Leaving the country is a momentous occasion that many citizens never get to experience. However, for a lucky few, visiting another country can be more than a week-long excursion. Some get to eat, breathe, and live in the other culture as an honorary local through study abroad programs. It’s a given that any young adult presented with the opportunity wants to remember their time abroad forever—and with the right travel gift for a student studying abroad, you can help them cherish the experience long after they return home.
How can you narrow down your options and find the best gift for someone studying abroad? Should you buy something that will be useful for their trip or a memory display?
Take a gander at this list which rounds out a wide array of options at various price points. Travelers come in all personalities, but our roundup is guaranteed to have something fun for each and everybody.
What makes a great gift for someone studying abroad?
Maybe your student/friend likes to visit museums or go hiking over challenging landscapes. Don’t forget the traveler that lives for eating local cuisines and expanding the range of their palates. Whether it be paintings and sculptures or pasta and streusel, there’s a travel gift for a student studying abroad to commemorate the experience.
A great gift should speak to that person in particular. It should be individual, relevant, and useful. Don’t think about the generic gifts placed by the checkout counter (unless of course, a flimsy umbrella in the bargain bin will make their heart sing!). Otherwise, dig deeper and go for a thoughtful, heartfelt gift.
10 recommended travel gifts for a student studying abroad
1. Travel Neck Pouch Wallet with RFID Blocking
If the student you’re shopping for celebrates practicality, this is the perfect gift for studying abroad! Not only will this passport holder keep all cards and documents centrally located, but it can also be worn around your neck and under layers of clothing. This mitigates the risk of being pickpocketed in crowded city streets and markets. As an added bonus, it is constructed from a material that shields your cards from radio waves and keeps your traveler safe from identity theft.
2. Travel Adapter / Outlet
This is also a great gift for someone studying abroad. Maybe a practical and sturdy passport holder isn’t their thing. How about a universal outlet adapter and wall charger? Keeping devices charged and ready to go is of the utmost importance when traveling. Being able to capture memories, navigate new cities, translate languages, or just order takeout is easier in a technologically savvy world. Sure, a map and translating dictionary can offer assistance but wouldn’t a charged phone be less to carry?
3. Leather Journal
Have a traveler that enjoys putting pen to paper? With high-quality paper and the absence of lines, this travel notebook makes the perfect medium for jotting notes or perfecting a sketch of a treasured building. Leather-bound and equipped with removable paper, the notebook can be refilled or repurposed as a photo album.
4. Travel Bracelet
Coming in just under the ~$25 mark, this is a GREAT option for a personalized gift. This gorgeous travel bracelet is a small but meaningful gift for someone studying abroad.
Wear it solo or stacked with more bracelets or even a watch. Either way, it’s a beautiful keepsake to be held onto for years to come.
5. Canvas Weekender Bag
Running through airport terminals and catching shuttle buses is stressful. Couple that with bags falling and pulling on shoulders, and it’s a recipe for a tired, irritated traveler. That’s why this useful tote bag that slides over the luggage handle makes for a valuable gift for someone studying abroad.
Forget heavy carry-ons and rushed power walking across the airport. Your student can stow valuables in this tote, pop them on top of their roller suitcase, and enjoy the stroll to their terminal. They’ll even have time to grab a coffee on the way!
6. Airbnb $50 Gift Card
If experience outweighs sentiment, then try a gift card that affords your student to stay in adventurous lodging while studying abroad. Often, Airbnb offers more bang for your buck and unique dwellings when compared to the standard hotel suite. Who wouldn’t want to cozy up in a countryside cottage or a beach bungalow on a weekend off while studying abroad?
7. Beautiful World Map
For the traveler that’s been bitten by the wanderlust bug, try a gift that celebrates all of the places they’ve been. This attractive 3D world map allows for matching pin points to destinations, and includes pin so you can hang your favorite picture alongside it.
Upon closer inspection, this wall decor is labeled with distinct borders, prominent cities, and even bodies of water. Let them pair this with a gallery wall of all the study abroad photographs sure to make the journey home.
8. GoPro Hero 7
Ready for a splurge-worthy study abroad gift? Any adventure junkie will swoon over the features a GoPro boasts. Waterproof, mountable, and virtually indestructible, it can go anywhere. Take this diving, backpacking, or even skydiving. No matter the life-changing experience, GoPro can, well, go! It certainly ranks high on the list of perfect gifts for someone studying abroad.
9. Kindle
Now, for the reader that couldn’t possibly depart without a small library to consume between flights and bus rides, try a Kindle. This handy gift cuts down on luggage weight and frees space for other must-haves. Then, when it’s time for a fresh read, a new download is only a wifi connection away. It couldn’t be more perfect for the traveler on the go.
10. Personalized Bar Necklace
Lastly, consider a stunning piece of jewelry to commemorate travels to a beautiful new country. These personalized bars can come engraved with geographic coordinates and names. Sleek and minimal, these are a timeless reminder of the adventures experienced while traveling abroad.
Buy a thoughtful gift for someone studying abroad!
Now that you’ve had a chance to browse this list of gifts for someone studying abroad, go purchase the perfect one! Whether it be luggage, a journal, or a spectacular piece of keepsake jewelry, there’s a gift for everyone.
After all, studying abroad is a monumental experience that changes the person forever, opening them up to new people, ways of life, and belief systems. That’s why even the smallest bit of support to foster that journey is so appreciated. Keep looking until you find the perfect travel gift for a student studying abroad!
Authored by Breanna Leslie
Breanna Leslie has been writing for nearly a decade. While earning a master’s degree in psychology, she wrote mostly in an academic and technical sense. Within the last two years, she has jumped into creative writing and has been published in a handful of publications. She has two toddlers, with another on the way, and has been branching out into the proofreading and editing world for the last year as a way to stay busy while staying at home with them.