TripMemo Product Team
Product & releases
8 min read•Published
Summary
The best gifts for someone who loves travelling either keep a trip they have already taken (a printed photo book of it, a framed photo, a map of where they have been) or make the next one easier (packing cubes, a universal adapter, a luggage tracker, good headphones). For someone who has everything, give an experience linked to a place they love, such as a cooking class or language lessons. Personal beats expensive.
The best gifts for someone who loves travelling do one of two things: keep a trip they have already taken, or make the next one easier. For the first, give a printed photo book of a trip they loved, a framed photo or a map of where they have been. For the second, give kit that solves a real travel problem: packing cubes, a universal adapter, a luggage tracker or good headphones. For someone who has everything, give an experience linked to a place they love.
The fourteen ideas below are grouped that way, with a note on who each suits and what to check before you buy. We make travel photo books, so the first idea is ours; everything else is a general recommendation, and we do not earn anything from it.
The 14 Ideas at a Glance
| Gift | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A photo book of their favourite trip | Keepsake | The sentimental traveller |
| 2. A year of travel in one book | Keepsake | Someone who took several trips this year |
| 3. A framed photo from a trip | Keepsake | Someone who likes things on the wall |
| 4. A map of where they have been | Keepsake | The country counter |
| 5. A travel journal | Keepsake | Someone who likes to write |
| 6. Packing cubes | Practical | The over-packer |
| 7. A universal travel adapter | Practical | Anyone travelling between countries |
| 8. A luggage tracker | Practical | Anyone who checks a bag |
| 9. Noise-cancelling headphones | Practical | Long-haul and train travellers |
| 10. A good wash bag | Practical | Anyone, cheaply and easily |
| 11. A guidebook or novel for their next trip | Inspiration | The planner |
| 12. Language lessons | Experience | Someone heading somewhere new |
| 13. A cooking class from a country they love | Experience | The food traveller |
| 14. A contribution to their next trip | Experience | The traveller who has everything |
Gifts That Keep a Trip They Have Taken
1. A Photo Book of Their Favourite Trip
Most travel photos never leave the phone. A printed photo book gathers the best of one trip in order, with captions and the place names, into something that sits on a shelf and gets picked up. It is the most personal gift on this list because it is made from their own photos.
How to do it: ask for their photos (or use the ones you took together), cut them to two or three for every page, and lay them out by day or by place. In the TripMemo studio you can choose an illustrated cover drawn for where they went, from Japan to the Amalfi Coast, and have the book delivered to them. Our guide to making a travel photo book covers every step.
Keep in mind: for a surprise, you need their photos without asking. A trip you took together is easiest; otherwise a partner or friend who was there can help.
2. A Year of Travel in One Book
For someone who took several trips this year, put them all in one book with a chapter for each. A year in review photo book is made for exactly this, and it is a natural Christmas or new year present. Our guide to a private travel year in review has ideas for what to include beyond the photos.
3. A Framed Photo From a Trip
Choose one photo they took, or one of them on a trip, print it large and frame it. Write the place and date on the back.
Keep in mind: print from the original file, not a screenshot or a copy from a chat, and check the crop against the frame.
4. A Map of Where They Have Been
A scratch-off world map, a framed print with pins, or a map you mark by hand. These suit travellers who count countries.
Keep in mind: if they are not sure of their own count, they can tick off their countries on our visited countries map, a browser tool that is free to use, before you buy the print.
5. A Travel Journal
A well-made notebook with a pocket for tickets, and a good pen to go with it. Add a few travel journal prompts on a card in the front for someone who wants to write but does not know where to start.
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Gifts That Make the Next Trip Easier
6. Packing Cubes
Fabric zip cases that sort a suitcase into tops, bottoms and everything else. Inexpensive, genuinely useful and hard to have too many of.
7. A Universal Travel Adapter
One adapter with UK, EU, US and Australian pins (and USB ports) replaces a bag of separate plugs. Check it covers the countries they visit most.
8. A Luggage Tracker
A small tag that goes in a checked bag so they can see where it is. Choose one that works with their phone: Apple's AirTag uses the Find My network for iPhone users, and there are trackers made for Android phones too.
9. Noise-Cancelling Headphones
For long flights and train journeys, these make the biggest difference of anything on this list. They are also the most expensive, so it is worth asking what they already have.
Also consider: a power bank. Airlines generally require power banks to travel in hand luggage rather than in the hold, so a slim one that fits a pocket is the most useful kind.
10. A Good Wash Bag
A hanging wash bag with a few refillable travel bottles is a small, reliable gift, and one that gets used on every trip.
Gifts That Inspire the Next Trip
11. A Guidebook or a Novel Set Where They Are Going
If you know their next destination, a good guidebook, or a novel set there, builds the anticipation. Write a note inside the cover.
12. Language Lessons
A course of lessons, a class or a phrasebook and a promise to practise together. Most useful a few months before a trip.
13. A Cooking Class From a Country They Love
A pasta class for the Italy lover, a curry class for someone who loved India. An experience at home that brings back a trip.
14. A Contribution to Their Next Trip
For the traveller who has everything: a voucher for a night somewhere, an airport lounge visit, or a card promising a weekend away together. A card with a date written in it is the best last-minute gift there is.
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Your trip, printed.Start it in the TripMemo app.
Personalised Travel Gifts: What Makes Them Work
The difference between a personalised gift and a generic one with a name printed on it is the detail only you know. Three ways to get it right:
- Use their places. A book of their Italy trip, not a book about Italy.
- Use their people. The photos of them with someone they love outlast the views.
- Add a line in your words. A caption, a dedication on the first page or a note on the back of a frame.
Buying for Christmas?
Practical gifts can be bought in a day; a printed photo book is made to order and takes a week or two to arrive. Check the Christmas photo book delivery dates for the last day to order in your country. If the traveller is your mum or dad, our list of what to give parents after a holiday has more ideas, and for a couple's first anniversary, see our first anniversary paper gift ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you buy someone who loves to travel?
Something that keeps a past trip (a photo book, a framed photo, a map of where they have been) or something that makes the next one easier (packing cubes, an adapter, a luggage tracker, headphones).
What is a good personalised gift for a traveller?
A photo book of one of their trips, made from their own photos. A marked map or a framed photo from their favourite trip are smaller options.
What do you get a traveller who has everything?
A book of their own trip photos, an experience linked to a country they love, or a contribution to their next trip.
Are travel gadgets good gifts?
When they solve a real problem the person has. Check what they already own; frequent travellers often have the basics.
What is a good last-minute gift for someone who loves travelling?
A card promising a trip or day out, a guidebook or novel for their next destination, or food from a country they love. Order a printed photo book early.
