You may be thinking that finding the best travel gifts for your globetrotting friend is an impossible task. Well let me tell you that it is easier than you think! While most travelers or digital nomads don’t need or want much, there are a plenty of items which can be incredibly useful during their travels around the world.
Having traveled extensively over the years I’ve been able to narrow down some of the absolute travel necessities that any wanderluster would be happy to receive and actually use!
In this post you’ll find the best travel gifts for your digital nomad friend or favorite travel lover!
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post, meaning that if you click through and make a purchase, I’ll earn a small commission—at no cost to you. All of the products I recommend are ones that I personally use and love myself!
17 BEST TRAVEL GIFTS
1. Mophie Power Bank
Carrying around an external battery charger (power bank) has been an absolute lifesaver while traveling. Think about how quickly your phone battery dies when you’re using it all day to take photos, use the map, upload your stories to Instagram and more!
One thing you’ll never want to be without while traveling is having access to your phone and you may not be able to find an outlet to charge it on the go.
This is where a power bank will come in handy. I carry two on me at all times and my favorite is the 20,000 mAh XXL Powerstation from Mophie. This is definitely one of the best travel gifts for anyone even if they aren’t traveling frequently!
» Travel Tip: Make sure to pack your power bank in your hand carry luggage only. The airlines will not allow it to be in your checked baggage.
2. Packing Cubes- BEST TRAVEL GIFTS
The best way to efficiently pack your clothes and maximize space in your luggage is to use packing cubes. Just as the name suggests, these handy cubes come in varying sizes and are the perfect way to organize your belongings.
I am able to fit all of my clothes into one packing cube and neatly place it into my suitcase or carry-on baggage. In fact, I was able to travel in a carry on bag for 2 weeks on an African Safari thanks to packing cubes!
The best part is that they compress your clothes allowing you to pack even more and stay organized! Believe me when I say that packing cubes are, hands down, one of the best travel gifts that money can buy!
3. Lush Shampoo Bar
One of my absolute favorite products is a shampoo bar. Since they are liquid free they are perfect for travel if you are trying to fly with a carry on only.
Besides travel, they are also perfect for everyday use and help to reduce single use plastic. I have been using the Lush Shampoo Bars for years and my top picks are the Honey I Washed My Hair and Jason and the Argan Oil.
They also last forever, way longer than liquid shampoo and have made my hair so soft and silky! I have personally tried a few other brands but the ones from Lush still remain my favorite. However, their shampoo bars are not sulfate-free so hopefully one day they will create one!
They also sell pressed conditioner bars, my favorite being the American Cream one.
4. Maho Shades Polarized Sunglasses
Created for travelers by travelers, Maho Shades is a local business based out of the United States. Their goal was to create lightweight, quality sunglasses and they have successfully done just that!
All of their sunglasses have polarized lenses, are completely affordable and come backed with a lifetime warranty! The only hard part will be selecting a style as they have so many beautiful pairs to choose from!
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5. Longchamp Le Pliage Backpack
This bag has been my go to for many years and is one of the best travel gifts for female travelers. The outer nylon makes it water resistant and easy to clean.
The inside is super spacious, so much so that I lovingly call it my Mary Poppins bag because I can fit so much inside! The best part is that it can fold up into a tiny square making it super easy to pack for your travels!
6. Topo Designs Backpack
The perfect backpack for travel, daily use and even school! This Colorado made brand has so many different backpack options with gorgeous colors that it will honestly be so hard to choose!
I’ve used this backpack traveling all over Africa, Europe and Asia and can say it’s been one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. I even bought it for my brother as a birthday present and he uses it everyday for work!
You can easily clean the bag and the padded shoulder straps might be one of my favorite features!
7. Polar Pro Backpack
This bag has become an absolute game changer when it comes to traveling with ALL my electronics. The back section opens up fully revealing a large compartment with velcro pieces so that you can customize the layout to fit your gear.
It is completely padded and has a built in external lock. The front section has plenty of extra storage space along with a padded laptop sleeve to keep your computer safe.
Inside the back compartment I can fit my Sony A7III camera body with 2 lenses, a drone with remote controller, 2 external hard drives, a DJI Osmo Pocket with underwater housing and a bag full of chargers and cables.
There is also a handy hidden pocket at the top and 2 side pockets where you can store extra stuff!
8. LaCie Rugged Mini External Hard drive
There is nothing more devastating then losing all of your gorgeous photographs that you took of your amazing vacation because you’re computer crashed. Back everything up and keep it safe with an external hard drive!
The one from LaCie is my favorite because it is rugged and waterproof making it one of the best travel gifts for anyone!
Using this hard drive I feel pretty confident that my thousands of travel photos will be safely protected and I’ll be able the cherish them for years to come!
9. Universal Travel Adaptor
A universal travel adaptor is an absolute necessity when traveling around the world and is one of the best travel gifts. It is so much easier than carrying a multitude of different adaptors for different destinations! Plus, the USB direct plug-ins will allow you to charge so many more electronics at the same time!
10. Birkenstock Sandals
There is a reason that Birkenstock sandals have been around for many years. They are high quality, extremely comfortable and provide plenty of support for many hours of walking around a new city.
Birkenstocks come in many different colors and styles and are my go-to shoe for everyday wear. In fact, I personally own about 5 pairs and love each one of them equally. This is definitely one of my best travel gift ideas for just about anyone!
11. Sea to Summit Blow Up Travel Pillow
Let’s face it, traveling around can be pretty exhausting and downright uncomfortable. Which is why you always see so many people with a neck pillow attached to their backpacks or worn around their necks.
But the thing is, neck pillows are bulky and just add one extra thing that you have to carry around. This is why a blow up travel pillow is one of the greatest inventions for frequent travelers.
My personal favorite is the one from Sea to Summit and I have both the neck pillow and the regular pillow version. I personally prefer the regular version as I have used it to camp in Tanzania and Botswana, on the overnight bus in India, on plane journeys all over the world and more.
The best part is that is weighs almost nothing and packs up into this tiny little bag which takes up zero space in your carry on baggage!
12. Fjällraven Passport Holder- BEST TRAVEL GIFTS
Keeping your passport safely packed away is an absolute necessity while traveling. However, it is also something that many of us overlook when packing for our travels.
With this zippered passport wallet you’ll never have to worry about your passport slipping out or getting lost. The best part is that inside the wallet there is also space for your extra cards, cash and a zippered section for coins.
I’ve been using this Fjallraven passport wallet for over 5 years and I can’t imagine traveling without it! This is one of the best travel gifts that your travel loving friends didn’t even know they need!
13. HydroFlask Re-Useable Water Bottle
The perfect gift for anyone, not just the traveler in your life. The HydroFlask water bottles have been a favorite of mine for many years and I now have 4 different bottles in varying sizes.
You’ll feel good about reducing your single use plastic and look stylish while doing it as these bottles come in many different colors. They are vacuum sealed stainless steel water bottles that will keep your beverages cold for up to 24 hrs and hot up to 12 hrs!
14. Lonely Planet Epic Hikes of the World Book
One of the best travel gift ideas for your adventure loving travel friend is this book right here!
If they are looking for the most epic hikes around the world but not sure where to start then this book has some great ideas! It’s honestly made me want to pack up a small backpack and start off on my own trekking adventures around the world!
15. Topo Designs Camera Strap
Carry around your camera with a colorful pop of color! Made from climbing rope, these sturdy and fun colored camera straps are the perfect gift for your travel and photography loving friend!
There are 4 different color combinations to choose from so you can pick the one that best matches their personality!
16. Topo Designs Camera Cube
Can you tell I’m a bit fan of this brand? These products are not sponsored I’m just blown away by the quality and functionality that they offer. They really have thought of it all!
One of the best purchases I’ve made this year was this Camera Cube. It is essentially a rectangular shaped cube that is fulled padded and fits your camera perfectly. You can either pack the camera with a lens attached or the camera body with 2 extra lenses inside with ease. 
The camera cube comes with 2 velcro dividers so that you can customize it for your equipment.
The cube also fits perfectly in the Topo Designs Rover Pack and makes it so easy to carry around your expensive camera without worrying about damaging it!
17. Will and Bear Calloway Cream Wool Fedora
I’d been looking for the perfect wool fedora and I finally found it from Will and Bear. Not only is it super cute but the brand also plants 10 trees for 1 hat sold.
I am all about supporting small brands that give back to the environment and Will and Bear do just that!
Hope you find something on this list that you can gift your travel loving friend or even yourself! Happy Shopping!
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Best are the backpacks….and, of course, those packing cubes! Great article! Keep it up…!
Thanks Elsa! Completely agree, without backpacks I don’t know how anyone could travel!
This is a great list! My Birkenstocks are my favorite sandals for traveling and I can’t pack without my packing cubes!
Absolutely agree about the Birkenstocks!! They are so comfortable! And the packing cubes are the real MVP of packing!
Wow amazing travel gifts for frequent travelers. I would love to gift Mophie power bank as it is very useful and also those cute packing cubes.
Thanks Yukti! The Mophie power bank has come in handy so many times and has truly been a lifesaver! It would make the perfect gift!