Travel Gifts

Updated on November 3, 2020

Finding the Best Travel Gifts

Do you know someone about to go traveling? Are you looking for the perfect gift? Maybe it is for someone who is already on an adventure or perhaps you are making travel plans and being asked what you might like as a gift?

It can be a difficult task when searching for the ideal present for someone else. The last thing you want is to give or receive a present that is not needed or is not ideal. Even with the best of intentions, this can happen. Unless you know the person well and are very sure of what they might want as a gift for their adventures, it may be better to ask them what they would love to have. It is always a pleasure to give a gift that is really appreciated.

Take into consideration the following:

• Are they planning to travel with as little baggage as possible?
• Will they be traveling in winter or summer? Or both?
• Are they traveling long-term or on a short holiday?
• Is it a road trip they are going on and will they have room to carry something larger that might be an ideal gift?

Many of us know how difficult it can be to pack wisely but still end up with items we wish we hadn’t put in our bag, those ‘must-have’ items that are used once, if at all.

We also have some great packing list ideas that may be useful too…

We asked some fabulous travel bloggers from around the world to suggest travel gift ideas that they either use or that they would love to have themselves, many wonderful ideas have been recommended and are listed below.

Tour or Activity  Voucher from ‘Get Your Guide’

Get your Guide is one of the biggest global online travel agents and offer Worldwide Tours and Activities. It is really easy to search for 1000’s of things to do in any country then click on the ‘Give this as a Gift’ link and follow the prompts.

Buy a Gift Voucher for a friend from Get Your Guide

The gift certificate does not have to be for a specific activity and is valid for up to 18 months from the purchase date. The vouchers can be purchased for any amount you choose and are then used towards a chosen product.

Buying a Voucher for a friend to be used on any tour or activity of their choosing is another way to ease the worry of budgeting on a trip.

Browse Australian or Worldwide Tour Gift Ideas

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Water Filter Bottles

Reusable water filter bottles are an ideal way to save money and also eliminate the use of throw plastic throw-away bottles. Taking it a step further, the water filter system bottles are a great way to ensure safe drinking water when on the road.

Quite a few different makes of water bottles with built-in filters are available with different uses - some will filter river water etc. and a few are able to filter water from almost any source.

Secret Pocket Belt

One item I always bring with me when traveling is a belt with a secret pocket, where I can hide any large amount of cash which is better not to show in shops or markets. This is even truer if you are an aid worker and live in countries where there is a lot of poverty and every medium amount of money can be of interest for pickpocketers.

In the belt, you can place to a maximum of 5-6 rolled notes, meaning that you can use it to conceal up to 600 USD. As this was a gift for myself, I highly recommend it as a present for your traveling friends and relatives.

Mario from Human Italian

Victorinox Swiss Army Knife

university, with my name engraved on the side. What I thought of as nifty at the time has become essential travel gear 20 years later. In college, I appreciated the wine bottle opener for picnics in Paris when I was studying abroad. When camping with friends, I used the small saw for fireside projects and tiny tweezers for splinters.

Cerise from Enchanted Vagabond

Travel-sized Beauty Products

Being a beauty blogger at Fabulous and Fun Life my favorite gift for travelers is a collection of luxurious and hydrating travel-sized beauty products.

Janska Mock Socks

There is nothing more comforting when you go on a long-haul flight to take your shoes off and slip into warm, and super snuggly socks.

Anke from Fun Traveling With Kids

Kindle

I think a Kindle is the best possible gift you can give a traveler. I love books and resisted buying a Kindle for a long time, but now that I have one I can’t imagine life without it.

A Kindle gives you access to unlimited books at your fingertips, without having to lug around heavy books and squish them into your backpack. It’s such an incredible gift to be able to take out your Kindle while waiting for a delayed plane or to sip a coffee at a pavement cafe and read a book about the country you’re visiting. You can whip it out in a restaurant if you feel awkward having dinner alone, or read it on the beach without getting sand between the pages. You can also download lots of classic books for free if you’re on a budget.

Maire from Temples and Treehouses

Travel Wallet

This travel wallet by Passport Amigo is the perfect travel companion for every trip.

One of the great features of this new Tyvek™ Travel Wallet  is that the outside and inside can be written on.  So you can plot your journey on the atlas-quality map cover and make notes inside.

And with 4 interior pockets, there’s plenty of room for storing small travel documents or keepsakes such as museum tickets, beer labels, currency notes, etc.

When you return from your trip, simply slip your passport out of your wallet, return it to the keepsake tin, along with any other items you’ve collected such postcards or special photos from your trip, so you have a reminder of your travels all in one place.

When you’re ready for your next trip, you can purchase another wallet and begin collecting the set!

Melanie from Passport Amigo

Peli i1065 iPad Case

Deeptha from The Globe Trotter

HP Spectre Laptop

The HP Spectre is easily the best laptop I have ever owned. It is also the most expensive laptop I have ever owned which makes it the perfect gift for the special traveler in your life who would never spoil themselves with this snazzy piece of tech.

I’m frequently flying around the globe and my HP Spectre comes everywhere with me. Its slim, lightweight design barely makes a dent in my carry-on allowance and the 10+ hour battery life make it the perfect companion for a long-haul flight.

The 13.3-inch size slides easily into my handbag making pulling it out for x-ray a breeze but the compact size does not distract from your viewing pleasure thanks to over two million pixels. The HP Spectre converts into a tablet by folding the tactile keyboard all the way around which is where the ultra-responsive touch screen comes into its own.

Packed with 16GB of memory, a lighting fast Intel processor and Bang & Olufsen speakers this lean powerhouse is a delight to use and I am seriously in lust. I bet you know someone who would be too!

Bonus: Get the sleek matching mouse!

Allison from Flights to Fancy

Travel Photo Map

the United States, a specific state, Canadian provinces, Europe, or the seven continents. The best part is that the map is fully customizable and you can see online how the photo will look before you print and frame it.

Margie from DQ Travel

Inflatable Neck Pillow

Every traveler must go through more than one long trip on his journey. Hours sitting in the same position can generate great discomfort in your body,

especially in the neck and back.

How to avoid it? The most important thing is to have the right clothes and some items that can help you, such as a neck cushion.

These cushions have a shape that adapts to your neck and allows you to relax your head and sleep without pain. A must in any traveler's luggage, and certainly an excellent gift for someone who will start an adventure soon.

The most comfortable model for not using large luggage spaces are the inflatables neck pillows. In this way, you can fill them with air only when you need them, and the rest of the time transport them without using unnecessary space and without adding weight to your backpack.

Ale from Universoviajero

Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 action camera

If you’re feeling generous, an excellent present for an active traveler would be a Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 action camera. Action cameras are brilliant because they’re small, robust and able to record superb action footage while being immersed in it. You can attach them to helmets, handlebars or even surfboards to take footage and shots you wouldn’t get any other way.

The Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 is my go-to action camera. It takes great quality 4k footage, has image stabilization and really handy features like photo burst mode, voice control and a colour touchscreen display that even works through the waterproof case. 

The camera is a great choice for anyone that wants to show sensor data (such as speed, altitude, gradient) over the top of the video footage; perfect for sports like cycling! 

Read the full review of the Garmin action camera by Clare from the Epic Road Rides blog.

Clare from Epic Road Rides

Head Lamp

It was on my first overland trip to Southern Africa that I saw a headlamp. During this trip, we were camping in all the safari reserves in Zimbabwe,

Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania. Of course, there were not many lights nor electricity as we were mostly camping in the bush. It was a perfect tool to prepare dinner, barbecue and sit around the campfire while having your hands free to enjoy a nice G & T.

When I moved to South Africa myself a few years later, a headlamp was the first thing I bought for the many trips that I was going to undertake. And actually, it is the perfect gadget to have handy all the time. Even when we experienced a lot of power cuts last year, I always kept a few headlamps in the drawer so that we weren't bothered too much of not having electricity for a few hours.

Jessy from Planet Pilgrims

Reusable Water Bottle

One of the most useful and practical gifts you can give any traveler is an insulated water bottle. Every traveler can use an insulated water bottle if they

don’t already have one.  It will keep drinks cold or hot for hours, and encourage them to stay well hydrated. Using a reusable water bottle instead of always purchasing plastic bottles of water also helps keep travel costs lower and reduces plastic waste which is good for the environment. The water bottle I use and recommend is the Klean Kanteen which is a stainless steel bottle that is durable and leak-proof and BPA-free.

Matilda from The Travel Sisters

Gift Cards

I've always loved to receive gift cards before travel. There are so many options these days from Airbnb vouchers for accommodation bookings, prepaid credit cards for splurging on the road or just regular gift vouchers from big box stores for the expenses that pop up in the lead up to travel (like needing to top up your expensive hair products and moisturizer in case you can’t find them elsewhere).

Store-specific gift cards from places like Kathmandu or Patagonia are super-helpful when the giftee needs gear but make sure to ask which brand they prefer, or just stick with a general gift card.

Emma from Little House Lovely Home

Cross-Body Bags

For me, the best travel accessory is my cross body travel bag.  It’s the perfect way to carry all my personal belongings with me whether I am out

sightseeing or traveling to my destination.  I have a specific lightweight cross body travel bag that I use whenever we travel and leave my usual handbag

at home.

Your everyday handbag is far too bulky and usually doesn’t offer any security features like a crossbody bag designed specifically for travel.  My travel bag has various different compartments perfect for keeping different foreign currency separated, as well as passports, tickets, notebook, pens, sunglasses, mobile - I can even squeeze in my DSLR!

The beauty of cross body bags is the built-in security features.  Features include secret pockets, RDID protection, lockable zippers, and slash-proof.

I think a cross body travel bag is an essential travel accessory and would make the perfect for a traveler.

Melissa from Thrifty Family Travels

Digital Photo Frame

love my Nixplay digital photo frame and I think it’s the perfect gift for travelers. I keep it in my living room and it scrolls through my favorite memories.  It’s easy to add new photos to your frame. You can either do it on the Nixplay website or app. Plus, if you want, you can authorize friends to send their pictures directly to your frame.  The frame has wifi and stores your photos in the cloud. It comes in several sizes and colors. Some of the photo frames can also play videos.

Anisa from Two Traveling Texans

Portable Safe

The best little travel gift Mark and I ever gave each other was our portable travel safe. It is a sturdy safe that you can attach to anything that is well mounted.

When we travel we normally attach it to a sink or something else within the room that would take a lot of noise to get it off! I feel it is safer to use than some of the hotel safes. It is a good size for money or jewelry and if you don't have too many it will hold a passport or two.

We got this little fellow from our local Aldi store but there are plenty that you can find on the internet to purchase.

Bec from Wyld Family Travel

Read more about Portable Travel Safes and Anti-Theft Backpacks

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