15+ Fun & Useful Travel Gifts To Fit Every Budget

If you’re looking for fun and useful travel gifts to surprise your friend or loved one with, you’re in the right place!

I have compiled a list of useful travel gifts to fit every budget and any age of traveler.

Our list of travel gift ideas consists of items that I personally own, recommend, and have gifted myself.

In addition, many of these must-have items are ranked as Best-Overall in their product category.

Look no further for a unique list of the most useful travel gifts to give at any time throughout the year!

The links on this gift guide are Amazon affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Useful Travel Gifts: Priced $100 and Up

1. Hard-Sided Luggage

There is no traveler who would be disappointed in receiving the gift of a shiny new set of luggage!

Spoil your friend or loved one with luggage featuring the latest and greatest: whisper-quiet 360-degree spinner wheels, a TSA-approved combination lock, and a stylish, lightweight, and ultra-durable design!

This Samsonite Winfield 2 three-piece set packs a punch with its tremendous value and its recent award of being rated by Amazon as the Best All-Around Luggage!

2. YETI Cooler

One of the most fun and useful travel gifts for any outdoor, adventure, RVing or road-tripping traveler is a raging-popular YETI Cooler!

This popular brand of indestructible coolers is widely known for its unmatched insulation and ice retention abilities.

Available in several different sizes and colors, our favorite is the YETI Tundra Haul which is the first-ever YETI cooler on wheels.

3. Kindle Paperwhite

If you’re shopping for someone who loves to read, a Kindle Paperwhite is a useful travel gift that you should definitely consider!

With amazing display and readability, the Kindle Paperwhite is the all-time favorite among e-readers for its sleek, lightweight, and compact design.

Be sure to get the latest model of Kindle Paperwhite which is waterproof and has a battery that lasts for weeks!

4. Noise Canceling Headphones

Noise-canceling headphones are also one of the most useful travel gifts for teens, tweens, and frequent flyers who want to sleep on a long flight.

Shop for noise-canceling headphones that have a long battery life, and that have both comfort and high-quality sound.

You can’t go wrong with these Bose QuietComfort wireless Bluetooth headphones that consistently rank the best in their category.

5. GoPro Motion Camera

GoPro is to action cameras what Kleenex is to tissues.

Digital Trend Magazine

In short, GoPros are cameras that are small enough to fit into your pocket and are designed to take photos and videos in rugged and active situations.

GoPro software takes your footage and automatically assembles them into short, shareable videos ready for social media.

They can be mounted anywhere and are a fun and unique choice for any traveler, which is why it’s also on our list of the Best Travel Gifts for Teens!

Our top choice to look into first is the GoPro HERO8.

It has excellent live-streaming capabilities, wide views, and amazing motion stabilazation.

Fun & Useful Travel Gifts: Priced $25 – $100

1. Packing Cubes

Packing cubes are our absolute favorite travel product and are by far, one of the most useful travel gifts!

As a seasoned traveler and packing expert, trust me in saying that packing cubes will totally revolutionize the way that you travel – which is why they top the list of our expert packing tips!

By surprising your friend or loved one with the gift of packing cubes, they will undoubtedly experience less stressful and more organized travel in discovering this new and convenient travel essential.

All packing cubes are not created equal, however.

Be sure to shop for lightweight, breathable, and adequately sized packing cubes like these packing cubes that are our absolute favorite!

2. Portable Battery Charger

Coming in a close second place for one of the most useful travel gifts from $25-$100 is a portable battery charger!

For anyone who owns a Smartphone, having a portable battery charger on hand is an absolute must, especially when traveling.

Whether using your Smartphone for photos, traveling apps, or for talk and text, travelers are at a major loss if battery power is lost.

My top recommendation for gifting someone a portable battery charger is to ensure that it is universally compatible, lightweight, and has ultra-fast charging power.

3. Laptop-Friendly Backpack

Any traveler would be thrilled to receive a durable laptop-friendly backpack as a gift!

As a newer backpack feature, dedicated tech departments are much appreciated by any traveler.

In addition, this backpack can be used as a carry-on, for hiking, biking, road-tripping, or as a theme park day bag for family travelers.

The multiple uses of a laptop-friendly backpack are what make it a useful travel gift for all ages!

4. Travel Hammock

Look no further for the best-selling portable travel hammock that will make the perfect gift for travelers.

Not only is a travel hammock both a fun and useful travel gift, but it is something that may be less expected, and therefore, results in a delightful surprise!

A current trend, travel hammocks make a great gift for teens, tweens, young adults, and adult adventure and outdoor travelers.

My personal favorite travel hammock is made by Wise Owl Outfitters!

5. Gift Cards

Gifting for a traveler that lives far away?

Need a gift that you can easily send in the mail?

I love the option of purchasing gift cards that can be used for travel, whether it be for music, flights, hotels, or prepaid Visa gift cards.

With so many options to choose from, the following travel gift cards can be purchased on Amazon.com or found at local big-box stores such as Target and Walmart.

• ITunes
• Spotify
• Netflix
• Lyft
• Amazon.com
• Visa
• Airline gift cards
• Hotel gift cards
• Gas gift cards

Fun & Useful Travel Gifts: Priced less than $25

1. Travel Adaptor

This particular universal travel adaptor accepts plugs from more than 150 countries (+ has over 5,000 five-star reviews!).

As one of the most useful travel gifts, you cannot go wrong with purchasing this affordable travel adaptor for the international traveler on your list!

2. Travel Electronic Organizer

It can be very difficult to keep cords and chargers untangled and accounted for when traveling.

Giving the gift of a travel electronic organizer is a useful gift in that it may be something that your friend or loved one never knew existed.

This electronic organizer by Bagsmart is highly rated and is an Amazon bestseller.

3. RFID Blocking Travel Passport Holder

Every traveler needs someplace to safely store their passport, ID, boarding pass, and credit cards.

A personal favorite traveling item of mine, a travel passport holder, is bound to be a useful travel gift for anyone with upcoming air travel.

This RFID blocking travel passport holder doubles as a wristlet and has an exterior pocket large enough to fit a Smartphone.

Additional planning tip: I’ve switched to traveling with this passport + vaccine cardholder for traveling post the worldwide pandemic.

4. Digital Luggage Scale

Take away the worry and hassle of your luggage being overweight come time for baggage check-in.

Give the gift of a hand-held, digital luggage scale to those friends and loved ones who love to travel!

The compact size of this luggage scale allows it to be easily stored in your suitcase in order to be used again prior to returning home.

5. Portable Clothesline

Perfect for campers, backpackers, and European travelers, this compact portable clothesline is a fun and useful travel gift!

Use it to tie from tree to tree while camping or in the corner of a small guest room or hostel to dry clothes or gear when a drying machine isn’t readily available.

What is the most useful travel gift that you’ve ever given? I’d love for you to comment below!

Jen

If you enjoyed reading our gift guide for the best fun and useful travel gifts, check out our other travel planning tips:

• Top 10 Tips for Planning a Family Road Trip (And Enjoying it Too!)
• 18 Amazing “Are We There Yet” Road Trip Activity Bags
• Top 16 Tips for Flying With Kids & Ways to Keep them Calm
• The Ultimate Guide for International Travel with Kids
• 8 (Unexpected) Benefits of Traveling With Kids

*Before leaving, be sure to check our Travel Resources Page to find our exclusive travel discounts and to book hotels, rental cars, and guided tours.*