We’re sharing over 80 of our favorite experience and travel gifts for kids and families. Find travel essentials, gear, toys, books, puzzles, keepsakes, and more for your favorite wanderlusting families.
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If you’re anything like me (or know anyone like me) travel gifts for kids and adventuring families is on your radar!
As a family that loves to explore but, I can promise you that the best gift is the gift of travel. Experiences. Tickets. Excursions. Adventures we and our littles will love and talk about for years to come. I love to give and receive.
As a mom of two, I also understand that certain things need to be in place to make those experiences memorable. In a good way.
I appreciate something to keep my toddler calm or contained, as much as the next parent. Or airplane stewardess. Having the right gear can make or break a family trip.
And nothing beats mess free painting during a long car ride or flight. You’ll find the perfect busy activities to keep kids entertained during their travels.
We’re also rounding up games, toys, books, maps, outdoor gear, safety devices, cameras, and more. In fact, keep reading to find over 75 practical and fun travel gifts for kids and parents who want nothing but the world. Literally.
Over 80 Amazing Travel Gifts for Kids
Travel Gear
Let’s start with the most practical travel gifts for kids and families: essential travel gear.
Travel gear – even if you travel minimally – is costly with kids. If you’re shopping for a family that loves to travel, consider practical yet fun travel essentials, like luggage, collapsible strollers, car-seat alternatives, airplane gear, and the world’s best travel highchair.
What kid won’t love a ride-on luggage set, like the Trunki? My kids personally use this hard shell set, and I love that it’s large enough to hold their stuff, yet small enough for them to carry it themselves.
And no mom will be sad if you gift her child of an airplane footstool and inflatable pillow to make on the go naps a bit easier!
Kids Safety Accessories
Not the most exciting, but perhaps the most practical. No one wants their little explorer to go off exploring on his own…
Moms often have so much to remember when planning a trip that it’s easy to overlook something as important as safety equipment. Did I ever tell you about the time I forgot to bring my passport to my Global Entry Appointment five hours away?!
If you’re looking for unique but useful travel gifts for kids that already have everything, consider a modern safety tracker or updated medical bracelet.
We’ve also included a few babyproofing safety items like inflatable bed rails and door stoppers. And face masks because 2020…
Travel Activities
Did you know that some of our most recommended travel gifts for kids are mess free and under $10!
If you know someone jumping on a plane or embarking on a road trip, trust me, you’ll be a gift giving angel with mess free painting, airplane window clings, and reusable stickers.
When it comes to no clean up necessary activities, variety is the spice of life…and long haul flights. Throw a few of our favorites into a new luggage set or backpack and you’ve got the perfect travel gift set for your favorite little wanderluster.
Also, I don’t know how people travel without a tablet. Go ahead, judge me!
Tablets can be educational, though, with mind enriching apps and digital books. And if your gift recipient already owns a tablet, consider a subscription for FreeTime Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited (get a month free with the link). Also consider audible and get two free books.
Lastly, headphones are an often overlooked essential for your little traveler. Younger kids will enjoy using their first pair with their tablet, while older kids will zone out to their music. And drown out the voices of their parents who will probably annoy them the whole trip.
Maps and Globes
Whether you’re looking to introduce a wider perspective to toddlers with floor puzzles, amp up the trip excitement with a visual, or simply reinforce geography for older ones, Globes and maps are the perfect gift for mini global travelers. See what I did there.
We rounded up some of adorable scratch maps and we think this cork board pin map would make a great gift (it even comes with the pins!) You can also gift the items necessary for our DIY push pin map.
Books and Journals
Reading books about a destination is this librarian’s number one travel prep tip. The best place to start is an atlas; great for trip planning and for landing back home and reinforcing how big but connected the world truly is.
We love the Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid. Simple but flooded with gorgeous pictures, the Atlas focuses on some more obscure and adventurous destinations.
A travel journal is one of the best travel gifts for kids because it opens the door to letting them understand that travel is meaningful. Travel journals encourage kids to write that speaks to them and look back on memories for years to come. Plus some of them are so stinking cute.
Travel Themed Toys
Families that travel can often be difficult to shop for because they tend to ask for experiences over things. Don’t worry, we’re covering unique experience based travel gifts for kids and families, too!
Still, kids love receiving toys and it’s often nice to gift an actual item.
Toys meet experience with paper and model planes. Older kids may also love the Lego Architecture line, which carries everything from the Paris Skyline to The Vegas Strip.
Cameras and Drones
I think cameras make great travel gifts for kids of all ages, and even teens.
Scroll through to find cameras for young kids, polaroid style cameras, cell phone camera gear, and selfie sticks. We personally use the Yoozon selfie stick and tripod to take family photos. The quality is great for the price and it folds up super small.
Plus, what teen wouldn’t suddenly perk up for a family vacation with a new drone or camera? The Gen Z IG game is strong.
Outdoor Travel Themed Gifts for Kids
Don’t laugh at me, but until they’re old enough to ask otherwise, sunblock makes it way onto my children’s holiday list every year.
Setting up your travel and adventure loving family for the next summer is a great way to gift give during the holidays.
Camping gear and toys, along with adventure kits and binoculars, make perfect travel gifts for kids who love the outdoors.
More Unique Travel Gifts for Kids and Teens
Unique coloring books, personalized scrapbooks, adventure kits, passport stickers, and adorable onesies round our favorite our travel gifts for kids, teens, and families.
I especially love the voucher gift box if you want to simply gift a trip to your kids or family member.
Experience Gifts for Family Travelers
Sometimes the best thing isn’t a thing at all. These experience based gifts are sure to be a hit with any traveling family.
- Is there a kid or family on your holiday shopping list who’s gearing up for a vacation? Consider booking them a memorable tour here! (You can search any city or location). Cross the whole family off of your list with one single click!
- Not sure when and where your travel loving family is headed off to. Consider keeping it local. Local travel gifts for kids can include museums, aquariums, zoos, gardens, concert tickets, … you get it!
- When all else fails, email a travel gift card or tuck it in a cutesy holiday envelope and send it on its merry way.
What will you snag from the list this year? Any must have travel gifts for kids you’d add?
Maybe you’re looking for your own kids and are fresh out of ideas. Or did you pull your distant cousin’s kid in Secret Santa and you know her mom hates stuff. Perhaps you’re just looking to change it up this year for your nieces and nephews. Either way, I hope these travel gifts for kids help find something for that special little intrepid traveler in your life.
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Awesome list! I love all those pop up chairs and table trays. So smart! I didn’t know of such things! Probably because I’ve never traveled with kids.??♀️
I love all your activity ideas too. Sticker scenes especially the peel off ones are awesome. And no mess coloring is awesome too! My other fav for kids is model magic. I love it! It’s squishier than play dough and not as messy. The different colors can also combine to make new colors. Love that stuff!
Yup! Tablets! They are life savers. I carry mine at all times at the hospital. Often saying, in general I would encourage play with toys or whatever, but for this blood draw…what’s her favorite cartoon or song or YouTuber? Ha!
Great post! So many awesome ideas!
Author
Tablets save my life daily! Not just on airplanes lol. Yeah, you’re SO RIGHT – we try toys and whatever but there comes a time where you need a favorite show to keep them still and engaged! For the record my son is obsessed with toy pals – this random youtube of a man opening dinosaur toys. I can’t even tell you how much money I’ve spent on dinosaurs because “rich from toy pals” has it.
And, OMG I’m totally adding model magic to this list – so perfect!
I don’t have kids but I still do have two little nieces and a nephew. I’ve gifted them headphones and mess-free activities in the past for the airplane. Parents were sooo thankful!
Love the travel journal for kids. I have a friend (WeLiveOnaBus) that created one and has one on Amazon. It’s such a cool way for children to keep track of their adventures.
These globes are so awesome. I may have to gift one to my nieces. First, I need to find out if they have one. Did I tell you my nieces are obsessed with Paris? They are dying to go.
This is such a great list and so practical!