Not sure what to buy a friend or a loved one who is about to go traveling? Or you could be that traveler that doesn’t know what you should buy before you travel? Look no further, here is your very own gift ideas for travellers.
Every traveler needs the right balance of things to have when out on the road traveling! We as travelers know all about this, so to help you, we have devised this list of practical gift ideas for travellers.
Looking for souvenirs from your recent travels? Check out our shop, where you can buy all your favourite souvenirs.
Table of Contents
Camera equipment, and gadgets gift ideas
Every traveller will want to take good pictures or video content whilst on their travels. To do this, you need a good camera with the best features and video capabilities, but also the accessories that accompany it.
DSLR Camera
A DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflective) camera is an essential piece of equipment to take on any trip! These cameras, have the ability to take images whilst on the go, and in some cases have video capabilities. These are great for beginners, wanting to take professional pictures by just pointing and shooting. But are perfect for professionals adjusting the aperture, and shutter speed for example, to enhance its photographic ability.
There are many brands of DSLR cameras such as Canon, Nikon, and Fuji, but in our opinion, we prefer Canon. Canon are reliable, convenient, and have a variety of models, depending on your photography experience, and budget.
The latest models tend to be lightweight, and have interchangeable lenses to aid with the picture quality. No traveller can possibly go wrong with purchasing a DSLR camera.
GoPro
The GoPro is a small, lightweight, compact adventure camera. They’re great to have in any travel scenario, be that cycling, mountain climbing, hiking, skiing, or snorkeling, the skies the limit with one of these in hand. One word comes to mind to describe this little thing, ‘versatile’.
You will be surprised with the quality that this little thing produces. The video, and picture quality is outstanding, with very good detail.
In our opinion, as travellers, we would find it very difficult to live without our GoPro. We recently upgraded our previous older generation GoPro, to the new GoPro Hero 7. Our new model has an inbuilt stabilizer, providing better quality, smoother and more dynamic video footage.
The GoPro Hero 7 and the latest model GoPro Here 8 has 4K video capabilities, enabling more enhanced footage.
Canon Powershot G7 X Mark II
The Canon Powershot G7 X Mark II is a digital mirrorless camera, with an adjustable LCD screen. There are great features with this Canon, such as time-lapse, video, picture capabilities, and in built stabalizer.
What we love about the Canon Powershot G7 X Mark II is that it is so easy to use, and great for beginners, or advance.
Are you planning to do any snorkelling or scuba diving while on holiday? If so, then you will need the very best underwater camera, to capture those incredible moments that you will cherish for a lifetime.
Drone
Many travellers these days are taking to buying a Drone, and we can understand why! Not only can you get great pictures and videos of the surrounding landscape. The real beauty of the drone provides a different perspective, with aerial footage.
We love our DJI Spark, it is so simple to use and control. You can purchase the controller separately, alternatively, you could use your phone as a controller. You will need to downloaded the free DJI app, to use it as a controller.
With new laws in the UK, you must register any drone and take an online test. The registration and online test are only applicable for drone’s that weigh over 250g. The test is very quick and easy, and must be done even if drone flying is a hobby.
SD Memory cards
Our worst nightmare would be, running out of memory on our SD (Secure Digital) memory card, and not having a replacement. We always make sure we have a number of spare SD memory cards with us on our travels.
This would be any traveller’s nightmare, just as much as it is ours. You can stop this nightmare from coming true! It is as simple as adding this to your travellers gift ideas list, before going out to purchasing the SD Memory Card.
There are a variety of sizes, and capacity size memory cards available on the market, depending on your budget. In our opinion we would recommend Sandisk Extreme Pro 32GB or 64GB. It has a large storage capacity, it’s easy to transfer onto a PC, or hard drive, and it’s small and lightweight.
Camera lenses
When purchasing a good camera, you need all the gadgets and accessories that go with it, to enhance the picture quality. One of these will be camera lenses.
Not all cameras have the ability to change the lens, but with a DSLR camera for example, it is possible. There are a number of different lens sizes available on the market. Each lens will all do different things depending on the type of picture you intend to take. A wide lens for example, will take a wider image, or a zoom lens will take an image further afield. All of this needs to be taken into account, when travelling and taking those beautiful pictures.
As a traveller, you will need different lenses for the type of picture you might take.
When we purchase our DSLR camera, it came with the standard 18-55mm lens, with built in stabilizer. We found this was the best lens for us as beginners. We have since purchased an array of lenses, such as Canon 28-135mm. Which we use for landscape, and sometimes sightseeing. We also use Sigma 70-300mm when we are on safari, or need to zoom in on the subject from a distance. The lenses are so easy to change while out on the road, making them the ideal gift ideas for travellers.
Not all lenses have a stabilizer, so consider this before purchasing the lens.
Lens filters
There are many different types of lens filters on the market. You can purchase a lens filter which protects the lens from dust, scratches, and does not impact your picture quality. Whilst other lens filters such as a polarizing filter, and neutral density filter will perform differently but will not affect the picture quality.
We have Hoya Filter CIR-PL, which is great for eliminating reflections from non metallic surfaces such as water or glass, but it also increases contrast and colour saturation.
Camera bag
You have all this great equipment, but you need to keep it safe, and stored correctly whilst you are traveling. This can’t be done, unless you have a good, sturdy camera bag. There are different styles of camera bags on the market, with different budgets in mind.
We have two different camera bags, one which came with our purchase, and can only store the camera. However, we would recommend Lowepro Sling bag. It has more capacity to hold a camera, and a spare lens, and some small pockets to store lens filters or lens and camera cleaning brushes and cloths.
Go Pro accessories
These GoPro accessories will come in handy whilst out on your adventure travels. There are a variety of accessories included, such as the selfie stick, a head and chest mount, and a handle bar mount, just to name a few. These accessories would be used if you are skiing, cycling, paddle sports, and a floating aid for video footage under water. We love these little accessories, as they are so versatile, allowing us to continue videoing no matter what we are doing.
We could never go traveling without our GoPro accessories, as we are likely to need them at some point on our journey.
Computer equipment, and gadget gift ideas for travellers.
These items are just as important to travelers, be that whilst on the road, or once they have returned. The memories us travelers make, will be with us for a lifetime, but you’ll need somewhere to store those memories.
Laptop
We simply can’t live without our laptop, even on holiday! We have a small, lightweight laptop, with great battery life, and easy to transport in our bags. What we love about our laptop, is that it is so versatile. It allows us to continue using it as we would if we were still at home.
Smart phone
These days most smart phones have excellent camera features, to capture those amazing shots, or videos whilst on the road. A Smart Phone would also be used, to stay connected to what is happening back home via multiple social media apps.
There are many different handsets and makes, such as android and apple. We both have different preferences with our smart phones. One loves android and doesn’t like apple, whilst the other loves apple but can’t get their head around the use of android.
Tablet
A tablet is just as important as a mobile phone, many have the option for a sim card and can be used similarly to a mobile. A traveller may use this to check emails, social media, research their travel destination and more.
There are many different tablet brands on the market, such as android, or Apple. Each person may have a different preference! If you are purchasing a tablet as a gift, we would suggest researching what smart phone the loved one uses, and purchase the same brand or similar.
Portable power bank
A portable power bank could be a life saver!
If your smart phone runs out of juice what are you going to do? This is where the power bank comes to your rescue! Just by plugging this into the power bank, your phone will start to charge instantly.
These great devices can charge a smart phone, tablet and even small cameras. With all the gadgets a traveller will likely to take with them, they will require a portable power bank or a few.
It would be a good ideas to have a number of portable power banks on hand. Always make sure the portable power banks are fully charged before leaving your hotel, or accommodation.
Travel adapters
Everything could go wrong if you don’t have a travel adapter!
We pack a lot of electrical devices when we go traveling, and can’t leave without at least one travel adaptor. How else can we charge our devices? These small, lightweight, travel adaptors will convert our electrical devices to the power outlets in the country we are traveling too.
You can get various adaptors, ones specifically for Europe, or worldwide. It would be a good idea to purchase the adaptor for that traveller before they head off on their journey.
Kindle
We love reading, but have to be practical about what to pack in our suitcase, and our weight limit. This changes everything! A Kindle is small, lightweight and holds thousands of books on one little device. We no longer need to worry about how many books to pack when we have the Kindle in hand.
We will read in the airport, on the plane, and even on the bus.
External hard drive
What if something was to go wrong with your laptop, or you ran out of room on the SD memory card, you will need something to back up all your pictures and video’s. This is where an external hard drive would come in!
These are lightweight, small, and all come in different size capacities. It is so easy to transfer the data from the laptop, onto the external hard drive, but you can still access the content as and when you need it from the external hard drive.
We love our external hard drive, it gives us peace of mind, knowing our data is safe.
Cord organiser
We know very well how important it is to pack smart, and this it! This is the perfect gift ideas for travellers. For anyone who have a lot of devices and cords, they will want to store these in a safe and tidy manner, which is exactly as it says on the tin.
Inside, are plenty of pockets and straps, which keep the cords stored securely, before placing it in the bag ready to go.
Essential gift ideas
If a traveller has all of the above, but where are you going to pack these gift ideas? The below gift ideas are essential to purchase for any travellers about to go on an adventure.
Back pack
An everyday back pack is a must, this is where the traveller would put all the things they intend to use during the day, such as water bottle, or water pouch, snacks, food, camera equipment, spare clothing etc., These are perfect for hiking, using as your hand luggage while travelling, or just day to day sightseeing.
We have fallen in love with Osprey Daylite, it is durable, is great for storing every day items you may need when traveling, and comes in different sizes depending on your need. We love the bag so much, that we have two, and would definitely recommend it to anyone.
If you are looking for other backpacks that are ideal for travelling, then you really should check out these Lightweight Travel Backpacks.
Water bottle
Plastic bottles are bad for the environment, to stay environmentally friendly, why not buy your travel lover a reusable water bottle. This will keep them hydrated throughout their trip.
We love using our water pouch, our pouch holds up to 2lts of water, and is stored at the rear of our bag, allowing us to drink as and when required. These are great for keeping hydrated whilst in hot climates, hiking, cycling, or just sightseeing.
Travel scales
These little travel scales come in handy, you can weigh your luggage before leaving for the airport. You would hate to be ill prepared, reaching the airport finding out your luggage is too heavy, and either having to pay a fee, or repacking your personal belongings in front of everyone, just so you can bring your luggage weight within the airline’s restrictions.
A traveler who has one of these, would be organised, it could reduce stress, and would be ready for their next journey.
Wet weather gear
We have been out traveling, when the heavens have opened, and unfortunately, we were ill prepared, which resulted in us getting drenched through.
We don’t want the same to happen to you!
Wet weather gear is a must, we purchased Regatta. Waterproof & Breathable jacket and trousers, and our clothes underneath have stayed bone dry. What is great about the Regatta Waterproof clothing, are that they are easily packed away, into a small case which came with it.
Hiking shoes
If you have a traveller, who will be hiking or planning their next hike, they are sure to need a good, sturdy, waterproof pair of hiking shoes. A good pair will need to support the foot for long periods of time, and will need to be water proof.
We purchased Hi-Tech women Altitude Lite li I waterproof hiking shoes and Merrell ML-girls Moab FST waterproof hiking shoes and love them. We used them whilst in Ireland on our short road trip, and have used them on a number of times whilst out sightseeing.
Thermal clothes
Thermal clothing would be a practical item to purchase before traveling, especially if you intend to travel to a region with cold climates.
We won’t leave the house without wearing or packing thermal clothing, it has kept us warm on many occasions.
All of the above items are practical things we use when out traveling, we wouldn’t recommend these to you, if we didn’t think they should be packed.
These gift ideas for travellers can be purchased for any occasion, be it a Christmas, Birthday, or just because you want to treat yourself to a little something. Whatever your budget, we have it covered!
Your say
Do you use pack any of the above on your travel adventures? Is there anything your simply cannot live without when you are travelling? Is there anything we have left off from this list that you take with you? We would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below.
Continue your Travel Essentials, with these useful posts:
- Should you Buy Travel Insurance
- Best Travel Backpack to Purchase
- Best Travel Podcasts to Listen
- Free virtual tours
- Tips to stay safe while travelling
- What to include in your DIY first aid kit
- What to pack in your beach bag
- What to pack in your cabin bag
- What to pack for a hike
- International travel quotes to feed your wonderlust