GIFT ideas FOR TRAVELLERS

Whether for the backpacker in your life, the weekend get-away-er or simply just to treat yourself, I wanted to put together a gift guide of all the imo great, you guessed it, gift ideas for travellers. All of these are gift ideas that are on the whole extremely practical and have been tried, tested and loved by Josh and I. A lot of them have been in our backpacks now for a year since leaving home. There’s also a couple in here that, if I ever have a more permanent place of residence, I will absolutely be ordering for myself and swoon over daily when they crop up on Instagram.

I have split this list into (hopefully) helpful little sections so you can hone in on the type of gift you are looking for.- FYI none of this is ridiculously pricey, because I live in the real world and some gift guides make utterly ludicrous suggestions. Anyhow, I thought I would go for: Practical Gifts, Lovely little Travel Gifts, Gifts for the Eco-Friendly Traveller (everyone needs to be, so buy them everything) and Gifts for the Traveller at home.

PRACTICAL gift ideas for TRAVELlers

As it says on the tin – practical. Josh and I have been travelling with everything in this section for a year. These gifts are suitable for every kind of traveller. Whether long haul adventurers or European city breakers but particularly anyone thinking of backpacking.

Power Bank Josh takes this absolutely every where, he swears by it. We actually bought this a couple of years ago for festivals, so that we didn’t have to pay for phone charging and it has been a life saver. It charges our iPhones to full 5-6 times before it needs recharging and it has been so helpful. We have had smaller power-banks but this one has definitely been the best investment. We never have to go without phone battery which, when arriving in a new country is super important, it allows us to access everything we need on our phones and has come in handy on several occasions when we have forgotten to charge our camera battery.

Adapter
This is ooober compact and versatile and there are no extra little pieces. This international travel adapter works in 150+ countries and it’s great because it has four USB slots meaning we can charge all our devices at once.

Long Phone Charging Cable
How did we ever have a standard phone charging cable? So good, especially if you end up with the bunk miles away from the plug!

Eye Mask & Ear Plugs
Long haul flight? Travellers with no ‘don’t turn the big light on at 4am’ etiquette? Snoring drive you insane? 19 Hour sleeper train from Varanasi to Delhi? I wear these so often! When we first arrived in Hanoi the curtains in our AirBnB were awful, so I just wore my eye mask and slept like a baby.

Sleeping Bag Liner
A great item if you’re going to be staying in hostels, sleeping on night trains or buses. We have both used our sleeping bag liners no end! Josh’s is the one I would recommend the most though as it is a lot bigger, the material is a lot softer and it comes with a little bag to pack it in to.

Backpack
Essential for anyone going backpacking! I have argued my case for backpack over suitcase and have a full review of this Mountain Warehouse 60+20L backpack. To cut a long story short we both have been carrying our lives in these bags for a year and both rate them highly!

Packing Cubes
Imagine not having to empty your whole rucksack/suitcase just to repack it again! Imagine having a selection of appropriately sized clothing compartments and a spare one for washing! In all seriousness, packing cubes save time, save space, ensure that you pack lighter and are just an organisational wonder.

Travel Pillow
Again, travelling long haul you’re going to want to be as comfortable as possible! I have this memory foam pillow and Josh has a lightly cheaper smaller alternative and we both agree that this one is a lot more comfortable and worth the money. It’s also done a fine job as an extra pillow in hostels where the pillow allowance can be measly.

Toiletry Bag
A wash bag to store all your toiletries is a necessity and this one kills two birds with one stone as it is also eco-friendly and made from 100% plastic lining. This bag also has the imperative hook on the back, to ensure you can hang your wash bag. It also includes a reusable and detachable TSA approved clear liquid bag to reduce the need to pick up those pesky single use bags in departures. Shop direct with OneNine5 or via Amazon.

First Aid Kit
Safety first? If you’re backpacking I can’t recommend having a little first aid kit with you enough. This one with some additional alcohol wipes, plasters, paracetamol diarrhoea pills and re-hydration sachets is what we packed when we left and have stocked up on whenever we have needed to. **Gifted to me by mountain warehouse prior to our trip.

Mesh Laundry Bag
Keeps your washing seperate in your bag and means that you can drop your clothes off and pick them up in the bag, again reducing the need for single use plastic.

Travel Towel
Quick drying, sand proof and versatile. We used this towel for six months backpacking, from the beach to the shower it is great, it dries super fast so can be easily be put back in your bag and they come in lots of jazzy colours compared to your boring grey travel towels.

ECO-Friendly gift ideas for travellers

As I said in my little intro everyone needs to be doing their bit where they can for the planet. We all know what an absolute state it is in. Apart from the deniers but you know, hopefully they’re not here anyway. YOU’RE NOT WELCOME. There are many gripes and arguments in the way of should we even travel at all if we want to look after the planet, but I am not going in all heavy here.

What I do believe is that if you can make a difference then do and all of these products will allow you to travel more sustainably. We did not leave the UK with everything in this section but we have since purchased metal and bamboo straws and a cutlery set a long the way.

Keep Cup
Partial to a flat white or caramel macchiato, then I wholeheartedly recommend getting yourself a reusable coffee cup. Also, quite a few coffee shops seem to offer a small discount now if you use your own. This compact collapsible invention is a great option to pop in your backpack. Or if you’re after a more traditional coffee cup then go for the Keep Cup.

Water Bottle
The amount of people still unnecessarily buying bottled water drives me insane. We both have the 500ml bottle by Atlas & Ortus. They are double walled and vacuum insulated, meaning it will keep your drink hot/cold for up to 12 hours! Nearly all of the hostels/hotels we have stayed in on our trip have had drinking water that you can refill for your bottle from for free, so theres no excuse. **My bottle was gifted by Wearth London but Josh bought his own. They also now come in a matte finish which I would recommend over the shiny finish.

Bamboo Toothbrushes
Shockingly every single plastic toothbrush made is still knocking around the old planet. We don’t need that. We can change that. Josh and I both use the White Teeth Box – Life Brush a non plastic alternative that is made from 100% FSC certified, antibacterial Moso Bamboo. Such an easy but effective swap to make and honestly, we haven’t noticed the difference. 

Face Wash Cloth
When I learnt that a lot of make up wipes contain plastic, I knew I had to switch in something else. So I opted for a reusable face cloth. I have had this one in my wash-bag since we left home and use it daily, I just stick it in the washing machine when needed. It is hand-crafted from recycled cotton yarn and is super soft and gentle on the skin. I went for the ‘charcoal’ colour, so that the dregs of mascara that are inevitably left behind don’t leave horrid black stains.  **Gifted by Wearth London.

Metal Straws & Cleaner
Straws like plastic bags are given out like nobody’s business. Whether in 7/11, a cafe or bar you are often given a straw. It’s just a case of remembering to say ‘no straw please’. To try and make more of a conscious effort we picked up two reusable metal straws to keep in our bags from The Hive in Kuala Lumpur, I found some similar ones here, super handy to get a little cleaner and bag with them too!

Cutlery Set
Backpacking and going to be eating a lot of street food, 7/11 pot noodles or just want to make sure you can avoid single use cutlery, then I would recommend getting a reusable bamboo cutlery set, this one also comes with chopsticks.

Shampoo Bars & Tins
Having curly hair that is prone to dryness and damage, can be a bit of a nightmare when dazzing about in 30degree heat all day. But I have found the shampoo & conditioner bars I picked up from Lush to work great! Sold on scent alone I opted for Honey I Washed My Hair. Josh has the Seanik bar. Both lather really well and leave hair feeling super soft and shiny. You can also grab a metal tin to store them in, which is recommended as they are tricky to store otherwise. They last for ages, and can be packed easily in hand luggage.

Reef Safe Sunscreen
Something I have been reading about lately is the damage that regular sunscreens are doing to our oceans and marine life. Studies have shown that oxybenzone and octinoxate are found in over 3,500 sunscreen products. The presence of these chemicals in sea water allows viruses to thrive, putting corals at high risk of catching an infection that could lead to bleaching and death. Read more here. Green People have a great range of reef safe sunscreen available on their website or through Amazon.

LOVELY LITTLE gift ideas for TRAVEllers

Want to get something less on the ‘practical’ side and more on the lovely side? I have you covered. I do not (yet) have any noise cancelling headphones but they would change my life. They would allow me to be as unsociable as I feel on my commute to work and that would make me very happy indeed. Other than that, the El Camino bracelet (if you have been reading for a while) was gifted to me my the lovely team at El Camino and I absolutely love it, I have not taken it off since I got it and will be ordering more steps as soon as I can – damn you Vietnam and your awkward shipping policies.

El Camino Bracelet
The story behind El Camino is adorable. A concept that started as just an idea among travelling couple – Tom and Candace – blossomed into a wonderful business venture. Each and every bracelet is handmade in the UK with all the love. The steps are engraved by the same man just down the road from Tom and Candace and each glass region step is handmade in the British countryside. Choose to have either a single or a double bracelet, in different colours and sizes, then choose your sea, ocean, adventure, city or region steps. I think this is just the loveliest travel gift and I haven’t taken mine off since I got it. Anyway, there’s a more full review here.

Kindle & Kindle Vouchers
I make no secret that I prefer actual books over a Kindle but it is just not practical to take up the majority of my checked baggage allowance with all the books. So a Kindle it is. Super lightweight, super easy to use, the battery lasts for ages and you have every new title at your fingertips. I have a very early generation Kindle, so this snazzy new one is pretty impressive as it is also waterproof?!

A gift that keeps on giving! Kindle vouchers are super easy to buy – just choose your amount and print or email over to the Kindle owner so they can buy more books on the go.

Silk Pillowcase
Much like sleeping bag liners a silk pillowcase is just a little bit comfort when your surroundings are perhaps a bit merhh. Yes it sounds a bit extra but silk pillowcases are a lot gentler on your skin and hair than cotton ones and a life saver if you’re a fellow curly haired human.

Noise Cancelling Headphones
Wireless headphones that let you adjust the amount of sound you want to block out? Yes please!! These would have made my 19 hour journey from Varanasi to Delhi a lot more bearable! Another great purchase for those planning to endure long haul travel.

Instax Printer
Now, I do own one of the Instax polaroid cameras but it just wasnt practical to bring on my trip and I did find the photos to be a bit hit and miss. However, the Instax printer allows you to print photos straight from your phone but still print on the polaroid style films which I love. It is so nice to have hard copies of travel photos rather than them all just sitting in a cloud and I think this little gadget is excellent.

Travel Themed Game
Josh bought me this for Christmas as a couple of years ago and its a great little card game, the rules are easy to understand and its based on all the events that can happen when travelling the world. You can play at home, on holiday or pop in your backpack for a RTW adventure.

Writing this got me thinking, Scrabble! The little nerd in me is gutted that we won’t have our travel scrabble for van life in NZ. Not an ‘essential’ item when we were packing, we left it at home (now very much wondering why we made that decision) definitely should have sacrified the sandals I later gave to a charity in Bangkok – oh the benefit of hindsight. Anyway, my dad bought me this a few Christmases ago and we took it on lots of trips, scrabble and travel whats not to like?!

A Keepsake Travel Themed Necklace
Not On The Highstreet is my go to for personalised jewellery. There are so many travel inspired pieces that can be personalised with your own message which is just lovely. We bought Josh’s sister a terrific little piece for her 21st. The necklace linked above would be a great gift for someone off on their grand adventure.

Travel Mirror
Another one that I received as a gift from Josh (he’s pretty great at present buying) this compact little travel mirror. You can choose the map for the reverse, Josh chose a world map as he thought it was fitting for a RTW trip and you can have a message engraved on the front. It’s a really sweet little present that I travel with in my make up bag and I haven’t managed to break it (yet…)!

GIFTS ideas FOR THE TRAVELLER AT HOME

At present, I do not have a ‘permanent’ place of residence, living that ‘nomad life’, jeeez that makes me sound like a right dick. Anyhow, the day we do set up life somewhere more permanent where we can actually own things then these are the travel related items I regularly swoon over. Oh and the books and the scratch map we already own, they are just living in our childhood bedrooms at our parents houses – **thanks guys for being so understanding about our gallivanting.

Ruben James Stamp Art
‘Celebratory maps, made from genuine postage stamps sourced from across the world’. You know I said swoonworthy, please head over to Ruben’s Instagram and have a look at his work, the maps he creates are just delightful and I really hope one day when we eventually have our own place we can make space for one of these gorgeous works of art.

Now, I am a huge fan of Lonely Planet books/guides and our bookshelves are full of them at home but unfortunately, they are just not practical for a backpack. Quickly back to the Kindle, if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited many of the country/city guide books are included for no extra cost. In terms of gifts, these would be by top picks from the Lonely Planet collection for travel lovers, great reads, super helpful with trip planning and look great on a coffee table:

Scratch Map
I have both given and received one of these as a gift and it does what it says on the tin. A scratch map for you to scratch off the destinations you have visited to reveal the colourful political map underneath. 

So you made it to the end of my gift ideas for travellers post?! I did not expect when I sat down to right this (760000 hours ago) that I would have so many things to include. Anyhow, Thank you so much for reading and I hope this has helped you to find the perfect gift for the traveller in your life!

**The vast majority of these items have been purchased with either my own money or have been received as gifts for Christmas/birthdays and only the odd one has been gifted directly from the company and has been disclosed as such.

This post does include Amazon affiliate links, I may receive a small commission if you use the links which costs you no extra, but helps keep this blog going.