Christmas gifts for him: seven that go on the trip
For anyone shopping in December for a man who travels: seven gifts he wears on the road next year, from his head to his hips, with why each one works on a trip and which swim short size to choose.
In this article
From head to hips
Christmas gifts for him that travel well are the ones he carries next year, not the ones that end up in a drawer. Seven gifts pass that test: a diving or sailing course, sunglasses, a waterproof phone pouch, a linen shirt, a bracelet, a travel book and a swim short. Each has its place on the trip.
The best Christmas gift for a man who travels goes in his suitcase. Better still, he wears it, because then he never forgets it. What stays at home disappears into a drawer after the holidays. What he carries on his body or in his hand comes out again every year: on a jetty, at a beach bar, in a hotel room with a view. So we test every idea with one question: where is it when he is on the road?
What do you give a man who has everything?
Something that wears out on the road, or something he cannot do yet. Everything wears out on a trip: a swim short that has done three summers, sunglasses full of scratches, a phone that was never allowed near water. And what he cannot do yet, a first dive or a turn at the helm, takes up no room at all. If he is a father as well, our list of gifts for dad covers that side.
What are good Christmas gifts for a man who travels?
A diving or sailing course, sunglasses, a waterproof phone pouch, a linen shirt, a bracelet, a travel book or a swim short: seven gifts he wears on the road. They are listed below in that order, from his head to his hips, with where each one sits on a trip and why it works.
1. An experience: a diving or sailing course
In his head weighs 0 grams
The only gift that takes up no room and still travels furthest. For the Open Water Diver course from PADI he does the theory online, in 5 to 10 hours, on a winter evening at home. The four open water dives he makes at the destination itself. He has to swim 200 metres and float or tread water for 10 minutes. If he prefers sailing, book a weekend at a sailing school near the coast he likes. Write the voucher on a card and slip it into the box of another gift on this list.
2. Good sunglasses
On his nose or in a hard case
Good sunglasses are not a question of price but of one label. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says to look for "100% UV protection" or "UV absorption up to 400 nm" on the lens, which is what UV400 means, and adds that darker lenses, tint and a higher price do not mean more protection (AAO, 2026). Add a hard case: it survives the overhead locker and the boot of a hire car.
3. A waterproof phone pouch
Round his neck on a cord, in the water too
The phone goes everywhere: to the pool, onto the boat, into the kayak. A waterproof pouch on a cord round his neck keeps it dry and makes photos from the water possible. Choose one where he can still use the screen, and test it at home first in the sink with a slip of paper inside. If the paper stays dry, the phone may go in.
4. A linen shirt
On his shoulders open, over the short
Linen is light and breathes, so in the heat it is the one thing he wants to wear in the evening. It creases, but on a trip that is part of it. Rolled up it takes less room than a folded T-shirt. White or sand goes with every swim short, and with short sleeves he can wear it open over a short to the terrace, the same way as in our festival outfits for men. That is how Michael wears it in the photo below: open collar, the Venice Gorilla underneath. From the beach to the table he does not need to change.
5. A bracelet
On his wrist in the sea too
A bracelet weighs nothing and cannot get lost in a suitcase, because it sits on his wrist. The Orlando from Sanwin Beachwear is made of ship's rope with a stainless steel clasp, which stays good after contact with water, so it can go in the sea. It fits a wrist of 17 to 19 cm, about 6.7 to 7.5 inches. If you do not know his wrist size, measure the inside of his watch strap when it is closed. Grey with orange is the calmest; all the colours are in the bracelet collection on the shop.
6. A travel book about his next destination
In his hand at the gate and on the plane
A book is only a travel gift if it is about the place he wants to go. If you know he wants to see Indonesia next year, choose a book on that country and tuck in a note with a place you picked out for him. If his plan is winter sun, add a page on the sea temperature in December. He finishes a paperback on the plane and leaves it behind in the hotel; a hardback stays on the shelf at home. So choose the paperback.
7. A swim short
Round his hips from the water to the terrace
Most men own one pair of swim trunks, and they have done three summers. A new swim short he wears as shorts goes from the water to the terrace. The Miami from Sanwin Beachwear is quick-dry peach polyester with two side pockets, a small inside pocket for coins and an elastic waistband with a luxury cord. How a swim short dries is explained in our piece on quick-dry swim trunks.
Alberto wears it in True Blue: bright blue and plain, so it goes with any white or sand-coloured linen shirt.
Which size swim short if he is between M and L?
The L. For the Miami, customers of Sanwin Beachwear exchanged an M for an L 24 times, and an L for an M only 5 times. That the doubt is mostly between those two, customers show as well: of the 957 Miami shorts they kept since 2017, 33 percent were an M and 32 percent an L, 66 percent together.
The difference between the two sizes is small. A Miami in M measures 79 cm (31 inches) at the waistband relaxed and stretches to 98 cm (38.6 inches); an L measures 81 cm (32 inches) and stretches to 100 cm (39.4 inches). With the cord he pulls a roomy waistband tighter, while a tight one only stretches so far. An L that sits a little loose is therefore the smaller risk. All colours are in the Miami swim shorts.
Will it arrive before Christmas, and can he exchange it?
Order within Europe by Monday 14 December before 2 p.m. and leave the labels on. Then the gift is there for Christmas, and he can swap it for another size or colour well into spring. The three assurances at a glance:
- On time: Monday 14 December before 2 p.m. in Europe. A parcel ordered on a working day before 2 p.m. ships that day. Delivery within Europe takes 3 to 7 working days, so at the slowest it arrives on Wednesday 23 December. For the US and Canada, which take 6 to 14 working days, order by Wednesday 2 December: the slowest delivery is then Tuesday 22 December, before Christmas on Friday.
- Exchange: 100 days from delivery, labels on. With the labels and the hygiene strip still attached, and as long as the short has not been in the water, he swaps it within 100 days for another size or colour. Delivered on 23 December, that runs until 2 April.
- Refund: within 14 days of delivery. If the parcel arrives on 23 December, you report a return for a refund by 6 January, and sending it back is then at your own cost. Exchanging or taking a credit stays possible after that.
How it works in practice is on the returns and exchanges page. If you want the one gift that answers the question of this article best, it is the Miami True Blue: the short Michael wears at the top and Alberto along the waterline.
Our gift pick
Miami True Blue
- Elastic waistband with luxury cord
- Sizes S to XXL; between M and L, take the L
- Two side pockets and an inside pocket
- Quick-dry polyester
Questions about Christmas gifts for a man who travels
Can a man who has never dived be given a diving course?
Yes. The Open Water Diver course from PADI is the one you start with. He does have to be able to swim 200 metres and float or tread water for 10 minutes. The theory he does at home, the dives at the destination.
How does a swim short last for years?
Rinse it after swimming, after the sea and after the pool. Wash it at 30 degrees on the hand wash programme and keep it out of the dryer.
Does a man who hardly swims wear a swim short too?
Yes, if it looks like shorts. The Miami has two side pockets and an inside pocket for coins, so he wears it on the promenade as easily as in the water. With a white linen shirt over it he sits down to dinner in it.
Where do I ask a question about his size?
Email info@sanwinbeachwear.com, with the size he wears now. We will look at it with you.
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