What should I buy for someone that loves to travel?

As family travel experts, that is a question we get a lot. If you are looking for that perfect travel gift or shopping for the holidays and looking for great gift-giving inspiration, look no further! The list below gives you 10 things we’ve LOVED over our past few years of digital nomad family travel adventures and we have suggestions to meet your needs at ANY budget! These gift ideas are perfect for anyone planning to travel in the next year, whether big international trips, road trips or just backyard adventures! And the best part is that these are gifts they will actually USE every day! Happy shopping!

For the family who vacations at the beach

Believe it or not, we try to cover up and stay in the shade when we are at the beach. We all have hats (although Liesel is going through a “thing” where she hates things on her head), we all have our rash guards, and when possible, we travel with a beach tent. When we need to apply sunscreen, we LOVE ThinkBaby sunscreen. Its made mostly from zinc and other all-natural reef friendly ingredients to keep our fish friends safe and healthy. We also love gear from Swim Zip (use code DISCOVER15 for 15% off) and Hativity (check out the cute video on their homepage!) to keep kids protected from the sun.

Mason enjoying the tide pools of Tamarindo, Costa Rica in his SwipZip rash guard and hat!

2. For the family who lives out of a suitcase

Try packing cubes! Liesel and I have been using packing cubes since we started traveling last year and they have been a lifesaver. We are also huge fans of our Sea to Summit toiletry bags. They are lightweight (which is key when your entire life can’t weigh more than 25 kg), have tons of pockets and a hanger, and are easy to clean if something spills or leaks on a plane. And finally, suitcases are always a great gift for your own kids and spouse. We’ve used these Delsey suitcases from 2018 through 2020. They’ve been through 80 flights and held up great. We switched to these Samsonite suitcases in 2021 and they’ve been fantastic as well. We love both of these sets because they are relatively inexpensive, lightweight and have TSA-approved locks and spinner wheels, which makes navigating the airport so much easier!

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3. For the family who always says “experiences over things”

Try an Airbnb experience! In addition to booking your lodging on Airbnb, you can now also book your experiences and activities, too. Think urban hikes, mermaid lessons, cookings classes and more! You can even hook up with a local photographer who will take you to some of the most instagrammable spots in town so that you have quality family photos to bring home with you from your vacation!

4. For the family who has a lazy walker

Try the Lille Baby all-seasons baby carrier. We debated stroller vs baby carrier on our big lap around the world. We researched up and down and got mixed reviews of the pros and cons of bringing a stroller. Guess what. We used our stroller a handful of times through Europe, never in Asia and finally ditched it. Cobblestone streets, ancient staircases and nonexistent sidewalks make it WAY easier to carry Liesel with us rather than take the stroller. Although it took a few days for her to get used to it once we stopped using the stroller, she’s 3 now and baby-wearing is her preferred method of travel! I definitely recommend the Lille Baby since it is good for kids from 6 months up to ~ 5 years, has a zip-down area to ventilate on a hot day, and a detachable sunshade to protect little heads from too much sun. Check it out here!

Lille Baby all-seasons carrier for traveling families_best baby carrier for travel — Carrying Liesel in our Lille Baby all-seasons through the streets of Vietnam

5. For the family who loves snacking on planes

We love packing a couple of these Yoyo Bear snacks for the kids when we travel. They are gluten free, non-GMO, vegan, have no added sugar and super compact so they wont get crushed in your bag! Honorable mention goes to Crispy Fruit freeze-dried fruit (although these DO crumble, they are 100% fruit and I love to steal a couple from Liesel) and Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars. These little bars also make a great gift for a new mom, as they are loaded with oats and good things, and easy to eat with one hand (which is invaluable when taking care of a newborn!).

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6. For the family with a lot of devices to charge

Try this universal charger power strip. We loved it for 2 reasons: (1) It has 3 outlets AND 4 USBs so it was plenty for all our devices to be charging at once and (2) this device comes with enough adapters and converters to make sure you are set up almost anywhere in the world (Europe, Asia, NZ, Pacific Islands were all covered)!

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7. For the family who packs it all

Try this Nomatic Camera Backpack. Just looking at it online gives me all the warm, fuzzy travel feels. This bag will have you covered on any adventure. Whether taking it around the world, to the beach, on 100 flights, on extreme hikes, or just to the cafe to get some work done, this is the ultimate bag to carry all your most valuable camera gear. It will hold all the camera and drone gear you can imagine, plus a laptop and even some clothes in the separate compartments. And, if you buy this bag and are then curious about how to fill it, check out our Amazon shop to see what’s in Ben’s camera bag!

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8. For the environmentally-conscious family

There are so many options that fit in this category. We love our reusable water bottles (I never leave home without my 32 oz Nalgene!) or bamboo silverware and straw sets! They all make great gifts for staying at home but are small enough to pack and take on a weekend or ‘round the world adventure!

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9. For the family who loves recording their adventures

Make sure they capture the best of their adventures on video or in photos with a GoPro! We love GoPro because its super durable, TINY and waterproof (so great for all our favorite snorkeling adventures). If they already have a GoPro, upgrade their gear with the GoPro Hero 11, Or, if this is a first GoPro purchase, I really recommend getting a bundle so that you have a tripod, spare battery, carrying case, mounts, and all the other fun goodies! And lastly, if they are already GoPro savvy, why not up their game with a GoPro Max 360 camera!

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10. For the family that wants a new perspective

Try a DJI drone! Drones can be intimidating, but they don’t need to be! We started our drone journey back in 2018 with a DJI Mavic Air. After a couple years we upgraded to the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, mainly because we began some real estate photography and could justify the cost. But, if we switch it up soon we will probably get the DJI Mini 3 Pro. It is compact, can do everything we could possibly need and it can film in portrait mode which is perfect for Reels and TikTok! However, for the ultimate beginner, I would currently recommend the DJI Mavic Mini. It’s a great starting point and isn’t too tough on the wallet! Whatever the choice, you’ll be amazed with the footage and will be excited to post super fun videos on Instagram!

If you have a drone, you can take epic photos like this!

What did we miss? Tell us your favorite travel-related gifts over the years and where you are headed in 2023! Also, If you’re looking for 2023 travel inspiration, be sure to check out our Family Travel Guide to the Philippines and our Guide to Road Tripping through Costa Rica!

We hope you found this article about our 2023 shopping guide for travel families helpful! If you like this article, be sure to Pin It and Shop it!

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PS - some of these products use affiliate links, which means we may get a small kick-back if you purchase using our links. This never impacts the price you pay for these products, but does help us keep our blog going. And rest assured, these are products that we have traveled with and genuinely love and want you to love too! If you’re looking for our other favorites, be sure to check out The FUNemployed Shop on Amazon!