The Best Travel Gifts for the Backpacker

Published: September 16, 2026

Got someone in your life who’s off backpacking? Whether it’s a young adult off on a gap year, a loved one who’s on their Eat Pray Love trip, or just someone who loves a bit of adventure, we’ve got the ultimate list of gifts that are meaningful but practical.

Chelsea in the street in India
Chelsea in India

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This portable wash bag from Scrubba is perfect for travel, road trips and camping. I tested it in a hotel bathroom sink and it worked a treat!

It was really easy to use however it does come with a hefty price tag. It may be better suited to camping or road trips as a last resort rather than on a normal holiday.

Organise your suitcase or backpack with packing cubes. These ones from Amazon have a useful handle for carrying, and a mesh panel so you can easily see what’s inside.

These specific ones are a pack of 4 black packing cubes in size medium, but they have a bunch of other sizes, varieties and colours.

Coming in three sizes (small adult, regular adult and child) the SNUGL travel pillow has memory foam for a comfortable sleep on your travel days.

It comes with a carry case and clip so that it can be transported easily and the design means you can clip the ends together to hold your head in place as you sleep.

This comes with me on pretty much every trip. A full charge will last the Kindle for weeks, but it’s also a USB-C charger. I love how small this one is – it fits in my Uniqlo bag!

Read safely by the pool as it’s waterproof!  It’s also easy on the eyes with an adjustable warm backlight, and readable even in the glare of the sun.

16GB Kindle

Hello 1997! Create some physical memories from your trip with this fun disposable camera. This one is full colour and has 27 shots, and lets you keep your phone in your pocket.

You could even create a scrapbook or photo album of the trip afterwards!

I love playing games on holiday and these cards are a great way to meet new people. Whenever I’m in a hostel, there’s always people wanting to play cards to get to know everyone, and you could be the one that’s brought them!

These ones are personalised so would also make a great gift.

INIU is a reputable tech brand and this power bank has almost 1,000 reviews and a 4.6 star rating! The size is its draw, and it’s only about the size of two Airpods or a small digital camera! It has 45W and 1,000mAh battery.

It has two USB C ports and one USB port, and the handle itself actually is a cable that can be used in the USB C port to charge your devices as well as charge the power bank itself.

I’m a total Apple AirTag convert, especially after there’s been lots of delays and disruptions at airports of recent which have left me wondering where my check in luggage is!

I’ve written up a handy guide about what an AirTag is and how it works but in summary, it’s a small tracker that allows you to pinpoint the location using your phone.

When people tell me they pack an extension cord to go away with them, all I can think is that they obviously don’t have one of these!

There’s loads of options but this one is the best I’ve ever used and it has both USB-C and USB 2.0 plugs which is really handy. It also allows me to charge several devices all at once, without the speed of charging going down because it supports PD3.0 & QC3.0 fast charging. One of the USB-C PD ports can even reach an incredible high speed of 70W.

Momax Travel Adaptor

Hopefully you’re all set to buy the backpacking lover in your life a gift before they jet off again. Whether it’s a fun disposable camera, or a useful universal adaptor, there should be something for everyone.

About Chelsea Dickenson

Chelsea Dickenson is the founder of Holiday Expert and a UK travel expert known for helping people travel smarter without overspending. Trusted by over 1 million followers across her social platforms, Chelsea’s known for not only sharing helpful travel advice, but testing out travel hacks and those deals that seem too good to be true.

As well as her social content online, you can find Chelsea on the sofa on This Morning as one of their regular travel experts, and writing for the Metro in her monthly column – as well as popping up as a guest expert across other media publications.

She also keeps followers updated with topical articles on Holiday Expert, the best deals on her weekly newsletter and the most interesting travel stories on her podcast, The Holiday Expert Show.

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