The annual Little Grey Box Christmas gift guide is back. Buying gifts for the travel lover, adventure seeker or eternal wanderer in your life can be genuinely difficult, so each year I put together my favourite picks to take the guesswork out of finding the perfect present. They range from the small to large, the luxe to less and the practical to indulgent. Here are 35 gift ideas that any traveller would be glad to unwrap. If some of the things on this list are above budget, use them as inspiration and find a great dupe at the right price.
Planning your trip?
Insurance: Cover-More
Hotels: Agoda
eSIM: eSIMPAL 15% off when you use LGB15 at checkout
Rentals: Discover Cars
Transfers: Welcome Pickups
RVs: Motorhome Republic
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- Tile is a clever gadget for savvy travellers! Never lose your luggage, camera, backpack and other travel gear again by attaching a Tile. To find anything you put a Tile on, open the app. Ring it if it’s nearby. Check the map for its last known location.
- For the traveller who loves to read, an Everand subscription allows access to millions of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more! A subscription costs only $14.99 monthly and you’ll get your first 30 days free.
- Thankyou offers gorgeous products perfect for thoughtful gifts aimed at pampering your family and friends, and, best of all, they give 100% of profits to help end global poverty.
- For the traveller who values style and functionality, get them a hat from American Hat Makers. Be sure to check out the range of crushable and packable hats perfect for travellers.
- Gift your travel-loving friend a membership to Priority Pass and they’ll gain access to over 1,600+ airport lounges all around the world! Priority Pass subscription starts from only USD$99 a year.
- Another great, practical gift idea, is a few high-quality reusable, air-tight plastic containers that are great for keeping potentially leaky items (shampoo and conditioner, sunscreen and body wash) contained. They’re also great for storing jewellery, makeup, hair products etc in one easy, safe place. For bonus points, make labels!
- For the traveller always dreaming of Japan, a Sakuraco subscription delivers a taste of it every month. Each box is hand-packed in Japan with authentic snacks, teas and sweets from local makers, plus a traditional home good like ceramics or chopsticks. A 24-page culture guide tells the story behind every treat; gift options are available and subscriptions can be paused or cancelled anytime.
- Know someone who loves a good eye mask? Up their eye-mask game with a silk sleep mask. The skin around the eyes is particularly sensitive, regardless of what skin type you have. This smooth silk sleep mask will keep the skin around your eyes looking and feeling fresh.
- Give the gift of cleanliness with The Laundress‘ non-toxic travel products. I love their fabric fresh (for when your clothing is musty in your suitcase), crease release (for getting out creases quickly and easily when you don’t have an iron) and the wash and stain bar (for getting out stains easily in your hotel sink!).
- Spoil your wanderlust-filled friend with some bath and beauty products from Lush. The containers are recyclable and can be re-filled with their beauty products from home, saving them the cost of purchasing travel minis and adding more crappy, unnecessary plastic into the world.
- For the travel lover who enjoys an inspiring read, Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Brian Laidlaw or a subscription to Audible makes a thoughtful gift. Long flights and slow travel days are far better with a great book or audiobook to disappear into.
- Portable power banks and multi-USB charging devices are lifesavers for travel lovers (trust me!) If you find yourself at an airport with no power or in your hotel with a short time to charge everything at once, these items can be a real game changer. So simple but so useful!
- Treat your sweetie to a rather fancy but affordable personalised luggage keychain! Available in a variety of colours they are customised with a name and if you wish, a phone number so luggage can be easily identified. This is great for carry-on, bags with soft handles or important things like your travel document wallet.
- A travel wallet is a great way to help a travel lover stay organised! Kikki-K has a gorgeous range of travel wallets, so you know they’re good quality. They also offer to monogram for an additional few dollars!
- Style up their passport with a vegan leather passport cover, monogrammed with their initials. Available in a range of colour choices from The Daily Edited!
- A travel-inspired fragrance is always a thoughtful gift for someone who loves to explore. Look for something with warm, spiced or exotic notes that evoke far-off places. Department stores carry a solid range of travel-themed scents across different price points.
- For long-haul comfort, a quality pair of travel pyjamas or a set of soft lounge pants is a gift that gets used immediately. On overnight flights especially, having something comfortable to change into makes a genuine difference to how you arrive.
- Set someone up with brand-new, top-quality luggage from Samsonite. Go for something durable, reliable and sleek!
- A good overnight bag is always useful, whether for a quick weekend away, as carry-on or in place of a full suitcase. Look for something with a classic shape, a wide colour range and ideally an option for personalisation. Brands like Country Road and Bellroy carry strong options at varying price points.
- A great beach towel is always put to good use by a true traveller. The Turkish Towel Co produces beautiful towels spun & woven from pure Turkish Cotton, making them soft, breathable & highly absorbent which allows them to dry extremely fast.
- A new set of headphones are always put to good use when travelling. If budget allows, over-ear, noise-cancelling headphones do make all the difference on long-haul flights, during long travel days and in noisy accommodations. But if you need to travel light, a good pair of in-ear wireless headphones will do the trick.
- A gift you didn’t know you needed but will always use, a deck of Pocket-sized Travel Uno cards is an affordable, easy and fun idea! It’s a great way to make new friends and stay entertained on long-haul flights.
- If you want to really help a traveller out, a great travel backpack is a fantastic gift idea! I’ve gone through some dodgy, poorly made ones and know the benefit and relief of finding a good one. My advice for buying the perfect travel backpack: it needs lots of pockets, has to be very well made and offers enough straps to ease back strain.
- Another great stocking stuffer, a portable luggage scale comes in super-handy when packing for a trip with checked luggage. Rather than clicking your heels three times and hoping your luggage isn’t overweight, you can arrive at the airport with confidence, taking away one of the biggest travel stresses!
- Another great purchase that will stand the test of time and be useful year after year is a great all-weather coat for cold climates. I got my North Face coat many years ago and still use it, year after year, as it never goes out of style, is waterproof, incredibly warm and versatile.
- A great, simple gift idea, you cannot go past is a brand-new travel journal. Of course, Kikki K has a beautiful range or you can pick up something a little cheaper from places like Walmart, Kmart or Officeworks. What I like about the Kikki K journals is they come with journalling prompts, stickers and more to keep you inspired. Inscribe a personalised message in the front and, voila!
- A compact travel mirror is one of those small, practical gifts that gets more use than you’d expect. Whether it’s checking your appearance before a meeting or getting ready in a dimly lit hotel room, a good foldable mirror with its own light earns its spot in any travel kit.
- How about getting creative with a DIY in-flight travel kit? Pull together individual pieces into a tote bag for in-flight cosiness. Pop in a warm blanket, cosy socks, eye mask, earbuds and a travel-size pillow and you’re good to go!
- Help your travel-loving friend save money and the environment! TSA-approved lightweight squeezable travel sets are ready to be custom-filled with your skincare favourites.
- Travel-sized Bluetooth speakers come in very useful when travelling. They’re great for filling the silence if you’re travelling solo and help get you pumped for a big day of adventures as you get ready in the morning.
- A Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is the perfect gift for anyone who loves photography without the complexity of a professional setup. I take mine on almost every trip and it never gets old. There’s something satisfying about holding a physical photo in your hand moments after taking it, rather than watching it disappear into a camera roll of thousands.
- Archies aren’t your average flip-flops; with real arch support, these thongs promote optimal foot posture for overall body alignment. Archies are a one-piece, ultra-strong design that’s light as a feather so they can enjoy adventures without any added weight. The perfect gift for your travel lover without sacrificing style.
- A piece of travel-themed jewellery is a thoughtful gift they can take with them on their adventures. A necklace will remind them of home and help them keep the memory of you close on their adventures.
- Fill their home with dreams of travel and memories of adventures past by hooking them up with a gorgeous travel print. They’ll hang it on their wall and dream of far-off destinations each time.
- If they don’t already have one, a GoPro and a Shorty (mini extendable pole and tripod) are fantastic gift ideas for those who love to travel. If they already have one, a great accessory for it that we use and love is the split shot dome, which allows them to get those awesome above and underwater photos.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best gifts for travellers?
The best gifts for travellers are ones that are genuinely useful on the road. Think noise-cancelling headphones, a quality travel backpack, a portable power bank, a Fujifilm Instax camera or a Priority Pass membership. For lower budgets, TSA-approved toiletry bottles, a luggage scale and a silk eye mask are all practical picks that get used on every trip.
What do you get someone who travels a lot?
Focus on things that make travel easier or more comfortable. Experienced travellers tend to appreciate quality over novelty, so a durable item they’ll use for years beats a gimmick every time. Great all-weather gear, good luggage, a power bank or an airport lounge membership are all solid choices.
What are some affordable Christmas gifts for travellers?
Pocket Uno cards, a portable luggage scale, reusable travel bottles, a silk sleep mask and a travel journal are all affordable options under $30 that any traveller would actually use. A Lush gift set or a personalised luggage tag is also a great pick at a lower price point.
What gifts do travel lovers actually want?
Honestly, most travellers want things that save weight, save time or improve comfort on the road. Noise-cancelling headphones, a great backpack, compression packing cubes, a fast-drying towel or a power bank with multiple ports are all things that make a real difference.
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