The Top Holiday Gift Guide for Travelers

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You may think frequent travelers are hard to find the perfect gift for, but as someone who has traveled regularly for almost 20 years, I’m sharing my favorite travel gift ideas for the travel lovers in your life!

Packing Essentials

Easy packing is high on the wishlist of any frequent flyer whether it’s carry on bag or a checked bag! These gifts for travelers will make packing a breeze while ensuring they remember all the essentials!

The Perfect Carry On Every airline is different and has different specs for cabin bags (especially true of international travel!) but this carry on bag is practically the perfect gift in every way! It’s roomy, has a separate compartment for shoes (or wet clothes), and a trolley sleeve that lets you slide it over the handle of your rolling suitcase making it easier to juggle your bags. It comes with a shoulder strap, which can be attached to the included toiletry bag converting it into a small crossbody belt bag! I love a good multipurpose item!

Portable Luggage Scale Keeping my carry on and checked bags under the weight limit has always been a challenge. I never thought of myself as an overpacker, but camera gear eats up a lot of weight and space in my luggage! This portable luggage scale is small enough that I can use it at home, then throw it in my bag and take it with me to ensure that I don’t overbuy souvenirs on the road.

Compression Packing Cubes These were a game changer for me! I always loved the idea of cubes to keep clothing organized but I never felt like they did a good job of maximizing luggage space until I tried these zip compression packing cubes. Having everything separated by category gives me easy access to what I’m looking for and I love the zip feature that compresses everything down and maximizes space!

Electronics

Universal Travel Adapter For international travel a good universal travel adapter is a must have! Different countries have different electrical outlets and rather than having to try and figure which adapter you need to pack, having a good multi-purpose adapter will make packing so much easier! Remember to pack this and other important electronics in your carry on and never in your checked bag.

Multi-Port USB Charger When I travel, I have a LOT of things to charge and sometimes hotel rooms just don’t have enough outlets. Enter the multi-port USB charger which allows me to charge up to six devices at once! This means no more stumbling around a dark hotel room in the middle of the night to swap out what device I’m charging so that everything will be fully charged in the morning.

Portable Power Bank When I’m exploring a new place, my phone gets a ton of use. From Google Maps to taking photos, I run my battery down quickly when I travel. Getting a portable power bank was a game changer for me! It was incredibly useful when I was in Japan and used my phone a ton to navigate the trains and having a dead battery would mean I wouldn’t have access to my Suica card! The one I use can be charged using an outlet or it can be charged by solar, which was a great feature when I was hiking in Sedona!

Travel Router I travel with a lot of devices that need to connect to WiFi: my phone, my computer, and my Kindle, to name just a few. This travel router simplifies things because I’ve got it set up so that all my devices connect to it. Then, when I arrive at a new hotel or AirBNB I connect the travel router and all my devices are connected to WiFi in one simple step! As an added bonus, I’ve got my VPN on the router, which gives me an added level of digital security. If you travel as a couple or family, you can connect everyone’s devices to the router and it will save you so much time when you arrive in a new destination!

Comfort and Entertainment

Travel Pillow – A long flight can feel even longer if you can’t get comfortable (a middle seat on an overnight flight is my worst nightmare). On a recent trip, my seat assignment got screwed up and I ended up squished in a middle seat and trying to sleep sitting upright. It wasn’t the best sleep I’ve gotten, but my travel pillow made it tolerable and I didn’t start the trip with a huge sleep deficit. This wrap style pillow is my favorite and gets huge bonus points for not taking up a ton of room in my bag!

Lightweight Travel Blanket I almost always find planes to be too cold (just me?) And a cold Lori is a miserable Lori, especially on a long flight. Enter the packable travel blanket! It’s cute, it’s cozy, and it’s perfectly packable to fit easily in your carry on! And it’s not gross airplane blanket that’s probably been used by 27 different people and never been washed!

Eye Mask I refuse to do an overnight flight without an eye mask! I also tend to lose them easily when getting on and off flights so I buy them in a multi-pack so I pack one in my carry on and a spare in my checked bag for the return flight.

E-Reader I don’t travel anywhere without my Kindle! Don’t get me wrong, I love physical books. The smell, the feel, it’s everything! But when it comes to traveling with multi-hour flights, nothing beats having an e-reader for a you a huge variety of books in a teeny, tiny package!

Mini Travel Speaker I don’t always pack a travel speaker, but it definitely comes in handy for certain types of trips! Week in Tokyo? Not so much. Week at an overwater bungalow in Bocas del Toro? Absolutely! I love this little waterproof Sony speaker for its size. The sound quality is decent, but not what you’ll get from a larger (less packable) speaker.

Noise-Canceling Bluetooth Headphones A good pair of noise canceling headphones like these are not cheap but they block out all the noise you don’t want to hear on a flight. And they’re perfect for when I work in a cafe or coffee shop and need to edit a video or just want to listen to Spotify. Keep an eye on Black Friday sales to snag a deal on this great gift!

Thanks for the Memories

Travel Journal I love journaling my trips and there are a ton of unique travel journals out there that make great gift ideas however I’m a big fan of a simple lined notebook that I can make my own.

Scratch-Off Travel Map This scratch off world map is on my wish list for Christmas 2024! It looks like such a fun way to keep track of my travels and I love that it serves double duty as wall decor!

Maps and Globes I am a huge fan of vintage maps and have a rather sizeable vintage globe collection so as far as travel inspired gifts go I think these things are the perfect gift ideas for any gift recipient!

GoPro – In my opinion one of the best gifts from someone who frequently does tropical travel is a GoPro! It’s a great gift because it’s waterproof and durable and is the ideal gift for capturing memories for your traveling pal!

Safety and Security

Compact First Aid Kit We’ve all gotten a cut or a splinter or some random little injury and this first aid kit is my go to for traveling. I love that it’s super portable, about the size of my hand and I find it’s one of those things that if I pack it, I won’t need it. But you’d better believe that when I’ve forgotten to pack it, I’ve had to run to the store to snag a bandaid or some other first aid supply!

RFID-Blocking Passport Holder Keep your personal data safe with a cutie little RFID-blocking passport holder. This one gets bonus points because it makes me feel extra fancy when I have my passport and travel documents tucked into a stylish little holder!

Air Tags Lost luggage is the bane of a traveler’s existence and even a luggage tag can’t save you if your suitcase goes astray! That’s why I’ve started traveling with Apple AirTags in all of my bags. You read that right – all of them, even my carry on! They’re cheap enough and I figure if I somehow get separated from my carry on this gives me a better chance of being reunited with it.

Other Travel Gift Ideas

Reusable Water Bottle with Filter – Depending on where you travel, tap water may not always be drinkable and for that reason, I love my LifeStraw Water Bottle. It’s got a replaceable filter that filters out up to 99.999999% of bacteria. I tend to dehydrate easily so I love this for drinking water on the go!

Quick-Dry Travel Towel If I’m headed to any destination where water is involved, I always pack my Sand Cloud Quick Dry Towel. It’s super absorbent and dries quickly, making it perfect for beach trips or days by the pool. Plus you know I love a good turtle design!

Gift Cards Delta, Southwest, Royal Caribbean, and many other travel companies sell gift cards online or in your local supermarket and they’re great gift ideas for your traveling pal!

Hope you’ve enjoyed this gift guide for travelers with what I think are some of the best gifts for the frequent flier in your life!

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