14 Kick-ass Christmas gifts for Travel Enthusiasts (That they'll actually use)

14 Kick-ass Christmas gifts for Travel Enthusiasts (That they’ll actually use)

Christmas – the very name rings in thoughts of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, fairy lights, celebrations and gifts. And speaking about gifts, its really hard to zero it on a single gift, isn’t it? Be it for family, friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, kids or anyone for that matter, choosing the perfect gift is a hard decision. If you are looking out to buy that impressive Christmas gift for a travel enthusiast, then you have come to the right place! Below, I list 14 interesting gifts suggested by travel bloggers who are travelers themselves, so they are the right people to advice on what gifts excites a traveler. Whether its the gifts for friends going travelling or leaving present for someone going travelling, this post is going to help you for sure. So, what are we waiting for, lets dive right in!

-> Christmas gifts for Travel Enthusiasts

Pin this post, so that you can come back when you plan to shop for Christmas gifts 🙂

Table of Contents

Suunto diving watch by Stefan Arestis from Nomadic Boys

One of the best gift I’ve received for my travels is a scuba diving watch. During my travels with Sebastien, we love diving in all its forms. We are keen scuba divers, we love snorkelling and also free diving. We always seek out the best coral and cove areas for swimming around, drop our stuff on the beach and head out for a diving “session”. The only problem to date however has been that, we have no idea how long a diving session lasts, how deep we’ve managed to go, or what the time is. I’ve always complained about this, which is where the idea to get me a diving watch as a present came from. I was given the Suunto diving watch. It’s massive of course, because it’s meant for viewing under water. I love it. It tells me the time, the duration of the dive, the maximum depth we’ve gone and other geeky facts which make the diving experience more fascinating, like the temperature of the water. It also tells you the depth you are at, which is extremely handy. The watch also has a very bright backlight that you press to see the screen of the watch better underwater. It’s certainly very impressive and has completely transformed our diving experiences. Get one here.

Packing Cubes by Sherrie Fabrizi Allbritten from Travel By a Sherrie Affair

One of the best gifts to give for that traveler in your life is, packing cubes. It’s one of those things you say, “I wish I invented this”. Most packing cubes found are made of nylon with zippered opening and come in all sizes and colors. There are ones designed for your pants and blouses but there are also ones perfectly sized for shoes, ties, scarfs and more.

I use the packing cubes for all types of travel. For shorter trips, I put complete outfits together in different cubes, accessories and all. For long trips, I divide by type of item; socks, underclothes, blouses, pants, dresses, accessories. On my extended holidays, I do not have a day to day plan of what I will wear – so this works better for me. Another great point is when you unpack in your hotel room you can just open the zippered cube and place in a drawer. When its time to leave, simply pick up your cube and rezip. As clothes get dirty I use the larger ones for soiled clothes. I even separate my whites and darks! Arriving home with laundry all sorted after three weeks holiday is something that I end up very much appreciating!

Thanks to packing cubes, it is no longer an issue to keep things neatly separated as you pack up, unpack and repack as you move through your travels. Using the packing cubes has not only brought organization to my travels but less stress and it saves time. Perfect gift!

Cashmere Scarf by Whitney Kjeldsen from GoFam Travel

Have you ever been freezing cold on an airplane? Sitting there so uncomfortable, wondering who set the thermostat to what feels like an artic temperature? One of the best Christmas gifts you can give to any traveler is a cashmere scarf. It’s a must-have when sitting on a cold and uncomfortable airplane for a long period of time. They are super stylish, adding class to any outfit. You can find them in almost any color, from bright and fun to neutrals that go with everything. I have stayed so warm and comfortable on all of the flights I have taken where I’m wrapped up in cashmere. As amazing multi-taskers, they can also be used as a luxurious blanket for sleeping on an airplane (or on vacation!). For a cozy neck pillow, the scarf can be rolled up. No matter what the temperature is at my final destination, I always use my cashmere scarf throughout the trip – as a wrap, a blanket, a sun shield, or for a head cover if it starts raining. The traveler in your life will thank you for this best Christmas gift ever!

Foldable Backpack by Sharon Gourlay from Simpler and Smarter

One of the most useful travel items I have is a foldable backpack. This makes a great Christmas gift for travellers as many do not realise they exist and how handy they are.

A foldable backpack folds up small so it can squish into any space in the other luggage that a traveller uses. This makes it easy to transport on travel days. Then, when you are in your destination, you can pull it out and have a handy backpack for exploring – saving you from needing to empty out your usual travel backpacks or suitcases.

It’s really handy to have this extra bag for exploring during the day, as already mentioned, or for the way home when you have done some shopping on your trip and need extra storage space.

The best news is that foldable backpacks are very affordable. We have bought super cheap ones on ebay but they don’t last long, so I recommend spending a little bit more on an Outlander Packable Backpack. Still very cheap but it’s lasted us years.

Trunki by Barbara Bryan from Let’s Go Mum

A Trunki suitcase should be every travelling parents best friend. Made of brightly coloured, hard-wearing plastic, this cute little travelling accessory has become a firm favourite of children worldwide for good reason. Trunkis come in a range of different colours and designs to suit the most fussy toddler. Inside there is plenty of room for a favourite toy or two, and story or colouring books for the journey. But the Trunki is not just a suitcase but also child’s ride on toy! Thanks to it’s built-in wheels and smooth top, younger children can sit on the Trunki and be pulled along by their parent using the supplied strap during long walks at the airport. Older children can scoot along under their own steam by holding on to the two little chunky horns located on the top of the Trunki, which serve as handlebars. Long delays at the airport are no longer a problem for parents of toddlers and young children as long as you have a Trunki with you!

Lifestraw Water Bottle by Priyanko Sarkar from Constant Traveller

The Lifestraw water bottle was my constant companion during my trip to Turkey and Georgia for six weeks. I was initially reluctant to take this bottle along with me but looking at the environmental as well as daily budget cost for bottled water made me give this a shot. The Lifestraw bottle proved its mettle on the first day itself when I needed water and filled her up in the men’s washroom at Sabiha Gokcen airport. Buying a bottle at the airport would have made a decent dent in my pocket for sure.

Over the next few weeks, as I toured the countryside of Anatolia and Cappadocia, the intense July heat was only bearable by keeping myself constantly hydrated. Not only would have I spent a small fortune on bottled water, I was glad I could help in conserving the beauty of Turkey’s monuments and places by opting for refillable filter bottles.

I had to be a bit more careful after dropping the bottle twice. It made the bottle leak when turned upside down and the fragility of the bottle is my only complaint in an otherwise super device that has no other hidden costs. In an age when the hashtag #PlanetOrPlastic has resonated around the world, a Lifestraw water bottle could be the perfect gift for any traveller.

Scratch Map by Rim from Curious and Geeks

Don’t know what to offer to your best-friend who travels the world or to your in-laws that are dreaming about their next trip? You can’t go wrong with a scratch map!!
They will be able to scratch off all the countries they have been to, and remember the crystal clear water where they saw dolphins, or the village where they did their first volunteering.

All travellers record the countries they have been to, either in their journals, on a blog, on their computer. With the scratch map, they will be able to do that plus will only have to look at their frame to figure out what is missing, where to go next and what they should add to their bucket list.

Plus it is soooo enjoyable to scratch off countries. This “been there, done that” type of feeling is what they need when they are back home, nostalgic about your last trip or looking forward to the next one. It is also a great match for the world traveller. People can roll their scratch map, put it in a tube and take it with them everywhere they go. So look no further and get a scratch map to your best!

Noise cancelling headphones by Matilda from The Travel Sisters

Noise cancelling headphones are one of the best and most practical gift you can give any traveler for Christmas. They will no longer have to deal with people talking loudly, children screaming or babies crying on long overnight flights, having to make awkward conversation with fellow travelers or being stuck in a hotel room with loud neighbors or located on a busy street. My Bose noise cancelling headphones block out most background noise and solve all these problems. This brand is on the pricey side but it gets great reviews from frequent travelers and business travelers. There are also cheaper options for those on a budget. My noise cancelling headphones are always packed in my carry on bag when I am flying – I pull them out to block out loud noise when I am trying to work or sleep on a flight, when I don’t feel like having a conversation with other travelers or when I feel like listening to music or watching a movie. They are also handy to wear in my hotel room when my neighbors or the street noise gets too loud. Noise cancelling headphones are a must have travel item worth buying as a travel gift for your loved ones or even for yourself.

Portable Phone Charger by Laura from Travel To The Beat

When I think about the amount of times my phone has died in an airport, or when I was lost looking for directions, or just bored scrolling through Instagram, I laugh! I don’t know how I used to survive without my Portable Charger. It is definitely a must for any traveler, as it saves your life whenever your phone is about to die! One feature I love is that it has both Android and Iphone built in, so if your friend has an Android, you can charge both items at the same time! To charge up the portable charger you just plug it into an outlet and it charges up super fast. My phone gets charged very quickly as well. It has saved me at music festivals, in airports, hiking, and exploring, and I would recommend one to every traveler! I also love that it has 2 USB ports, so I have also charged my camera and drone with it! It has a sleek looking design, many people think it’s some sort of phone It is also very lightweight, and fits easily in my purse. I use my portable charger every single day and it has become my best friend! I would recommend it to every traveler!

Kindle by Andra from Our World to Wander

When I think about my year spent traveling together with my husband, there is one item without which I don’t know how I could have survived. The Holy Kindle is definitely a must for any traveler, as it saves your life from boredom and it lets your imagination play even during those long bus rides, or those excruciating flights from one place to another.

One feature which I love at the newer versions of Kindle is the internal light, as it makes your life so much easier. All you need to worry about is getting enough books on it to last for your trip, be it either a weekend getaway or a one-year adventure.

It’s also a very light item, so you don’t even feel it in your backpack. I used it almost every day when we were traveling. From crammed cars and buses to lodges in the Himalayas in the evening, to pristine beaches in Indonesia, it has been my faithful companion, and I would definitely recommend it to Santa as a gift for any traveler. Gift them now!

Drone by Cat Smith from Walk My World

If you’re looking to really impress a traveller for Christmas, then splash out on a drone.

Drones give a new dimension to travel photography, enabling incredible aerial shots or that perfect angle that you can’t normally get to without an expensive scenic flight or steep hike. It’s also a great way to get travel shots with you in it without having to lug a tripod around. We wouldn’t travel anywhere without ours now.

We recommend the DJI Mavic Air which combines 12-megapixel stills, 4k 100 mbps video, a 21-minute flight time and features such as slow motion whilst still being very small. In the last five years, drones have advanced dramatically and now offer professional quality photos and video despite becoming much more light weight. The Mavic Air is 17 x 9 x 5 cm in dimensions, so it’s tiny enough to fit into your day bag – perfect for travelling.

You don’t need a license to fly this drone and the Mavic Air is a great one for beginners as there are plenty of safety features to stop you crashing into anything or losing it. At $800 USD it isn’t a cheap gift, but it is guaranteed to be one with the wow factor. Check the latest prices on Amazon.

A stunning drone shot

Mirrorless camera by Patti from The Savvy Globetrotter

One of the best gifts you can give a travel lover for Christmas is a quality mirrorless camera so that they can take great photos during their trips. Unlike a DSLR, a mirrorless camera does not have a mirror reflex optical viewfinder. Mirrorless cameras are larger and heavier than point & shoot cameras but smaller and lighter than Digital SLR cameras. For travelers that want to take good photos but don’t want to carry a large and heavy DSLR camera, a mirrorless camera is the way to go. Mirrorless cameras have become very popular with travelers and photographers in the last few years because they produce high quality photos without the bulk and weight of a DSLR. However unlike point and shoot cameras, you can change lenses on a mirrorless camera. You can find quality mirrorless cameras at a variety of prices. For those on a budget, I personally love the Sony Alpha a6000 camera which gets great reviews and is one of the more affordable options. If you are willing to splurge on a gift, I recommend the Sony A7 III which is one of the best mirrorless cameras on the market. A mirrorless camera is truly one of the best travel gadgets that every traveler could use.

Gimbal by Liza from Tripsget

One of the best gifts for travellers that are obsessed with video is a gimbal. Before I invested in a gimbal a year ago, my videos used to be shaky and very amateur, but now, when I have it, filming videos became much easier. So what is a gimbal? Gimbal is a 3-axis stabiliser that helps you to shoot smooth videos. You also connect your smartphone or an action camera to the app of the gimbal and you can use all the buttons / functions of the gimbal. A couple of years ago, gimbals only existed for professional cameras and were worth a fortune, but now, they are pretty affordable. At first, I couldn’t believe it, but there is a HUGE difference between the videos shot with a gimbal and without, especially, if you need to film a lot of slow-motion & cinematic shots.

A sturdy Luggage by yours truly

An important part of every travellers’ life is a sturdy and good luggage bag. Be it an international trip, or a local one, a luggage bag is the one we count on and pray that it doesn’t give way amidst the trip. So, possessing a good branded suitcase is essential – the one that we can rely on, in all occasions and the one that withstands the constant weather changes while traveling and not to mention about the hardships faced by it at the airport cargo!

No gift is as good as a nice luggage set for a frequent traveler. This one will surely put a huge smile on their face and you will be remembered every time they pack their luggage. Also, consider gifting a luggage set rather than a single sized suitcase. This will help serve their travel needs for all situations. They can use the smaller one as a carry on luggage and the bigger one on a longer trip. And speaking about brands, Samsonite is one brand that I always can rely on. My husband uses an American Tourister and that’s been faithful to us too!

Hope your mind is now filled with many ideas as to what to gift to your travelholic friend/girlfriend/boyfriend or someone in the family. These are the suggestions given by real travelers who share their experiences with the world through their blog. Now, that’s serious advice isn’t it? So run to Amazon right now and buy that super impressive gift you have chalked out in your mind!

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14 Kick-ass Christmas gifts for Travel Enthusiasts (That they’ll actually use)