When it comes to narrowing down the perfect gift for the jet-setting lady in your life, it’s all about style and substance. The best travel gifts for women help make the travel grind easier and more comfortable while also bringing a chic and elevated touch that will allow the recipient to look and feel great on the road. From thoughtful accessories to keep her safe to cozy apparel that will ensure she travels in comfort, there are plenty of excellent products out there that will surprise and delight even the most discerning woman on your shopping list.
With the holidays just around the corner, we researched the best gifts out there for the adventurous woman who always seems to be booking her next trip. Our top picks range from an aesthetically pleasing personal safety alarm to a sophisticated weekender bag and a reliable set of packing cubes in vibrant holiday colors. Whether you choose to gift beauty, luggage or apparel this year, our top picks for the best travel gifts for women are sure to win you major brownie points and keep you in her thoughts no matter where in the world she lands next.
Editor’s Picks:
Best Accessory Travel Gifts For Women
This personal safety alarm is small and compact, yet makes a big impact. You just give it a pull if you’re feeling unsafe, and a loud alarm and strobe light go off, allowing you to quickly grab the attention of onlookers. It’s a particularly excellent gift for solo travelers, but any woman on your list will appreciate its chic and understated style that won’t look out of place clipped to a purse or backpack.
With each spring and summer seemingly getting hotter than the year prior, this folding electronic fan is a lifesaver during sweltering days on the beach or an unexpectedly warm European vacation. It’s incredibly useful and sure to come in handy in multiple situations, especially since it also features a built-in portable charger and a handy flashlight.
Staying hydrated on the road is essential, but access to clean water isn’t always a guarantee. This self-cleaning water bottle by LARQ has a built-in water purification system that eliminates up to 99 percent of bio-contaminants from the water you fill it with. It cleans on demand with a simple push of a button and also self- sanitizes every two hours. We love its sleek look and the fact that it keeps water nice and cold due to solid insulation.
Sometimes a little extra security is needed, and that’s where the Sabre Wedge Door Stop Security Alarm comes in handy. It sets off a loud alarm when door pressure is applied, deterring intruders and notifying neighbors. Small and lightweight, it’s easy to toss into any purse so that it can be on hand for every trip.
Packing is always one of the most stressful parts of embarking on a trip, but a reliable pair of packing cubes can make a world of difference. For travelers who often stress over how to squeeze everything they want to bring into their bag, these packing cubes from Away make clothing easy to organize. They’re completely water-resistant, meaning even if you need to drag your suitcase through a rainstorm, your clothes will still be nice and dry. We particularly love the new Holiday Chrome palette of pink and plum that the brand just released as part of its limited edition holiday collection.
Equipped with a comfortable nose piece and molded cups that snugly fit around your eyes, this luxe sleep mask is built to block out all light so that travelers can have get some much-needed uninterrupted sleep. The best part? The dual cups curve away from your eyes and eyelashes so that they can block light without smudging eye makeup or compressing the face.
This sleek instant camera allows travelers to print fun and stylish physical photos while being able to also save their favorite photos to their smartphone. The camera, which also features a built-in selfie mirror, even allows the user to print out multiples of each photo so that she can share them with family and friends. With analogue media making a major comeback, it’s sure to be a hit.
When those Duolingo sessions just aren’t doing the trick, this pocket language translator is sure to bring ease and comfort to those who travel extensively in countries where they aren’t fluent in the local tongue. Just hold down the button, say a sentence in English, and release the button to have it instantly translated. While there are plenty of pocket language translators on the market, we find this one to be the most straight-forward and easy to use, as well as being lightweight and small enough to carry around without feeling clunky.
For a true luxury gift, it’s hard to top this unique clutch from Olympia Le-Tan. Made with durable canvas, it features a gold-toned frame and is appliquéd and embroidered with an image of the beautiful Balearic island of Ibiza, making it sure to be a conversation piece wherever its recipient goes.
For the traveler who always wants to snap a photo—even in a body of water—this waterproof phone case is sure to be a game changer. It seals out all water so that your loved one can take that perfect pool selfie, and even comes with a safety wrist lanyard so that they won’t have to worry about dropping it.
Best Beauty Travel Gifts For Women
Air travel can majorly dry out your skin, and when you factor in the cooler months of winter, moisturizer becomes downright essential. Celebrity favorite brand Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Winter Kit, featuring travel-friendly sizes of iconic products like a night serum and lip balm, is sure to keep the recipient’s skin feeling soft and dewy even after the roughest of travel days. It also comes in a very chic cosmetics case that the traveler on your list is sure to keep using long after its contents have been finished.
Made from high-quality Italian leather, Cuyana’s Travel Beauty Roll is a stylish organizer built to last. It’s designed with four pockets—including a brush compartment and detachable pouch—so everything stays in place, and its snap enclosure and leather ribbon adds a touch of flair. It’s a tasteful and elegant gift that the woman on your life is sure to appreciate—and want to show off.
For serious skincare connoisseurs, this starter kit from NuFACE is sure to go on heavy rotation. Its lightweight and packable microcurrent device removes wrinkles and fine lines, as well as increases firmness and tone in the skin. Any skincare rotation would benefit from its addition, but it is especially useful to travelers who want to remove puffiness from dehydration or exposure to multiple climates.
Japanese-inspired skincare brand Tatcha has become a cult-favorite, and it’s easy to see why. The brand features super pure ingredients and was inspired by holistic beauty routines its founder Vicky Tsai experienced while traveling through Kyoto. Its Mini Favorites set comes with some of the brand’s most beloved products, like its hydrating facial wash and cream cleanser.
Swedish fragrance brand Byredo’s lovely and transporting toiletries can be found in luxury hotels around the world. With scents inspired from destinations by global destinations, their Nomad Gift Set features three fragrances and makes an elegant and tasteful gift, featuring perfume bottles small enough to get through TSA on her next trip.
Another great option for lovers of fancy hotel toiletries is this Le Labo Bath & Body Set, which can be found in Edition Hotels around the world, from Barcelona to Bodrum. The ravishing scent from uber-popular fragrance brand Le Labo is sure to please. After all, what better than having your the toiletries in your own bathroom transport you to paradise?
For those traveling on business or for a formal event, a reliable steamer is always a great product to have on hand, especially if you’re not staying at a hotel where an ironing board is readily available. This dual-voltage steamer from Conair will work in any country. It features a quick 35-second heat-up, an easy-fill removable water tank, and an adjustable steam head so that you won’t miss any wrinkles.
Frequent travelers know that travel days can often mean dry air and the risk of dehydration. A handy tube of lip balm is always appreciated, and this chic set from Summer Fridays is sure to do the trick. It features a trio of hydrating lip balms in three colors, so that she can also enjoy a pop of color while keeping moisturized.
No traveler ever wants to hear the dreaded words, “You look tired,” but after hours spent traveling cross-country (or across time zones), a travelers’ eyes can begin to betray them. The recipient of these Knesko collaged eye masks will be able to see an immediate difference after popping them on after a flight: reviewers say smooth under eye areas are visible after just 15 to 30 minutes of use.
Best Luggage Travel Gifts For Women
For the business traveler in your life, we love this durable and elegant carry-on from Briggs & Riley, one of the most trusted luggage brands on the market. It comes with a clever trifold garment feature that is perfect for keeping clothes wrinkle-free. Despite its price tag, Briggs & Riley bags are always a worthy investment, with the brand’s Lifetime Guarantee indefinitely covering repairs free of charge.
With its versatility and sharp aesthetics, Monos’ Carry-On Pro is one of our most recommended suitcases and an excellent gift for the traveler seeking new hardside luggage. It’s designed with 360-degree spinner wheels that are whisper quiet and easy to maneuver, as well as an internal pad to compress clothing. Its padded front pocket offers premium organization without sacrificing protection, so you can confidently slide in your laptop, and it’s designed to fit in the overhead bin of most flights.
Lo & Sons’ convertible Rowledge backpack is perfect for the traveler who doesn’t want to sacrifice style for comfort. Its padded straps make the bag feel light no matter how heavy it is, and it easily transforms into a briefcase or tote, but can also be used as a sleek backpack large enough to hold a 13-inch or 16-inch laptop (or both) in one of its many pockets.
Named our top pick for best weekender bags, The Weekender by Béis is a sophisticated weekender bag that makes a perfect gift for the woman who wants to stay organized (and be stylish) on frequent short trips. It can easily fit up to three days’ worth of clothing and features a trusted zip top and full bottom compartment that separates your shoes and toiletries, as well as a handy Velcro-lined interior laptop sleeve.
Dagne Dover’s Micah Crossbody is a comfortable day bag with plenty of pockets, perfect for travelers who always seem to be on their feet. Spacious enough to fit a phone, wallet, and other small valuables, it’s designed with durable materials and features a sturdy zipper that feels almost impossible to break.
Australian brand July recently released this chic hardshell mini case, perfect for carrying around valuables that need sturdier protection, like cameras, phones or electronics. It features a concealed zipped pocket and interior mesh pocket and will fit a large phone, charger or camera, sunglasses, a wallet, and other small accessories.
Best Apparel Travel Gifts For Women
Every traveler wants to be comfortable on a long flight, but no one wants to board a flight looking like they just rolled out of bed. These joggers from Quince hit the trifecta of being comfortable, stylish and affordable, meaning your loved one can stock up on multiple pairs for different trips. They come highly recommended by Forbes Vetted’s senior tech editor Rebecca Isaacs, who wore them on a recent long-haul flight to Seoul and confirms they are “comfy and cozy.”
MOST POPULAR
What’s not to love about this super snuggly wearable throw, which feels like a portable pillow? Featuring all of the comfort of a soft, warm blanket but modified to stay on your shoulders, it can be worn around cold hotel rooms or by the fireplace on a ski trip. Its additional attached hood keeps your neck warm when not used as a hood, and it features the one surprise that every woman is always happy to find: pockets.
Female-founded apparel company Aday has found the solution to erratic airplane temperatures with this elegant pullover sweater. It’s ultra versatile, made from comfy, wrinkle-free material that makes it perfect to wear on a long-haul and chic enough to pull over a t-shirt to wear out to lunch upon landing. It’s hard to find a pullover that truly does it all, so this gift is sure to be appreciated by travelers who want to both look and feel good while on the go.
Known as one of the most comfortable travel shoes on the market, Allbirds’ Wool Runners are soft, breathable and will keep feet warm and comfortable on travel days with fluctuating temperatures. We love this shoe in particular because it is versatile enough to act as both an everyday sneaker fit for the airport and a chic pair that can be dressed up with slacks.
Travel days should mean ultimate comfort, and there are few footwear options out there that get the job done better than the Ugg Tasman slipper. They feature an easy slip-on design that makes them perfect to wear to the airport, in the airplane cabin, or around your hotel room. Better yet, they can also be worn outside due to their thick, durable soles, and they are incredibly warm thanks to a sheepskin lining.