20 Christmas Stocking Stuffers for Travellers: Travel-themed gift ideas for everyone on your Christmas list. Stocking Stuffers & Secret Santa Gift Ideas.
Happy Holidays! The build-up to Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love the nostalgia of it, the memories of childhood excitement, the decorations, the smell of fireplaces and smoke escaping through chimneys, and the freshly baked goodies. I love making plans with friends, sharing stories and exchanging gifts.
But I hate the shopping for gifts part of Christmas. I find it quite challenging, especially trying to find ideas for stocking stuffers, as you don’t want to break the bank, and you don’t want to fill stockings with useless items either. Travel lovers can also be tricky to shop for because they need practical items that are light, small, and easy to pack. At the time of writing, every item on this list was under $30 US and things we have either used ourselves, or wish we had while travelling. Use this guide for the travel afficionado in your life, for stocking stuffers or Secret Santa gifts!
Without further adieu, here is our curated list of 20 totally awesome stocking stuffers for travel lovers…
Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Travel Lovers
Unbreakable Wine Glasses
Did you say unbreakable? Why yes, yes I did! Take them to the beach, down to the river, camping, even fulfil that dream of sharing a bottle of wine under the Eiffel Tower! These silicone wine glasses squish up and fit easily into your luggage or daypack, heck even your pocket. They’re BPA free and dishwasher safe.
Boomerang Corkscrew with Foil Cutter
You’ve got to have a corkscrew when you’re travelling, especially if you’ve got the unbreakable wine glasses. The Boomerang corkscrew has a retractable foil cutter and bottle opener to meet all of our ever-changing drinking moods.
Reusable Bendable Twist Ties
One word: handy. There are so many uses for reusable twist ties it’s unbelievable! We use these to fasten accessories to our camera tripod, hang things from our bunks in hostels, or just keeping cords organized. We are constantly trying to find ways of keeping our things more organized and love little reusable solutions like this.
Apple AirTags
We air tag EVERYTHING these days. Luggage, wallets, backpacks, even our keychains. And it has saved me on quite a few occassions. It's also incredibly helpful for finding the inevitable lost luggage!
Digital Luggage Scale
With airlines squeezing every dollar these days for weight, travelers will definitely love a compact scale so they know how much room they’ve got for all those gifts!
Wanderlust Air Travel Compression Socks
If you know someone gearing up for a long flight this holiday season, throw a pair of these in their stocking, they will absolutely appreciate it. Feet and calves get a bit swollen on long flights, it’s uncomfortable at best and painful at worst, so having something hug your lower legs for the whole flight feels pretty darn nice!
Ohropax Wax Ear Plugs
These are simply the best ear plugs I have found. I love them because they completely seal my ears but are still comfortable and stay in the whole night. If you know someone who is a light sleeper, or someone who can’t stand noise from the street or coming in from thin walls, make sure they get a packet of these!
Repel Travel Umbrella
Cloud tears, sky juice, rain, whatever you call it, wet weather is going to happen whether we like it or not. Including a compact umbrella isn’t top of mind when we’re packing for a trip, and it never fails, we seem to always get caught in the rain. We have even had a restaurant cut holes in garbage bags so we could attempt to stay dry while we ran back to our hotel.
LED Headlamps
Ok, this one might seem kind of wierd but these headlamps are super handy for us when we travel. They are useful for navigating night time hikes or resorts that respect the Dark Skies guidelines. But they're also handy to keep beside our bed and use as a flashlight - making it easy to find the bathroom in the middle of the night without flipping the lights on!
It also makes cozy night time reading more enjoyable for the others in the room trying to sleep, and we don’t have to fumble around to try and find the switch to turn the lights off.
1ABOVE Anti Jet Lag
It’s hard to say how much is legitimate, and how much is psychological, but these sure are refreshing when sitting on a stale steel tube in the sky breathing recycled air for many hours, I can say that! They are all-natural, chewable and tasteless with no side effects other than feeling fresher and more alert!
Element Proof Bag
Electronics are expensive to replace and we don’t usually do enough to protect them. Aloksak bags from Loksak are waterproof, leakproof solutions for your iPad, camera, phone, just about anything you don’t want to get wet. A nice feature is that you can still use almost all of your stuff while they’re in the bags. How cool is that?
TSA Compatible Travel Luggage Locks
We don't bother locking our luggage most of the time anymore. But there are still destinations when it makes sense to lock it up - and these TSA locks are the best way to make sure your locks don't get cut in the event of an inspection.
4-in-1 Camping Utensils
Now this might seem a bit quirky but we can’t tell you how many times we’ve been caught without utensils. We bring back left-overs to our hotels room all the time and then have no way of eating it. We’ve been in hostels where there weren’t enough forks and knives for everyone, and we’ve even been in Airbnb’s without proper utensils as well. This will come in handy.
World Map Tumbler Cup
We’re suckers for anything map related, and it’s usually a good bet for a gift for travelers. This tumbler is fun, handy, and the perfect size for a Christmas stocking!
Custom Luggage Tags
These personalized luggage tags are cute, colorful, and handy. It's a fun way to make it much easier to spot the right bag at baggage claim!
Hallmark Travel Globe Christmas Ornament
What could be more holiday worthy than a Christmas ornament? I love this cute little globe ornament from Hallmark.
Cord Keepers
We pack a lot of gear around with us and it all has to be charged, so everything comes with a cord. Sometimes we can’t tell one from the other so these are a perfect little addition!
Family Passport Wallet
Sick of keeping track of all the passports? Handing them out to board the plane, collecting them back, handing them back out for customs, and on and on. I'm a fan of this little family passport case to stay organized. Plus it's RFID blocking and fits in most hotel safes.
Cavallini Journals
We always travel with a notebook. We love jotting thoughts down or mapping out our plans for world domination with good old fashioned pen and paper. It somehow feels more meaningful than tapping into our phones. Help the traveller in your life keep track of all the memories.
Collapsible Water Bottle
I love this water bottle (well more of a water pouch) that squishes flat for packing. Super handy for toting water along when out exploring for the day, And more eco-friendly than disposable water bottles.
Portable Power Bank
We travel with a lot of devices and there is never enough power to go around. I carry two of these portable power banks on our trips to keep our phones and cameras powered up and ready to go!
Pass the Pigs Dice Game
No joke – we’ve been travelling with this game for years! Pass the Pigs is simple, easy to learn, easy to play, quirky and fun for everyone. The best part is there is really is no limit to how many can play at once, 2 or more! And it’s small and easy to keep with us.
Bicycle Standard Playing Cards
This is a staple for any traveler. While travel is exciting, there are always those times where you just want to grab a bottle of wine and be lazy with your partner or friends. Everyone knows at least one card game so a simple deck of cards can be a welcome addition to the luggage. This is one of those items where if you know a travel lover, they should have a deck of cards, if they already have a deck of cards, they probably need to be replaced by now.
Cards Against Humanity: Tiny Edition
For those who appreciate a more rowdy type of card game, Cards Against Humanity is sure to bring tears of laughter. Never will we forget the New Years Eve when this game was tabled! We definitely don’t recommend playing this game with close family members if there is any chance of awkwardness.
WARNING: When we say rowdy, we mean vulgar. If there is any chance the person you’re considering buying this for would be even slightly offended at foul language, best to consider the other games on the list. However, if like us, you appreciate the spicier side of humor, then all bets are off!
Phrase Books
If your travel lover is planning a big trip this year, grab them a handy phrase book for their destination!
I hope you’ve found the perfect stocking stuffer for the frequent traveler in your life! For more holiday inspiration, check out these other ideas: