Travelers are often hard people to buy gifts for. When we told our families we were going to sell all of our stuff to travel, it made gift giving a little tricky. We wanted less “things” and more opportunities to travel which is hard to gift wrap! But every traveler has a few things that they can’t travel without! Things that make your life a little easier and you make sure to never forget. So here are 10 gift ideas for the avid traveler that they are sure to love!
Whether you’re traveling for a weekend, week or year it doesn’t matter. It’s always nice to have those things to make your trip a little more comfortable and a little less overwhelming. These are things that we travel with and use constantly. We travel with small Kelty backpacks so if it’s made its way into our small packing list then it must be worth it!
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1. Leather Cord Pouch
I actually got this a cord organizer for Dave when he studied abroad in college. It’s such an easy way to organize all your cords so it doesn’t become a disaster in your bag. Each cord has a spot so you can easily take it out, use it and put it back.
- This ProCase Accessories Organizer is an inexpensive option and can hold quite a lot!
It seems so simple but it’s so practical that whoever you gift it to will be so thankful! There’s nothing worse then detangling a cord for 5 minutes before you can actually use it.
2. Portable Battery
A portable battery is exactly that it sounds like. A way of charging electronic devices that is portable and therefore doesn’t require you to sit on the floor at the airport near the outlet while charging your phone.
We never leave without a portable battery! You just never know when you’re going to need it. Especially while traveling we’ve noticed that sometimes the length of a full charge depends on the voltage where we’re staying. We have even had to loan out our battery to strangers who needed it. We met a couple in Venice who were on their honeymoon and couldn’t find their Airbnb because their phones were dead!
- This short charging cord is really good to use with it. That way it doesn’t make the inside of your purse or bag a huge mess. But it’s long enough that you can still use your phone while it charges up.
- Another good option for charging is the Apple Smart Battery Case. It’s a phone case with an extra battery in it. So while it’s on your phone it uses the battery in the case first and then uses your phone battery.
Read More: 10 Inexpensive Amazon Finds for Traveling
3. Toiletry Bag
While gifting someone toiletry items seems a bit strange, these are so nice to have especially when traveling for a longer period of time! We used to just get travel size products in the travel section of Target and toss it all in a ziplock bag. However, 2 or 3 days into the trip the bag would be ripped and destroyed.
These Keokee Toiletry Bags are clear and TSA approved. We’ve used them on flights all over the world and have hadd no issues with sizing! They are made of a thick plastic and have held up great after almost 2 years of constant use. It’s so much nicer than using a plastic ziplock bag!
GoToobs are reusable liquid containers so you can travel with your favorite shampoo, hair product or any other liquid that you can’t live without! They are made of silicone so they are flexible and the wide opening makes it easy to fill. Then simply rinse it out and fill it back up with whatever you like.
We have had no issues with them leaking and have used them for quite a few things! We carried one around in our day pack with sunscreen during the summer and then when it got colder we simply rinsed out the sunscreen and put lotion inside.
- Both of these items would be perfect especially for those travelers that like to travel with carry on bags!
4. Customized Luggage Tags
Whether you travel with a carry on bag or checked luggage, it’s always a good idea to have information on it in case something happens. Our backpacks are purposefully carry on size because we love the freedom it gives us but we still want to make sure our contact details are on them.
Attached to our backpack we both have a customized luggage tag with our name and phone number. We have had these Personalized Leather Luggages Tags from BirchCreekLeather on Etsy for a few years now and they are holding up great! We actually gifted them to all our family members last Christmas. It’s super easy to customize with your name, address, phone number or whatever else you want it to say! It looks a little nicer than the paper airline ones and also lasts much longer.
- These Travelambo Leather Luggage Bag Tags are leather but have an insert for you to write your information and then a flap to cover it. This is a great affordable option that lets you change your content information if needed!
Read More: Pros and Cons of Traveling with a Carry On Bag
5. Packable Towel
Depending on the type of place you’re staying (hotel, Airbnb, hostel, etc.) amenities such as a hotel may or may not be included. If you’re going to the beach you also might need a beach towel unless you want to get your hotel bath towel all sandy.
- We have stayed at a lot of accommodations that don’t offer towels. Some we knew didn’t offer linens and some we didn’t know until we checked in and realized they gave us none. We’re always glad to have our own just in case!
Packable towels are thin, microfiber towels that pack up so small and because of the material they dry incredibly quick! They are worth traveling with because they take up about a third of the space as a regular bath towel. They also can be dry in a few hours so you don’t have to worry about not using them before packing up. Microfiber towels are a great idea for road trips, camping, or even van life!
6. Packing Cubes
Packing cubes are the best way to organize your bag without taking up too much extra space!
The possibilities are endless for how you can organize them. I have a set of three packing cubes which I love! I use the big one for bottoms and dresses/rompers. Then a medium sized one for all my shirts and a small one for my winter jacket. Dave has a set of these packing cubes which are similar but comes in a set of 2.
- There are so many varieties and sizes so you can find whatever size, pattern, and combination that works best for you and what you’re packing.
- You can also use one packing cube for clean clothes and one for dirty laundry. Or one packing cube for things you pull out first and need more often and then another packing cube for things you don’t need as often.
7. Noise Cancelling Headphones
We used to travel with inexpensive headphones like the ones that come in the box when you get a new phone. We quickly realized wireless headphones are 100% worth it especially when you’re getting on and off planes and trains, walking, and working while traveling.
Dave uses these PowerBeats Pro Headphones because he likes headphones that wrap around your ear and won’t fall off. I love my AirPods Pro for the noise cancelling capabilities. I can seriously turn the noise cancelling function on and can’t hear anything on a noisy flight!
Headphones are a great gift idea because you can use them for so many things not just traveling! We both also use them while working on our computers, working out, and listening to podcasts.
8. Packable Backpack
A packable backpack is something we use every single day! It’s a small backpack that we take when we’re walking around a new city or heading to the beach for the day.
This packable backpack packs down small in case you don’t need it. There are so many options for packable day packs depending on features and price point. Features like outside water bottles and a few smaller pockets inside are things we really like to have. Cheap drawstring bags are always an option but the lack of structure can make them annoying to carry and hurt your shoulders after a while.
7. Plug Adaptor & Converter
If you’re traveling internationally you will need both adaptors as well as a convertor if the voltage is different from your home country. For us coming from the US the voltage is higher pretty much everywhere so we need a convertor to make sure we don’t fry all our electronics. But adaptors and converters can be bulky, heavy and annoying to travel with! No one wants to take precious space with a million different contraptions just to charge your phone.
The PlugBug Duo is something we picked up kind of on a whim but we use it every single day and absolutely love it! It comes with various plug adaptors for outlets around the world so you can simply take the one for your specific destination or take them all like we did. The PlugBug also acts as a convertor so we don’t need any additional pieces. It has 2 USB ports as well as a port to connect to a MacBook charger or Apple cube phone charger. We’ve also used that same bottom port to charge our Sony camera battery.
- The PlugBug has been so worth it! We have used it in over 15 countries and it’s worked in every one! It’s also great when you’re staying in a place that only has one outlet but you have 3-4 things to charge.
Read More: Male Long Term Packing List
10. Water Filter
This is a great gift for anyone who enjoys camping, going off-grid or is traveling to places where you can’t drink the tap water. The Steripen Ultra is a water purifier that works through UV light. It’s incredibly small and therefore is great for traveling! Simply fill up a water bottle, spin the Steripen in the water for 90 seconds and after you see the smiling face you’re good to drink!
- It’s rechargeable so we can use our PlugBug to charge it and then toss it in our daypack when we go out for a day of exploring.
