14 Perfect Holiday Gift Ideas for Travelers

The Christmas season is here again. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting colder, and holiday cheer is starting to be felt everywhere you go. It’s time to start thinking of holiday gift ideas for those loved ones of yours.

If the person on your list loves to travel, this list is for you!

Updated November 2023

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I will earn a small commission. This occurs at no added cost to you.

Christmas Gift Idea #1 – Hynes Eagle Backpack

Where else to start than with the most important travel item for most people? The Hynes Eagle Backpack is so good, both Michelle and I have one.

The Hynes backpack has three compartments including one on the front big enough to hold dirty clothes for a week. On the inside is a zip-up compartment to keep things separate for easy access. It also has a convenient handle on the side for carrying around if you don’t feel like putting it on your back at the airport. Despite all these compartments, this backpack is still small enough to easily fit in an overhead bin.

Christmas Gift Idea #2 – Lightweight Day Pack

I can’t state enough how helpful it is having a lightweight day pack during a day of hiking or sightseeing. It’s so convenient having the storage area for water bottles, snacks, my journal and whatever other odds and ends we might need for the day without feeling like I’m lugging around a ton of weight on my back.

The Venture Pal 40L pack is great for all these things. It’s sturdy, light compared to its size and easy to fold up into my bigger backpack if needed. On top of all that, it has two side pockets for water bottles, a waterproof pocket and a smaller pocket on the back where I put things that need to keep a bit more secure. This pack is also nice to take in the airplane to leave at your feet for quick access to a laptop or book.

Christmas Gift Idea #3 – Packing Cubes

Sticking with the theme of traveling logistics, packing cubes are a must for backpacking! These bags come in varying sizes and are great for keeping things organized in your Hynes Eagle Backpack. Most will also come with a second zipper to compress the bag giving you even more space in your backpack.

There are a ton of varieties of these packing bags to choose from with different sizes and a different number of bags in the set. I recommend the set of three from Alameda. Personally, I haven’t needed more than three bags during any of my trips. I do have to combine different types of clothes, but any more than three would be difficult to fit in my backpack.

Christmas Gift Idea #4 – Garmin Forerunner 245

This Garmin watch is especially vital if you’ll be doing any hiking. The Forerunner 245 comes with all the usual features of a GPS watch, but the best feature for hikers is one that pulls up a map of your route so far with directions to get you back to your starting point. This feature can be nice even if you’re just walking around a new city in case you get lost.

Christmas Gift Idea #5 – A Tour Through GetYourGuide or Viator

We can mostly all agree that a great experience will beat a great gift almost any day. So, what better way to surprise a friend or loved one than with a handpicked tour through GetYourGuide or Viator during one of their upcoming travels?

Walking food tours are always an excellent way to see a new city. Most cities now have some type of beer or wine tour. Other options can be various museum or church tours. The options are endless. You just need to know what the person you’re buying for is interested in and where they’re going.

Read More: Vino and Hill Towns on a Tuscany Wine Tour

Christmas Gift Idea #6 – Iron Flask Water Bottle

I doubted whether one of these pricier water bottles was actually worth it, but when my old one broke, I figured I’d give it a try. I decided to try the Iron Flask water bottle since it was still a little cheaper than some of the other options. Having used it for several months now, these bottles are worth the money!

There are two things that set this bottle apart from cheaper varieties. First, they retain the temperature of whatever is inside very effectively. I’ve had water several hours after it was poured that still tasted icy cold.

Second, these bottles are exceedingly sturdy. The cheaper bottles show every ding and scrape whereas my Iron Flask has been through hell without any evidence. More importantly, the seal on the lid is still working perfectly. Many cheap bottles I’ve used begin having issues within just a few months of use.

Christmas Gift Idea #7 – A Journal

At a time when electronic devices dominate our lives, there is something to be said for having a physical journal to record your thoughts. Journals are particularly helpful for travelers to write down notes about their day in real time so they can remember every important detail. Don’t take for granted this simple gift when doing your shopping!

Related: Ways Travel, Hiking and Writing Can Improve Mental Health

Christmas Gift Idea #8 – Rick Steves’ Guidebooks

Rick Steves is one of the foremost European travel experts in America. He has a renowned TV show, extensive guidebooks, a radio show, and a website with more information you could ever need. When I start my planning for our trips to Europe, I always start with his guidebooks. His books not only discuss the best things to see in each country, but they also provide vital information on costs, opening hours, travel, and how much time to set aside for wherever you’re visiting.

You can purchase his guidebooks as either a physical book or a digital copy. I recommend a digital copy since that will be one less thing for the traveler in your life to have to carry around during their trip. It’s also much easier with a digital version to bookmark information to find for later.

Christmas Gift Idea #9 – Atlas Obscura

Another good travel book to help with planning is Atlas Obscura. This book isn’t nearly as detailed as Rick Steves’ guidebooks, but it isn’t intended to be either. Instead, it provides information on some of the lesser-known sights in countries around the world.

Atlas Obscura is a nice resource for fleshing out trips with unique attractions after all the big things have been planned. It’s well organized by country, and each entry is written in such a way that you can quickly skim through to see if you want to read more. Some of the locations they detail in the book are so unusual that it can be an interesting read even if you aren’t traveling to that country.

Christmas Gift Idea #10 – Universal Adapter

A universal adapter with USB ports is a must when traveling to most places outside North America. These adapters allow you to charge your electronic devices in other countries. Make sure to get an adapter that has different plugs for the most common types of international outlets. This way you only need to make this purchase once.

Christmas Gift Idea #11 – iPhone 14 Pro

Not to gloat, but I’ve had several people comment on the quality of my travel photos. The conversation almost inevitably progresses to questions about what kind of camera I use. It’s just an iPhone 14 Pro, folks.

The camera on this phone is amazing, especially when taking videos. I compare my photos and videos to others I see on social media, and considering I don’t do any enhancing, they all look comparable for a much cheaper price than higher end cameras.

There is also the newer iPhone 14 Pro model with an upgraded camera if you are looking to splurge on a gift. The camera on the iPhone 13 Pro is more than good enough, though!

Below are a couple examples of some of my favorite pictures taken with my iPhone 14 Pro.

Christmas Gift Idea #12 – Travel Map

The Anker Portable Charger is a lightweight, efficient charger for your devices when you’re on the go. It’s capable of fully charging a standard mobile phone three times and a tablet once on a single battery. Whether you’re using an iPhone or an Android, this portable charger is a great option.

Christmas Gift Idea #13 – First Aid Kit

First aid kits can be helpful for anyone, but this recommendation is really for people who will be doing some hiking during their travels. After my own injury while hiking, we always make sure to have a first aid kit on hand. That way you can either take care of small injuries or patch things up enough till you can get to an emergency department.

Small first aid kits don’t take up too much space and aren’t heavy, so it’s worth having just in case.

Christmas Gift Idea #15 – Inflatable Travel Pillow

This inflatable travel pillow is a lifesaver for those who have trouble sleeping on planes but also want to pack light. It takes less than two minutes and minimal effort to inflate and truly stays inflated even through long flight. Better yet, when you aren’t using the pillow, it folds up and fits right into its own little drawstring pouch.

Why carry around a huge neck pillow your whole trip when you can have this!

Thank you for reading this post. Paul Passing Through is a labor of love to which I’ve dedicated a lot of free time. If you’d like to show your support for my blog, you can Buy Me a Coffee to help fund the future of Paul Passing Through. I appreciate any contributions!

Resources to Book Your Next Trip

Whether you’re looking for tours, hotels or flights, here are some tools to help get you started planning your next trip!

Look for activities and tours offered through GetYourGuide or Viator!

Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Check out my travel essentials pages for more of my recommendations.

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