ago, and it is perfect! I love the fact that you can double the size too.
During covid, I decided to sort out my spice drawer and bought a spice sample set, what a game changer.
Gifts Under 50 €
🎒 Travel comfort & organisation
I don’t know if it is because I’m a fan of Switzerland, but as long as I can remember I’ve always had a Victorinox Huntsman Swiss Pocket (more than one actually). Just don’t place it in your hand luggage on the plane but make sure you have it on your visits and tours wherever that may be.
📀 Travel electronics & accessories
I have Apple Airtags in all my suitcases and that is perfect to track them down.
🍹 Kitchen & foodie items
When offering a knife, there is a superstition that says it will “cut” the relationship between the giver and receiver. To counter this, when you offer it the receiver should give you coin in exchange, which symbolically means he “buys” the knife and prevents the relationship from being severed.
Gifts Over 50 €
🧳 Bags & premium travel gear
If I had to chose 3 items from this list, I would go for the Bose QuietComfort, a Kindle, and my Webeauty 6 in 1 that is perfect if you are not into spending hours styling your hair.
🍙 Kitchen & home luxuries
I never really believed in rice cooker, but then my daughter convinced me to get one and that has changed our life.
📔 Books
The blank recipe book is a great idea for family or friends that love to cook. I have one of course and have added my little comments so it has become a legacy book for my children.
I am part of a lovely book club in Brussels and I thought it might be nice to give you my top favourite books we have read this year.
🪄 My wish list
🌸 My daughter discovered an amazing flower shop in Brussels called Haut les coeurs. Ever so often I get offered beautiful thoughtful flowers. Haut les coeurs just focused on flowers with seasonal textures, and wild beauty, and then them deliver them by bike to my house.
Haut les coeurs also have some workshops and curated gifts in harmony with the concept.
Belgian Gifts I Am Loving
A Travelling Cooks selection from a country that knows a thing or two about flavour and craft.
As someone who spends her time travelling, cooking and tasting my way around the world, I love gifts that tell a story. Belgium is small but full of makers who blend tradition with creativity. From botanical beauty inspired by nature to artisanal chocolate mastered over generations, these gifts feel like little journeys in themselves.
Here are the Belgian discoveries I am adding to my curated gift list this year.
✨ Beauty inspired by nature
Bobone
Bobone creates 100 percent natural skincare made in Wallonia with beautiful ingredients you could almost imagine for a recipe. Shea butter, essential oils and plant extracts come together like a little wellness dish for your skin.
Fun fact: Bobone is the Belgian word for Granny and every product is made by hand and given a charming Belgian name.
Price point: soaps around 9 € and face creams around 29 €.
Aloïse Botanicals
Aloïse formulates products like botanical infusions. Their creams and oils feel like a calm ritual after a day of travelling or cooking.
Fun fact: the brand uses slow, plant based extraction methods similar to making a delicate herbal tisane which preserves nutrients.
Price point: most skincare sits between 40 and 65 €.
✨ For the travelling men in your life
Clyde for Men
Clyde makes clean, natural skincare tailored for men who appreciate simplicity. Great for throwing into a travel bag or gifting to someone who loves minimalist products.
Fun fact: the founders wanted Belgian products that felt as streamlined as a good espresso which led them to create their own line.
Price point: moisturisers start around 29 € and gift sets around 55 €.
✨ Accessories for everyday adventures
Mardi Éditions
Their wool fanny pack in green plaid is perfect for travelling hands free whether it is exploring markets, photographing food or hopping on a train.
Fun fact: Mardi produces in small batches which gives each item a unique, almost artisanal feel similar to a craft bakery that makes limited daily batches.
Price point: around 95 €.
✨ Small Handmade Treasures
Lucie in the R
This shops is full of fun ideas ceramics from small accessories that feel perfect for thoughtful stocking fillers to travel bags. Although everything here is not all Belgian, it remains ‘local’ like the travel bag from France.
Fun fact: Lucie in the R is a team of women passionate about finding hidden gems that combine style and respect for the planet, much like the creative shops you find while wandering neighbourhoods abroad.
Price point: items start around 12 €.
✨ Chocolate for the curious foodie
Mary Chocolatier
A true Belgian classic and an essential gift for anyone who loves flavour. Their pralines melt beautifully and always feel luxurious.
Fun fact: Mary was the first woman to become a Royal Warrant Holder which means the Belgian Royal Family officially buys chocolates from her boutique.
Price point: boxes range from 12 €.
Passion Chocolat
A more artisanal chocolatier that focuses on freshness and flavour. Great for food lovers who enjoy discovering small producers when they travel.
Fun fact: the chocolates are made in small batches in Brussels which keeps the taste incredibly pure.
Price point: most boxes are around 15 to 25 €.
✨ Something Belgian to sip
Brussels Beer Project
For anyone who loves tasting local drinks while travelling, this brewery is a fun Belgian discovery. Their craft beers are playful, creative and perfect for sharing over a home cooked meal.
Fun fact: the brewery lets the public vote on some recipes which means the beers are shaped by the community much like shared food traditions.
Price point: bottles start at about 3 € and gift packs around 15 to 25 €.
🎁 Why these gifts belong on a Travelling Cooks list
They celebrate craftsmanship, flavour, local makers and Belgian (and French) creativity. From botanical beauty and artisan chocolates to small handmade objects and travel friendly accessories, each gift tells a story, just like the places we explore and the dishes we taste.
