Travellers are notoriously hard to shop for — we usually don’t need more “stuff.” But not all hope is lost if you’re stuck on what to get the globetrotter in your life. Whether you want travel gifts for men, travel gifts for women, something impactful, or just a nice stocking-stuffer, there’s something on this list for everyone. Here are my top travel gift ideas for 2025/26.
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All prices are in USD for easier international reference.
Best travel gift ideas: table of contents
I’m breaking this list of travel gift ideas down into a few categories. You can jump to these sections by clicking below.
Best tech travel gift ideas
Here are some of the top tech-related travel gift ideas you should get in 2025 and 2026.
AirFly
Average price: $35-100
My dad got me an AirFly as a Christmas gift a few years ago, so I can confirm it’s one of the best travel gift ideas! I use this nearly every time I travel. It’s the perfect solution for people who want to use their good Bluetooth headphones to watch movies on the plane. No need to bring old corded headphones or use the ones they provide on the plane *gag*.
It plugs into the little aux headphone jack that’s standard on nearly all plane entertainment units. And then pairs with your Bluetooth headphones. 10/10.
You can get one at the Apple Store, the AirFly website, and most standard electronics stores.
Noise-cancelling headphones
Average cost: $130-550
On the back of the AirFly, noise cancelling headphones are a great gift if you have a higher budget. I literally need my Apple Airpods Max for any flight now. They go over my ears — and I don’t have the science to back this up — but I swear they help me avoid painful airplane ear.
Here are some of the top noise cancelling headphone options out there:
- Airpods Max
- Bose QuietComfort
- Sony WH1000XM6
- In-ear Airpods (My partner has/loves these)
Hot tip: If you do go for over-ear headphones, don’t go with white. My Airpods Max are so hard to keep clean and are a hassle to wash.
My grey Airpods Max case came from Ali Express.
Ultrahuman ring
Average price: $349
An Ultrahuman ring is a great gift for anyone who’s into health and wellness. This tiny, travel-friendly fitness tech pulls some incredibly detailed stats just from sitting on your finger. It holds its charge for nearly a week, can help you battle jet lag, and is water-resistant and really durable. If you’re bougie, they have a luxe version — the Ring Rare — made with 18k gold or platinum.
It also makes the perfect gift for a traveler because it’s not as flashy/at risk of theft as something like an Apple Watch. My partner has one and absolutely loves it. You can read his full Ultrahuman ring review here.
And you can use the promo code NAOMILAI10 for a 10% discount.
But actually, they have a Black Friday sale on right now until 2 December.
Get 25% off a Ring AIR instead of the usual 10! Use code: NAOMILAI25.
You can get the ball rolling by ordering/wrapping the sizing kit. And your giftee can finish the order when they’ve found the right fit.
Google Chromecast
Average price: $100
This is great for people who stay in a lot of Airbnbs, digital nomad-y coliving spaces, or do petsitting/housesitting. Basically, a Google Chromecast lets you carry your streaming services with you. So you don’t have to login/logout of your account on someone else’s TV or watch on a small laptop screen.
We use it all the time so we can plug it into the HDMI port that exists on every TV and keep watching our favourite stuff even when we’re on the move. It’s super compact and takes a few seconds to set up.
Adventurous camera equipment travel gift ideas
These cameras are the ultimate travel content creation tools. A perfect gift idea for Instagrammers and TikTokers.
Insta 360 ($400-600): They have some on extendable sticks and hands-free ones you can hang around your neck that all shoot in 8K. (I didn’t know 8k existed until this moment.)
GoPro ($300-700): Take it snorkelling/diving, ice climbing, mountain biking, or strap it to your car on a safari. There’s no better bullet-proof travel camera than a GoPro.
Drone ($200-500): These require a bit more planning than tossing a GoPro in your bag. But they get incredible footage and any tech-savvy person can figure it out quickly. They make a great gift for travellers.
Loop earplugs
Ok so it’s not really “tech,” but I’m keeping it in this section anyway. Everyone I know with Loops absolutely raves about them. They’re multi purpose: There are noise-cancelling ones for the plane, some that block out background noise in loud environments, and some that protect your ears at concerts and music festivals.
Great for anyone with ADHD and/or is easily over-stimulated. My partner has the Loop Switch 2, which lets you switch between Quiet, Experience, and Engage modes. Does he love them? Of course! Or I wouldn’t recommend them to you as a travel gift idea.
Loops are very trendy, and even have some Swarovski crystal-adorned Loops, which I think look pretty extra. But it makes them a bit more jewellery-like. If your favourite traveller is the flashy type, these are super unique!
Best home gifts for people who travel
Here are some travel gift ideas for people who want to bring the adventure to their home aesthetic.
Travel-themed book nook
Average price: $40
I just think these are too cute and one of the most unique travel gift ideas on this list. I got them for several people this year, lol.
They take a few hours to assemble yourself — I’ve seen anywhere from 3 to 30 hours, depending on the set. So it’s a nice meditative craft your giftee can do and then display on their bookshelf. Some even come with little lights!
Book nooks serve as a nice reminder of the places they’ve been, or as inspo for places they want to go. Like a little window into another world.
CuteBee makes book nooks with travel themes like:
Rolife is another book nook place with travel-related aesthetics like:
World map wall feature
Average price: $100-500
Enjoy the Wood has a huge range of maps with different sizes, colours, types of wood, and features like backlighting or glow in the dark highlights. You can also get cute accessories like world landmark pins so your giftee can check off (and show off) all the places they’ve been.
I’m obsessed with these. When I buy a house? Best believe there will be a giant one on my wall. Enjoy the Wood seems like the OG world map wall feature makers, but I also see options on Etsy all the time.
If you know a traveller in your life would absolutely love this but you’re not confident about choosing the right size and colour, they do have gift cards. A little less exciting to unwrap, but it lets them create the perfect map for their home.
Special location wall art
These are super unique, aesthetically fab, and usually customizable. You can pick a place you’ve both been together or remind them of home when they’re living abroad.
Mur Wood Home does everything from wall art to coasters. And you may have a local version you can support. For example, I’m always eye-ing these ones from the Mitai Gallery, but they’re New Zealand-specific. And there are lots of people who make them on Etsy. Here are some I think are the best:
3D-printed topographical map travel gift ideas
Average price: $50-200
City Frames makes these cool pieces that you can place on a table or hang on the wall. I’m completely obsessed with their glass table versions. But they cost an arm and a leg (about $9,000) so probably a bit extravagant lol.
Etsy is probably the best place to get a nice custom piece if you have a specific location in mind. But I got my Queenstown one at Armageddon (NZ’s version of Comi-Con) from someone who had already printed a bunch of famous New Zealand mountain ranges. It looks really cool when the right light is cast across it.
Small travel gift ideas
Here are some of the best small and affordable gift ideas for travellers:
- Travel jewellery box ($20): A hard-sided box makes it easy to keep jewellery organized and not tangled up. You can find ones with separate compartments that are small enough to take up minimal space in a suitcase or backpack.
- Moleskine travel journal ($40): My partner gifted me one of these and I adore it. There’s a world map, time zone guide, and prompts to help you jot down important trip information. It’s so easy to forget the little details, so having a journal to look back on later is invaluable.
- Pocket fan ($20): I have a little Aecooly pocket fan that folds down to nothing. I can toss it in my bag and pull it out when the unrelenting sun or humidity are getting the best of me. It’s sturdy for backpacking trips, camping, etc., and has a great battery life. I reviewed several Aecooly fans, but the pocket one is the most travel-friendly.
You can check off the countries you’ve been to in the journal!
- Anti-theft bag ($70): You want to find something with lots of little pockets, hidden zippers, and light-weight design. Some have slash-proof straps, RFID-blocking, and waterproof fabric for all-round protection.
- DIY stitch passport cover ($60): This is another good option for people who like to tick destinations off their bucket list. The passport cover comes with little punctures, some thread, and a needle. So the giftee can mark where they’ve been with a little x-stitch. Cute and easy!
- Travel-friendly water bottle ($20-80): Ok, this might sound boring. But there are some very cute and/or practical options out there for the traveller in your life. Consider a collapsible silicon bottle, one with a built-in water filter, or this cute bottle with a set of landmark stickers.
- Vagabond Life charms ($5-200): These are super cute for people who love to keep count of the places they’ve been! But they also have collections for national parks, landmarks, famous islands, and stuff like that. They’re small, understated, and easy to keep collecting. If you’re not sure if your giftee is into jewellery, the keychains are easy. Get 20% off your entire order with NAOML20 at checkout.
Subscription gifts for travelers
What’s nice about subscriptions as gifts for people who travel is that they’re easy to send digitally. So if you’re shopping for someone who’s on the road or living abroad, you can get them a simple subscription and not worry about it getting lost in the mail. Here are some of the best subscription-based travel gift ideas.
Lounge access
Average cost: $100-500/year
Ok I think this is a brilliant idea but making it happen is a little complicated. A Priority Pass or Dragon Pass membership gives the holder a set number or unlimited lounge visits in airports all over the world for a year. (And sometimes gives the membership holder a discount at airport restaurants, too.)
The reason it’s not super easy to organize this is that neither of those programs actually has a gifting feature. So, in theory, you could sign someone up, but they’ll get a confirmation email and stuff, so it’s not exactly a smooth surprise. They don’t have gift cards either.
But if you’re ok with the gifting process being a little unceremonious, you could just write your intention in a card and then go through the sign up steps with them; I don’t know. All I know is I’d be stoked to receive some free lounge visits for upcoming trips!
TravelSpend
Cost: $39/year
(50% off with my code: RUNAWAYWITHME)
I use TravelSpend every single day when I’m travelling. It’s a great budgeting app that’s easy to use and had lots of visually pleasing graphs and stuff to keep you on track. The only problem? If you’re on a budget, you likely don’t want to pay for a budgeting app.
A year subscription with TravelSpend is $39 per year, so really not that bad when you break it down to $3/month. And half that with my discount code! There’s also a free version of TravelSpend, but I use the Premium version and it’s totally worth it.
AllTrails
Average cost: $36-80/year
If you’re looking for gift ideas for a hiker, AllTrails is a no-brainer. It lets you use it ad-free, get live updates (like if you miss a turn!), and share updates with friends. The free version is fine, but if your giftee hits the trails often, an AllTrails membership will be hugely helpful.
Seats.aero
Cost: $10/month
Seats.aero lets you search for great points deals on flights. Usually you have to go painstakingly through individual dates on an airline’s website — it’s the worst. But Seats.aero automatically pulls the data so you can search for a huge date range. It’s not affiliated with any airline, so it provides unbiased pricing.
I used Seats.aero to fly business class direct from Bali to Auckland for just 45k Air Canada Aeroplan points. (If you’re not familiar with the program, that’s a very good deal.)
There are some conditions that will determine whether this is a good gift idea for the traveller in your life. First off, they need to collect points with one of the 23 airlines Seats.aero can search. That includes: Air Canada, United, Air New Zealand, Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, and more.
This is another subscription option without an official gifting system, but you can get creative.
National Geographic
Average cost: $70/year
Nat Geo lets you gift an annual subscription with digital access and a monthly printed copy of the magazine. So this is one of the best gifts for travelers who have a permanent address. I’m not usually a magazine person. But this is one publication where I’d make an exception — the photos and stories provide so much inspo!
Experiences make the best travel gifts
- Adrenaline activities. This is one of the best gifts for travelers. Get them a skydiving voucher, book them a white water rafting excursion, organize for them to try ice climbing — the possibilities are endless. Find something they haven’t done before or wouldn’t think to book themselves. Get Your Guide has really flexible cancellation/rescheduling policies, so you could find something fun and let them adjust as needed.
- Unique stays. Find a good spot for a cozy weekend getaway or get them a voucher for a luxe hotel. If you go the gift card route, get one for a network of hotels like AllAccor or Marriott so they have options.
- Dining experiences. Contact a restaurant with unique cuisine, an interesting tasting menu, or an immersive dining style and see if you can arrange to put your card on file for their reservation. Gift cards are almost always an option as well.
- Flights. Call me crazy, but if you can arrange to gift someone a flight, they will be eternally grateful. (In this economy?!) You can get airline gift cards or gift airline points so they can book their own trips.