18+ Best travel gifts: A unique gift guide for travelers

I know I’m not the only one who loves to travel. Lots of us do. This travel gift guide isn’t long, but if you’re shopping for someone with wanderlust, look no further for the best travel gift ideas!

This short-but-sweet list contains carefully-chosen unique travel gifts that either I have or I’d like to have. Most of them are useful at home as well as away. I’ve chosen items from a range of prices to suit everyone’s budget.

I hope it helps you find the perfect gift for the travel lovers in your life!

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you buy an item through an affiliate link, I will receive a small commission. This will not affect your price.

Use the table of contents below to jump to the category that interests you. I’ve added some lists at the bottom to make it easier to narrow down your decision.

Electronics

Very useful for any traveler and they’ll certainly be appreciated!

1. Noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds

Noise-cancelling headphones are a must for me; they help me when I fly to tune out all of the sounds that make me fearful. But they’re also useful in lots of other situations. For example, if the person you’re shopping for will be staying in hostels, this could make the difference between sleep and no sleep!

They come in wired form or wireless, over-ear or earbuds. Wireless is probably safest as a gift because pretty much all the phones, tablets and laptops can deal with Bluetooth, while there are several different sorts of plugs for wired headphones.

2. Universal adapter

Every world traveler needs a universal adapter. This picture is the one I use, and it does the job. It goes with me on every trip outside the EU. It would be an especially good present for someone who is going to a foreign country for the first time!

These days it’s not just your phone that you need to charge. You might also have a portable modem, a smartwatch, an e-reader, a power bank, or a tablet that needs charging. With this adapter you can plug in your home plug and plug it in in the EU, the UK (as shown), the US or Australia. In addition, it has four charger slots (on the bottom which you can’t see in this photo): two for USB-A devices and two USB-C slots.

Keep in mind, if the person you’re giving this to is from the US, that if they want to use other sorts of electrical devices, such as a hairdryer, they’ll also need a power converter like this one. If you plug a hairdryer or curler from the US into a 220V power supply, like most of the world uses, you’ll fry it. An adapter like this is only for electronics that can handle 220V. Please tell them this when you give it to them!

3. E-sim gift certificate

Relying on wifi being available is very hit or miss in some countries. An e-sim offers an easy way to stay connected from the moment you arrive in a new country. Make sure they keep in touch by giving a gift card from WifiCandy for an e-sim.

The gift card can also be used to rent a portable wifi modem, which I’ve tried and loved it! On my sailing trip in Turkey, there were times when I was the only one with internet. It could end up cheaper than using esims if the person is traveling with a group and needs wifi for several devices. These modems can connect to 5 or 8 devices, depending on the country. Use code RACHELSRUMINATIONS at checkout for a 10% discount!

4. Power bank

I also always carry a power bank with me. My phone is a couple of years old and apps like Google Maps, which I use a lot, use up the battery very quickly. So does taking lots of pictures or especially video. Carrying a power bank makes it easy to charge the battery even when I’m on the move.

Power banks come in different sizes indicated by mAh or milliampere hours. The number – usually between 3,000 and 20,000 – indicates the capacity of the power bank. My 20,000 mAh power bank can charge my phone fully twice, which is useful if you end up in a place with on-again off-again electricity. Some power banks can charge more than one device at once.

I just bought a littler one: it’s 10,000 mAh capacity, which isn’t the biggest, but it’ll recharge my phone once and it’s less heavy to carry around than my old one.

The problem is that the more capacity the power bank has, the heavier it tends to be. It’ll also be more expensive. Any travel enthusiast can use one of these!

5. Portable luggage scale

A luggage scale is a very useful item for any avid traveler. Many airlines, particularly the budget carriers, weigh passengers’ luggage to make sure they’re within the prescribed limits. If your travel-loving friends try to travel with carry-on bags only, it’s really easy to go over the weight limits, which is why it’s a good idea to get them a luggage scale. 

If your friend or family member likes to buy souvenirs, I’d suggest choosing a compact digital one like this one. It’s lightweight and small to take along, so they can weigh their luggage before flying home again. I also like that this one has a built-in tape measure to make sure that your bags fit within the airline’s limits.

Useful travel products

1. PacSafe backpack

I received one of PacSafe’s backpacks as a gift back in 2020 and I’ve used it on every trip since then to carry my laptop and as my under-seat bag when I fly. I’m very impressed with PacSafe’s attention to detail. The material has a wire mesh inside it, making it impossible to slash and grab. It has a fancy locking system for the zippers, even the one on the outside that is most likely to be targeted by a pickpocket.

This 25-liter size is perfect for an under-seat bag. It holds, on a typical trip, all of the following: my laptop (a Surface) with its cords, sometimes a second travel screen, a small notebook and/or a book, my toiletries bag, earbuds in their case, a clean shirt and underwear, my camera, and assorted snacks, as well as a bottle.

2. Luggage

I have a larger Eagle Creek convertible backpack-roller bag that I reviewed back in 2015. I’ve used it ever since, though only as a roller bag these days. Eagle Creek doesn’t make that particular one anymore, but here are their latest convertible bags.

Are you thinking of buying some other kind of luggage? A roller bag or a duffel, for example? Click here for plenty of luggage options.

If you’re totally overwhelmed with the choices, you can always give a luggage gift card!

3. Compression packing cubes

I use compression packing cubes every single time I travel. They don’t just help me keep my clothes organized – shirts in one, pants in another, underwear in another, etc. They also help compact my clothes far more than I normally could. Place the items in the bag, nicely folded or rolled, and zip it closed, flattening it. Then, using a second zipper, flatten it even more. It squeezes the pile to about half its original size. 

Take a look at my article on minimalist packing – or pass the link to the person you’re giving the packing cubes to – for lots more advice on how to pack as little as possible. For most trips I use only an underseat bag (the Pacsafe described above) and one carry-on bag for in the overhead compartment. Packing cubes help me accomplish this.

Keep in mind that, while packing cubes will definitely help you fit more clothing into your luggage, they won’t reduce the weight of that clothing. Warn your travel-loving gift recipient that they should keep an eye on the weight of their luggage so they don’t end up with extra fees from the airline! See my recommendation for a portable luggage scale above!

Ekster has a very different take on packing cubes, though I haven’t tried them yet. Their new product is a vacuum-sealable bag that you fill, then shrink down using a small, portable and rechargeable air pump. They claim that you can fit up to 60% more in your bag with these.

Again, I’d keep in mind the warning that the contents still weigh just as much!

I know everybody uses apps these days, but an old-fashioned travel map can be a great gift for someone planning out the trip of a lifetime!

Take a look at Map Geek for lots of maps to choose from!

5. Go City Pass

If the person you’re shopping for is planning a visit to one of the very popular tourist cities covered by Go City passes, they would undoubtedly appreciate one of these passes. The passes include admission to all the top sights as well as lots of tours. Assuming they visit several, a Go City pass will cost less than paying separately for each – especially since if you buy someone a pass as a gift, they’re paying nothing at all! Just add their name and email address when you order the pass.

6. Compression socks

Compression socks are supposed to help prevent the development of clots leading to deep vein thrombosis after long flights. I’m not a medical person, so I have no idea to what extent they help, but many people wear them on long-haul flights, especially us older folks. I have a pair I picked up randomly at Schiphol airport, and half the time I forget to wear them. Maybe I wouldn’t forget them so easily if I had a brightly-colored pair like some of the ones at Irv’s Luggage – they’re much more fun!

7. Serenity tray organizer

If you’ve ever fallen down the rabbit hole of reading horror stories from flight attendants, you know that people do some pretty disgusting things on planes. Without going into detail, let’s just say the tray tables aren’t always so clean. The seatback pockets are even less so.

That’s why the tray organizer by Serenity appeals to me. You just slip it over the tray table, close the tray back up, and you have plentiful pockets. When you want to use the tray to eat, leave it on and use it like a tablecloth. After your trip, you can throw it in the wash.

When you empty and fold it, the organizer takes very little room. I like using this when I fly because it means not only that I don’t have to worry about the filthy tray table, but also everything is right there, whether the tray is up or down.

They also make a seat organizer: it’s like a slip cover for your seat on the plane, with pockets at the bottom behind your feet. It seems like a good idea, given how dirty the seats can be!

Enter the discount code RACHEL for a 15% discount on your order!

9. A food tour from Eating Europe

This one is perfect if you’re looking for a present for a foodie – and really, who isn’t a foodie? If your foodie is planning to travel in Europe, a gift card from Eating Europe (called a Flexi-pass) would be a wonderful gift!

They offer tours in 21 cities across Europe. Read my review of an Eating Europe tour in Amsterdam.

10. Eezysun

If your loved one is traveling somewhere sunny and/or buggy, Eezy Sun has a very useful product that would make a thoughtful small gift.

It’s a combined lotion: SPF50 sunscreen which also works as an insect repellent. And it’s sold either in the form of individually packaged wipes or in a 100-ml bottle. That’s the largest size that airlines allow in carry-on luggage, so it’s perfect!

Gifts that are good for travel and at home

1. Ekster wallet

This one isn’t really specifically for travel, but everyone needs a wallet, right? And this wallet is unlike other wallets.

Note: I received this wallet as a gift from Ekster. I was planning to give it to my husband, but then when I received it I liked it so much I had to keep it! 

You know how, when you have a pile of credit cards and bank cards in your wallet, it’s sometimes difficult to find the specific one you’re looking for since they’re all squeezed in together? The Ekster wallet makes it extra easy to access your cards. See that black thing at the bottom left of the Ekster? All you have to do is push on that, and your cards pop up at the top, staggered so you can see each one separately. 

I’ve been using mine since 2021 and it shows no signs of wear and tear. This would make a great gift – for travel or not!

2. SCOTTeVEST

SCOTTeVEST makes clothing for men and women – jackets, vests, pants and tops – with lots of extra pockets. Many of the pockets are on the inside, making them very hard to pickpocket and very easy to take through airport security. 

Read my separate review of SCOTTeVEST (Yes, that’s how it’s written.) if you want more detail. I’ll just say that I wear them at home and abroad all through the fall, winter and spring. At home I might carry a handbag, but abroad I can carry my wallet, phone, passport and meds in the coat’s many inside pockets. It keeps them safe and leaves both hands free for taking pictures. More recently, they’ve added some lightweight vests to their collection that might work for summers as well.

Make sure to order a size up to allow for the added bulk of the things whoever you give it to will undoubtedly carry in all those pockets.

3. Stuffed States

These little stuffed figures of US states are so cute! It would be a fun little gift for someone leaving on a trip – a sort of “Don’t forget us back home!” message. They come as bag hangers, magnets or just plushies. The bag hangers, of course would work best as a gift for a traveler.

I asked the company to send my (gifted) stuffed states to my sister because she just recently moved away from Connecticut. She absolutely loves them! She immediately hung a Connecticut on her backpack and sent this photo.

So far they only offer US states, but hopefully they’ll add other countries some day!

4. Cards, notebooks, phone cases, etc.

At Redbubble I have a small shop based on my favorite photos. Choose the photo you like and you’ll see a range of different items printed with the photo: a spiral notebook, for example, or coasters for drinks, phone cases or framed pictures to hang on the wall.

When I first set the shop up, I ordered a few items, just to see if the quality is good. It is. In the photo below you can see a spiral notebook and a small picture to hang on the wall. Check out my shop on Redbubble to see lots more choices: more photos and more different items.

If there’s a particular picture on Rachel’s Ruminations that you’d like to see in the Redbubble shop, let me know. I can add it to the shop very easily.

And if you just can’t decide …

Get a gift card! On Giftcards.com you can choose a gift card for a specific store, but what would be most useful is to give a Visa card with a preloaded balance. (I wouldn’t recommend a Mastercard for Europe – it’s not accepted in as many places as a Visa.) Or you can give a gift card that’s valid for any of the 350+ brands they work with, so the person you’re giving it to can make their own choice.

If you get a Visa card, you can even personalize it with a picture you upload, or with any of dozens of designs they offer. It only costs a few dollars extra.

Gifts grouped by price and other considerations

Here’s the table of contents again, to make it easy to pop back up to the descriptions as needed:

Less expensive gifts

These are the least expensive gifts on the list – about US$40 or less. Yet they’d all be great gifts for frequent travelers:  

• Universal adapter
• Portable luggage scale
• Power bank, small
• Packing cube, if you buy just one
• Compression socks
• Serenity tray or seat organizer
• Map Geek travel map
• Eezysun products
• Stuffed State
• Redbubble products
• E-sim gift card (depending on the amount you choose)
• E-gift card or Visa card (again, depending on the amount you choose)

Mid-priced gifts

These items are a bit pricier – up to about US$100:

• Power bank, large
• Eagle Creek bag, small, such as a waist pack
• Packing cubes, if you choose a set
• Ekster vacuum travel kit
• Ekster wallet
• Water-to-Go filter bottle
• Eating Europe tour gift card
• Go City Pass
• E-sim gift card (depending on the amount you choose)
• Luggage gift card (They start at US$50.)
• E-gift card or Visa card (depending on the amount you choose)

More extravagant gifts

If you can afford them, any of these would be the perfect present for anyone with a love of travel:

• Noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds
• Pacsafe backpack
• Carry-on size or bigger luggage
• Scottevest
• E-gift card or Visa card (depending on the amount you choose)

Travel gifts that are small in size

These products would work well as stocking stuffers or if you need to send the gift by snail mail:

• Power bank
• Universal travel adapter
• Portable luggage scale
• Ekster wallet
• Compression socks
• Tray organizer
• Redbubble products
• Stuffed State
• E-gift card or Visa card
• Go City Pass
• Map Geek travel map
• Eezysun

Most practical gifts

If you just want to give something practical, stick with these:

• Noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds
• Universal travel adapter
• Power bank
• Portable luggage scale
• E-sim gift card
• Packing cubes
• Water-to-Go filter bottle
• Pacsafe backpack
• Any luggage
• E-gift card or Visa card

Please suggest any other special and unique travel gifts that you think should be included in this list!

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