We all have that friend that loves to travel and sometimes it’s not easy to know where to start. Because let’s be honest you want to find the perfect gift. There is nothing like finding the perfect unique travel gifts to put a smile on someone’s face when they open it. As a traveler, it is important to fit the necessary things in your bag and leave the unnecessary behind.
An overweight bag is not only expensive as you’ll have to pay an extra charge, but it is also heavy to carry around. No traveler wants to carry too much unnecessary stuff. Travelers want to bring things that make their journey more pleasant and more memorable. That’s why you want to find useful travel gifts for travel lovers that they will actually need.
Having traveled to more than 50 countries in 5 different continents on weekend trips, long-term trips on one-way tickets, and everything in between, I know what travelers appreciate.
I have put together the perfect list of gifts for travel lovers for different budgets. Some things I can’t travel without and some things that are high on my wish list.
Check out the list of gift ideas for travel lovers below to find the perfect fit to light up the face of the travel addict in your life!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase through one of those links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Useful gifts for travel lovers
Portable charger
A portable charger is, without a doubt, one of the most valuable gifts you can give to a travel addict. There’s nothing more annoying than your phone running low on battery while it’s the only place you have stored your ticket. Or getting to the one attraction you have been looking forward to the whole day just to find out you don’t have enough battery on your phone to take any photos.
Having a portable charger myself that is quite heavy-weighted, this Anker PowerCore 10000 is on my wish list.
JBL Portable Bluetooth speaker
Do you have a travel lover in your life that can’t live without music? Then you should think about getting them a portable Bluetooth speaker!
I have traveled with my JBL GO Portable Wireless Bluetooth speaker to countless countries and it has accompanied me on numerous camping trips as well as days at the beach. Batteries are long-lasting and the sound is pretty great for such a small pocket speaker.
Headphones
A pair of good headphones is essential for anyone traveling with public transport or spending time on airports. Whether it is to listen to music, your favorite podcast or to watch a movie on your tablet it is necessary.
I have simple earphones for mobile, they work wonders for me as a budget option. Still, I have been looking at a few options for noise-canceling headphones and have been recommended the Bose Bluetooth Headphones by a friend who is very pleased with them. There are also cheaper and smaller alternatives beneath.
Neck pillow
Personally, I find it hard to find a neck pillow that I am happy with. I usually fall asleep anywhere and wake up with a terribly sore neck if I haven’t used my neck pillow. That is enough to ruin the whole trip. At least to make it worse.
You can’t imagine how much a quality neck pillow will be appreciated as a travel gift! The Cabeau Evolution Travel Pillow is a great one. It supports the neck perfectly when sleeping in an upright position in planes, trains, or buses.
Eye Mask
For the ones that can’t sleep without total darkness a comfortable eye mask makes wonders for better quality sleep. Especially when sleeping on plains, trains, buses, and hotel rooms.
Portable luggage scale
To avoid paying for overweight baggage ever again, a portable luggage scale is a great gift for any travel lover. This way they can weigh their bag before going to the airport and repack if necessary.
There’s nothing worse than paying extra luggage costs (and did I mention carrying too much weight during your holiday is hurting your back too?) For travel lovers, small gifts like these can be more appreciated than you’d think!
Backpack
A backpack is always a great and useful gift for any traveler! There are so many great backpacks to choose from, but I suggest you choose a sustainable backpack so that it makes as little impact on the environment as possible. Some sustainable brands are more socially responsible than others. Osprey has some great options.
However, here is a great overview of the best sustainable backpacks, tried and tested.
Waterproof dry bag
A waterproof dry bag is essential adventure travel gear for anyone who likes adventure like kayaking, paddleboarding, rafting, boat trips, river hikes, chasing waterfalls, and any other fun activity that includes water.
The bag keeps your stuff dry and as you fill it with air when you close it, it actually floats on the water if it falls in. True story, I tipped over with my kayak, and my camera was saved as I had it wrapped in the camera case inside my dry bag.
Hardly any drops of water made it inside the bag even though I had it immersed under water quite a bit as I was thrown down a rapid.
This is without a doubt a gift that will be used by any adventure traveler!
Packing cubes
Packing cubes are perfect for backpackers who want to organize their travel items in the backpack. It makes it so much easier to actually find your stuff when you travel!
Trust me, the biggest frustration of a backpacker is to pull out everything every time you look for one item. Stay organized with packing cubes, and you’ll only have to pull out the one you need.
Headlamp
Whether you try to crack the padlock code in the dark of a hostel room or you happen to be at a jungle hut with no electricity, it’s always clever to have a headlamp in the luggage.
It’s also a great gift for hikers whether they explore a cave or start a trek before dawn, but even parents will realize that flashlights for toddlers are a great distraction.
Personally, I prefer the ones with an elastic above the head too as it doesn’t slip down my face as easily – maybe because I also often trail run after dark.
Havaianas flip flops
Do you have a beach lover among your loved ones? Why not give them a pair of high-quality flip-flops?
I am not kidding when I say that my Havaianas last up to 10 years. Up through the years, I have tried a lot of different flip-flops and most of them break pretty quickly. I am a person who wears flip-flops most of the time as long as it’s warm enough weather. My Havaianas have gone on uncountable jungle treks, city tours, and beach excursions (and even some cliff hikes, which is not recommended in flip-flops in general – for safety reasons), so they are well used. Those I have had to get rid of have mainly been because of a worn sole.
Disclaimer: This is no guarantee of quality, only my personal experience.
Travel towel
A travel towel that dries up quickly and that doesn’t take up much space or weight in the backpack is genius for any traveler and the perfect gift idea for travel lovers.
World Scratch map
Do you know someone who collects countries? Scratch maps where they can scratch out all the countries they have traveled to make fun travel gifts that will be highly appreciated.
Selfie stick
For solo travel and friends or family trips alike, a selfie stick is a must. I think we can all agree it is pretty annoying to ask strangers to take those photos for you and they just completely miss the beautiful place you’re at or they accidentally get their finger in the caption.
It is not that cool to tell them to take it again, so I really prefer to look stupid with my selfie stick and get a nice photo rather than have half my head cut off in the caption. It is my holiday memory after all.
This is a great option that doubles as a tripod!
Tripod for mobile phone
A tripod for mobile is an excellent way to ensure your travel photos. This is, without a doubt, the perfect gift for any traveler! I’ve used the UBeesize Tripod S and really love it!
The legs are super flexible so it can be placed anywhere and its lightweight making it perfect for travel and hiking!
International travel plug adapter
The worst thing ever is to arrive in a new country just to find out the plugs are different than in your home country and you haven’t got a power adapter.
With an international travel plug adapter, you can plug your devices into any contact. It is perfect to have one device that you can use in all the countries you travel to.
The small things can often be the most useful travel gifts you can find.
Lonely Planet Guidebook
If your travel-addicted friend has an upcoming trip planned, what better gift than a guidebook for their next destination? You can get various guidebooks from Amazon.
Reusable metal water bottle
With a reusable metal water bottle, you will save the environment and money by not buying single-use water bottles while traveling.
These water bottles are excellent and keep the water cold for up to 24 hours! Perfect for responsible travelers.
My favorite so far is the one from Greens Steel. It is a sustainable brand and can easily be attached to your backpack. It’s also got an extra top for poring your hot drinks. As for useful travel gifts, these will rank pretty high! And they come in a beautiful gift box!
Filtered water bottle
For your friend who travels to countries where tap water isn’t safe, the LafeStrawGo filtered water bottle is the perfect gift. But it’s also the perfect gift for outdoorsy people who need to fill their water bottles in streams while hiking.
The filter lasts for 1000 liters of water and filters 99,99% of water-borne bacteria. This is a lifesaver for world travelers!
Unique travel gifts
Lowepro fastpack BP 250 AW II camera backpack
This backpack is perfect to bring as hand luggage for any photography lover. It fits your camera, a couple of extra lenses and camera gear, your laptop, and has an extra pocket on the side for your tripod.
The top compartment is just large enough that you can fit what you need on the plane when you travel. It also has enough small pockets to keep your passport, tickets, and money safe.
A unique travel gift for anyone who travels with a camera and laptop.
Oh! And it comes with a rain cover that works! Tried and tested in tropical rain. I wouldn’t change my backpack for anything!
Travel book
Any travel addict who loves to read will be thrilled by a good book to fuel their wanderlust! There are many great books to choose from, so I’ve put together a list of my all-time favorites to help you out!
The perfect gift for travel lovers who enjoy a relaxing day at the beach or opt for long bus and train rides.
Find the best travel books here
Manfrotto 290 Light Tripod
Whether your friend likes to take sunset photos or would like to take good, long-distance selfies with their DSLR camera, get them this tripod. It’s reasonably priced, steady, and can be attached to any carry-on backpack.
I use to attach it to the Lowepro Fastpack BP 250 AW II camera backpack but have also attached it to other backpacks when needed. For any travel lover, gifts like these are fabulous for making travel memories last forever.
A weekend trip
If you love traveling too, why not book a weekend away for you and your friend and give them one of the most unique gifts there are?
Then you get to enjoy their present together and create memories of a lifetime! This is without a doubt the gift I enjoy giving the most and might just be one of the absolute best gifts for travel lovers!
Look for the best hotel deals here
FIND ECO-FRIENDLY GIFT IDEAS FOR TRAVELERS IN THIS POST.
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Great ideas! Some of these I do actually own, while others I hope to one day own (when I can afford an expensive camera, lol), and some of these are on my wish list. 😉
Thank you! Hopefully you will fulfill your wishlist one day:)
Nice post. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful post about the traveler gift idea.
Thank you!