Celebrating mom is more important than ever, especially if she’s the woman who instilled a love of travel in you from a young age. This Mother’s Day, which takes place on Sunday, May 14, 2023, you can send her a reminder of one of your favorite trips from the past, or get her a little something to take along on a trip she has planned for later this year. Whichever way you go, here are plenty of gift ideas for travel-loving moms.
1. The Lightweight Mega Tote by Rothy’s
For the mom who needs a new carryall
Buy now: $229, rothys.com
This roomy tote (pictured above) works as a beach bag for summer trips to the coast—and for weekly farmers’ market hauls. The bag is fully machine washable for practicality and comes in six colors to match mom’s style. An added bonus: Approximately 869 grams of recycled plastic went into making the bag.
2. Goldbelly delivery
For the mom who loves to eat
Buy now: From $9, goldbelly.com
If your mom is the type of traveler who plans entire vacations around a destination’s food, give her the gift of Goldbelly. This online marketplace ships iconic regional foods from around the United States via UPS and FedEx so ice cream arrives intact and meat arrives unspoiled. Get some inspiration from AFAR editor favorites, browse Goldbelly’s curated Mother’s Day collection, or search by region to see if your mom’s favorite bakery or barbecue spot is on there.
This bartending guide includes recipes from the popular Brooklyn bar Maison Premiere.
Courtesy of Clarkson Potter
3. The Maison Premiere Almanac
For the mom who loves to make cocktails
Buy now: $37, bookshop.org
There’s a huge difference between people who enjoy a good cocktail and those who actually enjoy making them. Before you give any mom a recipe book, make sure she’s the latter and has the spare time on her hands now. If you’ve checked all those boxes, a recipe book from your mom’s favorite bar is a great way for her to revisit travel memories from the comfort of her own home.
Maison Premiere, the popular Brooklyn bar and restaurant, released The Maison Premiere Almanac (Clarkson Potter, 2023) on April 25. This bartending manual comes with 90 drink recipes for martinis, punches, and mint juleps. It also includes tutorials for how to select and shuck oysters at home.
4. Personalized necklace from Etsy
For the mom who loves shopping for souvenirs
Buy now: various, etsy.com
If your mom is the type who loves spending time in markets on trips shopping for trinkets, send her a handmade piece of jewelry from an Etsy artisan. Not only does shopping on Etsy support small business owners and makers, but Etsy also became the first major online retailer to offset carbon emissions from its shipping in 2019. Go the sentimental initial necklace route to remind her of you while you’re apart, or pick something with a travel theme.
After the past few years, everyone needs a little extra chill.
Courtesy of Wyld
5. Wyld CBD gummies
For the mom who needs some relaxation insurance
Buy now: $35, wyldcbd.com
Candles are a fine gift, but until a weeklong beach vacation is on the calendar, give her what she really wants: a day off of all responsibilities and some CBD gummies to ease any residual stress and anxiety. Wyld’s gummies are infused with real fruit and 25 mg of THC-free hemp. Plus, the pretty packaging looks like it was pulled from a Crabtree & Evelyn catalog.
>> Read more: A Guide to Traveling With CBD
6. MasterClass membership
For the mom who never wants to stop learning
Buy now: $180 for an annual membership, masterclass.com
Does your mom have many interests? With an unlimited MasterClass membership, she can brush up on her creative writing skills with Margaret Atwood, hone her photography with tips from Annie Leibovitz, or up her gardening skills with advice from Ron Finley.
Dreary days are no match for this cheery rain jacket.
Courtesy of Rains
7. The Long Jacket by Rains
For the mom who doesn’t let the weather get her down
Buy now: $125, us.rains.com
A little rain can’t keep your mom from spending most of her time outdoors? To keep her dry, give her a brand-new rain jacket from the Danish company Rains in a fun color.
8. Artifact Uprising hardcover photo book
For the shutterbug mom
Buy now: From $72, artifactuprising.com
Now is the time to get your photos off your phone and into a beautiful linen-bound hardcover photo book to preserve your family travel memories for future generations. If you think she’d like to design her own book, Artifact Uprising also has gift cards.
This rich face cream is a lifesaver on long flights.
Courtesy of Blue Lagoon Iceland
9. BL+ the Cream
For the mom with a 12-step skincare routine
Buy now: $85, skincare.bluelagoon.com
The ultra rich BL+ the Cream from Blue Lagoon Iceland can prevent dry airplane air from wreaking havoc on skin. Made with microalgae and silica sourced from the same geothermal source as those famous blue pools, this travel-friendly 15 ml pot may be pricey—but a little goes a long way and makes for a luxurious gift.
10. Martha Stoumen wine club membership
For the mom who is daydreaming of a wine country getaway
Buy now: From $200 per six-bottle shipment, marthastoumen.com
The best gift for a wine lover is an actual trip to wine country. But the next best thing is sending wine directly to her door. You can sign her up for Sonoma County winemaker Martha Stoumen’s wine club. Members of the 6 Bottle Club receive a shipment of six bottles in the spring and six bottles in the fall.
Brighten up your mom’s home with some potted flowers.
Courtesy of the Sill
11. The Sill potted orchid
For the mom who goes to the botanic garden in every city she visits
Buy now: $68, thesill.com
We could all use a little more greenery inside our homes these days, which is why we love online nursery the Sill. For blooms that last much longer than a traditional bouquet, send mom a potted orchid. It’s pet friendly and only needs to be watered every one to two weeks.
Sabah’s Condesa Pink shoe is inspired by the vibrant Mexico City neighborhood.
Courtesy of Sabah
12. Sabah travel shoes
For the mom who loves to walk everywhere
Buy now: From $195, sabah.am
Is your mom heading to Europe this summer? She’ll need a stylish pair of comfortable shoes for all those walking tours she’s bound to book. These slip-on kicks from Sabah are handmade from leather and come in nearly two dozen fun colors and patterns.
13. Coffee subscription
For the coffee-obsessed mom
Buy now: From $19 per month, corvuscoffee.com
To give your mom’s at-home coffee an upgrade, set her up with a monthly coffee subscription. Senior travel news editor Michelle Baran is particularly fond of Denver’s Corvus Coffee, which works directly with farmers to create sustainable and high-quality coffee.
Make every day a spa day with a fluffy robe.
Courtesy of H by Frette
14. H by Frette bathrobe
For the mom who loves fancy hotels
Buy now: From $100, hbyfrette.com
Plenty of hotels sell their bathrobes online, including Ace Hotels and the Bunkhouse Group. But there’s something so decadent about wrapping yourself up in a massive white bathrobe. Luxury hotel brands, including St. Regis, Soho House, and Rosewood, use Frette linens in their hotels and now you can buy them online, too. Depending on the climate your mom lives in, you can go thick and fluffy or light and airy.
15. Chocolate from her favorite city
For the mom who always orders dessert
Buy now: From $10, goldbelly.com
You can’t go wrong with chocolate as a gift for anyone with a serious sweet tooth. But instead of delivering just any old bar to your beloved mother, give your gift a travel angle and put together a selection of goodies made in her favorite city. Left her heart in San Francisco? Consider sweets from the likes of Dandelion, Guittard, or Recchiuti. Pining for Portland? Woodblock Chocolate ships its bars in a pretty gift box. Not sure where to start? Goldbelly has dozens of options from America’s best gourmet chocolate shops and organizes them all by region on its website to make searching easier.
This article was originally published in 2020; it was updated most recently on May 2, 2023, with current information.
