Last updated on January 22, 2024

Looking for a unique gift for travelers? Here’s our curated guide to choosing gifts for people who love to travel. We’ve broken it down into different sections with everything from unique travel gifts for couples to travel gifts for her and him. Each section has options for different budgets.

From beautiful travel art books to practical travel gifts like useful gadgets and travel hacks, we have unique travel gifts of every kind.

As a travel addict myself, I own most of these travel gifts myself – and really want the ones I don’t have!

50+ unique gifts for travelers

Unique gifts for people who travel

Travel bucket list books

There are loads of excellent wanderlust-stirring books, filled with destinations around the world that are sure to inspire travel lovers of every kind. They’re one of the best gifts for travellers.

One of my favourites is Atlas Obscura’s book of unusual places around the world. And another few good options are Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travelist or Secret Marvels of the World, New York Times’ 36 Hours World, Rough Guides’ Make the Most of Your Time on Earth.

Travel magazine subscription

I’m a magazine addict and I recommend them all! You could buy one of the latest issues, or step it up a notch and buy a year’s subscription. I’ve written guide to the best independent travel magazines, but some favourites are Suitcase, Flaneur, Lost, Lodestars, Ernest Journal, Cereal and Drift. Big benefit of this travel gift idea is that it keeps giving all year round..

Travel guides

It’s true the majority of people now tend to rely on their phones or digital guides, but I’m still a huge fan of paper and love to have a guide book, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

Lonely Planet remains a favourite, but I also love some of the more stylised guides such as Wallpaper, Petite Passport and the Herb Lester maps. And the Hoxton Mini Press do some gorgeous ones too. They are simply beautiful books to own and are a good choice for lovers of both design and travel.

When in New England, we used this Field Guide, which is another brand I love.

Travel cookbooks

There are so many amazing world cookbooks to bring a taste of lands afar into your own kitchen. Green Kitchen Stories’ cookbooks are some of my favourite veggie recipe books, and Green Kitchen Travels would make an ideal gift for a travel lover. It’s packed with recipes from around the world, from Mexican paletas to Sri Lankan vegetable curry. And the photography is stunning.

I’ve also written a guide to the best California cookbooks, which doubles as a collection of gift for travel lovers. And I love the look of this Recipes from Rome book too.

Travel tags

I love these tags by Maria Allen on Etsy. My luggage is pretty popular so there’s always loads of them on the baggage carousel at the airport. Tags like this are perfect for making it stand out. Lego also do some fun luggage tags that kids would love.

This passport cover is also pretty awesome. They’re both nice and useful gifts for travellers.

Travel photography books

As well as the bucket list books, there are also some wonderful world-inspired art books that I always lust after when visiting bookshops. A few that have caught my eye recently are Accidentally Wes Anderson, Kinfolk Travel, The Little Book of Hygge; and Cabin Porn.

And there are lots of Instagrammers who have put together compendium books of their posts – I love this one by Pretty City London, an account I’ve followed for years. Humans of New York is also fantastic.

A travel companion craft project

If you’ve been on a brilliant trip with someone, give them something to commemorate that trip with. You could buy something, but for that extra personal touch, why not craft something with keepsakes from the trip?

There are some lovely ideas in this post. I particularly love the travel keepsake boxes and travel shadow boxes. I might make some myself!

Travel notebooks

I know many travellers like to be 100% digital, but sometimes it’s nice to use a pen and paper. You can’t fault the classic Moleskine. Or for something a little smaller, Steve loves these tiny passport-shaped notebooks from Muji.

Snack box subscription

There are all sorts of fun subscription boxes you can join, which send treats from around the world every month. We’ve tried the Sakuraco box, which is filled with Japanese goodies. And other recommended ones include the Atlas Coffee Club subscription box or Universal Yums, which sends snacks from different countries every month.

Unique travel gifts for her

Travel jewellery

You can find plenty of travel-inspired jewellery on Etsy, but this globe locket is my current favourite. It’d make an ideal gift, especially for someone you’ve shared a trip with and can add some photos from it to the locket. I also love and own this beautiful map necklace.

Speakeasy travel scarf

Fellow bloggers Randy and Bethany make these fun Speakeasy scarves that have a handy hidden pocket, perfect for storing your passport. You could also use it to hold some cash and keys when you don’t fancy bringing a bag out with you. They come in loads of great styles, suitable for men and women, so it’s a good travel gift for him too.

Miniature toiletry kit

A miniature toiletry kit is a great idea for someone going on holiday. And you can find options for all budgets. Go luxury with Aesop’s departure kit, or something. bit more lowkey like Burt’s Bees’ 5-piece travel kit. It’s a good travel gift for women or men.

Tieks shoes

Tieks make amazing lightweight shoes that fold up, making them perfect for travelling light. They come in lots of pretty designs and are useful for non-travellers too. I often take mine in a handbag to events where I’m wearing heels, so I have something comfy to change into.

Unique travel gifts for him

Travel beard kit

If you have a bearded man in your life, a men’s beard grooming kit is a perfect gift idea. There’s this one by Viking Revolution, which comes with a travel pouch.

Bluffworks jeans

Our friends Erin and Simon are full time travellers and they swear by Bluffworks clothes, which are made for travel. As well as being super practical (lightweight, moisture wicking, wrinkle free and comfy), they also look good. Simon even wore a pair of the trousers to our wedding!

Travel inspired cufflinks

If you know a man who wears cufflinks or who’d like them for a special occasion, it’s a classic travel gift for men. There are plenty of travel-themed options out there, from globes to personalised airplane designs.

Travel gifts for couples

Travel games

Steve and I love playing games while travelling, and now the kids do too. Games are a great way to meet new people or pass time while waiting for buses and whatnot.

Some of our favourites are Jungle Speed, Bananagrams and Backpacker – all make great gifts for couples who travel.

And for the kids, we love Uno and Eye Found it.

Travel quote globe

A globe is the universal mascot of travel lovers and this Etsy shop has some gorgeous hand-painted examples. They have lots of designs to choose from, or you can get one inscribed with a quote of your choice.

This is also a great wedding gift – I particularly like the idea of using one as a guest book for people to sign.

Personalised map gifts

Another thing you can’t go wrong with when it comes to the travel-obsessed is a map-themed gift. This shop, Bombus, has some beautiful options, from maps to hexagon wall hangings featuring your favourite locations.

For a couple, you could buy something meaningful to them personally, for example a map from their honeymoon destination or somewhere else they travelled together.

Pin map

I’m a huge fan of maps and I have this particular one from Hello Canvas in my office. It’s a beautiful canvas that comes with little flag pins that you can use to mark all the places you’ve been. It’s wonderfully satisfying to add a pin every time you go someplace new. And the kids love it too.

It’s a fun thing for a couple or family to have at home to mark all the places they’ve been together.

Scratch map

We used this scratch map for the seating plan at our wedding as all the tables were named after places we’d been together. Now it’s up in our kitchen, brightening up the walls. It’s fun to be able to scratch off a country after you’ve returned from somewhere new.

Pinboard map

Another map option is this little cork pin board map. We have it in our hallway, surrounded by photos from our travels. You could also use it as a simple noticeboard.

Travel artwork

There are lots of different travel artworks to choose from, from vintage travel posters to unique maps. There are loads of fun options on Etsy.

Hand drawn food maps

Jodi at Legal Nomads created some gorgeous maps made up of the names of traditional foods in countries around the world. We have the Mexico one on our house. And you can also get them printed on tote bags and t-shirts.

Travel gifts for kids

Trunki

The ultimate travel gift for kids is a ride-on suitcase. We originally loved the Trunki suitcase for its fun design. But nowadays we prefer the JetKids BedBox because it’s much easier to pull along and manoeuvre (the wheels swivel). Plus it can turn your aeroplane seat into a little bed for small kids.

It’s so useful to have something to pull a tired child around on when travelling through an airport!

Inflatable ready bed

These little inflatable beds are great for toddlers – we’ve used ours when visiting family and also when staying in hotels. Otis loves his, so it gives a familiar sleeping space no matter where we are, plus they’re lightweight so easy to travel with.

An even better option, albeit more expensive, is the Jet Kids Cloud Sleeper, which has a built-in pump. It’s also bigger so suitable for slightly older kids too. Having this means we can sometimes all fit into a double room in a hotel, with Arlo in bed with us and Otis on the Cloud Sleeper.

Travel art books

If you know any children who’ll be going on a long journey anytime soon, some travel art books are a great gift for keeping them entertained. Some of our favourites include: Usborne sticker books, Crayola no-mess colouring books, water painting, and wipe clean activity books.

Kids’ travel journal

There are lots of amazing travel journals and activity books for kids to fill in as they travel, detailing everything about their journey, from the things they saw to the people they met. Some double as scrap books with spaces to store old tickets and photos.

Luxury travel gifts

The gift of travel

The ultimate gift for anyone who loves to travel: the gift of travel itself. For those extra special people in your life, you could splash out on a specially curated trip.

I’ve done this for Steve a few times, and we also did it for his parents as a way of saying thank you for all the help they put into our weddding. We booked the flights and accommodation and then created a little pdf guide, mapping out the itinerary with suggested things to do and places to eat.

If you know someone has a trip in mind, you could also offer to pay for a portion of it, for example the flights, a night’s accommodation somewhere special, a massage, or a fabulous meal.

Remember to check that whoever you’re booking for is free on those dates before you book anything. Sometimes it’s better to give the gift as a voucher and let them book the dates themselves. These printable vouchers are a cute way to present the gift.   

iPhone 13 Pro Max

The ultimate travel gadget has to be a smartphone, not least for its camera. I have the iPhone 13 Pro Max and its camera is incredible. This is the perfect luxury travel gift for people of all ages and tastes.

Practical travel gifts

Aeropress and coffee grinder

Oh my, the Aeropress is the ultimate hipster travel luxury – the ability to make a perfect cup of coffee while on the move. It’s not too heavy and is really easy to use, rivalling anything you could buy in a shop. Add a hand-held grinder, and your favourite traveller will be able to grind their own beans wherever they are in the world. Definitely one of the most handy and best gifts for people who travel often, especially on road trips.

Packing cubes

Packing cubes are the secret to stress-free packing and unpacking. They allow you to compartmentalise your backpack/suitcase into easy to organise cubes. I use one double-sided one for my clothes, and a smaller one for underwear and socks. These things may not look glamorous but they’ll be much appreciated!

Headlamp

For a simple, practical gift, you can’t go wrong with a headlamp. Useful for everything from jungle walks to reading in the dark. I’ve owned the same one – the Petzl Tikka – for over 10 years, and it’s still going strong.

Samsonite Spark suitcase

I did a ton of research when trying to choose the best bag for short trips, and I ended up landing on the Samsonite Spark. It’s nice and light, has a built-in lock, and expands to fit more inside. I haven’t found fault with it yet.

I’m yet to try this, but I know from many rave reviews that The Travel Hack’s backpack is brilliant too.

Portable charger

This list is mostly made up of pretty things, but here’s a practical gift to top it off. This is something that every traveller will be thankful for: a portable charger to top up their phone. When using maps and the camera, phones tend to run out quickly, so it’s super useful to have a back-up charge while you’re out and about. There are tons of options on sale, but one good one is the iMuto, which can charge an iPhone 6 almost 8 times.

Kindle Paperwhite

Although I’m a huge fan of paperbacks and read them in favour of ebooks at home, the Kindle Paperwhite is most definitely one of the most brilliant traveller gifts. Gone are the days when you had to rely on the hostel’s book swap, and now you can have every book at your whim. Any traveller will thank you for it. You could also add a few travel-related e-books. One that’s very useful is The Carry-On Traveller by our friend Erin at Never Ending Voyage.

Let us know your recommendations…

Let us know if you have any travel gift ideas to add to the list!