It’s officially December, which means it’s probably time to start thinking about how you plan to spoil your sweetie and the other people you love. I’m not saying gift giving equals love, but most people give gifts at Christmas so… I’m just trying to do my job here, okay! Everybody calm down!
If you need some Christmas gift giving inspiration, we’ve got you covered with these awesome gift ideas for travel lovers. There are also a whole bunch of ideas for general weirdos (me) who like weird, fun and unusual stuff (also me). I worked on this with my work experience gal, Olivia, to create a guide to help you find the perfect present this festive season.
1. Robot head portable charger
Lightweight and pocket-sized – great to take while travelling. Its eyes light up to indicate it’s charging. Super cute. Powerful enough to cater for your tablets, digital cameras and most other USB-powered gadgets.
2. Monogramed travel accessories
These are on my Christmas wish list this year and, why not? These gorgeous products come in a range of colours items just perfect for travel lovers. Favourites include wallets and purses, travel wallets and passport holders, luggage tags and cosmetic cases, iPhone and laptop cases. They’re just… wow.
Find monogramed travel accessories here.
3. Tansafe valuable holder
It looks like an ordinary suntan lotion but secretly holds your valuables! It has enough space to hold most mobile phones/iPhone, credit cards, keys and cash. IT also has a watertight seal and is an essential travelling companion, especially for anyone planning on staying at hostels or visiting countries where pickpockets are rife.
4. Kindle Paperwhite
No need to lug around heavy books while travelling when you’ve got your Kindle Paperwhite with you! It can hold more than 1,000 books and can go weeks between charges, perfect for those remote island holidays or long-haul flights.
5. Emoji Pillows
Adorable! If you love Emojis as much as I do, this is a really cute gift idea. All your favourite emojis can now come to life (don’t judge, embrace it!). These pillows are also great to take on flights, way more comfortable than those awful neck pillows.
6. Moleskin journals
Everyone loves a classic journal and Moleskin are the grand-daddy of travel journals. There is a range of different designs to choose from and they’re great for keeping you entertained on long-haul flights. Write, play hangman, keep up with your travel journalling etc. If you want something a bit fancier you could checkout Typos journals, some with travel specific themes.
Find classic Moleskin journals here. Find Typo Journals here.
7. Lush gift boxes
I realise that bath products have been done and done again as gifts, but you can’t tell me you don’t feel kind of amazing when you open up a box of Lush goodies and know you’re going to smell like a giant flower for the next few months.
8. Magical unicorn mug
There’s no way this isn’t on everybody’s Christmas wish list this year. No. Way. It doesn’t even need an explanation, just buy it.
Find magical unicorn mug here.
9. Cards Against Humanity
Also on my Christmas wish list, this game is unlike any other you have played before. Great for that inappropriate and awkward friend (me). Described as “a party game for horrible people.”The game is simple. Each round, one player asks a question from a black card, and everyone else answers with their funniest white card. On the website, it allows you to choose which country you are from and gives you an adapted version to suit your culture. Perfect!
Find Cards Against Humanity here.
10. Crumpled City Map
Paper maps are easily damaged and crumpled… enter the crumpled map! They are indestructible, soft and waterproof which makes them perfect. Check where you are and where you need to be, then scrunch it up and stuff it in your backpack worry-free. GENIUS.
11. Polaroid Camera
For anyone who loves travel or photography, a Polaroid camera is perfect. It’s so cool having your own copy of a photo straight away and you can even write your own messages under each photo. Perfect gift for an aspiring photographer and they come in four different colours. Cute!
12. Colouring books
Not just for kids anymore, the colouring revolution has pretty much taken over the world. It’s a great chance for adults to connect with their inner-child and a great way to de-stress. Batch up some colouring books and pencils and watch your creative friend beam with joy as they unwrap them!
Find colouring books for grown-ups here.
13. Macro lens smartphone attachment
Featuring a wide-angle lens as well as a macro lens. The wide angle allows you to capture that little bit extra, such as a big group shot. The macro lens gives your phone’s camera a ten mm focal distance, allowing you to get closer detail on anything. Phone lens attaches magnetically – Snap it on and off in an instant.
Find Macro lens smartphone attachment here.
14. Watermelon charging cable
The great thing about this item is that it’s retractable, which takes care of all those messy cords hanging around. It makes it nifty for travellers as you can tuck it into your handbag easily and not worry about the cords getting tangled or breaking as easily. Best of all… umm… WATERMELON! Yes, thanks.
Find Watermelon retractable charging cable here.
15. Better Together note pouch
For that person in your life who is obsessed with organising. Just look at how functional and aesthetically pleasing they are. Also would be great for a student, or even for travelling.
Find Better Together note pouches here.
16. Baby Mop
“Transform your aimless crawling baby into a cleaning machine.” Cute and hilarious. Soft and cozy – made of 100% cotton. More importantly, it should fit your cat or small dog. Excellent!
17. Earbud organiser
One of the enemies of travel-lovers is the never-ending pile of charging cords and cables cluttering up your bag. Enter the earbud organiser! Keeps your earbud cords wrapped up nicely, which stops them breaking and makes them easy to find. Winner.
Find leather engraved earbud organisers here.
18. A desktop punching bag
Everyone needs one of these at their work desk. Immediate stress relief after those insanely annoying work meetings. It suctions tightly to your desk so you can punch it and not your computer screen. Brilliant.
Find desktop punching bag here.
19. Jewellery roll
These are perfect for travellers who love to accessorise! Pop all your jewellery safely inside, wrap it up and go. Makes it easy to find your favourite pieces and keep them safe during transit.
Find gorgeous jewellery rolls here.
20. Gorgeous new bedding
Great sheets are one of those things people have a hard time splurging on. If there’s someone you’re close to who you know needs a little spoiling in the sleep department, splash out on a set of really gorgeous sheets for them. After all, your bedroom is one of the most important spaces in your home.
21. Waterproof speaker
Can attach to your shower wall at home or while you’re travelling. Why would you get one? Ahhh, because it takes your shower to the next level! You can re-live the Britney Spears glory days OR you can listen to some soothing music while soaking in the bubble bath. It also gives you the freedom to pause, skip songs and increase/decrease volume without leaving the warmth of your shower.
22. Cool travel backpack
The Japanese know whats up when it comes to cool backpacks, like this one, and any serious traveller will appreciate getting their hands on one of these beauties. Functional, gorgeous and downright cool.
Find cool backpacks from Japanese brand Master-Piece here. or Find awesome backpacks from Fjallraven here.
23. Cork Globe
Track your travels in 3D, by inserting pins into this cool cork globe.
24. Bangin’ new headphones
These are great for travel, especially for watching movies on the plane and generally helping you survive long-haul flights. New headphones are the gift that keeps on giving!
Find cool new headphones here.
25. Novelty pool inflatables
Yes, yes, yes! A giant hot-pink flamingo pool inflatable is exactly what everybody wants this Christmas, trust me. If they aren’t into pink flamingos, you could always go with the gold swan, pineapple bed or watermelon slice. They’re all winners in my book.
Find novelty pool inflatables here.
26. Stuffed Blobfish
Why not? “Hold and caress the ugliest animal in the world.” Just what everyone wants to do this Christmas.
27. Tablet Sleeve
Keep your tablet safe and sound when you travel with a super soft sleeve! Not only are they cute, they’re pretty unique too.
Find tablet sleeves on Etsy here.
28. Bubble wrap calendar
The most satisfying calendar ever! You can pop your way through an entire year. So satisfying.
Find bubble warp calendars here.
29. Luxe beach towel
If someone you love, loves the beach then a really cool beach towel will make an awesome present. This is especially true if they love Instagram, cos a great towel makes for epic beach photos.
Find gorgeous luxury beach towels here.
30. 642 Things to Write About
A book filled with random things to get your imagination flowing. Perfect low-pressure practice for aspiring writers.
Find 642 Things to Write About here.
31. Packing Cubes
For the traveller who loves to stay organised and/or is just one of those A-Type personalities who MUST have order. These small bags are sold in sets of 3 and keep your luggage really well organised so you don’t have clothes and undies rolling around everywhere like a madman.
32. The X Cube
Because normal Rubix cubes are overrated! This is an ideal present for something like my dad, he’d go nuts for this. It’s also perfect for procrastinators.
33. One Line A Day Five Year Memory Book
Has a page for each day of the year. On each page/day there is space for five years worth of one liners. Anyone can find the time to write one sentence a day. Right?!
Fine One Line A Day Five Year Memory Book here.
34. Dry bag
If you know your friend loves waterspouts, get them a dry bag. This super cool little bag will keep whatever is in inside nice and dry, so it’s ideal for sailing and boating activities.
35. Stationary from Kikki K
If your friend is a stationary nerd like me, they’d be thrilled to receive some beautiful note-books, pens and paper from somewhere like Kikki K. They have a gorgeous range of things to suit a wide variety of tastes too, including some great travel-themed stuff.
Find stationary from Kikki K here.
36. Fish and fire emergency kit
Perfect for outdoor adventures, this little gadget fits on a keychain and includes 7 feet of paracord, fire starter, tinder, foil, fishing line, 2 swivels, alcohol and, 2 bobber floats, and 2 treble hooks and 32.8 feet of fishing line. No joke!
Find the fish and fire emergency kit here.
37. Tinggly gift voucher
When you buy someone a Tinggly gift voucher you’re buying them a super cool experience on their next trip. You buy them the voucher, they jump online and have a look at experiences in the destination they’re visiting and choose one. There are 350 experiences in 80 countries to choose from. It’s great because you get to give them a memorable travel experience and they get to choose something they’ll love. It could be visiting the Great Wall in China, whale watching in Iceland, motorbiking through Cambodia, exploring a volcano in Hawaii or parasailing over Lake Wanaka.
Find the Tinggly website here.
38. Super cool camera bag
This is great for the travel lover in your life who loves photography and their gear. I have a camera bag already, which they may too, but we’re always collecting new lenses and equipment pieces, so an additional camera bag will never go astray, especially something that’s a bit retro and travel-cool.
40. Scratch off world map
I saw these and instantly loved them! Perfect for the travel-obsessed person in your life who needs a way of tracking where they’ve been and where they want to go! Basically it works like an instant scratch and win ticket, where you use a coin to scratch off the countries you’ve visited, revealing a bright colour. It’s a super cool way of charting how much of the world you’ve seen and how much you have left to go!
40. Travel related art
Inspiring artwork doesn’t have to cost a fortune to make someone very happy. Buy a print with a meaningful travel related or inspiring quote on it and put it in a frame. It’ll take pride of place in their house and make them smile every time they see it. This typography artwork on Etsy is $5.95 and instantly downloadable – perfect for last-minute gift ideas!
Find travel related artwork here and here.
41. Good books for travel inspiration
Just like music, when you read a good book on the road you always associate it with that trip. If your friend is a book lover like me, shower them with paperbacks. Choose some classics from the penguin range, give them a copy of your favourite book or pick out some travel inspiring titles like The Last Train to Zona Verde by Paul Theroux, The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo and Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine and South America’s Strangest Jail by Rusty Young and Thomas McFadden.
Find more travel-inspiring books here and here.
42. Gorgeous beauty and body products
Since receiving them to trial, I’ve become a bit obsessed with anything and everything from Antipodes Skincare. These make a great gift because they’re super lush and make you feel really special using them. I like them because they use natural and organic ingredients and I always believe the best things for us are sourced from the Earth, naturally.
Find the Antipodes Skincare range here.
43. Amazing perfume
Recently I’ve fallen in love with Jessica Mauboy’s new fragrance, Be Beautiful. I was a bit skeptical because celebrity perfumes usually suck, but I love supporting anything Australian so gave the scent a try and totally fell in love with it. I can’t really articulate it too well, but it just smells like home to me. It has this aquatic, summer-rain, spring afternoon, fresh floral, warm weather kind of vibe going on that I love, with a really earthy tone to it too! It’s not too sweet or over-the-top, it’s just gorgeous.
Budget-friendly ideas
If you’re on a really tight budget, here are a few ideas just for you:
- Buy a selection of books from your local thrift store, bundle them up with some twine and give them to your beloved. You never know what you can find at thrift stores.
- Give the gift of nature! Yep, a beautiful plant in a nice pot or repotted into a quirky vessel from the thrift store can make a great gift idea.
- If you’ve got some talents in the art department, draw or paint your friend something and give it to them in an up-cycled frame. Personal gifts are always the best.
- You can also hand make your own jewellery on the cheap, thanks to discount bead stores. No need for fancy equipment either, just thread some beads onto a coloured piece of leather and voila, you’re done.
- Coffee. Everyone loves coffee… or tea or hot chocolate. Grab your friend and get a couple of takeaways, go sit somewhere with a beautiful view and just chill out. I do this with my girlfriends when we’re all on tight budgets.
Best travel resources for your trip!
If you found this post useful, please use the affiliate links below. I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, these are the products and services I love and use. Read the disclaimer for more information. Thanks for your support! – Matt.
Hotels, I use Agoda
and Booking.com
Rentals: Discover Cars
RVs: Motorhome Republic
Transfers: Welcome Pickups
Rideshare: DiDi
Insurance: Cover-More
Tours: TourRadar
SIM Cards: Simify
VPN: Surfshark