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 40 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.
Get the PowerCore 1000 portable charger here:
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.
Get the JBL GO Portable Wireless Bluetooth speaker here:
As an alternative, I have also only had good experiences with JBL Clip 3 Portable Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth speaker. A friend of mine has this, and we have been on several trips using this sweet little gadget for music entertainment. The cool feature this one has is that you can hang it onto your backpack when you walk or hang it up in the tent. Also this one has good sound for the size of it.
And did I mention it is waterproof? Who doesn’t want that?
Get the JBL Clip 3 Portable Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth speaker here:
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 the 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 Quiet Comfort 35 II Wireless Bluetooth Headphones by a friend that is very pleased with them. There are also cheaper and smaller alternatives beneath.
Get LETSCOM Bluetooth headphones here:
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.
The one I have today was left behind at a train station and came home with me after sitting there without being claimed a whole day. Yes, I know. I spent a whole day at a train station. That’s what happens when you have a blog, you find those waiting hours perfect for being productive. The lost neck pillow replaced one that I bought more than 10 years ago at an unknown airport. I haven’t found one like that in any shop and was pleased to become a foster mom to one that is exactly the same, just another color.
As I can’t help you getting hold of this one, I will suggest one that my friend (that also travels a lot!) is super happy with, the Cabeau Evolution Travel Pillow. It supports the neck perfectly when sleeping in an upright position in planes, trains, or buses.
Get a Cabeau Evolution Travel Pillow here:
Eye Mask
For the ones that can’t sleep without total darkness. Here are a couple of recommended eye masks for better quality sleep.
Get an eye mask here:
Portable luggage scale
To avoid paying overweight 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, gifts like these can be more appreciated than you’d think!
Get a luggage scale here:
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.
Get an Osprey backpack here.
Waterproof dry bag
A waterproof dry bag is essential adventure travel gear for anyone who likes adventure like kayaking, stand-up paddleboard, 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!
Get a waterproof dry bag here:
Packing cubes
Packing cubes are perfect for backpackers that 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.
Get these packing cubes from Veken here:
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.
Get a head lamp here:
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 that 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.
Get a pair of Havaianas flip flops here:
Travel towel
A travel towel that dries up quickly and that doesn’t take up much space of weight in the backpack is genius for any traveler and the perfect gift idea for travel lovers.
Get a travel towel here
World Scratch map
Do you know someone that 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.
Get a World scratch map here:
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.
Get a Bluetooth selfie stick here:
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 just got my UBeesize Tripod S and I’m in love already! The legs are super flexible so it can be placed anywhere and the lightweight is perfect for travel and hiking!
Get this UBeesize Tripod S here:
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 in 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.
Buy an international travel plug adapter here:
Lonely Planet guide book
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.
Buy Lonely Planet guide books ” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow”>here:
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 of useful travel gifts, these will rank pretty high! And they come in a beautiful gift box!
Get a Greens Steel bottle here:
Filtered water bottle
For your friend that travels to countries where tap water isn’t safe, LafeStrawGo filtered water bottle is the perfect gift. But it’s also the perfect gift for outdoorsy people that need to fill their water bottle 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!
Get LifestrawGo here:
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 that travels with camera and laptop.
Oh! And it comes with a rain cover that works!
Once, I got stuck in the rain. I mean tropical rain in the Cuban jungle. I hooked on the rain cover that comes with the backpack and walked an hour in pouring rain thinking that my passport and camera would be completely soaked.
When I got out of there and found a roof for protection, I anxiously checked my backpack. I couldn’t believe my own eyes! Everything was dry. Obviously some humidity had found its way through the top, but otherwise, it was all dry and no damage to anything inside. All I had to do was to empty it and dry it out completely.
The only downside is that the rain cover doesn’t cover the backpack with the tripod attached to it, so I had to carry the tripod in my hand. But I can assure you that my tripod survived the shower too.
I wouldn’t change my backpack for anything!
Get the Lowepro fastpack BP 250 AW II camera backpack here:
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 that 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 carryon 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.
Get the Manfrotto 290 Light Tripod here:
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 beone of the absolute best gifts for travel lovers!
Find the cheapest weekend getaways and compare prices 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!