Gift Ideas for Travel Lovers and Wanderlust Seekers
We all have that friend or family member who is obsessed with traveling. All they talk about is, “Oh Paris is so nice this time of year,” “Thailand has some of the best beaches,” “The Mai Tai’s in Hawai are the best,” “Berlin is an amazing party city.”
We get it!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission for purchases made through links in this post, at no extra cost to you.
Gifts for anyone can be hard, even harder is a gift for the traveler in your life. What to get our wanderlust friends for those special days, birthday gift, Christmas gift, or a Valentine’s day gift. No matter the occasion we want to give them a gift they will hopefully put in their luggage next time they take off to travel the globe.
Here we have put together our top gift ideas for travelers.
TRAVEL PILLOW
Travel pillows can make that airplane, car, or train trip all that much better. Sleeping on anything other than a bed can be brutal. Travel pillows bring that little bit of extra comfort on the road.
A good pillow can change a trip’s outcome from being good to great by avoiding the kinks or pains from the lack of proper support. They can make a huge difference. Some even come with a blanket! Two gifts for one. They are amazingly helpful if you know they will be sleeping on a couch or in the airport for a long layover.
TRAVEL TOWELS
Most places we stay have towels but having your own can make you feel more at home and less worried about contracting something from the previous user, as unlikely as this is.
Travel towels dry fast so you can shower in the morning and hit the road in the afternoon without worrying about your luggage and clothing getting wet and mildewy.
TOILETRY BAG
Toiletry bags are a great help on any trip. They help you keep and stay organized. When you need to hit the shower you can grab the small bag and know that you will have all the things you need to keep up with the best hygiene practices. Especially since life on the road can get rather smelly.
WATER BOTTLE
Reuseable water bottles are some of the best gifts because they are a gift that helps the planet, as well as hydrating for our loved ones. There are thousands of different water bottles out there. Some are simple, some have built-in filtration systems, and others can go right into a backpack. No matter the size or type they are extremely helpful well on any kind of adventure!
TRAVEL JOURNAL
When your traveling it is easy to forget your adventures years after the fact. Writing down some of your experiences will help you recall them years down the road. Usually with better accuracy then if you try to remember what happened by memory. Don’t forget to give them a pen with it cause that’s the worst going to write something down and can’t.
PACKING CUBES
Packing cubes could be a great gift for the person who loves to be organized or who struggles to stay organized. They allow you to find your clothing fast and quickly, keep clean and dirty clothes separate. They can even let you shove more things into that already overcrowded bag. Some people won’t travel without them.
CLOTHING
Clothing can be a great gift for many different types of travelers. With many different styles, weights, and functions clothing is a great way to help out a fellow traveler.
A new pair of multi-purpose shorts for Thailand, or some super warm socks for that ski trip to the alps. If you know where the traveler is going you can help them with something that will make them look good as well as being practical.
MEMORY CARD
Memory cards can be a great gift for that photographer in the family. Memory cards are also incredibly helpful for GoPros, cell phones, and of course cameras.
These things may be small but do they are a big deal. Running out of space while your taking photos can be a pain but having that extra memory card means that they will never miss that perfect shot or video.
CAMERA
Sure, smartphones are great but for those truly breathtaking photos, you need a real camera. Cameras can cost a lot, but these gifts unlike phones have a longer life and can double as a video camera. Some of which can shoot in 4k. Giving you to take that boring vacation video and turning it into an awesome YouTube video that friends and family actually want to watch.
PORTABLE CHARGER
One of the worst things is to have your phone die especially when using google maps to find your hotel or hostel. Luckily we now have portable chargers, these things are great for spending the whole day out on your phone. They can also charge a multitude of different devices!
EARBUDS / HEADPHONES
Earbuds and/or headphones can make a world of difference. Headphones and earbuds will for sure make an appearance on any trip even if it’s just on the plane. Even if you know the person already owns a pair it makes a great gift. Earbuds and headphones more often than not only have a short life expectancy. We lose them, break them, or they just crap out on us, and having to buy a new pair on the road could mean losing out on an experience of a lifetime.
Check It Out Some Wireless Earbuds!
Check It Out Some Wireless Headphones!
POWER BAR
Having all the right cords when traveling can be a pain. Not to mention having the right adapters. One trick is to bring 1 adapter and power bar. This way you can charge up all your electronics in one sitting rather than multiple.
This is by far one of the best travel hacks I’ve ever learned.
TRAVEL BACKPACK
A great travel backpack can make a world a difference. Having a good backpack will make traveling around the world even more enjoyable. A large compartment for storing clothing and other gear, straps for easy carrying, stash pocket, lockable zippers, and ability to fit in the overhead bins are all things that a great backpack should have.
Osprey travel backpacks are some of the best backpacks out there, highly recommend!
HYDRATION PACK
Hydration packs are amazing for any traveler. They make great day packs for exploring any new cities, national parks, or just about anything you need a backpack and water bottle for.
A hydration pack is a water bottle stored on you back along with quite a bit of space for carrying all of the items you need for your adventure.
MONEY BELT / SCARF
Keeping your money safe while abroad is one of the top concerns for many travelers. Money belts are a great way to keep your money safe. Now you can have a belt or a scarf that can keep your money safe and make you look good that’s a win-win.
HEADLAMP
Having a headlamp in your travel pack is a great way to see in the dark and keep your hands free. One of the good things about headlamps is they allow one to look through their bag in the darkest of nights or pitch-black rooms.
SCRATCH OFF MAP OF THE WORLD
Scratch off maps allow travelers to document their globetrotting adventures and display it on their wall. These maps make great gifts for any travel lover.
A scratch off map makes coming home from a trip even more fun,the trip isn’t over until you scratch it off. Where will you go next?
LAPTOP
Computers are one of the most important electronics in our lives nowadays. Laptops let you bring your home computer on the road. Having the right laptop is incredible important. It’s important to take into consideration the speed, weight, upgradeable spec, and screen size.
This Acer laptop is a powerful and compact laptop sure to suit any travelers needs. Or check out some others that might suit their needs better.
PASSPORT HOLDER
A passport holder is a way to protect one of your most important documents. A passport holder can also add some individualism to a bland passport that millions of people have. And, obviously, it will help your passport from getting damaged.
Or get a personalized passport holder from Zazzle here!
GUIDE BOOKS
Guide books are some of the most essential equipment in any traveler’s bag. Guide books give travelers an insight into many different cities, countries and so much more.
Guide books provide travelers with crucial data for their destination. Having the right book can provide travelers with the best place to stay, hippest clubs, trendy bars, top sights, and tons more.
INTERNATIONAL SMART PHONE
We all have a cell phone nowadays. Taking a phone out of your own country can come with a high price tag. Having an international phone will allow you to communicate with local people easier and is cheaper for both parties. Having a spare phone is also great in case it gets stolen, lost, or damaged.
TABLET
Traveling with a tablet is a great idea. They are lightweight and have a larger screen which makes connecting with friends and family easier as well as editing photos, watching movies, reading books, and sending messages are all made easier with a tablet.
E-READER
E-readers are a great way to bring books with you on your travels. E-readers can hold thousands of different titles so you don’t have to lug around heavy books. An e-reader makes a great gift for that bookworm.
ACCOMMODATION GIFT CARD
One of the best gifts you can give to a travel lover is somewhere to sleep. Giving the gift of accommodation allows your traveler to enjoy some extra time and or possibly a life-changing experience while on vacation or where ever they may need to sleep.
LIFESTRAW
Lifestraw turns natural sources of water into viable drinking water. Go on a hike and drink from the river, don’t fear tap water in Mexico.
Lifestraw removes bacteria, parasites, microplastics, and reduces the number of heavy metals in your drinking water. Water is our most important resource, so why not give that as a gift.
FIRST AID KIT
Things happen on the road. Cuts, burns, bites, and slivers having a travel first aid kit can take away a lot of that pain. Whether its actually helping deal with an injury or if its just peace of mind that you know you have all the things you need in case of an emergency.
GOPRO
These action cameras are great. The footage they can capture is unreal and the photos they take are stunning.
GoPro has made a name for itself and for a good reason they turn life experiences into forever memories. Re-live a night out, that amazing wave, mountain adventure, wedding, or whatever you can think of.
PHRASEBOOKS
Being able to communicate is one of the most crucial skills we learn, but not everyone in the world speaks the same language. Having a phrasebook can save a lot of time and a few headaches. These books help with the basics, from getting a drink from a store to ordering at a restaurant. It’s everything you need to get by.
Hope some of the items on the list gave you a few ideas.