Finding gifts for travel-loving friends can be an anxiety-inducing experience. When they’ve been around the world and seen so many amazing things, it can be hard to find a present that stands out from the rest. Fortunately, that’s where this gift guide for travelers comes in!
I’m sure we all have a traveler or two on our gift list: whether your friend is a photography fiend, coffee connoisseur, a traveler in training, a true foodie, or has everything, these gifts for travel lovers are sure to put a smile on their face (and another destination on their bucket list).
You won’t find any boring backpacks, dust-collecting travel pillows, or bland passport covers here — I set out on a mission to find only the most useful, fun, and unique travel gifts for your favorite adventurer 😉
Ready to get inspired? Let’s check out the best gifts for travelers!
For the traveler whose life goal is to be on the pages of National Geographic
Give your photographer friend something to snap this holiday season with these aesthetic gifts. Inspiration is abound between the pages of National Geographic’s Destinations and Moon Travel Guides’ Wanderlust. They make a great coffee table book and will be a source of inspiration for years to come — just look at those gorgeous photos!
For something a little more on-theme, deck out their go-to gadget with this cute traditional embroidered camera strap or keep their creative flow going with a novelty camera lens mug… just make sure they don’t try to screw it onto their camera ;)
Finally, who wouldn’t want to get a new camera as a present? This fun Fujifilm Instax camera takes it back to the good ol’ days and is sure to make your photographer a few new friends on their travels thanks to the instant printing capabilities.
Wanderlust || Destinations || Embroidered camera strap || Camera lens mug || Fujifilm Instax camera
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For the traveler who keeps a meticulous spreadsheet of their itinerary
We all have a friend that’s effortlessly organized: they’ve reserved their restaurants months in advance, created ten different color coded Google maps, and each travel day is planned down to the last minute.
Keep them on top of their game with a practical planner (like this beautiful travel planner from Lamare) or a trip journal so they can commemorate their memories forever. Is your friend more of a day-to-day planner? There are Adventure daily planner with cute adventure themes as well. :)
Lamare travel planner || Travel journal || Camping logbook || Adventure daily planner
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For the jet-setting fashionista
If your friend loves to travel and look good while doing so, you’ve come to the right place.
Keep their wanderlust close by with this rose compass necklace, or have his heart on his sleeve with a handmade travel-themed lapel. A map-print scarf is cute and multi-functional (in case they ever get lost 😉) and a passport cover will show off your friend’s unique style. You can see even more amazing passport covers and cases in my blog post.
Compass necklace || Adventure Awaits pin || Map-print scarf || Kate Spade passport cover
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For the beauty babes
If your friend hits the cosmetics store the second they get off the plane/train/taxi, give them the gift of glamorous with a set of Korean sheet masks, a colorful makeup organizer to match their personality, or makeup from a different country (I love the Skyn set from Iceland!)
Korean sheet mask set || Makeup organizer || Skyn Iceland set
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For the traveler who has a massive bucket list
So many places, so little time… Let your wanderlusting friend keep track of their adventures with a fun scratch off map. There are a ton of different varieties to choose from: will it be the classic world scratch-off map, the National Parks scratch-off, or a scratch list of the top 100 foods around the world?
Keep adding new places to your friend’s bucket list with the Lonely Planet Travel Book, which covers every single country in the world (and then some), or the cult classic 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.
Scratch-off Travel Map || Scratch-off National Parks || Top 100 Foods || The Travel Book || 1,000 Places book
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For the coffee connoisseur…
We all know someone who launches into a debate whether Arabica or Robusta beans are better (whenever they order coffee).
Why not take your coffee loving companion around Brazil, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica without leaving home? This jam-packed World Coffee Tour set contains 16 gourmet coffees from the world’s top microlots as well as a handy tasting guide that shows more information about each roast and origin.
A cute adventure mug and portable espresso machine means they can take their favorite roast wherever they want.
World Coffee Tour pack || Adventure mug || Portable espresso machine
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… Or alcohol aficionado…
Calling all whiskey wizards and cocktail connoisseurs! Let your friend display their favorite drink in this globe decanter set or let them discover a new favorite with a boozy book. Journey through the world of cocktails with Spirited, which has more than 600 cocktail recipes or Around the World in 80 Cocktails. National Geographic’s Atlas of Beer is another favorite. The Cocktail carry-on kit makes for a perfect stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift.
Globe decanter set || Spirited || Around the World in 80 Cocktails || Atlas of Beer || Craft cocktail kit
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… Or tea lover
Did you know that tea is the most popular beverage in the word besides water? With all that popularity, there’s bound to be a gift for your traveling tea lover friend.
Transport them to a Japanese tea ceremony with this traditional matcha tea set or teatime with a sultan with this ornate Turkish tea glass set. Stock up their tea stash with a classic favorite like the Harney & Sons or help them discover new favorites with the Numi World of Tea collection (which comes in a cute and reusable wicker box!)
Japanese Matcha Tea Set || Turkish tea glass set || Harney & Sons set || Numi World of Tea collection
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For the foodie traveler
Alternatively: For the traveler who bookmarks restaurants before booking hotels
Your foodie friend will love whipping up delicious dishes in the kitchen using the MasterChef Street Food recipe book or assembling a charming charcuterie collage with this customizable cutting board.
Prefer to hang outside of the kitchen? Your friend can chill out and wrap themselves into a delicious burrito using this tortilla blanket or take a tasty trip around the world with a snack box. There are dozens of countries to choose from — from Turkey to South Korea, Russia, Mexico, Japan, and more —- and you can pick whether you prefer salty or sweet snacks. If you’re looking for the best candy around the world, I have a separate post here. :)
MasterChef Street Food book || Charcuterie cutting board || Burrito blanket || Korea snack pack
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For the traveler who loves to hoards stationary
Okay okay, I’m not ashamed to say that I also firmly fall under this category 
Give your friend something to write about in these two cute Rifle Paper Co notebooks, which feature travel doodles and a beautiful gold-laminated “passport” cover. Colorful washi tapes and travel-themed stickers round out this gift.
Travel notebooks || Washi tape || Travel-themed stickers
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For the friend who’s all about retro travel
Friends who long for the golden age of travel will love this vintage PanAm knapsack, beautiful retro-style travel posters, and travel postcards that look like they came straight out of the 1940s.
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For the friend who’s a VIP member in the Carry-On Club
We all know someone who religiously stays under the 15 lb weight limit, calculates everything down to the last ounce, and breezes through baggage control. Help them stay on top of their game with a set of fun packing cubes or a kitsch Pack This! portable packing list. Who says you can’t learn new things? Aspiring Carry-On Club members will love Hitha Palepu’s How To Pack book, which is equal parts lighthearted as it is informative.
Travel packing cubes || How to Pack by Hitha Palepu || Pack This! Portable packing list
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For the traveler who buys their Christmas tree in October
If your friend firmly believes that one month is way too short to truly enjoy the holidays and/or buys their Christmas tree the moment they’re unloaded into a tree patch… This section is for them.
Give your festive friend a travel-related ornament, such as this classical Eiffel Tower stunner, a yummy Cannoli from Italy, a festive Dala Horse from Sweden, or a mouth-watering bowl of Ramen from Japan. This sweet set of map-print suitcases make a great place to store their ornaments or to use as a stylish gift box.
Eiffel Tower ornament || Cannoli ornament || Dala horse ornament || Ramen ornament || Map-print suitcase
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For the young traveler
Fuel their adventurous dreams from a young age with a set of kid-friendly passports (perfect for doodling on the plane or to collect novelty stamps!), their very own set of kid-friendly luggage, or grab the Year Full of Stories for a special bedtime story from around the world.
Novelty passports with stickers || Kids suitcase || A Year Full of Stories book || Let’s Celebrate! book
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For the sentimental traveler
After a trip around the world, it’s time for a trip down memory lane 
Commemorate your friend’s special trip with a Starbucks You Are Here mug, I Was Here travel journal, or a shadow box to store all of their mementos, ticket stubs, maps, photos, and more.
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For the traveler who has everything
Last but definitely not least, what gift do you get for a traveler who has everything? An Airbnb experience! Book a special experience for their next trip or have them enjoy a virtual class. There are more than 10,000 Airbnb experiences to choose from — here are just some of my favorites to start with:
🃏 Have your tarot card read from India
🧘♀️ Meditate alongside a real Japanese Buddhist monk
🧙♂️ Take a behind-the-scenes tour into the magical wizarding world of Harry Potter in London
🍳 Learn how to whip up a traditional Turkish breakfast from a host who comes from a city known as the capital of Turkish breakfasts
🦙 Enjoy a walk and picnic with llamas in Peru
Best of all, Airbnb experiences come in both online and in-person visits — even if your friend isn’t planning a trip at the moment, they can still enjoy traveling virtually. Just go to an experience, click on “Gift this Experience” below the booking widget, and voila! Each experience is flexible and allows the recipient to choose a date, time, and alternate activity if they wish to do so.
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Hopefully this post gave you a little spark of inspiration and a few ideas on gifts for all the travel friends on your list. Which gift(s) were your favorites and who would you like to give them to? Let me know in the comments below!
Photo credits: Photographer – Connor Ellsworth // Travel planning – Lamare // Fashion – Arnel Hasanovic // Beauty – Kim Carpenter // Alcohol – Ash Edmonds // Coffee – Nathan Dumlao // Tea – Content Pixie // Retro – Dino Reichmuth // Stationary – Engineerings Akyurt // Sentimental traveler – Christopher Flynn // Airbnb experiences – NBC news
Woah, portable espresso machine looks so cool! Adding to my list :)