Holiday gifts for travelers is part of the holiday gift guide series. Find unique, fun, hard to buy for, and great deal gift ideas for all the travelers on your list!
Holiday Gift Ideas for Travelers
My husband and I are travelers. Between the two of us we have traveled to over 20 countries with many more on our “to go” lists. We are in love with traveling, and while its benefits far outweigh the costs, traveling can be expensive, even when you use frequent flier miles, when you are trying to travel in comfort. We’ve done without before in order to save money while traveling. However, as travelers, I compiled a list of things that would have helped us in trips past and that travelers in your life may find very useful. Well, some are purely useful, and some are just downright cute. I’ve listed them in order from cheapest to most expensive.
- Travel Cosmetic Bag Filled with Free Samples: Ever since the airlines nixed full bottles of toiletries, it’s been a hassle for travelers. Do we buy little containers and squirt our own products into them, or purchase products to whatever country or state we are traveling to? Something that costs very little is to gather free samples of products for shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. and present them in a cute little traveling cosmetic bag. In order to find free samples, google “free sample”—you are sure to come up with various options. Side note: it takes several weeks or more in order to receive your free sample in the mail, so this might be an option for you next year.
- Blindfold: If you know someone who will be traversing time zones, you may wish to purchase a blindfold for them. Most airlines will give them away for long flights, but you could give them a snazzier version as a gift they’ll be sure to keep.
- Passport Book/Passcard Holder: Dress-up your friend or family’s passport with one of these. Surprisingly, I have found them for great prices at Michael’s craft stores (where you can use a 40% off coupon).
- Water Bottle: It gets tiring to purchase expensive bottles of water, juice, or other at the airport once you get past security. Here’s a tip: take an empty water bottle with you, and then fill it up at a water fountain once you pass through security (suggest this with your gift). You can even get water bottles with filters now.
- Distinctive Luggage Tags: An amazing number of people have black bags (we have red, but for years we had black as well!). Distinctive luggage tags will help your traveler identify bags more quickly and get back on the road.
- One Quart-Sized Bag: Much more stylish than a Ziploc bag for carrying your 3 oz. liquids, and you can use this for many years.
- Power Cord Converter: I bring mine with me on every trip abroad.
- Travel Journal: One of my friends bought me my first travel journal for my trip to Spain, and I have been hooked on them since. It’s great to find one that has a pocket or two inside of it so that you can include little trinkets found along the way (ticket stubs, coins, shells, etc.).
- Charged Battery for Electronic Devices: I can’t tell you how many times I have been without power on my cell phone while in transit.
- Travel Alarm Clock: These are incredibly useful, especially if you are not staying in hotels in each country you travel to.
- Small Umbrella: I have been caught in the rain many times while traveling because I did not want to carry around a cumbersome umbrella. These are really handy.
- Receipt Holder: This is great for business men and women who need to keep track of their receipts (and not lose them!) while traveling.
- Reversible Belt: One side is black, the other brown, so only one belt needs to be packed.
- Travel Jewelry Case: I was given one of these as a bridesmaid gift and I’ve traveled with it ever since. Before, I never traveled with jewelry because I worried that I would lose it.
- Bookmarks that Clip: It is easy to lose a bookmark, especially when traveling. These will clip directly onto the page.
- Address Book: Take this one a step further and put in a few addresses of family and friends so that they can send postcards.