TRAVEL GIFTS

Updated 11/4/21

Travel Gift Guide:
Practical Products from Accessories to Underseaters

Travel products make great gifts, don’t they? They bring good tidings of terrific trips to come. They are also neutral enough to thrill any travel lover, from your co-workers to your closest friends and family.

This travel gift guide goes beyond the luggage tag and neck pillow to identify 31 practical products from accessories to underseaters that make a traveler’s life on the road just a little bit easier. The guide includes products at a wide range of price points (from under $20 to $720) for every budget. I’ve also provided some notes about each product to speed up your shopping.

All of these products are available on Amazon.com. If you need a gift receipt, these instructions will help you (1) create a gift receipt at the time of purchase, or (2) share a link to the gift receipt in a card or email after your purchase. You can also send Amazon gifts via text or email when you don’t know the recipient’s street address.

Happy Shopping!

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1. Accessories

Travel Blanket

Unisex Hat

Travel Wrap

Travel-Themed Watch

Photos Courtesy of Amazon

H+A Shopping Tips

Travel Blanket: Just ask Linus, there is something soothing about bringing your own travel blanket wherever you go as long as it doesn’t take up too much room in your luggage. I often reach for mine to warm me up in air-conditioned hotel rooms or to snuggle under while watching TV in a rental home. Our pick is 70.8 x 55.1″ and comes in 13 colors of CoolMax machine-washable fabric that folds up into a 7 x 3.9 x 3.4″ bag weighing only 10.4 ounces.

Unisex Travel Hat: Outdoorsy types (especially those with thinning hair) will appreciate having a travel hat to protect them from the sun and a chin strap to protect the hat on windy days. Our pick is a neutral beige, unisex one-size-fits-all design made out of Omni-Shade fabric providing UPF 50+ protection from the sun as well as an ultra-sweat-wicking headband, a mesh vent panel, and an adjustable toggle at the back to tighten the fit.

Travel Wrap: A travel wrap is perfect for those times when you’re stuck in a middle airplane seat with no room to maneuver into a cardigan, or you need a stylish layer for al fresco dining. Our pick comes in 7 colors and 2 different machine-washable fabrics (brushed “eco-cashmere” and classic jersey) providing UPF 50 protection from the sun. Given its size of 68 x 35″ and weight of 10.41 ounces, the wrap can also be used as a scarf or blanket.

Travel-Themed Watch: A traveler always has to watch the time to stay on schedule. Our pick will delight Europhiles whether at home or away with its colorful map design, easy-to-read 34mm clockface, and “going places” inscription.

2. Gadgets

Travel Journal

Travel French
Press Mug

Travel Wine Glasses

Travel Seat Cushion

Photos Courtesy of Amazon

H+A Shopping Tips

Travel Journal: The best time to record and reflect on itinerary choices and new travel experiences is during the trip. A small journal with a beautiful cover is easy to pack and a joy to write in. Our pick is perfect for a national park lover because each illustrated cover depicts a different national park (with 18 covers in the series). There are 48 pages of graph paper in each of the 3 small (3.5 x 5.5″) notebooks in each set. This gift pairs well with a National Parks Pass and/or puzzle.

Travel French Press Mug: This mug is just what coffee and tea lovers need on a road trip through the backcountry without a Starbucks or Dunkin’ in sight! Our pick is an inexpensive small (4.76 x 3.5 x 4.49″) BPA-free travel mug that can brew a cup of coffee (or tea) in minutes with some hot water. This gift pairs well with a travel kettle and/or a bag of ground coffee or loose tea.

Travel Wine Glasses: When it’s time to wind down after a day on the road, who wants to hunt down a paper cup or a clean glass to enjoy some wine? Our pick comes to the rescue with 2 lightweight (0.3 pounds) plastic, nesting wine glasses with unscrewable stems for easy packing. This gift pairs well with a nice bottle of wine from a vineyard of the recipient’s past or future travels and gourmet nibbles.

Travel Seat Cushion: In 2021 alone, we drove from the Atlantic to the Pacific on various road trips and, by July, I started to get stabbing pains after 4 hours in the car. I finally figured out how to fix the problem with exercises and a travel seat cushion. Our pick is made of an ultra-durable elastic gel that provides consistent, cool, comfortable support with a removable, washable cover.

3. Toiletries

Toiletry Bag

Hanging Toiletry Bag

Curling/Flat
Iron Holder

Dopp Kit

Photos Courtesy of Amazon

H+A Shopping Tips

Travel Toiletry Bags: Oversized toiletry bags take over precious real estate in your suitcase and slow down your morning routine. Our picks are available in multiple cute water-resistant fabrics. Both bags have 3 zippered compartments to keep you organized with 10 x 5.5 x 3″ of space for the bag and 9.5 x 6.5 x 3.5″ for the folded hanging bag. These bags pair well with the foldable tote bag in the same fabric in Section 6 of this article.

Curling/Flat Iron Holder: Here’s something that your gift recipient might not already own. For years, I would cool off my irons in hotel room refrigerators and worry that they’d melt my clothes if I couldn’t cool them all the way down before checkout. Our pick comes in multiple recycled cotton fabrics with heat-resistant liners and pairs well with Vera Bradley’s line of travel bags and other accessories.

Dopp Kit: Dopp kits with a single zippered compartment are just black holes for your toiletries. Our pick comes in 5 water-resistant, ultra-light nylon fabrics with 3 zippered compartments plus interior mesh pockets to keep you organized without giving you too much room at 10.23 x 5.7 x 4.72″.

4. Organizers

Jewelry Box

Tech Organizer

Pill Organizer

Photos Courtesy of Amazon

H+A Shopping Tips

Travel Organizers: As with many travel gifts, smaller is probably better when it comes to travel organizers. Our picks all have zippers to stop spills in transit and are relatively small: jewelry box (3.94 x 3.94 x 2.17″); tech organizer (9.4 x 6.7 x 1.4″); plain pill organizer (6.1 x 2.95 x 1.77″); and floral pill organizer (4.5 x 3.5 x 1.5″).

5. Tablets + E-Readers

Apple Tablet 10.9"

Amazon Tablet 10.1"

Samsung Tablet 11"

Amazon E-Reader 6.8"

Photos Courtesy of Amazon

H+A Shopping Tips

Tablets and E-Readers: Tablets and e-readers are excellent gifts because they can be used at home and away (with a WiFi connection) to stream television shows or movies, read books, play games, respond to emails, or engage with social media. For anyone who needs reading glasses, tablets beat out cell phones for travel-related tasks on the road, like responding to email, making video calls, and conducting trip-related research. For streaming, Howie and I prefer screen sizes (not including bezel) that are at least the height of a standard paperback book (around 8″). Our tablet picks offer a range of options from different manufacturers.
The special screen on e-readers makes it the better choice for reading at the beach or lounging on the deck of your favorite cruise ship. To borrow e-books from your local library’s digital collection, however, the e-reader must be compatible with the program or app that your library uses. For example, my library uses cloudLibrary, which, at the time of this writing, was not compatible with Kindle Paperwhites or the Kindle Apps.

6. Packing Cubes + Garment Folders

Packing Cubes Set
With Laundry and
Shoe Bags

Garment Folder

Packing Cubes and Garment Folder Set

Foldable Tote Bag

Photos Courtesy of Amazon

H+A Shopping Tips

Packing Cubes: These inexpensive zippered pouches don’t look like much, but they really reduce travel-related stress by keeping you organized and a little less crumpled on day 7 of your trip. There is no need to unpack your packing cubes at the hotel or rental house. Just put the packing cubes into bureau drawers to help you stay organized and make repacking easier. Our picks come in a variety of sizes and colors with a mesh window to let packers peek inside the contents of each bag without unzipping them. Note that lighter color packing cubes are easier to see when your suitcase interior is a dark color.
Garment Folders: Garment folders are the solution for trips when you either won’t have time to iron or won’t have access to an iron. We iron our tops at home once and then stack pack them in these Eagle Creek garment folders.
Foldable Tote Bag: If you pack your suitcase to the brim, a foldable tote bag will come to the rescue for those souvenirs or work as a beach or shopping bag. Our pick comes in 3 water-resistant fabrics and measures 22.5 x 14.5 x 7″. It pairs well with the toiletry bags in the same fabric in Section 3 of this article.

7. Personal Items

Anti-Theft
Crossbody Purse

Unisex Anti-Theft Waist Bag

Unisex Anti-Theft Backpack

Women's Anti-Theft Backpack

Photos Courtesy of Amazon

H+A Shopping Tips

Crossbody bags, waist bags, and backpacks are especially helpful on the road because they keep your hands free for safety or picture-taking reasons. For peace of mind, make sure that your anti-theft product has a slash-resistant body and straps that you can unhook to secure the bag to a chair or table. RFID-protected compartments and locking zipper pulls are also helpful features. Unlike some anti-theft products, we think that our picks win the battle between form and function. Note that the dimensions of what qualifies as a personal item on different airlines vary.

Crossbody Purse: This simple streamlined purse (2.5 x 9.5 x 7.5″ and only 12.6 ounces) comes in 4 colors and has a slash-resistant body and strap, 3 zippered compartments with multiple interior pockets, RFID-protected passport and card slots, and locking zipper pulls. The strap can be unhooked to secure the bag to a stationary object. I have been wearing this bag in the sapphire color for 3 years and use the outer zippered pocket for my cell phone.
Unisex Waist Bag: This light (11.5 x 3.5 x 5″ and only 8.2 ounces) water-resistant bag comes in 2 different slash-resistant fabrics and has 3 zippered compartments and a locking zipper pull on the main compartment. Inside, the bag has RFID-protected passport and card slots and another zippered storage pocket.
Unisex Backpack: This 25L bag is lightweight (1.95 pounds) and comes in 2 different slash-resistant fabrics with zipper pulls that attach to discreet hooks and an RFID-protected pocket. You can also unclip and attach the bag strap to a secure fixture. Finally, the bag will hold a 15″ laptop and has two external water bottle pockets and an adjustable waist strap.
Women’s Backpack: This 17L bag comes in 6 colors and weighs only 1.12 pounds. Its anti-theft features include slash-resistant fabric, RFID blocking pockets, and lockable zippers. You can also unclip and attach the bag strap to a secure fixture. Finally, the bag will hold a 16″ laptop and has two external water bottle pockets, a top handle, and a luggage slip that slides over luggage handles.

8. Underseaters

5.5 lb Underseater
17.5 x 14.5 x 8.5"

5.6 lb Underseater
17.0 x 13.0 x 9.0"

6.1 lb Underseater
16 x 13.25 x 8.25"

Photos Courtesy of Amazon

H+A Shopping Tips

Yes, suitcases are amazing but does your gift recipient have a rolling carry-on that magically disappears under an airplane seat when the overhead compartments are full? Any of our picks would make a great gift because they all have room to store toiletries and a change of clothes or just your in-flight entertainment toys (e.g., laptop/tablet, book, magazine, tech case, wrap/blanket, snacks, etc.) and at least one side pocket for a water bottle or umbrella, rear luggage straps that slide over luggage handles, and padded laptop or tablet sleeves. Note that the dimensions of the under-seat compartments on different airlines vary.

5.5 lb Underseater: This underseater is available in 4 colors with 2 wheels, and a hanging toiletry organizer.
5.6 lb Underseater: This underseater comes in 2 colors with 4 multi-directional wheels and interior shoe pockets and garment restraint straps.
6.1 Underseater: This underseater is available in 4 colors with 2 wheels, a hanging toiletry organizer, an external USB port (battery not included), and a power bank pocket.

Other Ideas…

I hope that you were able to find a special gift using this travel gift guide.

If not, what about a travel book?

If your gift recipient has specific travel plans, we have 2 book collections that make it easy for you to shop by travel destination:

Our Travel Memoirs and Travelogues page identifies over 200 of the best travel memoirs and travelogues published between 1800 and 2021 grouped by continent and/or country, and
Our Cookbooks for the Culinary Traveler page identifies over 400 of the best cookbooks grouped by continent, country, and/or region.

Take a look, you might just find something to add to your own wish list, too!

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