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60 Best Travel Gift Ideas For Travel Lovers This Holiday Season
Looking for the perfect gift for that travel-lover in your life this holiday season (or for yourself!)? I’ve compiled a thorough guide of gift ideas that are sure to make any travel lover jump for joy (and on the soonest flight) this holiday season. Without further ado, here she is!
Travel Essentials Gift Ideas
In This Post
1. A Travel Wallet – This is an absolute game changer for any traveler. Never wonder where your cards/passport/cash has gone to while traveling again (especially at the airport)!
2. Portable Power Bank – Never worry that their phone will lose battery ever again while they’re out exploring who-knows-where. I LOVE Anker power banks and have been using mine for years of travel!
3. Hard Shell Luggage – When in doubt, a new suitcase is always a good idea! You’ll want to go with hard shell as opposed to fabric suitcases: they’re more durable and protect your belongings way better! Monos is also a great option for excellent quality luggage of all sizes.
4. A fanny pack/bum bag – Travellers everywhere are SO glad these have come back in style! Worn as a fanny pack or cross body, these kinds of bags are SO useful for keeping your necessities close to you when you travel, and it’s one less thing to have to strap to your back or over your shoulder while you’re out adventuring!
5. Eco-friendly toothbrush – Did you know that there are approx 1 billion plastic toothbrushes thrown into the landfill every year in the US alone?? A smart traveller is an eco-friendly traveler, so surprise them with this super easy swap to make their travels more sustainable! I personally love OLA Bamboo and Brush Naked for bamboo toothbrushes.
6. A Makeup Eraser – While we’re on the subject of sustainability, gift your travel-lover a makeup eraser to remove any makeup they might have the energy to put on while they’re out climbing mountains and swimming in oceans. One of these erasers saves 3600 single-use wipes, and can be washed 1000 times, so it’s sure to last them years!
7. Solid Shampoo & Conditioner bars – Save them some space and liquid allowance for their next trip and gift them some shampoo or conditioner bars! These babies last SO long and are perfect for short or long trips! I also love Lush and Yves Rocher for these!
8. A Solid Travel Backpack – Have them pack away weeks worth of clothes and necessities in a backpacking backpack! I swear by these for trips where you want to be more mobile and pack lighter, give the gift of not checking a bag! Osprey is also a great brand for amazing quality backpacks (and backed by my fav blogger @heleneinbetween)!
9. A Portable (and packable) Luggage Scale – Whether you’re shopping for the over or under-prepared traveler, a luggage scale is a great stocking stuffer! Luggage scales help travellers be 100% sure their luggage fits within their airline’s requirements, and will help them avoid having to check their bag or pay additional fees. It’s personally saved me several times, and I swear by it!
10. A Travel Cup Holder – hear me out on this one! How many times have you had to hold onto your water bottle or Starbucks order as you’re walking around the airport? This is a GENIUS invention and I’m a little upset I never thought about it myself. I’m labelling it as the “king of unnecessary (but genius) travel necessities”.
11. A Collapsable Travel Water Bottle – If you’re not shopping for an airport coffee drinker, this collapsable water bottle is a no-brainer! This can be packed into a small bag until they’re through airport security (or when they don’t need it full) and can be filled whenever needed! Not into the collapsable ideas? No worries! Yeti has amazing and durable water bottles as well if you’re looking for something less “foldable”.
12. TSA Approved Liquids Bag – These make a great stocking stuffer for any frequent flyer! These bags are completely transparent, so TSA doesn’t have to ask you to open your liquids bags, and you can be sure that you won’t go over the liquid allowance and have your expensive face cream tragically confiscated!
13. An Annual Calm App Subscription – Buying for a nervous or anxious traveler this year? The Calm app has been invaluable for me personally both when I’m traveling and in my every day life. You can listen to sleep stories to help you fall asleep on planes or after long travel days, go through guided plane anxiety meditation, learn calming breathing techniques and so much more with this app.
14. A Set of Reusable Utensils – Do you love picnics in Central Park? Dinner by the canals in Amsterdam? Having a set of reusable utensils on you when you travel will help save single-use plastic from ending up in the landfill, it’s well worth the investment!
15. This Universal Power Adapter – Wherever they are in the world, make sure they can power their essentials! This adapter has several different ports for different areas of the world, and makes a great stocking stuffer!
16. A Travel Toiletries Bag – If you’re buying for a budget traveler or a hostel girlie, a bag like this is a must! They’ll be able to pack all of their toiletry essentials in one place, and easily bring it with them to the shared bathrooms and showers.
17. A Travel Planning Notebook – If you’re buying for someone who loves to free-hand plan their own trips, the Moleskine notebooks (previously linked) are the best I’ve ever used! If we’re talking about a traveler that would prefer something formatted for them, this Travel Planner is extremely thorough (not to mention, so pretty).
18. This Silk Pillowcase – If your travel friend or loved one is a hostel-goer or is a stickler for home comforts, gifting them a silk pillowcase will make their trip all the more comfortable! After all, do we really know if accommodations wash every pillowcase every time…?
19. A Personalized Luggage Tag – Leave it to Etsy sellers to give you a million and one personalized gift ideas! This is something every traveller will use (and need), because having your bag tagged with your info is something you don’t realize is so important until your bag gets lost…
20. A Wanderlust Inducing Tote Bag – Tote bags are one of the most underrated and most useful things to pack when you travel and I will stand by this forever. Need to do laundry while you’re adventuring? Tote bag. Need something to carry your water bottle in? Tote bag. Don’t want to carry a huge bag around your entire trip but need something in case that’s foldable and durable? Tote bag.
21. A Manicure Kit – When I tell you that my manicure kit has saved my butt on SO many trips, I’m not exaggerating! A small kit like this is typically allowed in a carry-on, and is more than a pampering tool set! Tweezers are great for splinters, stingers or anything else that gets stuck in your skin, the scissors can be used a ton of ways, and it’s one of those things you’ll be glad you packed!
22. A Sleep Mask – If you’re gifting to a frequent flyer or restless sleeper, a sleep eye mask is a great gift idea! This will help them relax on long flights when their seat mate keeps opening the window or turning on their reading light during “dark time”.
23. The Ultimate Adventure Mug – Adventure travellers will likely know about Yeti, and so they should! These travel mugs are some of the best on the market, and are perfect for the outdoorsy traveller, or the traveller who needs their coffee all day every day and wants to cut down on cafe single use coffee cups!
Related: Shop My Travel Essentials
Travel Apparel Gift Ideas
24. A Pair of (My Fav) Travel Leggings – When I tell you that I only buy Aerie leggings, I’m not kidding! I’ve had these leggings for years and they are my absolute favourites. Super smooth, stretchy, they stay up, and are often on sale! Give the gift of comfort and versatility with these Aerie leggings 🙂
25. This Dress That Goes With Everything – If Aerie does one thing well, it’s comfort items that are versatile, which is perfect for travel! I love their tennis/exercise dresses because they can be worn a ton of different ways, they have pockets and shorts and are super comfy!
26. These Cloud-Like Sneakers – I will live and die by Sketchers shoes for travel. The Summits feel like clouds on your feet and are SO durable. They are an investment, but absolutely worth it and make a great gift if you know their shoe size (or for yourself, let’s be honest).
27. A Hat Clip For Their Adventure Hats – Any traveller will tell you that hats are one of the most annoying things to pack for a trip, and these hat clips are the solution! These clips allow travellers to clip the hat to the outside of a bag, so they don’t have to worry about it losing its shape packed away in a bag, or having to carry/wear it at all times. Makes a great stocking stuffer!
28. The Ultimate Adventure Sandal – I absolutely love my Keen sandals. They’ve gotten me through a total of five weeks adventuring in Costa Rica, and make great summer sandals for hiking, swimming, and adventuring. They are the only adventure sandal your travel-loving friend will need!!
29. A Trusty Waterproof Jacket – Any traveller needs a handy, foldable and lightweight waterproof jacket, and here’s my recommendation! Columbia makes reliable pieces really well, and their jackets are no exception! As a brand, they also follow responsible practices and invest in a ton of causes so it’s a great brand to support this holiday season!
30. These Funky Travel Socks – If you’re shopping for a quirky traveller, these Outway socks are a great idea! They’re also made for performance and have padded models, so they’re great for keeping your feet comfortable on long travel days.
Click here for my absolute essential carry-on items!
Travel Books Gift Ideas
31. Lonely Planet’s Best In Travel Book
32. World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain
33. Wanderlust: A Travelers Guide to the Globe
34. Anywhere Travel Guide Game
35. NatGeo Journeys of a Lifetime
36. How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
37. The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big & Small
38. Destinations of a Lifetime: 225 of the World’s Most Amazing Places
39. Amazon Kindle!
Travel Jewelry Gift Ideas
40. This Gold Compass Necklace – If you’re looking for something a little less pricy, this option is cute as well and perfect for any traveller!
41. A Mountain Necklace – For your adventure friends! Commemorate their love for the great outdoors with this subtle and cute piece.
42. These Vintage World Map Earrings – Subtle enough you can wear them with everything, and they’re studs so they won’t get in the way while out adventuring!
43. This Essential Travel Jewelry Case – Never get your jewelry tangled or damaged again while you’re out seeing the world! I personally hate packing jewelry, but this case makes it so easy and organized!
44. These Waterproof Earrings from Canadian Brand – Nadare has some seriously beautiful pieces, and they’re waterproof and durable! If you’re shopping for a traveller who doesn’t like a lot of bling, these pieces are perfect as they’re simple, classic, and something they can take with them wherever they may go.
45. A Custom City Necklace – Do they have a favourite city? Maybe they want to carry a piece of their home town with them while on the road? This necklace is the perfect piece for that!
Travel Home Gift Ideas
46. This Honest Doormat – How cute is this idea?! Etsy has a ton of other options for designs and phrases for the at-home travel-lover in your life.
47. These Personalized Coffee Mugs – These are perfect for the outdoorsy travellers and adventurers out there, and having it personalized is such a nice touch to add to your gift!
48. A Travel Money Bank – Help them save for their next trip with this bank! It’s neutral and will fit into a ton of decor schemes, and they’ll thank you for giving them incentive to save more! Win-win 😉
49. A Beautiful (And Pin-able) World Map – Travel lovers can use this map to pin locations they’ve been to already, as well as destinations on their travel bucket list! Plus, it makes a great decor piece in any travel-lovers home.
50. This Gorgeous Wooden Map – As an alternative, Enjoy The Wood makes beautiful wooden maps that make great gifts! They’re a bit more pricy, but they’re a lifetime investment and a next-level gift idea!
51. Personalized City Maps – Etsy creators have a TON of these, and they’re so beautiful! Perfect for any travel-lover who wants to display either their home city, or their favourite travel destinations in their home to keep their wanderlust alive all year round!
52. A Travelista Box Subscription – Travelista is the ultimate subscription box for travel lovers. The boxes are delivered quarterly, and are always themed with different travel destinations. There’s a mix of household items, lifestyle items and travel essentials, and they support small businesses as well!
53. A Milestone Map Print – Okay these are seriously cool. These Etsy creators let you pick how many maps/destinations you want, and you can piece together a few maps together in one print to create a piece to commemorate a travel year, or a particular trip you took together! Take a look, they’re such a neat idea!
54. A Personalized Boarding Pass – Gifting someone plane tickets or a trip this year? First of all, wanna be friends? Second of all, these boarding passes are the perfect way to let someone know that you’re the best friend ever and are gifting them the gift of travel! Imagine them thinking you’ve gotten them only a card for the holidays, only to open it up to THIS. So exciting!!
55. This Biodegradable Phone Case – Pela is one of the best brands in Canada for biodegradable phone cases, and they have tons of cute travel inspired design options! The design linked has “digital nomad” written all over it!
Travel Photography Gift Ideas
56. A Neutral Camera Bag – This is the bag I currently have and I LOVE it. It fits a DSLR with a lens attached, with space for a second lens and accessories and I find it to be really comfortable while travelling! Bagsmart has some other options for larger camera bags as well if they have more gear to carry!
57. A Polaroid Camera – Give the gift of instant gratification this holiday season with a classic Polaroid camera! The film aesthetic has really come back in the last few years, and these photos make such fun travel memories!
58. A DLSR Camera for the pros – This Canon is the camera I use to capture my travels, and I find it to be a great starter camera! It’s mid-range as far as camera prices go, so if you really love the traveller in your life, a camera like this is a great option for a higher-end gift!
59. A Camera & Mobile Tripod – For the photographer or creator in your life, give the gift of stable photos! This is the tripod I’ve been using for the last year or so, and it comes equipped with a mount for both cameras and mobile phones.
60. A Masterclass Subscription – With over 180+ classes taught by masters of their field, a Masterclass membership is an amazing gift for anyone who wants to take up a new skill, especially photographers! There are a few different courses that teach different kinds of photography, most notably the Adventure Photography course!
No matter what kind of traveller you’re buying for this year, you’re sure to find one thing (or many) on this list! As a traveller myself, I’ve put many of my own favourite items and travel essentials on this list, so many of these items are tried and true by myself or other travellers! Have any questions or something to add, found the perfect travel gift ideas on this list? Leave a comment below and let me know!
