40 Best Leaving Gifts For Someone Going Travelling [2024]

It can be tricky to find the perfect gifts for someone going travelling.

And with nearly 20% of employers now offering a sabbatical program, this is a situation that is going to happen more often in workplaces across the world.

As a veteran of three sabbaticals, I’ve left a few workplaces to head off travelling and have been presented with all manner of different gifts!

In this post, I aim to provide some inspiration for those of you searching for the perfect leaving present ideas and help my fellow sabbatical-takers to receive something that will actually be useful for their travels!

Here is a list of practical and fun travel gifts, which should make the perfect present for someone going travelling.

1. Filter Water Bottle

A filter water bottle is the perfect gift for someone travelling to somewhere where the water may be a little questionable!

Much better for the planet than buying bottled water and much safer than tap water in many parts of the world.

2. Bamboo Travel Cutlery Set

Lightweight, eco-friendly and durable, these are great little gifts for friends going travelling.

They might seem only useful for someone heading off hiking into the woods, but we used ours countless times in hotel rooms where we’d bought food from local shops to keep costs down.

3. Multi-Tool & Knife

My multi-tool has been with us on every trip (as long as we’re not on hand luggage only flights!).

It has come in handy more times than I can name. I particularly like this version as it includes scissors, which aren’t standard on all multi-tools but are probably my most used accessory.

4. Personalised Notebook

I took loads of handwritten notes when we went on sabbatical in an aim to decouple myself from my phone and create a record of all the amazing experiences we had.

This notebook takes things up a level by allowing you to add personalised text to the front, a lovely and one-of-a-kind going away gift.

5. Vagabonding: The Best Long-Term Travel Book Ever Written

This is the best book on long-term travel I have ever read.

From the practicalities of booking a trip to the realities of life on the road. It’s a fantastic companion present for someone going travelling.

6. Foldable Travel Yoga Mat

Trying to keep in shape while travelling is pretty tough.

Yoga is a great way to stay flexible and fit, but yoga mats are normally far too big to take travelling. Step in this travel yoga mat, which folds down into a small carrier which can easily slot into a backpack.

7. Travel Hair Straighteners

Becca took these with her when we went on our three-month sabbatical around Southeast Asia. She spoke about them so much, we ended up lending them to one of her friends when she went travelling the following year.

They heat quickly, are compact but still have enough metal area to deal with a humidity perm! Oh, and they also can be used as a makeshift iron when you are desperate!

8. Travel Games

My preferred game is backgammon, but you could also choose chess, or a personalised pack of cards or Uno or (say it quietly) Monopoly!

We love playing backgammon, so this little travel set was fantastic to pull out when we had no Wi-Fi and were facing the prospect of actually talking to one-another ????

9. Solar Panel Charger

None of us wants to be tied to our tech whilst we travel but the reality is it’s so damn useful! Your phone replaces a hundred other items, a kindle is much lighter than carrying books and a digital camera is easier to back-up than a bag full of film.

With every device comes a charger and so if you’re looking for a leaving present for someone going travelling off the grid (hiking, climbing, mountaineering) then this solar-powered charger could be the perfect addition to their kit bag.

10. Waterproof Clip Bluetooth Speaker

We both love music, but when you travel there aren’t many opportunities to crank the volume as you’re often in groups rather than in your own house or car.

This little speaker was perfect to carry around with us for when we did have a chance to take our headphones off and listen to music together.

It handily clips onto a backpack, is waterproof and also lasts over 10 hours on one charge. It’s also so small you barely notice it in your bag. A great idea for a going away present.

11. Solid Perfume…

This is such a handy gift for a traveller. It is perfume in stick form, meaning it won’t leak or getting taken away through customs.

12. …Or Solid Cologne

The man’s version!

13. First Aid Kit

One of our friends bought us this exact kit before we went travelling through Southeast Asia.

It was the perfect gift and saved us lots of time trying to buy the bits individually. We unpacked the contents into a lightweight bag for easy packing but we took everything with us.

14. Tile Mate

A tile would make a great gift for someone heading off to travel. It’s unlikely they would have bought one themselves but they can be an absolute lifesaver. They attach to important pieces of kit and help you to locate them with Bluetooth range.

15. Wrinkle Release Spray

This spray takes wrinkles out of clothes without the need for an iron. If the traveller in your workplace loves to dress up for a night out, this might be the perfect addition to their kit list.

16. Travel Adapter

You can never have too many travel adapters, so it is an easy leaving gift for someone going travelling.

This is the one we use as it is so convenient. From the three USB sockets to the pop-out plugs that allow it to be used in any country, it does the job better than any other version we’ve had.

17. Buff

I first discovered Buffs when I was doing long-distance cycling and they are now a staple of my travel kit.

Whether used as a scarf, balaclava, headband, cap or even as a makeshift flannel they can be used for almost anything!

18. Door Stop Alarm

This is an unusual but incredibly handy gift! We were staying in a hotel in Vietnam when someone came knocking and shouting at the door at 3am. Thankfully they didn’t push their way in, but it was pretty scary.

This device sits behind the door like a standard doorstop but when the door makes contact it sets off an alarm. Really handy for those dodgy hostels we’ve all stayed in!

19. Collapsible Water Bottle

We each took one of these travelling with us. A clever space-saving design that rolls up when not in use to save vital bag room.

20. Head Torch

You can never have too many head torches – well, I can’t anyway. I lost ours in the jungles of Thailand and had my dad bring us a replacement when we met in Cambodia!

With all phones now having torches built-in, you might wonder what the point is but a decent head torch is so much more useful as it frees up your hands. I’ve used one whilst cooking a braai in the dark (with hyenas watching from the other side of the fence) in South Africa, tied to the inside of a mosquito net as a makeshift bedside lamp in Thailand and replacing flat tyes by the roadside in more places than I care to mention!

21. How To Shit Around The World

If you’re looking for a funny gift that is also helpful, this is it! Written to help you stay clean and illness free while travelling it includes hints from managing on long bus rides to how to choose food that will stop you getting ill.

22. A Notebook

There are notebooks and then there are NOTEBOOKS. And this is a NOTEBOOK? With me? Well look, I love keeping a journal while I travel and don’t really want a fancy custom thingy so I just like a good old-fashioned decent notebook to scribble in. I used to use Moleskines but these are my new favourite as the paper seems to be slightly higher quality.

23. Aeropress Travel Coffee Press

In some countries there just isn’t good coffee. I can’t survive without a decent cup to get me going in the morning! We got my dad one of these for Christmas a few years ago and he loves it. They aare remarkably compact when compared to a usual cafetiere so I am considering taking one with me next time I travel.

If you’re looking for a leaving gift a coffee lover this could be the perfect choice!

24. Microfibre Travel Towel

These pack down into a tiny bag and come in a range of funky colours. We used ours regularly while travelling when we went to the beach or out swimming. We still have ours and they regularly get used on day-trips.

25. Lonely Planet Guide

Simply the best guidebook you can buy. Not as many pictures as some but the information is detailed and accurate. I love my collection of these and make sure I buy one for every new country we visit. They make a perfect gift for someone leaving to go travelling, especially if you get the whole team to sign the inside cover.

26. Silicon Travel Containers

More for short-haul flights than long-term travel but these are still a practical and unusual gift for a traveller, much better than the see-through plastic ones sold at pharmacists. Just be careful though, as the bag they come with isn’t clear enough to be accepted by airport security.

27. How To Travel The World On $50 A Day

Written by the most famous travel-blogger of them all Nomadic Matt this book is packed full of useful tips for budget-conscious travellers. This (along with Vagabonding and The Four Hour Work Week) helped inspire us to take our first sabbatical.

28. Powerbank

Another gadget that falls into the ‘you can’t have too many’ box. A double USB one is perfect for multiple charges on long trips. A smaller version is great for slipping in a pocket on a day’s adventure through a big city. I usually travel with one of each.

29. Waterproof Phone Case

These were a lifesaver when we hit monsoon season in Vietnam. Even a normal day out risked ruining our expensive phones! We took these watertight cases with us and they saved us an insurance claim or two. We also found the lanyards useful for high pickpocket areas as we could wear them around our necks and under our clothes so they were out of sight.

30. Cable Organiser

GEEK ALERT!

I’ve been using this bag for about three years now in my work bag, but we also took it travelling.

It might seem excessive, but when it’s late at night, and you find the right cable without having to turn out an entire bag, you’ll thank me. Maybe….

31. Packing Cubes

I saw so many people rave about packing cubes, but I didn’t truly understand until I got a set.

They are much more lightweight than they look and are used to keep your clothes separate, so you only take out what you need rather than rifling through your whole rucksack.

A great little gift, but worth checking they haven’t got a set already.

32. Travel Clothes Line

When you’re on the road for a long time, much of your washing is done in hotel bathrooms and coin-operated washing machines.

Having somewhere to hang up the wet stuff is not always a given, so a travel washing line is a useful addition to the kit bag.

33. Travel Journal

If you weren’t convinced by buying a standard notebook as a gift then this Moleskine Travel Journal is a perfect alternative.

34. Travel Neck Pillow (1)

This travel pillow one was recommended by Tim Ferriss on a podcast titled ‘Cool Tools For Travel‘. We managed to get one from our local TK Maxx outlet. It is incredibly comfortable but we found it a bit bulky for long-term travel.

35. Travel Neck Pillow (2)

Having put aside the first pillow for journeys where we are staying in a single hotel, so space isn’t a worry, this Trtl neck pillow is now my choice for long-term travel where space is at a premium.

Machine washable, lightweight and comfortable, it makes a great present that the recipient is unlikely to own already.

36. Drybag

I’d say this is almost a ‘must-have’ piece of kit for any traveller. Keeps sand and water at bay at the beach, makes a perfect washing bag for trips to the launderette and lines a rucksack in monsoon rains.

Ours was especially useful when we went diving in Vietnam to keep all our kit dry on the boat.

37. Book A Tour

GetYourGuide does amazing tours with local guides right the way across the world. If you know their route, booking a tour could make the perfect surprise gift for a colleague when they reach their destination.

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38. Mosquito Bands

Insect bites are horrible at the best of times (just ask my wife who reacts really badly to them) but if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time your legs and arms can be a feast! These bands last about seven days each and make a colourful and unexpected gift.

39. Great Headphones

Top of my list of favourite travel gifts would be a great set of headphones. Most people don’t have a really good set – especially one with noise cancelling ability, and that sound absolutely fantastic.

Forget Apple Earpods, for me it’s all about the Jabra range – I’ve had the Elite 3s for years, using them for everything from running to Zoom calls through my laptop. They are solid (believe me, they’ve been dropped a lot), sound amazing and have a long battery life.

40. Kindle

I’ve got two already, and I still wouldn’t be upset if someone bought me another Kindle as a leaving gift!

Reading is one of the biggest pastime of us travellers, and Kindles are the best way to carry multiple books with you on the road.

Bonus points if you get it engraved with a personal message!

Gifts for Someone Going Travelling FAQs

What is a great sentimental gift for someone going travelling?

A great sentimental gift for someone going travelling is a Moleskine travel journal which they can fill in while they travel. You could slide some photos in of memories you have together to make them smile while they’re away.

Another option is a Kindle, which you could then have engraved with a special message that turns this generic gift into a personal one.

What is a good gift for a boss who travels a lot?

A great gift for a boss who travels a lot is an Aeropress travel coffee maker, which will allow them to make great quality coffee on the move. If they’re not a coffee drinker, a high quality pair of noise-cancelling headphones or (in my opinion) the world’s best travel mouse may also do the trick.

What are some good gifts for people who travel?

We have over 40 items on our gift ideas for someone going travelling, but some of our favourites are some great quality quick-dry travel towels, pre-purchasing a tour for their destination or a travel games set for them to play on the move.