From the ecstatic first time traveler to the perfectly put together friend who checked their list thrice, here is the ultimate guide to gifts for friends going traveling, whether to study or simply adventure. Share in their adventures with an impactful gift!
Travelers face many challenges. Included are an array of products designed to improve your traveling friend’s experiences. Show your support of their incredible journey ahead with one of these gift ideas below. Here’s what we recommend you purchase when shopping for gifts for friends going travelling!
12 awesome gifts for friends going traveling
These unique gifts for travelers will put them on the right path towards adventure.
1. Portable Travel Bluetooth Speaker
Make your bud the coolest guy or gal at the hostel thanks to this portable bluetooth speaker from JBL. They’ll be turning up tunes at the pool, under the stars, while riding their bike across that adorable European town, and more!
2. Astronaut Space Tapestry
Perhaps your friend will be primarily living in a bare walled and empty feeling apartment during the course of their study abroad time. A lightweight and easily packable tapestry provides color and warmth to an otherwise dreary room. This spectacular space themed tapestry reminds your friend of all the greatness out there to discover!
3. The Bachelor Coloring Book
To keep the friendship feeling close, keep up your regularly attended bonding activities. If you love to comment on rose ceremonies and cannot get enough of each season’s clash of personalities then this coloring book is for you. The distance might be long, but the friendship can still prevail! If time zones prevent you from watching your favorite show together, then send each other pictures of your masterpieces each week instead. Make sure you are coloring “for the right reasons.”
4. Adorable Dog Patterned Socks
For your animal loving friend, soak up thoughtful and practical gift ideas for someone going traveling that remind them of their furry best friend—like these cute socks! Traveling far from pets and loved ones is challenging. Bring a smile to your friend’s face each time they put on these adorable dog eared socks! These socks are the perfect gift because they will take up very little space in their luggage while also being a great conversation starter.
5. Travel Cords Organizer
This bag has enough space for a wide range of adapters and extension cords. It prevents misplacing essential electronic accessories. It’s a practical gift that even a seasoned traveler will surely appreciate! This may not appear as the gift they’ll love, but it’s a gift they’ll need. Consider pairing it with another gift by secretly stuffing the adorable dog socks inside!
6. Apple iPad
This gift requires a conversation with the traveling friend first. Depending on their technology needs for coursework, this may be an ideal gift from a group of friends. Chip in with other friends or family members and gift an iPad. Tablets are great for getting work done on the go.
With all of the travel coming their way, your friend will really make the most of this gift. It’s great for watching movies or reading during long flights, car rides, and train journeys. It makes video calling home easy. They can even use it for class. If their study abroad isn’t a typical full semester course load, they may not even need to take their laptop and can save space by taking an iPad instead.
7. Osprey Garment Folder
Maybe it’s a weekend trip to a lively city or a day trip to a nearby picturesque locality, your friend is probably going to take lots of trips within their big trip. Whether for an event, photoshoot, special ceremony, etc, your traveler will need to bring some slightly more formal clothing options—that’s why we love this garment folder as one of the more unique gifts for travelers. Dozens of scenarios showcase how useful this garment organizer is to a traveler. It prevents wrinkles and compactly packs nice attire.
8. 5 Pocket T-shirt
Wear it to the gym, to a concert, or to a crowded city. This T-shirt boasts five (yes, FIVE!) pockets, including three zippered pockets, making it one of the most perfect gifts for friends going traveling! It can perfectly store bank cards, cash, keys, a phone, and more. Your traveler friend will love it in order to deter pickpockets while visiting iconic places. It’s also great for workouts. Pair it with a jacket and minimize the need for a bag during concerts and sports games. The pockets are discreet yet practical.
It’s available in six neutral colors, perfect for long term travel. It also doubles as gifts for travel lovers that can still be used once they return from their semester abroad!
9. Environmentally Friendly Glitter
Glitter is for the friend who has already thought of everything. Sprinkle some of this environmentally friendly glitter in their bag or on their favorite T-shirt. When they get the last trace of glitter out, a reunion is due! A fun gift with a variety of purposes, this can be used with crafts or makeup. It’s a reminder of you!
Use it to decorate an endearing letter or picture frame. Combine it with glue to make a unique luggage tag. It will make finding a neutral colored suitcase at the luggage pickup point at airports and bus stops much easier.
10. Clif Bars Chocolate Chip
Shelf-stable snacks are the perfect travel gift! A few of their favorite snacks save on expensive food purchases at airports. A package of Clif Bars will get them through long travel days and snack cravings. Consider giving them a variety mix of their favorite difficult to find snack. Avoid snacks that might melt or otherwise cause a mess during transit. Energy bars might become their baseline before their first supermarket trip upon arrival.
11. A Mindful Travel Journal
Gifting a travel journal is great in so many ways. You can write a special note in the first few pages. Even better, get more loved ones involved! Invite friends and family members to write individual bon voyage notes. This specific journal guides the writer through a multitude of exercises and writing prompts. It will help your traveling friend fondly remember their time abroad.
12. Sequence Board Game & One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Board games might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “gifts for frequent travelers,” but hear us out. Our final two suggestions for gifts for friends going traveling are both packable, portable board games. Hosting a game night is a fast way to make new friends in new locations, and both of these games can be taken out of their original boxes and packed down smaller.
Sequence is a fun multiplayer or team game that can overcome a language barrier. It’s simple to learn and doesn’t require any complex language to have lots of fun!
One Night Ultimate Werewolf is best played with larger groups; it works with a mobile app to minimize space needed. Simply pack the cards and tokens, download the app, and start figuring out who is the town troublemaker!
They’ll squeeze these gifts for friends going traveling into their luggage
Studying abroad is an exciting time for students. It’s a new opportunity full of endless knowledge, experiences, and challenges. Finding a special gift for a soon to be traveler can prove to be quite a challenge. From well thought out practical gifts to presents that will push them onwards, we hope you loved our roundup of fabulous gift ideas for friends going traveling. Help them make the most of their time abroad with one or more of these ideas!
Authored by Carolyn Wheeler
Carolyn Wheeler studied intercultural communication during university. Ever since she has been on a journey around the world and around the World Showcase at Epcot. She is a Disney fanatic! She dreams of visiting each Disney park around the world. Carolyn is an extensive traveler who loves sharing her travel fails to help others.