Gift giving, for us, always comes with a healthy dose of stress.
While we love watching someone unwrap their present, the actual gift hunting that precedes that moment definitely isn’t among our favourite activities.
For that reason, we’ve created a list of perfect gift ideas for travellers that we sure would be more than happy to receive on any occasion. From handy accessories to organise suitcases and bags to small gadgets to make long journeys easier or more fun and entertaining, we’re sure you’ll find something here for that special traveller in your life.
Let’s get started!
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, and as Amazon associates we may get a small commission from qualifying purchases. We believe in only advertising products we trust in and use ourselves!
Upgrade their luggage
We all know that one person who’s been dragging around the same beat-up suitcase for as long as anyone can remember.
Perhaps it’s time to get them a great replacement they’ll be able to use for years to come.We really love zippered hard-shells such as the Samsonite Freeform for their durability and simple yet elegant design. A four-wheeled spinner suitcase is also a true pleasure to carry through an airport, since you don’t have to drag it behind you and constantly watch out for other people’s feet.
For a fancier (albeit pricier) option, you might want to take a look at the Sterling Pacific Cabin Travel Case; we reviewed two ourselves and were amazed by their quality.
Alternatively, soft-shell suitcasesare much lighter and easier to pack to the brim due to the stretchy fabric. With that said, they generally don’t look as nice and fancy as a hard shell, and are more prone to ripping and tearing. Due to their structure they also more difficult to find with four wheels, although brands such as American Tourister does have a few soft-shell models with that feature.
Help them keep their gear organised
A system to organise gear, clothing and electronics is a must-have for any traveller, especially for digital nomads who travel with plenty of essential gadgets.
For one, you can’t go wrong with a set of packing cubes, we literally never travel without ours anymore. While we mainly use basic ones, compression cubes like this TRIPPED set make for a great gift for ultralight packers who need to account for every inch of space.
An organiser with a few zippered pockets to organise power banks, chargers and cables is another gift that will be extremely useful in helping them organise the clutter in their luggage. We also recommend getting a soft fabric model instead of a hard case, since it will be easier to pack and won’t occupy as much space when not completely filled.
Something else that all travellers will appreciate is a nice toiletry bag. Whether for men or women, our ideal toiletry bag gift would feature several zippered compartments, along with mesh pockets to store wet items. An integrated hook for hanging the bag in the bathroom and a small mirror are also plus points.
Extra bags are super practical
In addition to a suitcase or backpack, it’s common for travellers to carry a secondary bag such as a tote or a sling.
The main advantage that these afford is allowing you to keep essential items (such as your phone or passport) easily within hand’s reach while at the same time making them less accessible to pickpockets. We have been travelling with a Uniqlo cross-body bag each for years now, to the point that we literally don’t leave home without one anymore.
We also really like foldable backpacks and tote bags, since they offer a lot of extra storage without taking up almost any space when empty. We even tend to use them as grocery and laundry bags during long stays and when slow-travelling.
Some entertainment for long trips
Long journeys can often be tiring and exhausting, which is why we always pack a few games to help us pass the time faster.
Travel-themed playing cards, for example, make for a fun, simple and affordable gift. We usually bring a deck to play Solitaire or Karma on long trips, and sometimes even pack two for games such as Rummy and Scala 40.
We also sometimes bring a small chess set with magnetised pieces, which is a classic game to gift. With that said, we’ve been bringing our set with us less since we started packing light, and it goes without saying that a chess set is also not a great gift for someone who travels solo.
If you’re looking to offer a bigger, more expensive gift, then we recommend an ebook reader. Who doesn’t love relaxing by the pool with a good book? The problem is that books take up space and weight that people nowadays simply can’t afford to sacrifice. That’s why ebook readers are so awesome, since even the most basic model can store a small library’s worth of books in small and lightweight device.
If your favourite traveller is a gamer, then you should absolutely consider getting them a portable gaming console. Whether on flights, while passing the time at the airport or simply to relax after a long day, we have been playing the hell out of our Nintendo Switch Lite for the last few years and really suggest checking it out.
Travel accessories always make for a good gift
Even pro travellers can always use a few extra gadgets and accessories to make life on the road a little easier.
One item that we find essential and that makes for a super useful gift, especially for people who often travel abroad, is a world travel adapter; these compact devices can be plugged into almost any type of outlet across the world, ensuring you can keep your devices charged without having to get an individual adapter for every country you visit.
Speaking of charging your devices, a power bank is an awesome gift for any traveller. A 10.000 mA power bank is great to charge small devices such as cellphones, earbuds and even smartwatches, while a battery with a capacity of 20.000 mA and above is ideal to charge laptops but will also be larger and heavier.
Another accessory that we definitely love to travel with is a money belt. These lightweight pouches are made to easily be concealed underneath the front of your pants, just below the waistline, which makes them almost impossible to see and keeps valuables such as cash and important documents out of the reach of pickpockets.
If you know someone who travels often for work you should think of getting them a travel steamer. Ironing services can be expensive, so a travel steamer is great to make clothes look pristine after they’ve spent some time folded inside luggage. It’s a thoughtful gift for the more “fashion-conscious” travellers among us!
Finally, a safety gadget that we really like is RFID protecting wallets. While opinions online are mixed when it comes to whether or not RFID scams are an actual threat, these specially lined wallets prevent the chips on your cards from being scanned, keeping your money and personal information safe from theft.
These gifts are perfect for small-budget travellers
For travellers on a budget, practicality is key. These two items are ideal for anyone who travels light and tends to frequent hostels and other affordable accommodations.
The first is a sleeping bag liner, a perfect gift for nomads, hikers and campers, or really anyone who frequents stays with a high turn-over rate and is unsure of when the bed sheaths have last been washed or changed; they are also perfect to use with rented sleeping bags, especially if, again, you’re unsure of how clean they are. We especially recommend linen sleeping bag liners, since they dry very fast and are extremely lightweight and compact, ideal for light packers.
For travellers who can’t afford to rely on washing services or like us simply prefer to do it themselves, a Scrubba Wash Bag is a must-have. This portable washboard allows you to easily wash your clothes without much difficulty, folds down to a compact size and even doubles as a dry bag to store your clothes.
For those who are just starting to explore
Do you know someone who is about to embark on the first adventure around the world?
Something thoughtful you could get them as a gift is travel scratch map. With every country they visit, they’ll be able to visualise their progress on the map, and hopefully be even more inspired to visit the locations they have yet to scratch off.
Otherwise, a travel journal is a wonderful gift for a budding world-trotter. Not only is it a great way to note down memories and thoughts, it’s also perfect for gathering useful information in what will eventually become their very own travel manual. Useful foreign words, currency exchanges, important addresses and much more, a travel journal means they always carry with them the essential knowledge they’ve collected during their travels.
And there you have it, these are some of our favourite items to gift to our fellow travellers.
Hopefully this list will make it easier for you to find the ideal present for your friends and family. What about you, what is the best travel gift you’ve ever received?
