Father’s Day Gift Guide

The last time I wrote a Father’s Day Gift Guide was in 2015. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to become a father and now, I have two beautiful, smart, happy children. I now have new respect for Father’s Day, even though I was blessed to have one of the greatest fathers. A perfect Father’s Day for me would be hanging out with friends and family, especially my kids and father, at the beach, relaxing under an umbrella and playing sports and taking dips in the ocean. Since that’s not going to happen this year because of Covid19, I’ll have to settle for a Zoom call with my dad (he’s in Florida and we live in California) and getting some food from one of my Father’s Day gift ideas below.

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GoldBelly
If Dad loves to travel for food and can’t get to his favorite eatery or sink his teeth into a city’s iconic food, then check out GoldBelly.com. For a price, they can get Dad the goods without him having to get on a plane or go for a long drive. For example, your dad might love a cheesesteak from Philly, a deep-dish pizza from Chicago, barbecue from Central Texas or bagels from New York. I logged on to their recently when I saw a Travelzoo deal for $29 for a $50 GoldBelly credit. I came very close to buying two Maine lobster rolls from McLoon’s Lobster Shack for $55 but didn’t pull the trigger because they wanted $45 in shipping. I know … what did I expect when the goods arrive the next day? For some dumb reason I thought the shipping fee was included (blame it on Jeff Bezos) and it is for some products so look for the Free Shipping label. If I had plenty of cash, I would have been showing you photos of my lobster roll but I don’t! But if you’re looking to surprise Dad with something special, this is worth the splurge. Note: The Travelzoo deal is good through July 31 (or until supplies last) but I always recommend cross referencing with Honey because they find promo codes, including Travelzoo’s.

Ooni Pizza Oven
Speaking of food: Last night, I was looking through my Twitter feed and saw a friend of mine tweet a photo of a pizza her son made. It looked legit so I clicked on the handle she had tagged and sure enough, I learned about an amazing product. Ooni pizza ovens appear to be the real deal, allowing anyone to make an authentic Italian pizza without getting on a long flight to Italy. I’m not sure why restaurants don’t have these ovens because I would be there every day. If you want to impress Dad, treat him to an outdoor pizza oven like this one (they run on coal, gas or both) and you’ll definitely earn favorite kid status. Prices start at $249.

Shipt Membership
Give Dad the gift of convenience this Father’s Day. A Shipt membership means he can have groceries and other items delivered straight to his home without having to venture outside, which is particularly helpful during this stressful pandemic. With the Shipt app, he can order from Target and other local grocery and drug stores, and have his order delivered within an hour or two (delivery times vary due to COVID19). A membership is $99 for the year but with code Fbt7d, you can save $10. Click here to get a Shipt membership for $89/year. 

256GB Flash Thumb Drive
Since so many are staying home due to the current pandemic, Dad might find he’s got some extra time on his hands to get organized. If he needs to organize and store all his digital photos and videos, then he’ll appreciate the iXpand Flash Drive Go from SanDisk. It’s the same size as a regular thumb drive but instead of being 1-4 gigabytes, these come in 128GB ($44.99) or 256GB ($69.99)! And when your dad does start traveling again, this will be perfect to pop in his carryon bag to use as emergency backup.

Touch-It-Safe
The main challenge during a global pandemic like the one we’re experiencing is trying to stay safe and healthy. It’s difficult not to touch your face. And who wants to use plastic gloves that are not only difficult to find but are expensive and are destroying the environment? That’s where these new Touch-It-Safe natural rubber latex finger protectors come in. They’re easy to roll on, roll off and discard. I realize they’re not great for the environment either but they are a fraction of the size of a pair of gloves and are perfect for when using keypads, touch-screens, credit cards, cash and elevator buttons. A pack of 40 costs $9.99; 250 are $39.99.

PlaneAire Surface & Air Purifying Travel Mist
I wouldn’t get on a plane right now unless I absolutely had to because I’m following health experts’ advice to stay home. But if Dad has to fly or will be flying any time in the future, he should bring along this TSA-approved spray bottle of PlaneAire Surface & Air Purifying Travel Mist ($14.99). That’s because it’s all-natural, made of six essential oils so it smells great and most importantly, is proven to kill 99.99% of harmful bacteria. Although it’s inspired by air travel, it’s ideal for everyday use, too. So when your dad is traveling, he can “erase the bacterial history someone else left behind” by bringing PlaneAire.

Roku Streaming Stick
Whether Dad is at home quarantining or just looking for some great TV to watch this summer, he’ll appreciate a Roku Streaming Stick. He’ll be able to watch content on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and more. It’s so easy to set up and I love the streaming stick because it’s so small and portable, you can even take it on your travels when the time comes! $49.99 at Target.