Frequent Travelers Reveal The Gifts They *Actually* Want For The Holidays

My family likes to travel during the summer and we keep our trips within a budget by choosing Airbnbs over hotels. Some of our most stellar stays include this 13th century Italian villa, a townhome behind the gates of Windsor castle, and a bungalow with views of the Cliffs of Dover. Venture away from major cities, then the Airbnbs become more affordable and lot more interesting. We ended up once in a town with lore about a local witch, and hiked to her supposed unmarked grave only to find an overgrown church yard overlooking the sea – all because we took a chance on an Airbnb in Boscastle, UK. When you get outside of touristy spots real wandering begins, and Airbnb gift cards are the perfect gift for fellow travelers. You can gift $25 to $2500 on a single card, and it’s a gift that nearly everyone interviewed for this article requested.

It's not surprising that people who love to travel tend to crave the experiences over the material. Ryan Kyle, who writes Irish Travel Addict, spent several weeks of 2025 living out of a suitcase, and at least 90 hours in the air – he's an avid wanderer and mentioned his family knows his ideal Christmas gifts are "experiences, not stuff.” But, if they insist, he suggested an instant photo printer – for Kyle, it’s a great way to bring travel memories into the real world. Kodak’s instant photo printer is highly-rated on Amazon. Reviewers love this Bluetooth-enabled, Android- and Apple-compatible devices because of the simple set-up process and print quality. One Amazon reviewer wrote, "You get a great little print in seconds. I’m buying these for a bunch of peeps for holiday gifts. So fun and easy to use." Another Amazon reviewer was pleased with how efficient this tiny printer is, and mentioned that even editing the photos is easy once you download the Kodak app.

Michelle Girasole travels often for "work and play.” She runs a company that curates walking tours of Rhode Island, her favorite state, so she's in and out of different cities often. “I stay in a lot of Airbnbs and they don't have workout rooms like hotels," Girasole told HuffPost. One of her go-to gift suggestions for travel is easy-to-pack workout equipment. Girasole like to stay fit by bringing along a yoga mat and some pilates gear. A bestseller at Target is Blogilates starter fit kit for pilates and yoga, which comes with a yoga mat, yoga strap, massage ball and three resistance body bands. This kit was developed by Pilates instructor and designer Cassey Ho and is only sold at Target.

This viral dopp kit is "hands down the best makeup travel bag ever," according to real estate agent and broker Amy Scanio, who loves to travel. (Close to 3,000 Amazon reviewers echo this sentiment.) The synthetic leather bag comes in a multitude of colors and is made with a fabric lining and a line of interior compartments. Unzip it to reveal a lay-flat design and a clear view of everything you've packed.

An alternate option is Katie Loxton’s nearly-identical real leather makeup bag for $64 at Nordstrom.

This one is for the kids with more passport stamps than most adults. A staggering amount of people are traveling more than ever with their children, an experience Mallorie Underwood is well aware of. Underwood and her two children often fly back and forth between the U.S. and Australia to visit her husband's family. Her tween daughter stays occupied on flights by listening to music and podcasts on her Apple Watch, but her cordless AirPods are at constant risk of being misplaced – so Underwood has been eyeing a pair of smart sunglasses with a kid-friendly price: the WeariQ Bluetooth smart glasses. The shades are for adults, but come in two different sizes, medium and large, have polarized lenses, an open-ear speaker design and up to 10 hours of listening time on a single charge. (That doesn’t quite cover Underwood's long haul flight time, but they are rechargeable.)

Leslie Barrett loves to travel to Europe at least once a year with her partner, and also volunteers with a Christian mission based in the Yucatan, Mexico. When she's trying to pack light and avoid the liquid weight limit of beauty products she always packs Kitsch's coconut oil bar of shampoo and conditioner combo. Barrett is a fan of the smell of the bars, and finds them an easy alternative to her usual haircare. "These are just as good as liquid shampoo and conditioner, and I love not worrying about whether or not [anything] has exploded in my carry-on bag." She prefers the coconut oil bars for her hair, because of the extra moisturizer, but there are seven other bar products to choose from, like the volumizing rosemary and biotin formula or the purple toning option for color treated and gray hair.

Pilco mentioned it's best to have a mini "Oh no!" kit, that includes things you might have forgotten or might need if little mishaps occur mid-flight, like this Pinch Provisions puffer “minimergency kit.” The tiny cute puffer pouch contains seventeen helpful essentials: a stain remover towelette, emery board, double-sided tape, pill container, safety pin, lip balm, mending kit, mini comb, hair bands, dental floss, earring backs, adhesive bandage, nail polish remover pad, deodorant towelette, extra buttons, compact mirror, and even breath freshener.