The holiday season is upon us and if you’ve got a few travel enthusiasts to buy gifts for this year, we’re here to help with some of our favorite tried and tested travel products and gift ideas. These ideas are all things we’ve used to make planning, enjoying, and reminiscing about our adventures easier and even more organized.
Whether you need something for the practical traveler or something for the dreamer, here are a few gifts to get you started with your holiday shopping with a travel twist!
18 gifts for travelers in 2018
Travel scratch-off map or magnetic map
We have the magnetic map version, but I’ve seen some beautiful scratch-off versions that I might have to switch to when we’re not cramped up in a small apartment. The thing I love about our magnetic map is that I can color-code my pins so we have where we’ve traveled individually, where we’ve traveled together, where we’re currently planning a trip to, and our bucket list destinations.
Passport cover
Protect your most important travel document and add some extra storage space with credit card slots or even attached cell phone cases with a cool passport cover. Rick loves the one he got for our big Europe trip this past summer – as he’s a touch more organized than I am, and appreciates having all of his stuff in one spot.
Noise-cancelling headphones
This is a must! Especially for those that take long flights multiple times per year. Whether you go for earbuds or full coverage, noise-cancelling headphones can make a long flight better – and a bit quieter, or at least only letting your friend or family member hear what they want to hear.
Quick drying towel
This practical gift is great for any type of traveler, but especially campers or friends who frequent beachy destinations! I have mine in my bag in case we want to go for a dip, have a picnic in the park, or just need an extra towel in our room. With its soft material and the fact that it dries fast, this is a must-have for many travelers.
Luggage scale
Another practical gift is a portable luggage scale! Rick and I had to calculate how many bottles of wine and heavy souvenirs we could buy before our Europe trip, but with a scale we can always rearrange our packing to ensure our checked bag is under the weight limit.
Weekender bag
For the friends that are spontaneous or love to escape for just a long weekend, a weekender bag is a great gift! I have several weekenders that I use, but one of my favorites is my Lo & Sons bag – with its own section for shoes or heavier items!
See my review of the Lo & Sons weekender bag here!
Backpack or day bag
Another luggage option is a backpack or day bag for when your friends are out and about. Last Christmas, I asked for a cute day bag from Baggalini for our Europe trip and absolutely loved it! It was the perfect size for evenings out, had plenty of storage, and wasn’t super bulky.
Packing cubes
Make their packing and organizing clothes easier with some helpful packing cubes! They come in a variety of sizes and colors and can be a life-saver when it comes to packing for a long trip.
Eye mask
I need my room to be dark and quiet to fall asleep, so an eye mask comes in handy on long flights, trains, or when I just want to catch an afternoon nap and the curtains in the hotel room aren’t blocking enough of the light. An eye mask is a great gift for helping your travel friends catch some zzz’s when traveling!
Universal adapter
A universal adapter is an awesome gift for the tech friend in your life so they can always charge up their electronics. A universal version means they only have to pack one in their suitcase for multi-country travel instead of buying each country’s plug adapter and wasting space in their suitcase.
Power bank
A power bank was great for charging our iPhones and iPads on the bus, trains, or airplanes as we made our way between cities. We could often get multiple phone charges out of one charge on the power bank.
Canvas prints gift card
Rick and I are building a collage of our travels, printed on canvas, to decorate our living room. I absolutely love getting our memories printed and framed and put up on the wall. I’ve used CanvasPop for years to get our quality prints and upload my photos from Instagram for a 12 x 12 print. Let your travel buddy start making their own collage with a canvas print gift card.
GoPro
Let them take their vacation videography to the next level with a GoPro! We used ours a ton in Jamaica for snorkeling, paddle boarding, and capturing a timelapse of the sunset on the beach. It’s super easy to carry the GoPro or attach it to a bag, helmet, or whatever the gift recipient wishes for awesome footage of their adventures.
Travel infinity scarf
Keep all your important documents and phone close to you without having to carry them or a purse with a travel infinity scarf! The hidden pocket is huge – it easily held my passport, iPhone, and some cash, without looking like I was hiding something. Plus, they’re super cute and stylish.
Swiss Army knife
From cutting the flight tags off our suitcases to opening a bottle of wine in the park, there are many ways a Swiss Army knife comes in handy when traveling! This holiday gift is great for campers and adventure-seekers.
Dual voltage hair dryer
I love my mini dual voltage hair dryer! Many of the hotels we stay at in Europe have hair dryers in the bathroom, but sometimes if we’re opting to save a few bucks on a cheaper accommodation or staying in someone’s home, I like to have my own hair dryer just in case. It’s compact, it folds in half, and is easy to travel with and use.
Travel gift cards
Airbnb, Southwest Airlines, Hotels.com, and so on all offer gift certificates so your friend or family member can decide how and when they’re using their gift! We actually registered for some for our wedding and wouldn’t say no if we got a few more for Christmas! Some people argue gift cards are too impersonal, but I disagree. I love getting gift cards as I can get exactly what I want and use it whenever I need to.
Travel journal
Finally, you could get them a travel journal or notebook to document their adventures across the globe. Rick bought me one for my birthday this year and it has various sections for remembering little details like the sounds, smells, and sights of a destination, as well as my own feelings as I travel, and space to jot down ideas of things to do in each city. It’s a great way to stay organized and plan out future vacation itineraries.
What’s the best travel gift you’ve ever gotten over the holidays? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!
