With the holiday travel season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about travel gifts! Now that post-pandemic travel is in full swing, here are our top recommendations for travel gifts this year. Tap on the title or image to check out each item!
1. International Power Adapter
For those that like to travel abroad, a power adapter is a must-have item to make sure devices stay charged no matter where they are. A good power converter will have options for different international standards so you can use it anywhere. This is the converter that we used when we traveled across the world, and highly recommend it because it has plenty of plugs and USB ports to connect multiple things at once.
2. Passport holder
Am I the only one with an irrational fear of losing a passport and getting stranded somewhere? If not, then this gift idea is probably for that person, haha! A passport holder has become a key item in our packing list because it helps us keep some of our most important things all together. We use our passport holder to store not only our passports, but also extra debit/credit cards, some cash, and passport photos in case we need visas somewhere. While this may not be the most spectacular gift option, it will end up being a very appreciated one because of the peace of mind that comes with knowing things are where they should be.
3. Packing Cubes
Organizing our luggage with packing cubes is one of the best travel hacks that we use when we travel. It’s a total game changer when every item is organized into a packing cube. Packing and unpacking become so much easier once you create a system using packing cubes! We have sets of different colors so it’s easy to tell who’s stuff is in which packing cube. So if you know someone that likes to stay organized, gifting a set of packing cubes would be a very thoughtful act.
4. Customizable World Map
It’s great to have a place in the home to be able to visually display everywhere you’ve been. After looking up different solutions, we settled on a wooden world map like this one from Enjoy the Wood. It’s super easy to attach to the wall with included adhesives, and we’ve created a habit of pinning new locations once we visit them. These maps come in multiple sizes to fit different wall spaces too.
5. Portable Charger
Traveling and exploring new places can build a lot of new memories, but it can also be very battery draining for your phone! We like to travel with a portable power bank so we always have enough power to take more pictures, get directions to the next place (or home), or look something up. This might not be the most thoughtful gift out there, but it most certainly can be the most practical!
6. Mini Tripod
When people look at our travel photos, one of the questions we get asked most is “how do you get pictures of all 4 of you together?” For us, a tripod is the answer! If you don’t travel with a DSLR camera, then a mini tripod for your phone can be extremely useful. It can even double up as a selfie stick if you like that style of photo, too. Depending on what type of phone the person you’re gifting this to has, you might get included buttons that can snap photos for added functionality.
7. Amazon Kindle
Luggage and backpack space is something that you never have enough of when you travel, but a reading device like a Kindle is a no brainer when it comes to value for size. Voracious readers will be thrilled to have unlimited reading options at the tips of their fingers. There’s even a kids version, which has been my son’s go-to reading option for years now. If your friend or family member still doesn’t have a Kindle, now is the perfect time to get them the latest model!
8. Travel Backpack
Over the past 5 years, we have swapped different types of luggage in and out for each trip. But there’s one item that has come with us absolutely everywhere, and that’s our travel backpack. We use the Thule Covert (the previous model that’s no longer sold) because it’s so adaptable to different situations. Most of the times we load our camera gear into it, but that section is also removable if you just want to use it like a regular backpack. It has multiple compartments for laptops, tablets, tripods, and more, so it’s very easy to organize for whatever kind of trip you’re going on. This backpack is built super sturdy too, and has survived more than 40 countries with us, with many more to go in our near future!
9. Passes to Local Attractions
Sometimes it feels like our friends and family already have everything they need or want, and that’s when we pivot to gifting experiences. We’ve previously bought family members passes to the local children’s museum, aquarium, or nearby amusement park. Or if you’re gifting to parents, a gift card to the local spa for a massage is always appreciated.
10. Travel Gift Cards
When you’re all out of ideas, sometimes a gift card is the way to go, and that’s totally fine! There are plenty of travel brands that have gift cards that you can give to others so they can make their own purchases. For example, you can give an Airbnb gift card so that people can then book their own accommodation on an upcoming trip. If you know someone that has a preferred airline, you can get them a gift card for that airline (like this one from Southwest). And if all else fails, a simple Visa gift card can go a long way towards reducing the cost of a future trip.
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