23 Easy Travel Gifts For Kids On The Go (Updated for 2024)
As a family that is constantly traveling, the gift-giving season can often be a struggle. Since we have limited space in our suitcases, anything we decide to get the kids either needs to be something that we can use up before our next trip or that we will definitely want to bring along with us.
Luckily, there are plenty of gifts out there that are both useful and fun! Here are some of my family’s favorites.
TLDR? Checkout my top picks for kids below
35L is just about the perfect size for a carry-on backpack, and this one by Cotopaxi does a great job of maximizing that space while still looking good.
I'm recommending it as a great option for teens, but don't forget the adults. This bag is a great choice for all ages!
The Hero 11 Black is starting to get a bit older, but it still boasts waterproof action cam goodness to 33ft, a 23MP camera, and the ability to film video at 5.3K resolution 30fps, or 4K at 120fps. Basically, it's a true hero among cameras, especially at its lower price point!
There are other brands available, but Sand Cloud is the one we went with and they've done very well for us. I personally have the Whale Shark design pictured here, and I can guarantee that this is a good, light-weight, travel towel that will be sure to be a hit.
I have yet to meet a kid that didn't love Minecraft. And THIS is 100% the best Minecraft book I've ever given to my kids. They read it on repeat, and love every moment of it.
Bonus: The audiobook version is narrated by none other than Jack Black. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up for your kids.
Fun and Practical Travel Gifts for Kids
A Travel Backpack
From the time that my kids have been old enough to walk, they have wanted to carry their own things through the airport. And, as a parent, I’m more than happy to let them help!
Backpacks are a great choice for travelers of all ages since they can count as a personal item instead of a carry-on, allowing for much more luggage to come with you without having to check things. And as long as you pack light, backpacks can be a perfect way to let young kids feel helpful on plane day.
35L is just about the perfect size for a carry-on backpack, and this one by Cotopaxi does a great job of maximizing that space while still looking good.
I'm recommending it as a great option for teens, but don't forget the adults. This bag is a great choice for all ages!
For really young kids, pretty much any backpack that fits will be fine, but I like bags that fold up small so that I can slip it into another carry-on if they get tired of carrying it themselves. (They will.)
These lightweight backpacks might be a little large for very young kids, but I love how small they fold up! It makes them really easy to pack away when my kids don't feel like carrying their own stuff through the airport.
Passport Covers
We personally use a small travel portfolio that holds all our passports in one place, which makes border crossings a lot easier. But especially as kids get older, it can be a good idea to teach them the ins and outs of owning a passport. Covers keep passports from getting prematurely worn and can be an easy way to differentiate between kids’ passports when everyone is traveling together.
They aren’t a must-have item, but they are an easy and inexpensive gift that can add a dose of fun to your traveler’s next trip!
There are tons of options available on Amazon, but I particularly like the designs on these. Plus, it’s possible to upload your own photos for a custom-designed touch!
Luggage Tags
Baggage claim isn’t a super fun place to be in the best of circumstances. Especially at the end of a long flight when all you want to do is get out of the airport and on to exploring, trying to sort out your plain black bags from all the others can be a stressful affair. Unique luggage tags are a great way to help make your bag a lot easier to spot on the luggage carousel, and can add a touch of fun to boot!
There are tons of options available on Amazon, but I've always been partial to the LEGO ones. Other designs include unicorns, cats, or Minecraft creepers. Or, it's even possible to upload your own photos for a custom-designed touch! The possibilities are basically endless.
Earplugs
Earplugs probably aren’t the first thing that you think of when considering practical gifts for young travelers, but in a noisy airport, a comfortable pair of earplugs can be a game-changer for kids (or adults!) who get overwhelmed.
When thinking about earplugs, it is important to consider both the purpose and the fit to get the ones you want. Swimming earplugs do a great job of completely blocking off the ear canal, but that makes them a terrible choice for places like planes where the air pressure changes.
As far as fit goes, kids have much smaller ear canals than adults, so making sure that the earplugs are small enough that they don’t just become another irritant is important. Ill-fitting plugs will almost certainly end up being more of a problem than a fix.
I personally use the Loop Experience earplugs for myself and can attest to them being a great choice for adults or older kids, but they are too large for smaller kids. For smaller ears, we really like the design of the Children’s Alpine Pluggies.
We use this brand of earplug for our son, and they work pretty well to lower ambient noise levels and help him to deal with being in louder places. They're pretty small, though, and we have lost a pair or two over the years, but we always come right back to this same brand when we're looking for replacements.
Fidgets
While there are plenty of amazing things to enjoy about traveling the world, standing in line is decidedly not one of them. Fidgets are small toys designed to give your hands something to do during those times when you aren’t otherwise moving.
I’ve found small fidget toys to be super helpful with our kids in all sorts of places, from airports to supermarkets. But I’ve also enjoyed using them myself as a way to keep my hands busy during Zoom calls. Far from being a distraction, fidgets can actually help increase attention during meetings and classes by giving distracting energy an outlet.
Sometimes, my kids just need to keep their hands busy. At this point, I've list track of how many different random, small fidgets we've gone through, but I do remember this being one of the longest lasting options that we've found. It's large enough to not instantly get lost, and small enough to pack easy, so it's especially good in airport terminals.
Cool Carabiners
Of course, those fidget toys don’t do a whole lot of good if they’re buried in your kids’ bags! Carabiners do a great job of keeping things accessible by clipping them to the outside of bags. And there’s no reason that they can’t be a fun gift on their own!
I wouldn't rely on the compass on these things to help me get out of the woods or anything, but for a kid, having a compass at hand is pretty cool. Plus, these do a great job of keeping smaller items at hand by clipping them to the exterior of your bag. Win-win.
I personally prefer these S-Hook type carabiners, and I use them all the time. They aren't exactly a gift on their own, but you'll want at least a couple for their sheer utility.
Fun and Technological Travel Gifts for Kids
A Camera
The great thing about being able to travel the world is how many amazing things there are to see! The world is filled to the brim with amazing vistas, archaeological wonders, and starry nights that are sure to dazzle. The hardest part of traveling the world is not being able to put into words how seeing those things feels!
Pictures can’t replace the feeling of seeing a place first-hand. Still, for kids who want to share their experiences with friends and family, or who want pictures to help them remember for themselves, a camera makes an absolutely wonderful gift. Of course, getting a top-of-the-line camera for a younger kid is probably out of the question. A great camera can cost hundreds of dollars, even before the accessories!
But a nice point-and-shoot can get the job done on a budget, and may introduce your kid to a hobby that they’ll pursue for the rest of their lives.
This Kodak PIXPRO Camera is a good point-and-shoot for younger kids who don’t already have a phone
The Nikon D3500 is an excellent entry-level DSLR for teenagers looking to develop their photography skills beyond their smartphone. It's far from top of the line, but as a beginner camera, it's a decent enough starting point.
A Tablet or Phone
If you’re considering a tech device for your young world traveler, you have probably considered a tablet or phone of some kind. There are a ton of devices out there, so choosing one that works well for your family can be super overwhelming.
With our kids, we decided to go with the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 10, since it combines an excellent screen experience with a budget price. We also added on the Made for Amazon Keyboard Case in the hopes of teaching our kids to use a physical keyboard, and have been really impressed with it. It connects easily and does a great job holding the tablet at a variety of angles, which is super helpful for watching videos. I highly recommend it.
Older kids may need a bit more on the performance and connectivity fronts, though. If you’re on a budget and need a great phone for keeping your teen connected, the Pixel line of phones is a great choice. The most recent generation of Pixel phones includes the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro phones, as well as the more budget-friendly Pixel 7a which has recently gone on sale several times. But if you’re on a budget, the older Pixels are still great phones, and you can pick up renewed versions at a great price.
The Pixel Pro line takes what is good about the mainline Pixels and add just a bit more. This year, that means a larger screen, more zoom on the camera, and a bit more RAM to help make it feel quicker than ever!
The Pixel 8 is this year’s mainline version of the Pixel Phone. Most of what’s on offer is the expected iterative upgrade over last year’s version, but this year Google is leaning heavily into AI enhancements that should give the Pixel 8 an advantage over its competitors.
The “A” series of Pixel phones are typically released midway through the yearly cycle and pack many of that year’s benefits into a more budget-friendly device.
Yes, the 6a is from a couple years ago at this point, but it was a good enough phone to start with that it still performs better than many of the current crop of budget and mid-range phones. And, since it is a getting a bit older, its price is low enough to make this one of the more affordable phones out there!
Tablets and phones are definitely pricier than most of the gifts on this list, but they’re also one of the most flexible and multi-use items.
Headphones
Another great tech gift for traveling kids is a decent pair of headphones. Whether they’re watching their favorite shows, listening to an audiobook, or playing a game, headphones make it so they can hear and you don’t have to.
For younger kids, the main features to keep your eyes out for are comfortability, portability, the ability to limit volume, and ease of use. Out of those, I would say finding a pair of headphones that are comfortable is most important. I’ve bought a number of different headphones for my kids as “upgrades” to their CozyPhones headphones bands, and invariably they end up not getting used.
That said, there are some great choices out there if your kids will wear them.
This two pack of sound-limiting headphones is perfect for younger kids who like to watch videos together. They won't win any awards for sound quality, but they're comfortable enough that kids will wear them and the come with an audio splitter that allows both kids to listen to the same audio!
Until kids are old enough to manage their own batteries, I suggest corded options.
Older kids and teens are going to have different priorities when it comes to headphones, including caring more about sound quality and “looking cool.”
If you're looking for great headphones on a budget, these are an incredible value. Not only do they does the battery on these things last for basically an entire work week between charges, but the sound canceling is incredible for this price point. And they're comfy!
I loved these headphones, and really the only reason I upgraded to the Liberty 4 ANC Earbuds was because the Q20's size made them a bit hard to pack. I usually ended up wearing them around my neck while traveling, and it's just easier to slip earbuds in my pocket.
There is a really good chance I have these in my ears right now. I picked a pair of these up during last year's Black Friday sale, and if I have any regrets, it's that I didn't pick up a pair for every member of my family.
The noise cancelling on these is absolutely amazing, especially for a sub-$100 pair of earbuds. The battery lasts through most of my workday without me needing to take a break, and if I do manage to run the battery down, the earbuds charge quick enough that a short coffee break will get me enough charge to last through the rest of my day.
Just get these. You will not regret it.
Airplane Bluetooth Adapter
One of the hard truths of international travel is that your favorite Bluetooth headphones aren’t going to work with the plane’s inflight entertainment right out of the box. If you want your kids to be able to use those fancy new earbuds on the plane, you’re also going to need a Bluetooth adapter.
The AirFly adaptor by 12 South is the adaptor for the job. There are some others out there, but the prices are similar and the reviews are lacking. Their least expensive models can only handle one pair of headphones at a time, but they also have the AirFly Duo which can work with two pairs at once, which is really handy for watching movies together without disturbing anyone around you.
If you fly very often at all, you've probably wondered if there was a way to use your own bluetooth headphones instead of whatever uncomfortable earbuds the airline decided to throw your way. And, good news, there is!
AirFly is the most trusted name in Bluetooth transmitters for in-flight systems. Just pair your bluetooth audio device with the transmitter, plug it into the plane's audio jack, and voila! Yiu can use whatever headphone you want to watch your movies! Need a two-person solution? Check out the AirFly Duo instead.
Action Cameras
During our most recent trip to Egypt, my family finally broke down and bought a proper action camera instead of making do with cheap knock-offs and above the water pictures from my phone. And it absolutely transformed my snorkeling experience!
We bought the GoPro Hero 11 Black, and I love it. Since the, GoPro has released a newer version with better resolution and more bells and whistles, but if you’re looking to save some money since it’s a gift for your kid, the older versions are still some of the best action cameras that you can get.
The Hero 12 Black is the most recent model of GoPro at the moment, and comes filled to bursting with great action cam goodness. If you want the latest and greatest, this is it.
This is the GoPro that I have. We picked one up in Egypt after our action cam from *another* brand name ended up not being worth its, admittedly, lower price. The Hero 11 Black has worked admirably since then, and captured many of my favorite underwater moments!
The Hero 11 Black is starting to get a bit older, but it still boasts waterproof action cam goodness to 33ft, a 23MP camera, and the ability to film video at 5.3K resolution 30fps, or 4K at 120fps. Basically, it's a true hero among cameras, especially at its lower price point!
Have you ever dropped something on accident? It' not great. It's even less great if it's an action camera worth hundreds of dollars and you're in the middle of the ocean. Luckily, you decided to buy a floating handle for that action cam, and it popped back to the surface for easy retrieval! Nice move.
Charging Supplies
As far as gifts go, chargers and batteries are typically the least fun gifts you can receive. But, there’s no denying their usefulness, especially for young world travelers wanting to keep their tech charged up and ready!
For modern devices, the different voltages you’ll find while traveling isn’t as much of an issue as they used to be, but the shapes of plug prongs can still make life difficult. I like to keep a couple of adapters on hand so I can be sure all our devices will get charged up no matter where we are in the world.
Go almost anywhere with a plug and stay charged up with ease. This travel adapter features 61W of power spread across 3 USB-A and one USB-C PD ports. Plus, it has a universal plug outlet for anything else you need to plug in.
If you can’t find a plug at all, though, you’ll still end up low on battery! Unlike with laptops, most power banks will do just fine for charging up mobile devices like phones or tablets. So, if you’re going to get one, you might as well make it a fun one!
This tiny power bank easily slips into a pocket or bag, and looks super fun! With 5000mAh, it can easily charge a phone once, with just a bit to spare.
If you need a bit more juice than that, or are looking for something with enough oomph to recharge a laptop instead of a phone, you'll be wanting the Anker Prime instead.
Fun and Educational Travel Gifts for Kids
Travel Journals
Travel opens kids’ eyes to all sorts of amazing places and experiences. A place to write those experiences down is a must-have.
Some people prefer travel journals with built-in prompts to get them writing, while others just want some blank space to express themselves, or to record their finds. Either way, the act of journaling can be a great way for kids to explore their feelings surrounding their travel experiences.
Ultimately, it comes down to preference, so if you’re grabbing a journal for your kid, be sure to check with them about what sort of travel journal they’re looking for.
A lot of travel journals include daily prompts to help kids come up with something to write about. Not all kids need those prompts, but for those who do, they are invaluable.
This is a great journal for teens (or adults!) who need that little extra push to get writing!
Moleskine's line of Passions journals are topic specific journals that help catalog your adventures, whatever they may be! This one is specific to travel and has plenty of space for ticket stubs, daily itineraries, and, of course, for journaling about your favorite travel experiences.
My wife swears by traveler's notebooks, and has several of them dedicated to different topics. Traveler's notebooks, at their most basic, are simple foldable covers that you can put smaller bound journal inserts into as a way of keeping organized. It's a really cool concept with tons of flexibility, making it perfect for any frequent traveler!
Books
How do I even begin to recommend gifts in such a broad category?!?
A good book can be the best companion on a trip, whether it’s as reading material on the flight, a way to feel closer to loved ones back at home, or something to help pass a relaxing evening in after seeing the sights. Of course, if you’re not set on owning the book, you could also check out your local library’s offerings, especially since most libraries now offer ebooks!
Younger kids who are fans of adventure and Minecraft will absolutely love this book.
We got the audiobook version of it for my kids (narrated by Jack Black) because they weren’t old enough to read it on their own yet. It was definitely a hit!
I read this book myself as a college-age traveler and was struck by the detail of Michener’s writing. Teenagers and fans of non-fiction will love this one.
This one isn’t for the traveling kids, but for the traveling parents. While full-time travel is 100% worth it, it does come with some trade-offs.
This book helps grow emotional intelligence and self-awareness, and guides readers through the journey of processing their emotions.
It also has the advantage of being written by my wife!
…and a Kindle to read them on!
I 100% recommend getting a dedicated e-reader if you plan on doing a lot of reading while traveling. Not only are they a whole lot lighter than dragging entire book series around the world with you, but reading on an e-ink screen is far better for your eyes than using a phone or tablet screen.
As an added bonus, it’s also possible to access huge libraries of Kindle books through programs like Amazon’s Prime Lending Library, through your local Public Library system. That means finishing a book doesn’t have to mean waiting until your next library trip before getting the sequel!
I suggest Amazon’s Kindle devices for their ease of use and low prices, but other e-readers, like the Kobo Clara, also do a great job and have their own bookstores if you want to go that route instead.
The Paperwhite has a brighter screen, faster, more pixel dense display, and just feels better in my hand than the entry level Kindle. Plus, it's water resistant so you can read in the bath or on the beach without worry!
Educational Subscriptions
Subscriptions are an easy and effective way to give a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year. However, if you’re shopping for kids who will be consistently moving from place to place, I would caution you away from subscription boxes that send physical goods. It’s just way too much work to keep changing the address where they get sent, and if your family travels overseas at all, it may not even be possible to receive it.
Instead, I would suggest giving a digital subscription to an educational magazine or app! Last year, my mother-in-law got our kids a subscription to the Prodigy Math game and they have absolutely loved it all year long.
- Tons of Free Kindle Books to read
- Tons of Free Audiobooks to listen to
- Up to 3 Free magazine Subscriptions
All for just $11.99/month
We use Kindle Unlimited all the time. There are tons of amazing books in their selection, both educational and entertaining. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
Fun and Outdoorsy Travel Gifts for Kids
Hydration Packs
If there’s one thing that you need for a trip to the great outdoors, it’s plenty of water to drink. Hydration packs are a great way to keep water easily accessible for kids during hikes, camping trips, or other outdoor adventures.
While you can definitely get a hydration pack that only has room for the water and not much else, most packs will have room for a few small snacks or for treasures you pick up on the trail. Alternatively, there are full-on hiking backpacks that have a pocket that can be used for a hydration pack, but which may not come with a water bladder included. Ultimately, it comes down to knowing how much your kids can, or want to, carry on your hikes.
Camelbak has been in this game for a long while, and have gotten the formula down pretty well. This 50oz capacity hydration pack also has room for other trail essentials, like snacks!
Headlamps
Camping trips are a lot of fun, but it can get real dark, real fast. Especially for younger kids who are still getting used to camping. It’s easy enough to solve that problem with a cheap flashlight, but if you want to be upgraded to hero status, I highly recommend getting your kids a headlamp.
Younger kids love getting to wear a headlamp, if for nothing else other than the “cool” factor, but headlamps are quite useful for any age group. I personally love how much light my own headlamp provides for tasks like washing dishes or searching for firewood. For older kids and teens, they’re great for light while they’re writing in their travel journals, or for exploring around the campsite.
These also have a 45-degree tilt function that is super helpful for seeing the ground in front of you. Headlamps are a pretty basic gift that will get some mileage with kids who love to camp.
Sand Cloud Turkish Towels
Beach days are a favorite for many traveling families, in large part because they can be a lot of fun without needing much in the way of supplies or preparation. However, a good travel towel can make a good beach day much, much better.
Traditional towels can take up a ton of space, which makes them more of a liability for travelers who are trying to travel light. That’s why my family loves traveling with Turkish towels. They are made from a much thinner material than most bath or beach towels, but they are still plenty absorbent. On top of that, they don’t hold sand like normal beach towels do which makes them an ideal choice for taking to the beach.
We bought our towels from Sand Cloud directly, but their selection on Amazon has grown significantly since then, and even includes some Amazon exclusives!
There are other brands available, but Sand Cloud is the one we went with and they've done very well for us. I personally have the Whale Shark design pictured here, and I can guarantee that this is a good, light-weight, travel towel that will be sure to be a hit.
Snorkel Mask
Our snorkel masks have made it all around the world with us, and have helped us to discover some pretty awesome reefs. In fact, some of my favorite memories are snorkeling through reefs and spotting sea turtles, lionfish, feather stars, and more!
I’ve found buying snorkels and masks for kids to be…. tricky. Different kids have different tolerances for having things strapped to their faces, but if you can find a solution that works, it is absolutely worth it.
A classic facemask and snorkel is by far the easiest snorkel mask solution to travel with. Plus, if you get them in glass, they are less likely to fog than full-face set ups, and you can even get prescription lenses in this form factor.
However, if you have younger kids, it can be hard to get them used to the mouth piece, and if there is any leakage at all, it can be hard to get the kids to keep going.
Still, if you can get them to wear it, this is the best option.
If your kids won't use a regular snorkel and goggles, I absolutely recommend the full masks. Snorkeling with my kids, they found them much easier to use than a snorkel held in their mouth. They also offer a wider field of vision, and many of them include a mount for an action camera so you can share your finds when you get back from your trip.
They are more prone to fogging, though, and they are not super convenient to pack, though it can be done.
Our daughter recently decided she doesn’t like getting her face wet, which really put a damper on family snorkel trips. So, for Christmas last year we decided to get her this Reef Tourer snorkeling float and viewing bucket.
Essentially it gives kids a way to see what’s going on under the water around them without having to put their faces in the water. It is not convenient to bring with you, but it did get my daughter in the water alongside us, and eventually we were able to persuade her to use a real snorkel and mask. So, a solid win.
Just Plain Fun Travel Gifts for Kids
Board Games
At first glance, board games don’t seem like the kind of thing that would make a good gift for a traveling family. Big cardboard boxes and tons of small fiddly pieces aren’t exactly ideal for something to do on the plane, after all. But full-time travelers often end up with a lot of downtime, so if you choose the right one, a board game could easily be the best gift under the tree!
There are a ton of great games out there that have a small profile that’s ideal for packing light, and I especially like games from the Tiny Epic series. Each one packs a ton of great gameplay into a seriously small box, so you have room to bring a few along. Other games are card-based, which means you may be able to fit everything you need for a quick game in your pocket and skip the bag entirely!
Even larger games can be brought along if space is available. Check out my article on traveling with board games, if you need more inspiration!
Puzzles
A family-sized jigsaw puzzle is one of the gifts that we get for the whole family every Christmas. We’ve found that it’s a great way to spend the day as a family, especially when paired with music and copious amounts of hot cocoa.
I will admit that we don’t typically bring the puzzles along with us after we’re finished, but it is definitely possible since puzzles pack down quite small. But if you also decide to make it a one-day-only activity, donating it to charity or your local library is a great way to pass on Christmas!
My family has had a fondness for wild mushrooms ever since our foraging trip, but this is only one choice out of thousands on Amazon. Click below to check out all puzzles.
LEGO Sets
When you’re traveling, it’s pretty common to want everything you have to be multifunctional and flexible. So, why not pick a gift that can do it all?
LEGOs are hands-down one of the best toys on the market, and since you can make a masterpiece with relatively few bricks, they’re a pretty great travel companion, too! Our kids haven’t figured out how to keep the blocks in a confined space yet, so we only get them out on our longer stays, but storing a set in a pencil case is a great option for something to do on flights with older kids.
My family shares a LEGO set as one of our family gifts each year at Christmas because they're a lot of fun to do as a family, and even when we finish, they can be used to make plenty of other fun things. Last year, we got a Harry Potter set, but since we recently took an African Safari, I've been looking at sets like this one.
Try to find a set that resonates with your family!
