Ever struggled to buy someone a travel inspired gift but thought anything practical would seem boring? I’m here to tell you that practical gifts that will save money, time or space are some of the best gifts for travellers. This list should give you an insight into what would actually be a useful travel-inspired gift that they’ll actually use, as I’ve often found that looking up ‘gifts for travellers’ often turns up key rings with airplanes on or classic items they already own.
GRAYL Geopress water bottle
I recently got a GRAYL geopress for my 20th birthday and I LOVE it. The water bottle has a special filter that allows you to fill the bottle from streams, waterfalls or taps with non-drinking water and it purifies it to be safe to drink. This would be a perfect gift for avid hikers or wild campers as well as someone travelling to a less developed country.
They are available on amazon for £75
Nomadic Matt’s book How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
This is definitely going on my Christmas list! I had been doing research about the best ways to budget my next trip and this popped up as a suggestion and it was exactly what I’d been after. As a budget travel blogger I’m always looking for ways to save me time and money, I mean, who wouldn’t.
The book is available on amazon for £6.09
Worldwide travel adapter
No everywhere use the same outlets, the UK for instance, use different plug outlets to France and Spain, and it can be a real pain having to take multiple adapters if you’re crossing borders that require different ones. A universal adapter has all of these in one as well as several USB ports so you can charge several things at once.
This one is available on amazon for £9.04
Neck pillow
A good supportive neck pillow is a great gift, and one that will certainly get a lot of use. Personally, I’d recommend looking into good quality pillows, as hurting your neck on your flight could lead to constant pain throughout your trip, and no one wants that. I recommend a sturdy memory foam one. There’s a huge array on the market so you’ll definitely find the perfect one to gift.
Here’s one is available on amazon for £12.81
Nomadic Matt’s book How to Travel Hack and Get Free Flights and Hotels
If I were to buy someone this, I’d probably buy one for myself as well. Much like Matt’s other book, this is a great gift for any traveller to help save them time and money. He teaches you the art of travel hacking and explains how to use loyalty points and frequent flier points in a simple and easy to understand way.
The e-book is available to purchase on his website for $9.99
Hiking backpack
A good sturdy hiking backpacker would be a great gift for an active traveller or avid hiker. A good quality backpack can also be used as a carry on bag along with main luggage or even for a carry on only backpacking trip. I would definitely say that quality is everything when it comes to backpacks, big or small, as poor quality can lead to strained backs or it just simply doesn’t last. My brand recommendations would be osprey, eagle creek and tropic feel.
This tropic feel shell backpack is available on their website from £196
Foldable backpack
Foldable backpacks are the best discovery I’ve made. There’s a huge range available on the market, all with different storage capacities and features and to suit everyone’s price range. I personally have an Eco Chic backpack, however I would also recommend the onya and tropic feel foldable backpacks. They would be a perfect stocking filler or a birthday gift for a friend.
This Eco Chic backpack is available on amazon for £17.99
Noise cancelling headphones
Noise cancelling headphones are a great gift for several reasons. They work better than regular headphones as you don’t need the volume as loud as external noises are blocked out and they can provide some much needed peace and quiet on a noisy plane or hostel.
Here’s some on amazon for £44.99
Microfibre towel
Microfibre towels are a space saving genius. I have a huge (200×90 cm) dock and bay towel and it folds up so flat it takes up no more room than an iPad, if that! It’s also ‘sand free’ and drys super quick. I would also recommend a ‘turkish towel’ if you’re buying for someone going to South East Asia as they are perfect cover-ups for temples and are super effective for drying off, and are the ‘vegan’ alternative to microfibre.
Here’s my recommended towels on amazon, microfibre for £20.99 and turkish for £19.63
Solar-charging power bank
A power bank is an essential travel item to have, even for day to day activities. I don’t go anywhere without one. The one I use is a solar charging power bank, and I would recommend it to anyone. It means you don’t need mains power access to charge it and if you’re stranded somewhere with no charge on either the bank or your phone, you can leave it in the sun and will be able to use you’re phone again in no time.
This is the one I use, it’s available on Amazon for £24.99
DISCLAIMER: This post is not sponsored, these are my honest opinions and product recommendations