Christmas Gifts for Travellers in 2020

We know that buying gifts for travel lovers can be difficult. Considering there are so many different types of traveller; ‘one size fits all’ here isn’t going to cut it. What makes it even more challenging is if you’re not a traveller yourself (yet!) and aren’t sure what the little things are that truly make a difference when the traveller in your life heads abroad! We’ve made it easy as pie for you and put together a list of the best Christmas gifts for travellers. It’s a list for travellers, by travellers! And you can trust us, we’re travel mad! 

 

Here’s our most useful travel gifts:

 

GIFTS FOR THE ORGANISED TRAVELLER: 

 

TRAVEL CUBES

This may not strike you as an exciting gift but any traveller will tell you that after a week with a backpack, it’s literally impossible to find anything that isn’t on the surface of your bag. These cubes will help even the most chaotic of people! Prepare for a lotttttt of hugs, within your bubble, obvs.

 

DRY BAGS

Depending on the location they’re going to, there’s a very large chance that your traveller will be going near water. Whether it’s island hopping or kayaking, they’ll need a way to keep their stuff dry. Because if you can’t take your phone with you to snap those epic IG pics, then did you even go?

 

TRAVEL GUIDE BOOK

For those who like to know exactly what they’re getting into before they go. You’ve not just given them a book but hours and hours of planning fun. Lonely Planet will forever be the holy grail for all travellers so when you’re searching for gifts for travellers, this has to be one of the first presents you consider!

 

GIFTS FOR THE ECO CONSCIOUS TRAVELLER:

 

REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE

The reusable bottle is the perfect gift for the eco conscious traveller. Not only will the recipient use it traveling the world, but it’ll come in handy during their normal life too – double win! Look for one with a clip so you can hang it on a bag, this way they’ll avoid it ever rolling underneath all the seats behind them on a plane (yes, we’re speaking from experience).

 

REUSABLE CUTLERY SET

Eating utensils can pose many issues, especially when travelling! Whether it’s everything being made out of plastic, lack of sanitation or just lack of, having your own reusable cutlery set can be an absolute life saver, as well as being a planet saver.

 

ECO TOILETRIES

No one likes carting around big bottles when they’re traveling, it’s so impractical and generally toiletries are always made out of plastic – absolute no. Treat your traveller to some more eco friendly toiletries. Shampoo, conditioner and soap bars are a fantastic space saver and are all plastic free. Why not put a little bundle together of bars, a bamboo toothbrush, toothpaste tablets and eco friendly sunscreen for an eco friendly travel starter pack?

 

FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER:

 

GOPRO/DRONE

For any budding videographers out there, a GoPro is an absolute must for easily documenting every moment of their trip. Virtually indestructible, these little pieces of amazing technology can be strapped to pretty much anything to get that all important shot! And if they’ve already got one, the next level up is a drone. Just don’t let them fly it inside on Christmas Day.

 

CAMERA/CAMERA ACCESSORIES

Maybe your traveller is more interested in still life. With the incredible places they’re going to, it’s worth treating them to some good photography equipment so they can make you even more jealous with their amazing photos. 

 

FOR THE GADGET LOVING TRAVELLER: 

 

NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES

Anyone can understand the need for these. Just think back to any time you’ve ever sat next to a crying baby on a plane, or any time you’ve been trying to sleep in a dorm with someone who snores! Noise cancelling headphones could be the difference between keeping the peace and having a full blown public meltdown – if you’re trying to find gifts for travellers, this one is a real winner!

 

E-READER

A large part of traveling is long plane, train or bus journeys. There’s something almost nostalgic about losing yourself in a book whilst exploring a new culture. Whether the traveller in your life likes to relax on a beach or will be spending hours on overnight trains or buses, an e-reader is the perfect way to save space and weight in their luggage while having a world of reading at their fingertips.

 

PORTABLE SPEAKER

Music makes memories and every trip has a soundtrack! When you hear a certain song, it always brings back memories, right? Plus, the person that brings their speaker to the beach or sunset drinks always earns serious brownie points. Boost their traveller rep and get them a portable bluetooth speaker this year.

 

PORTABLE POWER BANK 

A completely underrated gift, but one of our absolute must-haves. There is nothing worse than running out of battery during a 3 day remote island hopping trip and having to rely on other people’s photos to remember these awesome moments. Not only that, but every time you’re on a long journey, you can download books/videos to your phone and not worry about running out of juice before you’ve even arrived at your destination.

 

FOR ALL TRAVELLERS: 

 

BACKPACK

A good backpack is the foundation of traveling. We suggest looking for one that has multiple pockets and access from top, bottom and middle. If your traveller is a steadfast suitcase user and is a little skeptical about carrying everything on their back, look for a backpack with wheels and an extendable handle for the best of both worlds.

 

TRAVEL DIARY

The best gifts aren’t always the biggest or most dramatic ones. Sometimes a gift that requires participation is the best gift of all. Your traveller will be creating lots of memories and will certainly want a tangible way of keeping them. When they read it back, hopefully they’ll have lots of warm fuzzy feelings, making it the gift that keeps on giving.

 

TRAVEL SCRATCH MAP

For the traveller that is super proud of everywhere they’ve already traveled, get them a travel scratch map for their wall so they can log everywhere they’ve been and have an awesome visual reminder when they’re at home!

 

PORTABLE HAMMOCK

For the more rustic of travellers, those who are happy to sleep under the stars or love to 

have a hanging nap on a beach, we guarantee this is a present that will please. Anyone trying to find unique gifts for travellers will be onto another winner with this one.

 

BEACH TOWEL OR SARONG

Forget about those thick beach towels that came with you on family beach trips. No traveller has space for that or the time it takes for them to dry. There’s some beautiful lightweight, quick drying beach towels out there now that can double as a sarong for going between the beach and accommodation. What traveller doesn’t love multi functional items?

 

With this expert list put together by a team of seasoned travellers, you can’t go wrong this Christmas when buying any gifts for travellers in your life. And hey, who said gift giving is just for Christmas? Bookmark this list for birthdays, graduations, bon voyages or just because! There’s plenty of unique travel gifts out there, and we can guarantee you they’ll appreciate them.