’Tis the season to be merry and bright—and do some gift giving. The holiday season is fully upon us. And if you’re shopping for someone who loves to travel or is going to make a New Year’s Resolution to travel more in 2026, we have some great gift ideas for you.
I’m rounding up some of the best ideas for travel gifts this year, things we’ve gotten in the past and love to use or things I wish we have had on previous trips.
10 best travel gifts for 2025
1. Memberships or subscriptions
Give the gift of a membership or subscription service to your favorite traveler. Whether it’s a National Parks Pass, a CLEAR membership, or subscription to AllTrails to help people get to where they want to go or something like a meditation app for when they’re losing their mind at the airport.
Another option is to let your favorite traveler feel like they’re traveling when they’re home with a membership for a food, wine, or coffee delivery service. They can eat or drink their way around the world from the comfort of home.
2. Gift cards
I hear so many people say gift cards are so impersonal but I think that’s just not true! I love getting gift cards because then I get to get exactly what I want. I always ask for a few different gift cards for Christmas so I can treat myself later in the year.
You can get gift cards for specific airlines, hotels, or booking sites that travelers can use when they need it. Another take on gift cards would be ones for luggage brands, bookstores, or other retailers.
3. Luggage or bags
I’ve asked for a Lo & Sons weekender bag for Christmas and a travel purse from Baggallini that I love! I’ve used both for many trips and think about the gift giver every time I pull those bags out of storage.
4. Flight accessories
Make your favorite traveler’s flights easier with helpful travel accessories like a sleep mask, noise-cancelling headphones or ear plugs, a travel pillow, compression socks, a scarf with hidden pockets, or slip-on shoes. Or you could help with their skincare routine by gifting moisturizer, under eye masks, chapstick, or travel-sized toiletry kits.
5. Water bottle
I do have a travel-specific water bottle that I travel with in case I lose it or something happens to it, it’s not that big of a deal. Whether you go the insulated route to keep their beverages cold or the collapsible route for easy packing, you can’t go wrong with a good water bottle. And maybe a sticker set for them to decorate it with places they’ve already been.
6. Swiss Army knife
While I don’t normally check bags, I might next time we travel so we can bring along a Swiss Army knife or something like it. When we were in Hawaii, we bought some wine to enjoy on our lanai and realized we didn’t have a corkscrew. We were able to get one from the front desk, but it would have been real handy to have a knife that already had one in our room.
7. Digital scale
This is another item I wish we’d had on previous vacations, especially when we were coming home from Japan. We were at the airport and weighed our bags and had to do some rearranging to get our bags under the limit. This process would have been much easier to do back at the hotel instead of in front of other travelers.
8. Portable charger or chargers
I cannot recommend gifting a portable charger enough. We take three with us when we travel. Mostly because I’m a freak and am constantly taking pictures so my battery drains quite quickly. I love having a portable charger on hand. I’d also love to get a second set of charging cables and bricks so I can pack those instead of having to remember to pack up my cords after charging my phone the night before a trip.
9. Phone wallet or harness
This is another gift I’ve asked for in the past that I’ve gotten so much use out of. I love having a phone wallet when we go on cruises or stay at all-inclusive resorts. It makes carrying the hotel or room key card easy and most have straps so I can just loop it around my wrist instead of carrying a purse with me.
Another option is a phone harness if your favorite traveler is like me and must always have their phone on hand to be ready to snap a picture or ten.
10. Gifts to help them remember or plan their travels
Finally, a fun and thoughtful gift is one that helps travelers remember their trips. That could be in a journal format, a photo album (though where does one go to print photos anymore?), a scrapbook, or a scratch off or magnetic map. We have a magnetic map in our dining room that shows off where we’ve been together, where we’ve been separately, and where we want to go in the future.
Happy holidays!
