39 gifts for travel lovers that they will appreciate

Coming up with unique travel gifts for travel lovers in your life is no easy feat. There are so many things to choose from, and you don’t want to give them something that’s already overused or seems just like a gift that hasn’t been thought out properly.

We’re a family of travel lovers – it’s one of our biggest passions in life. Since we don’t travel full time, but go on vacations, we have a pretty good idea of what goes on in the mind of the person who just can’t wait for those two weeks of freedom that are coming up.

So that’s why we’ve prepared this handy list of unique travel gifts, in which you’re guaranteed get some ideas for gifts for the travel lover in your life.

Whether it’s something to help make their trip more comfortable and enjoyable, or something to remind them of the previous trip or inspire the next one, we’ve got you!

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Best travel-themed gifts for travel lovers

1. Maps

Maps are for sure one of the more traditional gifts for the travel lover in your life. But if they’re into this sort of thing, it’s definitely a superb gift for them!

The feeling of looking at the map and reminiscing about all the places you have visited is incredible!

There are so many options to choose from! Here are some of our favourites.

Scratch-off world map

We have the scratch-off map, and it’s just so satisfying to scratch off a new country and see how many you have visited already. I gifted it to Michal some years ago so that we can mark down the trips we take together. We just love seeing the map become colourful!

Kids would love a scratch-off map as well – check our article on travel gifts for kids to see some kid-friendly options!

Push-pin world map

An interesting version of the map to mark your travels is with pushpins! Instead of scratching off the country that’s been visited, your loved one can mark it with a push pin or even a little flag in the map.

Map as a wall art

As a bit more sophisticated option, an interesting travel gift for travel lovers would be a whole map as wall décor. They come in the pushpin version as well.

2. Globes

If maps are not a thing for the travel lover in your life, maybe a globe would be? There’s even a floating one! And, of course, pushpins, just because!

3. Coffee mug

A mug is a classical gift for anyone. Is it really possible to have too many coffee and tea mugs? Give it a “travel” twist to make it into a travel gift for a travel lover!

4. Travel-themed board games

Board games are always a nice gift, for a travel lover or not!

Especially at these weird times when travel is still kind of limited for many people, playing a board game about travel – like, you know, one of the most popular ones “The World Game” really keeps that wanderlust burning.

5. Travel books  

I just love Lonely Planet books – both the specific travel guide books and inspirational books. They contain so many useful travel tips and so much interesting information about different places, from famous national parks to small hidden villages! If Lonely Planet doesn’t seem interesting to you, the National Geographic books are another option. So, if you’re looking for a gift for the travel lover in your life, a travel book is a great thing to consider.

6. Travel-themed jewellery

There’s everything from charm bracelets, to necklaces, to rings available as travel-themed jewellery! This selection is more of a travel gift for her, but, of course, you can find for him as well!

7. Travel-themed keychain  

If jewellery is not your person’s thing, they might enjoy a keychain.

Such a small, but thoughtful travel gift, will always remind the traveller in your life both about their love for travel and about you.

Related: more tiny travel gifts for Christmas stockings

8. Passport holder

When abroad, it’s better to carry your passport with you, but that’s a good way how to damage it as well. That’s why having a passport holder/cover is such a great idea! Gifting a travel-themed passport cover to a travel lover will surely be appreciated! You can even get matching luggage tags with it!

9. Luggage tags

And speaking of luggage tags… that’s a great travel gift idea as well. So many suitcases are so similar, making an interesting luggage tag a great way how to quickly recognize your own luggage!

10. Photo albums

Can there be too many photo albums for an avid traveller? I don’t think so. There are so many great options available – from traditional albums, to wooden ones, to scrapbooks, and more!

Just… maybe consider printing some of their pictures, too. We have albums, but always struggle to fill them, haha

Travel gadgets – always a good gift for the travel lover!

There are so many gadgets that make great gifts for travel lovers. The things that I’ve selected make long trips more enjoyable, stays in hotels more convenient, and just improve the vacation itself!

11. Kindle

It’s nice to have a book to read during a flight, but often they take up so much of the valuable space in the carry-on!

So it’s better to have an electronic book.

Plus, when the traveller finishes one book, they can just buy the next one wherever they are, and they don’t have to feel sad about discarding the old one. And, of course, if they have Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime (location permitting), it’s like owning your own little library – just return the old book and borrow a new one.

Reading on the phone is, of course, an option, but it’s just more convenient to read on a device like Kindle, which doesn’t have a glare – the screen reads like real paper!

The battery life is incredible, and it’s lightweight. So, all in all, if you can afford it, it’s the perfect gift for the travel lover who likes to read during their trips!

I myself have the new Kindle Paperwhite 11th generation and honestly love reading on it instead of on my phone. It’s just much nicer on the eyes. I use it all the time now. And you can add Word, PDF, and other file types there – no need to buy books anew if you have some saved.

You can add some Kindle e-books with the Kindle!

12. Audiobooks

If your traveller is more of an audiobook person, you can gift them an Amazon Audible subscription. There are thousands of books to choose from, so they will definitely find something they like!

13. Noise-canceling headphones

Every person that has flown somewhere knows how noisy planes can get, and not just planes! Noise-cancelling headphones are a really good way to get around it. Your traveller can watch their favourite movie or listen to music with much fewer interruptions, or just, you know, cancel the noise and relax in peace.

14. Travel adapter

Since the world uses so many different types of sockets, an adapter is a must when travelling. If your traveller doesn’t have one already, well, they definitely need one! It’s one of the best gifts for travel lovers that you could give.

There can never be too many travel adaptors… we always struggle with not having enough, though!

15. Tripod for a phone  

Sometimes an extended arm or a selfie stick just doesn’t cut it, really… so it’s better to have a whole tripod thing to get both the people and the view in the picture! Sometimes it’s just not safe to ask other people to take pictures (and, let’s be honest, way too many people make bad ones!). So a little lightweight tripod is an excellent travel gift for the traveller in your life!  

16. Extension cable

We’ve all been in hotels where the socket is just way too far from the bed! Or just in such an inconvenient location that it’s impossible to use. That’s where a good extension cord comes in – it’s the perfect gift for a travel lover which they probably wouldn’t have thought about themselves!

17. Go-pro

One of the more expensive things on this list of gifts for travel lovers, but one that they would definitely be amazed by.

18. Luggage scale

This one makes for a perfect stocking stuffer for Christmas, as well.

There have been way too many times when I’ve had to stress out about the weight of my luggage. Sometimes I get lucky in the airport and can weigh it on one of the baggage drop-off desks, but that’s not always the case. That’s why I got myself one!

And seeing how many people have to repack their suitcases in the airport… yup, a luggage scale is an interesting gift for a travel lover!

We use ours all the time, and my mom expressed that she’d get one for herself, too.

19. Portable charger  

It’s really a sad feeling when you’re out and about during your vacation, taking pictures, and suddenly your phone warns you that the battery level is low… and you still have half a day to go! So a portable charger or a power bank makes a very useful gift for a travel lover, for sure!

Just make sure that it’s small enough and light enough. It’s not easy, of course, because it still needs to have enough power to charge a phone… eh.

Useful travel gear and travel accessories to gift to a travel lover

So many things have been invented to make a traveller’s life easier! From luggage organizers to compression socks, there are so many useful travel gifts that you can give!

20. Travel luggage organizers

Packing cubes make packing so easy! They help save space and also make finding things easier. There’s simply less mess in the suitcase. Besides the packing cubes for clothes and shoes, there are organizers for cables, cosmetics, jewellery, and everything else you can think of!

We’re planning to go to my parents where there’s actual snow right now (it’s 10 December now that I’m updating the post), and I’m so happy that I can just squeeze all the winter stuff in the packing cubes. Saves so much space!

21. Foldable coffee mug

A foldable coffee mug is an interesting gift if your travel lover is eco-friendly. It’s light, compact, and helps lower the environmental impact of using single-use plastic cups. Makes for a very interesting small travel gift!

22. Foldable water bottle

On the same note, a collapsible water bottle is a very good travel gift for an environmentally conscious travel lover! And it’s great for saving space in the luggage – when the bottle is not in use, just fold it!

23. Water bottle with filter

If your traveller is an avid hiker or likes to go to countries where tap water is not the safest, a water bottle with a filter is an excellent gift. They filter out any bacteria and chemicals instantly. With a bottle like this, travel lovers can save money, reduce waste, and keep their bags lighter because they don’t have to carry a lot of water at once!

It’s especially useful to have a bottle with a filter when going hiking in places such as Patagonia.

24. Daypack  

A lightweight small backpack for holding things like a water bottle, snacks, jacket, and wallet is a very useful travel item to have. Having a daypack instead of a bulky backpack that you’d pack as a carry-on is much more convenient when travelling!

My mom actually has one from IKEA, and it’s so practical to have it!

25. Games to play while travelling

A great way how to spend time while travelling from one destination to another is board games! Get a small board or card game as a gift for a travel lover, and they won’t have to be worried about being bored on the way to their destination!

I can’t wait for Emma to be old enough for board games – it would save us so much trouble while travelling! I’m already looking forwards to using the Story cubes – I first found out about them when working as a flight attendant and recommended them to everyone as a gift for travel lovers, haha.

Related: travel gifts for kids

26. Travel-sized cosmetics set

A refillable one or already filled, a travel-sized set of cosmetics is a great travel gift for a traveller! Hotels so often have low-quality products or don’t have them at all. And carrying full-sized ones is a really unpleasant option for a traveller who cares about packing space!

27. Refillable travel-sized perfume bottle

If your traveller likes using perfume, then a refillable travel sized perfume bottle is a perfect travel gift for them. The original bottles are usually big and heavy, so they take up too much of the very valuable luggage space.

I should actually get one for myself, hm. I have my favourite perfume (Victoria’s Secret Paris if anyone’s wondering), but the bottle is too big to carry with me…

28. In-flight phone mount

Definitely an interesting gift for a travel lover! It’s not easy to position your phone when travelling so that you can watch a movie, so a phone holder that can be attached to or put on a tray table is a great gift for a travel lover.

29. Travel blanket

It’s sometimes so cold on the flights, especially if you’re travelling in more tropical areas (looking at you, Hawaiian airlines). And even in a car, sometimes I just want to snuggle in a nice and fluffy blanket. Taking a normal blanket just takes up space, but these travel blankets seem to fold up nicely – and come with a bag.

For women (or even men), I still would rather gift a shall wrap (love me some 2in1), but this travel blanket… it just looks so fluffy! I love it!

30. Travel beach towel

A towel sounds like a weird item to gift, but it’s actually really convenient to have your own towel with you when travelling, especially for a beach vacation! Not all hotels, even the ones on the beach, provide you with a towel or a chair for tanning on the beach, and it’s really unpleasant to use the bathroom towels. You either end up with a sandy towel or sandy stuff.

I actually got a travel towel for ourselves, and it’s been quite ok. It takes little space in the bag and dries fast. So this is one of those gifts for travel lovers that I myself would really appreaciate.

31. Compression socks

A bit of a tricky thing to gift, because you need to know the approximate clothes and foot size of the person.

But nevertheless, compression socks are a very useful gift for a travel lover that they would definitely appreciate! Tired legs from the pressure changes in the airplane, hiking, walking, or sitting a lot will be a problem of the past for them.

It’s especially important for pregnant women and those that have a risk of deep vein thrombosis.

32. Travel pillow

Make your loved one’s next trip more comfortable by gifting them a travel pillow!

They help to find a better and more comfortable position to sleep – a lifesaver if you’re not flying business class. Some of these travel pillows even include an eye mask – a perfect set for those very uncomfortable long-haul flights!

I use mine mainly in the car, though. Somehow, I have trouble falling asleep on the plane even with a pillow, haha.

Unique luxury travel gift ideas

Some of the gifts in this list could be considered luxury items, for example, the GoPro, Noise cancelling headphones, and Kindle. But if you’re looking for some more gift ideas for that very special traveller, here are some!

33. Whiskey decanter set

An interesting little decanter set will be a great gift for those travel lovers that enjoy a bit of a good drink in the evening.

There are so many interesting options available! Whatever way your travel lover prefers to travel, you’ll probably be able to find a decanter.

34. Digital photo frame  

Digital photo frames are a perfect gift for those travel lovers that can never get around to printing their pictures. (khm, we’re not like that, nooo, of course not). They can just upload the pictures and enjoy the slide show!

35. Instax camera

If the traveller in your life loves having real pictures, they’ll definitely love the Instax polaroid camera. Take a shot, and get your picture printed instantly! It’s small and lightweight enough to not take up too much space in the luggage. And, obviously, it’s great to use on any other occasion, not just when travelling!

36. A massage pillow

A massage pillow is a device that you put on, and tiny little balls move and push away the stressful pressure in your shoulders. Considering how 2020 and 2021 were, this is a thing anyone would appreciate! I certainly did.

37. A subscription box

There are loads of travel subscription boxes available for every type of traveller.

Since it’s still tricky to go anywhere, this is one of the ways to travel the world from home, so to say.

38. A vacation – a perfect gift for a travel lover

Or a part of it.

It’s hard to gift a trip to someone, yes. That’s why you shouldn’t actually give a pre-planned trip. There are many other options – you can consult with your travel person before gifting them the trip, you can set up a meeting with a travel agent, or you can give them a self-made letter explaining the terms and conditions, so to say.

I have given vacations to my parents, actually. I usually write a letter saying what the gift is and why I want to give it to them. One time I gave them a whole trip (for November 2020 – you can guess how that worked out… but we managed to go on this trip in September 2021, which was nice), and another time I let them know in the letter that they can choose a trip to any destination a specific airline flies to, and I’ll cover it. That one worked out perfectly!

If you’re unsure about booking a whole trip or want something a bit more specific than just a general gift card, as it might not actually work out, there’s a company called Tinggly that offers different kinds of gift boxes with experiences all over the world, including stays in hotels!

I’m pretty sure this is one of the ultimate gifts for travel lovers!

You choose the box that’s in your budget, and the traveller can choose what they’d like from it, when they want to do it, and where! These boxes don’t have an expiration date, so it’s one of the best gifts for travel lovers if you want to give a trip!

39. Gift card for their favourite airline

An airline gift card is a great idea for a travel lover! It gives them the freedom to choose their own trip when they want to. Many airlines offer them, so you can definitely find one that your travel lover can use!

Summary for gifts for travel lovers

Usually, at least for me, it’s not easy to think of gifts for travel lovers, or anyone, to be honest.

That’s why I’m so happy to share this article – it took me very, very long to put it together!

And, if you’re looking for a romantic gift for a traveller, here you go – we have an article with romantic gifts as well! Or maybe take look at gifts for moms who travel.

Whether it’s one or another, you’ll definitely find something for the travellers in your life!

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