Need travel gifts for parents? Here are the 15 best gifts for parents who travel — that they’ll actually want and use.
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Growing up, my parents always prioritized family travel. From them, I learned how to travel on a budget, the importance of travel in everyday life, as well as how to make travel a priority as an adult.
I also picked up a thing or two about which gifts parents who travel actually want and will actually use, and a thing or two about which travel gifts are just too tacky.
Needless to say, you won’t find any tacky travel gifts for parents here!
1. Picnic Basket Backpack
Unless your parents are the type of travelers that go out to eat for every single meal, they inevitably have to pack at least one or two meals on each trip.
Rather than packing a clunky lunch pale without a fun picnic blanket, plates, utensils or wine cooler, make their casual lunch stop an adventurous date with this picnic basket backpack.
My husband and I received a picnic basket backpack for Christmas a few years ago, and we have taken it on basically every trip since.
2. Charcuterie Board Basket
Similarly, if you don’t think your parents would make much use of the picnic basket (even though they will, trust me), you could opt for a romantic charcuterie board basket.
This fancy charcuterie board will have your parents imagining that they’re traveling the Tuscan countryside, snacking on Italian meats and sipping on fresh vineyard wine.
Accompany the board with some charcuterie meats, cheeses and crackers to make this one of the best travel gifts for parents on the market.
3. Foreign Snack Box
Furthermore, foreign snack boxes are super unique and exciting gifts for any traveler.
I’ve personally got foreign snack boxes in my Christmas stocking on several occasions, and, trust me, this gift never gets old. The UK’s Aero mint chocolate bars are my absolute favorite, but there are numerous ethic snack options to choose from.
4. Massage Pad Or Massage Table
As travelers, your parents likely have frequent stiff necks, sore backs and tight legs from long flights and car rides. Luckily, this massage pad can work out all those pesky kinks in a matter of minutes.
I have this massage pad, and I’m obsessed with it. I know your parents will love it too. It comes with a built in heating system to warm up the muscle while massaging, has various vibration pattern and timer settings, and it’s safe set up on your bed.
Alternatively, if your parents prefer to give and receive massages from one another, this authentic massage table would make a fantastic gift.
Even though it’s not quite as portable as the massage pad, it will seamlessly bring the vacationers’ hotel spa right into their home.
5. Travel-Friendly Camera
As they say, “pic or it didn’t happen!”
Help your parents document their travels with a new travel-friendly camera. I highly recommend the Canon Rebel series camera body and kit lens for beginner travel photography. (I still use this camera body for 99% of my travel photos.)
For more technologically savvy parents who travel, I recommend also investing in this Sigma 35mm lens for the Canon camera.
6. Travel Camera Accessories
Or, if you’re gift shopping on a budget (which I totally get), but love the idea of buying your traveling parents a new camera, consider gifting them camera accessories to level up their travel photography instead.
Camera accessories like my favorite travel camera backpack or this affordable travel-friendly smartphone tripod would make incredible travel gifts for your parents.
For more of the best budget travel photography gear, click here.
7. Nice Beach Towel Set With Clips
Do your parents love the beach? Or the pool? Gift them a new set of beach towels, such as this set of four oversized striped beach towels.
Because these towels are extra large in size, your parents will always feel extra comfortable and dry by the water. They come in a variety of colors, too.
Now, to ensure maximum beach comfort, pair the towel set with this matching set of beach towel clips. Your parents will be able to clip their towels to their beach chairs, and their towels will never slip off or fly away in the wind again.
8. Pin Destination Map
This personalized push-pin world destination map takes the trendy scratch-off destination map to a whole new level. Every time your parents travel, they’ll be able to add another bright red pin to the map.
The personalized map comes with red pins to mark the places they have visited, blue flags to mark upcoming trips, yellow flags to mark their favorite destinations and green pins to mark dream destinations.
And, if your parents travel a lot, which I’m assuming they do, you may need to buy them these extra red pins. I bought these for my destination map (this same map), and they match the original pins pretty well.
9. Photo Destination Map
Alternatively, if you think your parents would prefer a more fun, family-oriented version of the pin destination map, gift them this US photo destination map.
Every time your parents travel to a new US state, they can frame a photo inside the designated state. What an exciting way to document family travels!
10. The Adventure Challenge Dinner Date Cookbook
Moreover, you may or may not have heard of The Adventure Challenge: Couples Edition, a book for couples filled with lively, unique scratch-off date ideas. My husband Kenny and I have this version of the book and love it.
But, did you know there is a cookbook/dinner date version too? The Adventure Challenge: Dinner Dates edition is essentially a cookbook filled with adventurous scratch-off recipes and other dinner date ideas for couples to enjoy.
This edition would be a super fun gift for parents who travel in particular.
11. His & Her YETI Travel Mugs (Travel Gifts For Parents)
YETI is a company favored by travelers everywhere.
This 30-ounce YETI tumbler will keep all of your parents’ hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold — no matter if they’re on the equator or in the Arctic.
12. Bug Repellent Clothes (Travel Gifts For Parents)
Whether your traveling parents are avid hikers or beach vacationers, it’s probable that they’ll encounter bugs of some sort on their travels.
The bug repellent clothes from L.L. Bean (like this sweatshirt and these socks) have been a game changer for all of our trips this past year. From hiking to Delta Lake to avoiding mosquitos in our own backyard, we’ve been able to enjoy traveling without fear of mosquitos, ticks or other pests.
The material is made with a naturally sourced bug repellent as well as UPF technology to protect skin from the sun. And, yes, the clothes actually work!
13. New Matching Luggage Or Luggage Tag Set
Furthermore, if you really want to spoil your parents, gift them matching Beis luggage (click here for $15 off).
Beis luggage is known to be higher quality than other leading luggage brands, built with sturdy materials to prevent airport luggage damage. I’m personally in the market for new luggage and, after a lot of research, I will be buying this exact suitcase in the near future.
Or, if you’re shopping on a budget, you could also give your parents matching personalized leather luggage tags to help them easily identify their suitcases at baggage claim.
I love that these tags look more mature, classy and luxury than other cheap luggage tags — and for an affordable price!
14. Apple AirTags (Travel Gifts For Parents)
Likewise, these Apple AirTags have become a standard travel essential recently.
Why? So travelers always know the whereabouts of their luggage and, thus, to prevent lost luggage.
All your parents have to do is place an AirTag in their checked luggage, and they will always be able to see if their suitcase made it on the plane with them/survived layovers without getting lost. Additionally, if their suitcase is lost, they’ll know exactly which airport to contact to expedite the baggage-return process.
Official Apple AirTags are available to purchase on Amazon (for cheap, by the way) individually or in a pack of four.
15. Travel Photo Album (Travel Gifts For Parents)
Lastly, give your parents a budget travel gift that lasts a lifetime: a photo album.
Bonus points if you print some of their travel photos ahead of time! You can get super cheap 4×6 prints from Walmart.
Plus, with this classy travel photo album exterior, your parents will easily be able to tell it’s meant for travel photos even though it doesn’t look like other cheap, tacky travel photo albums.
Didn’t find what you were looking for? Try my travel gifts for mom and travel gifts for dad gift guides.
Shop More Travel Gifts For Parents
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