Does your favorite older adult love to travel? If so, it makes sense to buy travel gifts for the holidays that will be both thoughtful and useful on their journeys. But what to buy?
How to Choose the Best Travel Gifts for Seniors
Choosing the best travel gifts for seniors requires consideration of their preferences, comfort, and convenience. It’s a good idea to think about the specific travel preferences, mobility, and any health-related requirements when selecting a gift for a loved one. Some items we like to give include neck pillows, travel-sized first-aid kits, travel accessories, adaptive gear for mobility, and noise-canceling headphones. Gift cards, experiences like tours or museum tickets, and practical items like compact binoculars or travel clothing can also enhance their travel experiences. Tailor your choice to their unique needs, focusing on making their journeys safe, enjoyable, and memorable. Below are some of our favorite travel gifts for seniors.
Travel Gifts for Women
Travel gifts for senior women should cater to their unique preferences and needs on the road and align with their specific interests, whether that’s adventure, relaxation, culture, or culinary exploration, will be appreciated, making their travel experiences more enjoyable and memorable. Here are a few items we like to gift to friends and family.
Thea Lightweight Infinity Scarf with a Zipper Secret Pocket
With a gorgeous floral pattern inspired by the melodic beauty of the wind rustling through the Great Plains, the Thea secret pocket scarf is made of a lightweight 100% RAYON fabric that is OEKO-TEX Certified. Although beautiful, the best part of this infinity scarf is the hidden pocket large enough to carry a passport, phone, glasses, lip balm, or any other small item you want to secretly stash! It’s great for hands-free travel and keeps your things close by and safe. The self-locking zipper provides additional security. This scarf is perfect for travel to a warm climate as the rayon material is cool to the touch and not warm to wear. This is one of our favorite travel gifts for women!
Travelon Anti-theft Heritage Cross Body Bag Cross Body Bag
This beautifully crafted cotton & canvas travel bag with suede trim is stylish, lightweight, and practical with plenty of storage to keep your things organized. Wear it over your shoulder or crossbody for hands-free convenience. It features a front zipper pocket, a rear slash pocket with a magnetic snap closure, 2 drop pockets, a tethered key clip with LED light, and a zippered RFID-protected wall pocket. So pretty, she’ll want to use it every day!
Totes Recycled InBrella with Auto Close Technology and Enhanced Weather Protection
Introducing the totes recycled InBrella, where innovation seamlessly meets style. This uniquely designed umbrella boasts the InBrella reverse-close technology, ensuring the wet side stays away from you. One of the standout features of this umbrella is its auto-open and close technology. Whether you’re traveling or just stepping out for a quick errand, the compact design makes it an essential companion, always ready to offer optimal weather protection. With its windproof and compact design for travel, this beautiful floral umbrella provides the ultimate in convenience.
Vlando Small Faux Leather Travel Jewelry Organizer for Rings Earrings Necklace
Save yourself from the hassle of untangling all your jewelry after a long day of travel with the Vlando Travel Jewelry Box organizer. This compact organizer holds earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings! Choose from six different colors. Throw it into your carry-on and you are good to go!
Simple human 8″ Round Sensor Makeup Mirror
This makeup mirror continues to be one of our most popular travel gifts for seniors! (and it’s good to use at home too!) The lucky recipient will look their best wherever they go with the lightweight Simplehuman 8” makeup mirror. It comes with all the bells and whistles! The lights range from 100 to 800 lux to simulate sunlight and 5Z magnification to show every detail! It is also built with a sensor that turns on when it detects your face approaching – then turns back off when you walk away. Charge the mirror once a month and you are good to go for weeks! You won’t ever have to change a bulb. Worth every penny and something they probably won’t buy for themselves!
NISHEL Large Portable Hanging Travel Toiletry Bag
Space-efficient toiletry bag holds your essentials, lotions, shampoo, contact lenses, toothbrush, razor, etc.! Two main water-resistant compartments with mesh pouches and elastic bands hold your items in place. Also, it’s easy to grab with the special U-shaped zipper design. And with the multiple pouches, you won’t need to dig through one large bag and lay your stuff out on the bathroom counter. Just hand the bag up, grab what you need, and put it back in the bag!
Travel Gifts for Men
When looking for thoughtful travel gifts for senior men, consider practical and versatile items that align with their interests, needs, and passions on the road. Here are a few recommendations.
Serman Brands RFID Blocking Slim Bifold Genuine Leather Wallet
Finally! A wallet that meets your everyday needs. The SERMAN BRANDS card holder is equipped with a front pocket made for your most used card, two inside pockets with a photo ID slot, and a money clip to hold your cash. This wallet case also has a smart pull strap for quick access to your everyday cards. Equipped with advanced RFID Secure technology engineered specifically to block 13.567 MHz or higher FRID signals and protect your valuable information from unauthorized scans. All that, and slim and stylish too! What a great gift for the traveling man in your life.
VC Vintage Couture Genuine Leather Toiletry Bag for Men
This beautiful extra-large leather men’s toiletry bag for Travel is made from premium distressed grain leather with an extra wide mouth that easily allows for large toiletries! The bag is compact enough to use at home for convenience, yet big enough for those long overseas trips. Well made, this genuine leather toiletry bag for men will last a very long time!
Coolibar UPF 50+ Men’s Chase Featherweight Bucket Hat
It’s important to protect ourselves from sun damage and skin cancer, so a sun hat makes good sense for your favorite guy! Made from ultra-soft and light fabric, it is not only breathable but features quick-dry performance. The floppy brim with snaps makes it easily adjustable. The best part? It’s travel-friendly, crushable, and packable.
Unique Gifts for Travel
There are lots of unique travel gifts for seniors these days that you might not have thought of. Here are a few we recommend.
Aurosports 10×25 Large View Compact Binoculars
These compact, easy-to-use compact binoculars make the perfect gift for travelers who enjoy bird watching, concerts, hiking, sports events, and more! Made of shockproof and soft silicone, these binoculars come with a carry bag for protection and portability, a dust cover for the lens, and an adjustable next strap.
Best Pocket Magnifying Glass with Lights
No more headaches from eye strain when trying to read customs forms, restaurant menus, grocery store labels, or prescription pill bottles – read the fine print in bad lighting anywhere!! This distortion-free “slide-out” lens stays protected from scratches and provides a crisp view of your reading material, whatever it is. This is a must-have item to keep in your pocket or purse for both travel and every day – trust me, it will come in handy, especially if you don’t have reading glasses with you. Very lightweight and comfortable to use.
LifeStraw Go Water Filter Bottle with 2-Stage Integrated Filter Straw
If you find yourself somewhere with a questionable water supply, you’ll be glad to have the 22oz LifeStraw Go Water Filter Bottle with you! This great little item filters water as you drink, removing 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.99% of protozoa parasites from water to create clean drinking water for you whatever the situation!
Travel Journal
What’s better than a keepsake travel diary, specially created for people who love to travel? Help your loved one to capture all their favorite adventures and special moments in one book to look back on for years to come. This travel journal for men and women includes space to attach photos and notes, and a back pocket for extra pics, making it the perfect item to bring on any journey!
Tech-Related Travel Gifts
Tech-related gifts make good gifts for people who travel for a wide variety of reasons. For example, many tech gadgets are designed to make travel more convenient and efficient. Items like portable chargers, noise-canceling headphones, and travel adapters are essential for staying connected and comfortable on the go. Wearable fitness trackers and health monitoring devices can help travelers stay active and maintain their well-being on the road. Other helpful devices can help track lost items such as luggage. Here are a few of our favorite tech-related gifts.
Universal Travel Adapter -All-in-One International Wall Charger AC Plug Adaptor
What’s worse than getting to your vacation spot and realizing you forgot to bring a converter? Throw this compact universal travel adapter in your luggage to ensure this doesn’t happen! The adapter has ports for over 150 countries and works in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia! Charge up to 6 devices simultaneously at high speed with 4 USB-A ports (2.4A), 1 USB-C port (3A), and 1 AC socket. Ideal for charging iPhones, laptops, tablets, power banks, cameras, headsets, and more.
Apple AirTag
Apple AirTags make fantastic gifts for travelers with iPhones to Keep track of and find their items and devices in the Find My app. We especially like AirTags to help locate lost luggage. Note – all communication with the Find My network is anonymous and encrypted for privacy, Location data and history are never stored on AirTag
Compact 13000mAh 4-Port Ultra-Portable Phone Charger Power Bank for iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy
Keep your devices charged all day long with the Anker Powercore portable phone charger. This device, created for use with both Apple and Android devices, has high-speed technology to keep your devices charged much longer than usual. With two charging ports, you’ll never miss a photo op or important call. This product is a particularly useful travel gift!
Kindle Paperwhite – Waterproof with 2x the Storage – 8 GB (International Version)
Whether you’re in an airport, car, on the beach, or at the pool, the Kindle Paperwhite is something you’ll want to bring! It is waterproof, so you won’t need to worry about it around water, and designed to be completely glare-free to be easy on your eyes. The Kindle Paperwhite holds twice the amount of storage as before with a choice between an 8 GB and 32 GB device. One battery charge lasts up to 10 weeks, so you truly can use it anywhere and not have to worry about charging. One feature we really like is that it pairs with Audible, so you can also listen to your stories! The Kindle Paperwhite comes with a one-year warranty and is the perfect addition to bring while traveling!
Travel Gifts for Couples
Looking for something special for a couple about to embark on a trip? Travel gifts for couples should be geared towards enhancing their shared adventures and making the journey easy and fun. These practical suggestions will be a big hit!
Fintie Large Capacity FRID Blocking Passport Holder Wallet
Taskin Compression Packing Cubes with Separate Clean & Dirty Compartments
These sturdy compression packing cubes are all the rage right now as they allow you to pack about 40% more with them than without! Gone are the days when you need a blow dryer or vacuum to compress the bag – these updated designs with quality compression zippers don’t require the user to provide the suction. I am a big fan of the less expensive regular packing cubes which tremendously help organize my suitcase, but it is worth the extra expense to be able to pack so much more! Plus, if you like to support small family-owned companies when you buy high-quality products, Taskin is the brand to buy! (Definitely one of our favorite travel gifts for seniors!)
These sturdy and high-quality packing cubes, while not compression cubes, are extremely helpful in organizing your suitcase, especially your shoes! They are also very inexpensive, which is a definite plus. This quintessential packing starter kit with four different size cubes and a laundry bag was tested, designed, and selected to create the perfect packing cube kit for a 14-day vacation!
Matein Extra Large Airline Approved Carry-on Backpack for Men and Women
This expandable large capacity travel backpack offers amazing packing capacity that easily holds packing cubes, toiletry bags, clothing, camera bags, whatever while fitting well under your seat or overhead. We love the convertible design with comfortable hideaway shoulder straps that work as either a vacation backpack or briefcase-style bag to provide a flexible carrying experience. The front compartment is perfect for small items such as your phone, EarPods, or pens (don’t forget your pen if traveling internationally – the airline seldom has them on hand to hand out to passengers with the customs form!) Made from water-resistant lightweight polyester with lockable zipper heads and quality stitching, this bag will add to your travel fun for years to come. This is one of our favorite travel gifts for seniors.
Simplehousware 60-Inch Heavy Duty Garment Bag for Suits, Tuxedos, Dresses, Coats
This affordable garment bag ensures, your clothes will arrive looking nice after a day of travel. This affordable garment bag comes in three sizes, 43 inches, 54 inches, and 60 inches, and has two large pockets for extra storage. We love extra pockets! It easily holds a wide variety of garments including suits, tuxedos, long coats, and dresses. Zip up your garments and hop on the plane!
Comfort Travel Gifts
Does your loved one have specific comfort needs when traveling? Consider items like neck pillows, compression socks, or lumbar cushions for added comfort during long journeys. Here are some specific ideas that might be helpful.
Sleep Headphones, Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless 3D Eye Mask, Hands-Free for Insomnia Travel
The Lightimetunnel washable sleeping headphones have adjustable ultra-thin stereo speakers – perfect for the problem sleeper! Designed with 3D ergonomic technology for comfort, this product blocks out 100% of the light to create absolute darkness. They are ultra-soft and made with a breathable slow-rebound memory sponge, which makes them great even for side sleepers. The smooth fabric lets you release your facial stress to fall asleep more rapidly. The built-in adjustable high-quality speaker and microphone allow for hands-free and crystal-clear calls. An essential item for travel!
Twist Memory Foam Travel Pillow for Neck, Chin, Lumbar, and Leg Support
Unlike most traditional airline travel pillows, these twistable travel pillows contour to almost any shape and position you want to provide you personalized support and pain relief. Use it to support your head, back, shoulder, or cervical spine! A must-have for travel – this luxury memory foam cushions the body and relieves painful pressure points for ultimate relaxation. With its snap closure, this wonderful little accessory can be easily attached to your luggage or backpack. This is a perfect give for someone who loves to travel!
BlueHills Premium Travel Blanket/Pillow
This compact travel blanket comes in a soft carrying case with a luggage belt and backpack/suitcase clip! This blanket is beyond comfortable, and you can use it as a pillow when in the case. The easy Portable Pack measures 11.5 “X 10” with an attached hand luggage belt allowing you to easily transport it. But it can also be used as a throw blanket at home due to its large size, 60 “length X 43 “width. Love it!
The Bottom Line
We love to buy travel gifts for seniors that are practical, functional and if possible, beautiful too. Practical options such as neck pillows, first-aid kits, and travel accessories can make their journeys smoother, while tech gadgets like noise-canceling headphones and communication devices help them stay connected and entertained. Consider their specific needs and interests to choose the most suitable gift that enhances their travel experiences while keeping their unique requirements in mind.
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Have other useful travel gifts for seniors to share with us? We’d love to hear about the products that work for you in the comment section below!
