The best gifts for travelers, ranked
24 picks · one clear winner · updated September 2026
The best gift for travelers is the Anker Laptop Power Bank ($100–150): a large power bank with two built-in USB-C cables, one of them retractable, that can charge a laptop and a phone at the same time. If that is not right, the Twelve South AirFly SE ($25–30) is next. Under $25, get the Apple AirTag ($20–25).
- Picks
- 24
- Price range
- $10–20 to $200–500
- Under $25
- 3
- Under $50
- 4
No. 1Anker Laptop Power Bank
A large power bank with two built-in USB-C cables, one of them retractable, that can charge a laptop and a phone at the same time. It suits a commuter or traveler who carries a laptop and always forgets cables.
Skip it if they only need to top up a phone, a smaller pocketable power bank suits better.
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Gifts for travelers under $25
The cheapest gifts on this page that still made the cut.
The full ranking
No. 1Anker Laptop Power Bank
A large power bank with two built-in USB-C cables, one of them retractable, that can charge a laptop and a phone at the same time. It suits a commuter or traveler who carries a laptop and always forgets cables.
Skip it if they only need to top up a phone, a smaller pocketable power bank suits better.
No. 2Twelve South AirFly SE
A tiny plug that lets travelers hear the plane's movie or the gym's TV through their own earbuds. One charge covers a whole flight, and it keeps working even while charging.
Skip it if they always travel with wired headphones or never watch in-flight screens.
No. 3Samsonite Omni PC Hardside Expandable Luggage with Spinner Wheels
A hard-shell Samsonite with four wheels, an expanding zip and a scratch-resistant finish, in the size that fits an overhead bin. The suitcase people buy after a cheap one breaks.
Skip it if they already have luggage they like.
No. 4Apple AirTag (2nd Generation)
A coin-sized tracker that attaches to a keychain or wallet and shows its location in the Find My app.
Skip it if they do not have an iPhone or iPad.
No. 5Away The Carry-On Rolling Suitcase
The Away carry-on, a hard polycarbonate shell with four quiet wheels, an interior compression pad and a long warranty. The suitcase that gets mentioned when people ask which one.
Skip it if they already have a carry-on they like.
No. 6Bagail 8 Set Packing Cubes Luggage Packing Organizers for Travel
Eight zip-up cubes that split a suitcase into labeled sections, so your traveler can find clean socks without unpacking everything. The mesh tops show what is inside, and they compress enough that one carry-on can hold a week of clothes.
Skip it if they only travel with a duffel bag and never use a zipper.
No. 7Tumi Nassau Travel Wallet
A zip-around leather case with ten card slots, an ID window and dividers sized for a passport and boarding passes. Everything that usually rides loose in a jacket pocket ends up in one place, which is the difference between a calm security line and a frantic one.
Not for a traveler who flies on a phone wallet and a digital boarding pass, this is a leather case for documents they no longer carry.
No. 8Coolife Luggage Set
A three-piece hard-shell luggage set with spinner wheels, for someone starting from nothing or a couple who share cases. The small one is carry-on size.
Skip it if they already have luggage they like.
No. 9Amazon Basics 30" Hardside Large Checked Luggage with Multi-directional Wheels
A thirty-inch hard-shell checked case with four wheels and a lock, from Amazon's own range, for someone who needs a big case twice a year. Plain and cheap.
Skip it if they only ever travel with a carry-on.
No. 10Delsey Paris Helium Aero Hardside Expandable Luggage with Spinner Wheels
A light hard-shell case from Delsey with an expanding zip and four wheels, in a carry-on size that fits most overhead bins. For someone who flies often and carries on.
Skip it if they already have a carry-on they like.
No. 11Bagsmart 20" Softside Expandable Spinner Carry-On
A soft-side carry-on with an expanding zip and a laptop pocket, for someone who overpacks and needs the give. It fits the overhead bin when not expanded.
Skip it if they already have a carry-on they like.
No. 12Timbuk2 Co-Pilot Luggage Roller Suitcase
A soft roller carry-on from Timbuk2 with a laptop sleeve and a bag that clips on top, for a traveler who wants one bag through the airport. It fits the overhead bin.
Skip it if they already have a carry-on they like.
No. 13Travelpro Platinum Elite Checked Luggage Spinner
Travelpro's checked case, the one flight crews pull, with a long warranty and wheels that survive cobbles. For someone who travels for work.
Skip it if they only ever carry on.
No. 14Paravel Aviator Luggage
Paravel's hard carry-on made from recycled materials, with a leather handle and quiet wheels, for a traveler who cares how the bag looks in the hotel lobby. It fits the overhead bin.
Skip it if they already have a carry-on they like.
No. 15Leatherology Bordeaux Leatherology Luggage Tag with Privacy Sleeve & Adjustable
A full-grain leather luggage tag with a privacy flap over the address and a strap that stays buckled. It suits the traveler whose suitcase is otherwise identical to everyone's.
Skip it if they travel with a backpack only.
No. 16Imiomo Five-Piece Luggage Set
A five-piece hard-shell luggage set with spinner wheels, for a family that travels together or a couple who share cases. The smallest is a carry-on.
Skip it if they already have luggage they like.
No. 17Hanke Expandable Foldable Luggage Bag
A soft case that folds flat when empty and expands into a wheeled bag, for someone who comes home with more than they left with. It weighs little.
Skip it if they pack light and never shop away.
No. 18Aesop Ginger Flight Therapy
A roll-on of ginger, lavender and geranium oil for the pulse points, meant for the queasy hours of a long flight. Small, elegant and the kind of thing a traveler keeps in the seat pocket.
Skip it if they dislike strong scents or already sleep through flights.
No. 19Travelpro Maxlite 5 Lightweight Underseat Carry-On
Travelpro's under-seat carry-on with wheels, small enough to skip the overhead bin, for someone who flies with one bag and hates the scrum. It holds a weekend.
Skip it if they check a bag anyway.
No. 20Rockland Vara Softside Upright Luggage (3-Piece Set)
A three-piece soft-side luggage set with wheels and an expanding zip, for someone starting from nothing. The small one is carry-on size.
Skip it if they already have luggage they like.
No. 21SwissGear Sion Softside Expandable Roller Luggage
A SwissGear soft-side case with an expanding zip and a laptop pocket, the sensible mid-price choice, for someone whose case broke on the last trip. It fits the overhead bin.
Skip it if they already have a carry-on they like.
No. 22Coolife 3-Piece Carry On Hardside Luggage Set
A three-piece hard-shell luggage set with spinner wheels, for someone starting from nothing. The small one is carry-on size.
Skip it if they already have luggage they like.
No. 23TravelArim 22-Inch Carry On Luggage
The TravelArim is a 22-inch carry-on case, the standard size for a domestic overhead bin. On short trips it keeps everything in the cabin, which is the difference between walking off a plane and standing at a carousel.
Skip it if the flying is international, 22 inches is over the cabin limit on some carriers and the bag gets checked anyway.
No. 24Samsonite Solyte DLX Softside Luggage
The Solyte DLX is Samsonite's softside suitcase, made of fabric rather than a hard shell so the sides give when a bin is full. That flex is what gets a softside bag into tight overhead space, and it lets an overpacked case still close.
Skip it if the trips involve gear that needs protecting, fabric sides do not hold their shape the way a hard shell does.
Nothing in that price band here. Try another.
How to choose a gift for travelers
Prices on this page run from $10–20 to $200–500; 3 of the 24 picks are under $25 and 13 are over $100. Start from the price band you have in mind, then read the note under each pick: it says who the thing is really for and who should skip it. Where the evidence behind a pick is thin we say so, and at the same price we take the one more guides agree on.
Where this list comes from: we start from the gifts that 59 published gift guides (Engadget, Esquire, Today among them) put forward for travelers, check each one against the maker's own details and its current listing, and write our own note on who it suits and who should skip it. Anything with a poor record among buyers is out. Commission never touches the order. Price bands come from the prices the guides recorded, checked against Amazon on September 6, 2026; the retailer page is the truth on the day. The full method.
Quick answers
Best gifts for travelers?
The Anker Laptop Power Bank ($100–150) is the best gift for travelers in our ranking: a large power bank with two built-in USB-C cables, one of them retractable, that can charge a laptop and a phone at the same time. Runners-up: Twelve South AirFly SE ($25–30), Samsonite Omni PC Hardside Expandable Luggage with Spinner ($100–150).
Best Christmas gifts for travelers?
Start with the Anker Laptop Power Bank ($100–150), our No. 1 gift for travelers, then Twelve South AirFly SE ($25–30), Samsonite Omni PC Hardside Expandable Luggage with Spinner ($100–150).
Best cheap gifts for travelers?
Good inexpensive gifts for travelers that still made our ranking: Apple AirTag ($20–25), Bagail 8 Set Packing Cubes Luggage Packing Organizers ($10–20), Aesop Ginger Flight Therapy ($20–25). None of them looks cheap.
