What Consummate Travelers Gift Their Best Travel Friends

Wondering what to give the traveler in your life who always has their next adventure planned? We were, too.

While travel experiences — say, a villa stay in Italy or a community conservation-focused safari in Zimbabwe — top our dream list of travel gifts this festive season, there are plenty of lower-ticket travel items that are good to give and receive, too.

From affordable stocking stuffer-style travel accessories to luggage splurges, we turned to the savvy frequent fliers we know (and road trippers, too!) for their favorite gift ideas. And there are a few of our own go-to items, too, for ideas on what to give the travelers in your life.

"The obvious gifts for travelers always seem to point to tech, making our connected lives while traveling just a bit easier,” says Katy Nastro, spokesperson for Scott’s Cheap Flights, an email subscription service with free and paid options that sends out flight deals to their 2 million members.

In addition to her EarPods, Nastro says she always travels with an AirFly wireless adapter, a real savior when you find yourself on an airline that hasn’t yet switched over to personal device-based entertainment.

“This nifty little device plugs into any audio jack and acts as a bluetooth transmitter for your wireless headphones,” Nastro says. You can say goodbye to the airline’s complimentary headphones that “look and feel like licorice.” The AirFly has the bonus of working on gym equipment like treadmills, too.

For his job with yacht brokerage firm International Yacht Company, which has one of the largest fleets in the world, sales broker Matthew Stone is constantly jetting between California and Florida, and frequently travels around the world to visit yacht shows and scope new builds for his clients.

Stone calls the Airtag passport holder by Lighthouse Goods a “critical accessory” for anyone who likes the peace of mind of being able to keep track of their passport with their phone. It’s particularly valuable for those who travel frequently with younger kids (more moving parts means more items that can get lost!) Made of vegan leather, the passport holder has pockets for your vaccine card and credit cards, as well as an integrated Airtag pocket so you always know where you’ve placed (or misplaced) it.

When it comes to travel gifts that can be appreciated just as much at home as when traveling, it’s hard to top a portable percussion massager device (especially after a red-eye flight in coach). The Hypervolt Go 2 by Hyperice is like your little portable massage therapist, making loose work of knotted muscles wherever you put it to action.

This massage gun weighs less than two pounds and is the size of a small hair dryer, so it’s easy to stash in your luggage. Plus, it’s “excellent to use before, after or during flights as well as after a workout,” Stone says.

Belgian photographer David de Vleeschauwer — whose recently released book “Remote Experiences” took him to such diverse lands as Svalbard, Botswana and Papua New Guinea — says he always takes his Rimowa suitcase along (he estimates his current case has been on 1,000 trips).

“It’s been around the world many times, ages nicely and it’s a good prop,” de Vleeschauwer says about the case. Made from aluminum, these suitcases — that glide like they’re on ice — come in cabin (carry-on), check-in and trunk sizes. They are a splurge, to put it mildly, but for the traveler who has everything except the ultimate traveler’s bag to brag about, this might be just the bucket list travel gift to blow them away.

Whether he’s rocking a suit by Dries Van Noten at an opening or shooting photos on safari while looking dapper in Maison Margiela, de Vleeschauwer says he always prefers a classic look. When it comes to sunglasses, that means sliding on Ray-Ban Wayfarers, he says, which make for a versatile and unisex travel gift.

Gift the original acetate frame version to the fashion-savvy travelers in your life so they can cut the glare and work the stare, whether they’re chilling on a Caribbean beach or scouting surf spots in Bali.

The style has been a classic since its invention in 1952, thanks to its clean lines and minimalist look, often replicated by cheaper ripoffs. De Vleeschauwer says he even has a bright yellow pair of Wayfarer-style sunnies in his repertoire.

Andrew Collins, author of Ultimate Road Trips: USA & Canada, spends a lot of time road-tripping around North America, when he’s not jetting between his homes in Mexico City and New Hampshire. For anyone on your gift list who likes to hit the road on long trips, he says a “very high-quality soft cooler or refrigerator bag” will be most appreciated.

“A soft one is best because it's easiest to carry on a plane or fold up in your checked luggage, which is important if you're flying somewhere and then taking a road trip,” Collins says. “These coolers are indispensable for road-tripping, and it's one of those items that travelers don't always think to buy for themselves before a road trip.”

He points to the REI Co-op Pack-Away 24 Soft Cooler as among the best ones to consider. The best part? The boxy shape makes it that much easier to wrap.