valentines hiking gifts- cheaper than diamonds

better than roses

🟨 Morgan Hiking in Europe
February 09, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Diamonds or Sapphires for Valentines day?

Trust me, your hiking Valentine wants a Garmin Sapphire in their life, or experiences that last a lifetime.

Fun experiences:

Get the hiker in your life the gear they really want

Ditch the Diamonds, Buy Her a Sapphire : Garmin fēnix 7X Sapphire Solar GPS Watch

Forget Roses, Buy Her the Best Portable Phone Charger: BioLite Charge 80

No heels! Get her the Darn Tough Socks With Lifetime Warranty.

Don't Bring Wine, Bring Her a Stanley Quencher Tumbler to Carry that Wine into the Forest

Forget a Fancy Hotel, Get Her a Fancy Air mattress: Exped MegaMat Duo

Full guide

Read my curated list filled with gifts, small to grand.

Read about the most romantic “hike” on the planet…the Cinque Terre Lover’s Walk in Italy.

You can find all previous tips here.

If you have a friend who would find this newsletter useful, forward it to them.

Until next time…

Fast Booking Hut to Hut Hiking Tours 2024 [Self-Guided + Guided]

Guided Group Tour du Mont Blanc

Love a more social experience and want the safety of a guide? This Guided Tour du Mont Blanc Trip is perfect for beginners.

Tour du Mont Blanc: The Tour du Mont Blanc hiking route is 170 km (105 miles) and typically hiked between 10 and 12 days.

Hike this granddaddy and grandmama of hiking tours through France, Italy and Switzerland in 10 Days, 8 Days, or 15 days. Only have a long weekend? Hike half the TMB and come back the next year for the rest.

Alta Via 1 Dolomites: The Alta Via 1 is 120 km (75 miles) and takes around 10 days to complete.

This stunning moonscape meets alpine is one of a kind, hike it in 10 Days, 7 Days, or take your time with 13 days. Only have a long weekend? Hike half the AV1 and come back the next year for the rest. Want more adventure? Hike the AV1 with Via Ferratas!

Tour du Mont Blanc Alternative

Don’t like the crowds? This TMB alternative has the same views with a fraction of the people.

Less Stress : Less Crowds: More Hiking 👎🏻

Here’s an assortment of self guided treks that don’t require as much planning ahead as the popular Alta Via 1 and Tour du Mont Blanc.

✈️ This is my favorite kind of hiking tour! These are best accessed from Innsbruck, Austria or Munich, Germany.

8 days Culinary Hiking Tour: This hut-to-hut hiking tour in Austria and Switzerland offers mouthwatering food by top chefs, breathtaking scenery, a good calorie burn, and can be customized to meet any fitness and comfort level.
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6 Days Hut to Hut Tour: This family-friendly hiking tour in a lesser-known area of the Alps offers well-cared for trails, spectacular scenery, no crowds, and easy access from Innsbruck, with options for family-sized rooms in the huts, although it's best to avoid late-June and early September due to snow.
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3 Days Culinary Hiking Tour: This hut-to-hut hiking tour in one of Austria's premier hiking regions offers mouthwatering food by top chefs, breathtaking scenery, a good calorie burn, and can be customized to meet any fitness and comfort level, although it's best to avoid late-June and early September due to snow.
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8 Days Bike Tour Across Alps: This beginner-friendly bicycle tour across the Alps follows a historic Roman trading route, offers impressive views, and ends at Lake Garda, with the option to skip uphill passages by taking a shuttle at an additional cost, starting in Garmisch, Germany and passing through Austria and vineyards in Italy, with well-established signage and routing that makes the tour enjoyable for cyclists of all levels.
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Hiking Traveler Toolkit - The websites & apps I use:

Flight search: I check all prices and routes skyscanner first. Then I use Wayaway or Booking.com or direct with the airline.
Hotels: I book ALL my hotel nights with booking.com or airbnb. If I can book directly with the hotel over their website, phone or email i’ll skip the OTA to save the provider the fees.
A Necessity! Sleeping in huts and planes: I've been living the high life, or should I say, the high-altitude life, for over 7 years now. I take over 2 dozen flights a year and spend my free time sleeping in crowded Dolomites mountain huts. And let me tell you, getting some shut-eye in those cozy little cabins ain't easy. But fear not, my fellow adventurers, for I have discovered the ultimate sleep hack: the Manta Sleep mask. This bad boy blocks out every speck of light and leaves no trace of those pesky sleep lines on your face, even after a night spent snuggled up with strangers in a tiny hut. Plus, you can even hook it up to your phone and play some soothing tunes or meditation apps to help you drift off into dreamland. Check it here.
Tours and adventure activities: GetYourGuide is my go-to site for booking tours like paragliding, rafting and occasionally hikes. I also love Manawa because they have more off-the-beaten path destinations. For exclusive self-guided Hut to Hut Hiking Tours I love AlpenventuresUnguided because the owner has done each hike personally and knows how to shape a wonderful experience. And Skyhook Adventures is great for small guided group hikes.
Travel Insurance: Insurance depends on your trip so it's best to use a tool like Hey Mondo Travel Insurance to find what works best for you and my readers get 5% discount.

Free Gift

➡️ Want to book a Dolomites hut to hut hiking trip DIY style? You can use my spreadsheets to book your own.

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