Best Gifts for International Travel Lovers

The best gifts for international travel lovers are functional items that they can use, or presentation pieces to memorialize trips. Creating curated collections of mementos makes splendid shelf décor pieces to reminisce about travel. Mementos are terrific for easing the wanderlust while idle. During travel, functional accessories that make great gifts include devices like noise-cancelling headphones or Bluetooth headbands that double as an eye mask, or even something as simple as luggage scales that are much more useful than you may think. If you don’t fly frequently, it’s hard to know what travel-related gifts are good. Fret no more…

7 of the Best Gifts for International Travel Lovers

1. Travel tokens

Donald Trung, Via Wikimedia Commons. | CC by-SA 4.0

Travel tokens are small and personal and are great for memorabilia. Each token represents a place that’s been visited. Tokens get attached to a token holder, which can be as simple as a chain, or for trail hikers, secured to carabiner clips and attached to backpacks. Perhaps the best-known brand for these is the Wander Club… It is (perhaps) to travel lovers what Pandora is to jewelry lovers. Just like bracelets can be customized with numerous charms, the Wander Club has leather-bound token holders that can be strapped to luggage or used as bookshelf décor pieces with signature tokens attached representing places that have been visited. To make it even more personal, you could run with the same idea, order custom printed tokens, and curate a collection to display in a picture frame.

2. Tech travel pouch

Tech-savvy international travelers pack a bunch of technology and peripherals to pair with their devices. Different lenses for DSLR cameras, phone wands, or tripods, multiple devices, various chargers for each of them, power banks, cables, headphones, or earbuds. Each device may have various accessories such as SIM cards, memory cards, Bluetooth speakers, and of course a universal travel adapter to make sure chargers work regardless of the destination country. It’s a lot of tech to pack, protect, and keep organized. Tech pouches are the solution to that problem. They keep the cables organized, memory cards and SIM cards conveniently stored and easy to access, and depending on the size of the pouch, and design, they could protect devices too.  

3. Accessories for sunglasses

For the tourists who love their eyewear, be it stylish sunglasses or prescription lenses in frames of various styles to go with different outfits, accessories are likely important. More so for those who need to keep taking their glasses off and on for taking photos, or switching from sunglasses to reading glasses and driving glasses. Eyewear accessories are vast, ranging from foldable sunglasses cases that fit inside suitcases, glasses chains, or cord retainers to hang down from the neck, and you can even get custom-printed lens cleaning cloths. Perhaps include a cloth capsule that attaches to a keyring to make cleaning the lenses on the go easy.

4. Personalized Passport Holders

Passports can be damaged and when they’re frequently used, the risk of tears, laminate peeling, or any information becoming indecipherable is heightened. Passport covers or holders protect against damage, and they are a bit nicer to look at and hold. Leather covers/holders can be personalized with initials, and there are holders similar to phone covers that have slots inside for cards and folded documents. Frequent travellers often have different types of cards. Some prefer to use prepaid debit cards, while others use travel credit cards specifically for spending overseas. The main advantage to holders with slots inside the cover is that it can be used to keep all travel documents together. Passport, flight tickets, plastic cards, printed accommodation details, etc.

5. Luggage scales

Travel anywhere, you’re likely to come back with more than you left with. Gifts, souvenirs and mementos such as stackable rocks from the beaches or a river trail, or handmade ceramics to decorate a bookshelf oericr side table. Baggage limits are a pain to deal with and the excess fees are highest when you’re at the airport. The slightest bit over, there’s excess baggage charges. It pays to know the weight of all luggage and to maximize the weight allowance of carry-on luggage. The only way to know that you’re within the limits of the carrier is to weigh your luggage before check-in. Thankfully, there’s no need to struggle balancing suitcases on weight scales. Portable luggage scales are compact, yet precise. Digital scales take up very little space and can save a bundle.  

6. Pinboard travel maps

International tourists visit a lot of countries. For a paper map pinned to the wall, every trip is another hole in the wall. Push pin maps are intended to have pins put through the material. The materials are often canvas, wood, or corkboard, and the designs are either printed, or painted with watercolor paints, or in the case of wood travel maps, the wood pieces will be stained in different shades. Some kits come with colored pins, or you can find flag pins online for more customization. As a travel-themed idea for a date night in, this is the perfect couples activity. Piecing together a travel map highlighting the destinations visited, and using a different color of pins for yet-to-go places.

7. Products for in-flight

There’s very little that can be done when soaring at 10,000 ft. Other than sleep. The higher the elevation, the harder it is for your body to take in oxygen. That results in drowsiness. Sleeping sitting up is a challenge in itself, even more so when you don’t have a window seat for something to lean on. To help with that, neck pillows, a sleep mask, and noise-cancelling headphones are go-to products for frequent flyers. If they don’t have those, any of those are functional gifts that’s sure to be appreciated.

For those with all the gear for a cozy flight, what they’re likely to need to replenish constantly are the skin care products. On a plane, the cabin air is only about 20% humidity. That’s extremely dry and the reason for puffiness and swelling post-flight. During the flight, the skin gets drier, lip chafing leads to cracks, eyes get irritated, and for daytime flights, there are higher levels of UV rays meaning sunscreen is essential. Skin care products for flyers include skin serums that contain Hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5 to hydrate and repair dry skin. Factor 50 sunscreen helps protect against UV rays from flying closer to the sun and lip balms prevent chafing.

For other gift ideas for the travel buff who relishes reading during travels, check out these gift ideas for bookworms.