10 Mother’s Day Vacation Gift Ideas That are Way Better Than Flowers

Flowers are often a go-to for Mother’s Day — and blooms do make a lovely gift. But for the moms who love to travel, there are specific items that are useful when exploring the world.

If your mom seems to always be planning or packing for her next trip, these ideas might be perfect for her. Check out these vacation gift ideas for your mom on Mother’s Day.

Give your mom a health and fitness tracker like a Fitbit (prices start around $79) to help her track her steps and heart rate while she’s touring historic sites or hiking and walking. You can get a variety of trackers that can track fitness levels, sleep cycles, and monitor her heart.

Or you might want to go more high-end with an Apple Watch (from $399 and up) that can track health markers while also keeping her on time for tours or meals, and keeping you in touch with texts and phone calls.

Moms who like to hike might also want to look stylish and stay cool while on their favorite trails. Check out convertible pants, which have a zipper that can change a long pant leg into shorts. REI, for example, has plenty of outdoor gear for your mom, including their Sahara Convertible Pants with three different colors to choose from. The pants, which retail for $79.95, also come in a good variety of sizes.

After a long day of sightseeing, moms may want to send a little note home to tell you about her trip so far. The gift of stamps and postcards is a great idea.

If she loves to vacation on a beautiful island in the U.S., for example, you can head to the USPS website for some Coral Reef Postcard Stamps, which are $8 for 20 stamps. Amazon has a great selection of postcards your mom may love. This Vintage Collection Set of 60 postcards ($11.99) are designed with flowers, birds, and various scenes from nature.

Pro tip: International stamps are needed if mom travels abroad.

Some moms like to get behind the wheel for a road trip, so help her get organized with the Eurow Automotive Trunk Organizer from Costco for $29.99. The trunk accessory has pockets for small items and a big space with dividers that can be moved around depending on your mom’s needs.

Pro tip: If mom’s preferred mode is RV travel for family vacations, then a car organizer can also help to streamline the important things within the vehicle.

If your mom is going out for a day of sightseeing or shopping, it may be good to get her a crossbody bag to carry all of the things she needs for the day. Travelon, for example, has several different travel bags perfect for mom, including the Anti-Theft Essentials North/South Asymmetric Crossbody.

In addition to being stylish, the $70 bag also includes several anti-theft measures to thwart thieves, including a slash-resistant barrier and strap as well as a RFID blocker to prevent criminals from scanning credit cards.

Travel pillows are great especially for long plane or train rides. If you want to try something that’s a little more unique, check out the Trtl Travel Pillow, which is lightweight with a hidden support inside instead of those typical bulky pillows. The pillow costs $39.99 and comes in four different colors.

Related: These are the best travel credit cards for rewards and perks.

For the moms who love basking in the sun on vacation, a great sunscreen might be an excellent gift choice. La Roche-Posay has a variety of high SPF sunscreen, so try the Anthelios SPF 50 Gentle Lotion Mineral Sunscreen for $30.99. The oil-free sunscreen can be used on the face and body, and may be perfect for those moms with sensitive skin.

After cooling off in the water, moms may need a little break poolside or on the beach. A swimsuit cover up may be the perfect gift. L.L. Bean carries a Sand Beach Cover-Up, Hooded Tunic, which comes in six different colors for $79.

If you’re trying to save money with a more affordable option, check out Misfay’s Summer Spaghetti Strap Casual Swing Tank Beach Cover Up. It costs $17.99 to $25.99 depending on which one of the 38 different colors or prints you decide to purchase.

Vacations can involve quite a bit of walking sometimes, so you may want to consider good travel shoes for your mom. Keen’s Uneek shoes, for example, have a high traction rubber sole with woven cords to hug the feet. They also make the shoes lightweight, which is perfect for any kind of long-distance treks as your mom explores new sights or visits a favorite stop on vacation. The shoes come in women’s size 5 to 11, including half sizes, and cost $140.

JetBag ($10-12) could be perfect for moms who travel with any kind of liquids. They are used to protect any kind of spillage from wine bottles, perfumes, liquor, and more. They come in both a basic monochrome design or you can get bags with hearts or a blue damask design among others.

There are plenty of things to get for a mom who likes to explore the world. Whether it’s pants for a hiking trip or a cover up for a relaxing beach, you’re likely to make your mom happy on her special day when you choose a gift that suits her lifestyle.

And if you still want to get flowers or chocolates for her, think about planning a trip to a local botanical garden or a tour of a candy factory in the area to make her day extra sweet.