Bless the hearts of the people in our lives that choose to follow the call of adventure. Such dedication to explore and document the wonders of the world. Even if you don’t share the same passion, still, we want to show that we support their dreams to become the next Christopher Columbus of this generation. What better way to help them celebrate their world-trotting voyage than a practical gift, right?
No idea what’s the perfect travel gift for your explorer friends or relatives? We’ve got you covered! Here are six practical presents you can give to someone traveling abroad. All gift ideas here are guaranteed to make their traveling experience convenient, comfortable, or both!
1. Backpack
When it comes to packing stuff, backpacks are always the best bag options a traveler could have. Since your family or friend fits the bill, a compact travel backpack is the most obvious and the best practical gift you could ever give to them.
It’s spacious enough to carry a handful of clothing, gadgets, and other traveling items. The pockets and compartments a backpack has will also allow your traveling friend/relative to organize their belongings of different sizes. That way, they can easily search dedicated pockets or compartments for the stuff they need.
Every backpack serves different purposes. There are bags made for hiking, for casual strolling, or something that falls in between. They also vary in designs and styles – from minimalist ones to those with unique and loud patterns. Whatever the travel purpose of your buddy or relative is, you can find a rucksack fit for their needs and style.
There are plenty of backpack brands out there, so if you don’t have any specific gift preference, you’ll need to do a little research first. A particular backpack review here can save you the time digging on the internet to check out reviews. You’re welcome!
2. Neck pillow and a sleep mask
Whether your friend or relative is a full-fledged vagabond or a casual explorer, they’ll appreciate excellent pillow support to catch some sleep during their travel. Neck pillows, in particular, can give them the comfortable rest they need during their flight or long commute.
It’s small enough to fit their luggage but still sizeable to provide ergonomic comfort while taking a nap during the flight. No wonder it’s one of the most popular travel gifts today!
If you’re gifting someone a neck pillow, why not complete the quick-slumber set by giving them a sleep mask too. According to Dr. Alanna Hare, a sleep consultant from the Royal Brompton Hospital Centre for Sleep in London, the added darkness provided by sleep masks increases our melatonin level. This increase can help us drift into sleep quicker. Now your friend/relative can get the shut-eye they need before they set off to begin their adventures.
3. Kindle E-reader
If you’ve got the extra budget, take your travel gift to the next level with a Kindle e-reader. If they want to catch up on their readings but want to save some space, they can easily do so with their Kindle e-reader and ebooks.
In just a single device, they can carry a lot of books with them – both fiction and self-help books are welcome. If the view on the window bus isn’t a thrilling sight, they can use the te travel time to read something nice.
What travelers also love about this ebook reader is that it has long battery life. They can read for as long as they like! It also provides a reading experience versatile for any situation – whether they’re under the sun or the starry night sky. We can’t do that on our phone without glaring at our screen for being too bright or increasing the screen’s brightness to adjust to the dark.
4. Packing cubes
Save your friend or family the stress of crumpled shirts and disorganized items by gifting them a packing cube! Although they were first advertised as space savers, they fit the category of “organizer” more. For instance, your traveling friend can pack their night-out outfits in one packing organizer, and their casual or beach outfits in another one.
These fabric containers also come in different sizes and colors too. They can fit their sneakers on the largest cube, shirts and pants on the medium-sized cubes, and their undergarments, socks, and accessories on the smallest ones.
Packing cubes are not limited to clothes too. They can also be used to organize photography gear, small gadgets, and skincare and sanitary essentials. The efficient compartmentalization facilitated by packing cubes ensures that your belongings remain easily accessible and well-organized throughout your journey. For an added layer of organization, consider incorporating a pill organizer from Ikigai Cases into your packing routine.
5. Power bank
It’s a baffling challenge every time to find a steady supply of power for charging. Because God knows smartphones drain fast, and they always run out juice at unexpected places and situations.
In this case, your adventurous friend or relative will appreciate a power bank as their portable chargers. It weighs only a little heavier than smartphones, so your traveling friend won’t have a hard time carrying it around. Best of all, they have enough capacity to supply their phone the power it needs for at least a couple of times.
Power banks can also be used to recharge other gadgets like their GoPro or Kindle reader. They can also recharge their laptop through a power bank if they have an adaptor to connect it with the portable charger.
6. Wireless earphones or headphones
Isn’t it frustrating to sit through a flight with crying babies as the background music? It’s enough to destroy one’s excited mood for exploring.
To avoid this pesky situation, show your love to the explorer in your life by giving them a wireless earphone or headphone! These headphone varieties have noise-canceling features that can isolate them and their favorite music from the world around them. These headphones also have Bluetooth connectivity, easy volume control, and bass so deep, it would put the Marianas Trench to shame.
They’re a little pricey though, so if you’ve got the extra budget, this one will take the cake. Another alternative gift idea that would delight the music lover in them would be a Bluetooth speaker. Although they can’t play them on airplanes to drown out the noise, they can use it whenever they want to watch movies on their camping site, or if they want an impromptu party or movie screening at their hotel room.