If you’re like my family, we travel A LOT and so when the holidays roll around or birthdays, finding useful – and cool – travel gifts for teens and tweens is often top of my list when looking for gift ideas. If you know a teen or tween who loves to travel or if you have a hard time choosing something for them, then this travel gifts for teens and tweens list if for you.
We love taking the kids on unique experiences all around the world, and often the gift-giving occasion is right before our next trip. My kids also love to travel and learn about the world. And this means that some of the best present ideas are useful and fun travel gifts.
Now that our kids are older, we’re always on the search for the best travel gifts for teens and tweens. However, finding the best travel gift ideas isn’t always easy.
Most parents – and let’s be honest, grandparents, aunts, and uncles too – are asking what your teen or tween would like for Christmas, birthday, graduation, etc. And teens and tweens are notoriously hard to shop for. So that’s why we defer to travel gifts for teens and tweens.
But don’t worry; I compiled this handy list of awesome travel gifts so you’ll have plenty of options all in one place. And, as a parent of twin preteens and a teen, this is a hand-picked list of tried and true products and ideas I personally checked out, purchased, or have gotten input on from my own tweens and teen. Rest assured, each passes the “cool” factor!
I’m sure you’ll find the perfect gift related to travel for your tweens and teens here.
This post contains affiliate links which means I receive compensation at no cost to you should you make a purchase using this link. See my disclosures.
A Note About Experience Gifts
Some of the best travel gifts for teens and tweens are experiences. As a 2020 study explained, adolescents 13 to 17 years old get more happiness from experiences than material gifts.
Our family has personally benefitted from family time of experience gifts, and the memories from experiences last way longer than “things.” So, a fun travel experience makes a great gift idea; here are some fun ideas for travel gifts that involve experiences.
- A trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland (with theme park tickets!)
- Disney Cruise Line vacation (we just purchased this for my own kids!)
- A local activity where you live, like an escape room, a day in a nearby city, like visiting Boston with kids, or something unique to that area.
- Outdoor gifts like kayaking, white water rafting, camping trips, skiing somewhere like Montana or New England, or something else your teens love to do outside.
- A scuba diving course or other lessons like smartphone photography, surfing, or cooking
- A visit to a theme park like Universal Studios or even an annual pass to a local theme park like Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh (my childhood theme park!)
- A concert
- Broadway or other theater show
- Horseback riding
- A rope or ziplining course
- One of their favorite road trips
- A bucket list trip to Paris, London, or Costa Rica
Best Travel Gift Ideas for Teens and Tweens
Now, in addition to an experience gift, you may want to select some complimentary “things” to go with that experience gift. From gifts for traveling on the plane to activities for a tween or teen for a road trip, to items that are useful on vacation, this list has you covered.
Here are some of the top travel gifts for teens and tweens that my kids love, and I’m sure yours will, too, if they like to travel.
Travel Scrapbook Album
One of the best travel gifts for teenagers, especially teenage girls, is a travel scrapbook. They can enjoy saving all their favorite souvenirs and pictures from all the places they travel. You can even pair it with an instant camera so they can take their own pictures of the memories you share.
Apple AirPods
Teenagers and pre-teens love listening to music on planes or long car rides, so Apple AirPods (or AirPods Pro) are cool tech gifts they’ll appreciate. The sound is amazing, and they fit the ear comfortably and securely so no one else can hear what they are listening to, which can be annoying to everyone else around.
Ipads and Tablets
Tablets and Apple iPads are more popular than ever, and whether you have a teen girl or boy, they’ll love getting an iPad. I consider iPads and tablets fun gifts for any time of year, but they also make great Christmas gifts, and they will keep your kids busy on trips. You can download apps, TV shows, and movies, and for some airlines, downloading an app is your only way to access the in-flight entertainment.
Scratch Off World Map Poster
If you haven’t seen a scratch-off map poster, you’re missing out! These make the best gifts for teens and tweens who travel a lot because they can scratch all the places they’ve been off the map.
Wood World Map
If your teen or tween loves to travel, these wooden wall maps are a beautiful and special gift for any world traveler. They would make a gorgeous addition to any teenager’s room. I actually have these in my office and have gifted them to my husband!
Page-A-Day Travel Journal
A travel journal makes the perfect gift for teenagers who travel, especially if you have a teenage daughter. If your teen likes to write, encourage them to write about their travel experiences in this Page-A-Day Travel Journal that makes a great travel gift.
Nintendo Switch Lite
Teens and tweens love their video games, especially teen boys, so the Nintendo Switch Lite is the perfect travel gift because it’s light and portable. They allow your kids to play their favorite games on the go, which is useful when traveling long distances.
Kindle Paperwhite E-reader
I mentioned an e-reader above, and the Kindle Paperwhite is my favorite one because it’s the lightest, most compact Kindle and has a lot of storage. It makes a great travel gift for teens who love to read.
National Parks Books and Games
National Park Books make great gifts when you’re heading to a national park on vacation because they allow teens and tweens who love reading to learn more about where you’re going. Also, other road trip activities and card games make great presents too.
JBL Wired Earphones
When we travel, I like to have my kids pack both wireless earphones (like their Air Pods for use with their tablet and phone) and a set with a wire. Why? Because if there is TV on the plane, many of them require a wired headset.
While some airlines will hand these out complimentary, others charge you for them. So I think it’s wise to pack both and when choosing a great one, I recommend the JBL Wired Earphones. My kids love them!
Sketchbook and Colored Pencils
My tweens and teens love to draw, and I also like to provide screen-free activities for road trips and planes. Just like for the top items, I recommend packing in kids’ carry-ons, for tweens and teens I also recommend having a sketchbook and colored pencils for when they are bored in the airport or in a long, French meal. It also makes for a great travel gift for them to sketch the unique landscapes they may see in Costa Rica, France, Italy, or Hawaii.
Practical Travel Gifts For Teens and Tweens: Luggage and Accessories
Sometimes the best present idea is a practical travel gift that makes traveling easier, such as:
Travel Luggage
Luggage always makes for a great gift for tweens and teens. Whether you are looking for a larger suitcase or carry-on luggage, you have the option to customize this gift based on your tween or teen’s style. I have always been a fan of Pottery Barn luggage sets, but if your tween or teen is a Disney fan, Disney-themed travel gear makes a perfect practical travel gift for teens and tweens.
Away Luggage Set
If you’ve been in my world for a while, you know that I think Away travel luggage makes the perfect travel gift for anyone who likes traveling. This luggage makes a really nice gift for teens because it’s durable, and all the suitcase options have brilliant layouts.
We have purchased both the Medium and the Bigger Carry On for my tweens and teens. Because they come in a variety of colors and can be decorated with stickers, they make great travel gifts for teens and tweens.
They are a perfect travel gift for an upcoming trip or a school trip to a major city like Washington, DC, Boston, or London. They roll like a luxury SUV and pack a ton.
Fjallraven or Herschel Travel Back Pack
Anyone who travels a lot knows how important it is to have a travel backpack to carry all the things you need with you. The Fjallraven or the Herschel Travel Backpack is one of our favorites because they come in stylish, functional designs that your older kids will love. Plus, they are roomy enough to fit in all of the things kids should have in their carry-on for road trips or planes.
Fashionable Toiletry Bags
Both teens and tweens alike love fashionable toiletry bags, so they travel in style. I love the Bago Hanging Toiletry Bag or the Away Toiletry Bag. The Herschel brand is another popular one for teens, and my son loves his for when he is traveling.
A toiletry bag is one of the best travel accessories for anyone who takes trips often. The Bago Hanging Toiletry Bag is a highly-rated toiletry bag. They come in a variety of colors and are large and spacious to hold all your essentials. Plus, it’s easy to store when you have limited space in a hotel room.
Travel Accessories
Sometimes, a collection of small, practical travel gifts makes great gift ideas, especially if they have an upcoming vacation. Small travel gifts for teens and tweens can be great stocking stuffers or complement a bigger gift, or you can bundle these as one, which is a fun way to give a travel gift. A few ideas we have gifted include:
- A passport holder
- Travel accessories like a collapsible water bottle
- A beach towel
- A universal international power adapter for electronic devices
- Fanny Packs/Belt bags (yes, fanny packs are back in fashion!)
Packing Cubes
Packing cubes make an excellent gift for any traveling teen because they help them stay organized on trips. We consider them travel essentials in my house.
Travel Pillow and Blanket
A travel neck pillow and blanket is the perfect travel gift if your family flies a lot. It’s a lot more comfortable to nap on a plane with a travel neck pillow, and it supports your head and neck. Plus, planes are always cold, so I always give my kids a travel blanket to fly with or have in the car.
If you purchase a combo pillow and blanket, it’s a two-for-one gift at no extra cost. So, I recommend this gift for teenagers who will be traveling on long-haul flights.
Fun Luggage Tags
Luggage tags come in all kinds of fun designs, and they make great stocking stuffers for teens and tweens. Pick a luggage tag that helps express their personality or something fun and unique.
Travel Gifts for Kids Who Love Books
Books make some of the best teen travel gifts if your kids love to read. Since real books can be heavy to carry on vacation, consider getting them a tablet or e-reader they can read on. And maybe even a subscription to Kindle Unlimited through Amazon or Audible.
Portable Charger
A portable charger makes one of the best travel gifts for teens because they’re always on their electronics. Plus, if you are taking a lot of photos or videos on your smartphone, the battery life isn’t as long.
If you are traveling to Disney, a portable charger is a must, as you rely on your phone a lot. Plus, a device that has no charge can’t keep kids entertained. So, having their own portable charger is a great small travel gift for teens and makes for a great stocking stuffer.
Travel Gift Cards
Sometimes the best travel gifts for teens and kids are travel gift cards. A gift card allows them to purchase souvenirs or other items on vacation or things for traveling. Here are some examples of gift cards that may be the perfect gift for your teenager:
- iTunes
- Amazon
- Airline
- Gas
- Hotel
- Visa
- Netflix
- Disney
Additional Travel Gift Ideas For Teens and Tweens
Whether you have a teenage girl, teenage boy, or preteens, here are a few more fun travel gift ideas for teens and tweens they will love. These are perfect for any kind of family trip!
Water Bottle
If your family often does outdoor activities on trips, a water bottle makes a great gift because you’re not always close to your hotel room or rental to get drinks. These water bottles are some of our favorites.
Ray-Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses
Sunglasses are a must no matter where you travel, so they make great travel gifts for teens and tweens. And if the Ray-Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses are good enough for Tom Cruise and the Blues Brothers, they’re the perfect travel gear for older kids.
Earth Pak -Waterproof Dry Bag
My family likes to do a lot of water activities. So the Earth Pak – Waterproof Dry bag is another must-have for us and makes one of the best gifts for older kids. It even comes with a waterproof phone case that your teenager will love since they’re often glued to their phones.
Phone Holder for the Airplane
We all know that keeping everyone entertained on long plane rides is important, and my kids like to play games or watch movies on their electronics. This phone holder allows them to watch things hands-free and rotates 360 degrees, so it’s a cool gift for your kids who have their own phones.
Bagsmart Travel Foldable Jewelry Case
I absolutely love my Bagsmart Foldable Jewelry Organizer because, on most vacations, we have a least one nice dinner out where we all dress up a little more. And if you’re on a cruise, certain dinners require formal attire, so this foldable jewelry case helps protect our jewelry which makes it the perfect gift for teen girls.
Kids Waterproof Camera
The teen and tween years are when older kids like to start taking pictures to document life, so waterproof cameras make the perfect travel gifts for teens. I can’t tell you how many times my kids (and even us adults) have dropped our camera in the water and were very thankful it was waterproof!
My kids also love having an instant camera. Since my tweens don’t yet have phones, it’s a nice way for them to enjoy instant gratification and to put these images in their travel journal or travel scrapbook.
Passport Wallet
If you travel internationally, you must have a passport to travel, so that’s why all my kids have a passport holder when they get old enough to carry one. A passport wallet or holder helps protect your documents and organize everything on your trip.
Beach Towel Chair Clips
Beach towel chair clips make the best travel gifts if you’re planning on going on a cruise or beach vacation that year. They come in all kinds of fun designs and help keep your towel secured to your chair. It saves you from the annoyance of trying to make sure it doesn’t fall down or blow off.
Travel-Sized Perfume Atomizer Bottles
Teenage girls love perfume, so these travel-sized perfume atomizer bottles make great travel gifts for teens because they’re travel-sized. They’re small and compact, so they take up very little space in your bags.
GoPro HERO11 Waterproof Digital Action Camera
The GoPro HERO11 is every teen’s dream because this action camera allows you to capture the most awesome moments while you’re traveling. If you have an adventuresome tween or teen, this is one of the top travel gifts for teenagers.
Travel Speaker
Travel Bluetooth speakers can be the best gifts for tweens and teens. My kids love these portable speakers, so they make awesome travel gifts for teenagers who love listening to music. Because of their size, my son loves to bring his in his backpack carry-on for beach and pool days and hanging out on vacation.
SmartGames IQ Puzzler Pro
Travel games are a must to keep our kids entertained for hours, and they love this SmartGames IQ Puzzler Pro. It features 120 challenges in three playing modes that will keep them amused for hours.
Disney-Themed Travel Jewelry
My daughter and I adore Disney Jewelry as it’s one of our favorite places on earth, so I know firsthand that teen girls love Disney, too. Many Disney jewelry pieces come in travel jewelry boxes so you can keep your items safe while you’re vacationing, which makes them the perfect unique travel gifts.
Waterproof Phone Case
Just like the waterproof camera, waterproof phone cases protect your phone in water, which makes it a great travel gift for teens and tweens. Plus, many waterproof cases allow you to take photos underwater, which we found especially useful on our trips to Hawaii.
All Birds Practical Travel Shoes
Comfortable travel shoes are a must for families that vacation a lot. We love All Birds because they make sustainable shoes and clothes with a sleek and trendy look.
Phone Photo Printer
The phone photo printer is the perfect travel gift for a tech-savvy teenage girl or boy because you can instantly print the pictures they snap. They can even share them with new friends they meet on trips.
Snorkel Set
A good quality snorkel set is another one of our must-travel accessories. Having your own that you can pack is a great thing for any family vacation to the beach, especially to places like Maui and the Caribbean. A top-notch snorkel brand like Cressi makes a great travel gift for teens and tweens, and my kids always have theirs with them on vacation.
Travel Box Subscriptions
Travel subscription boxes make great gifts for kids of all ages to travel the world from the comforts of home or prepare them for future travel. These are a few of our favorite subscription boxes that our kids love.
Frequently Asked Questions
What to give a friend who is going on a trip?
My favorite travel gift ideas for a friend going on a trip are travel accessories or practical gifts. Consider things that would be useful when traveling. Also, any present that would help them save money on their trip, is a great idea. This is why I like to give a gift card or money towards travel costs or hotel stays.
Why gifting a travel package would be the best present?
My husband and I believe that family travel is one of the most important things for our family because it allows us to bond with our kids and give them experiences to last a lifetime.
So, for people who love traveling, giving them a travel package is the ultimate gift as it strengthens family connections. Plus, they’ll remember you whenever they think about that trip or look at pictures from it.
How do you travel with tweens?
Tweens are a great age to travel with. They are able to physically do more walking, able to carry their own carry-on help pack and be responsible for their suitcase, and they can participate in choosing and enjoying the activities.
I recommend involving tweens in the travel planning. Have them share where they would like to go and have them talk about what activities might interest them. Getting new travel gear will excite them for the trip, and so that’s where the travel gifts for teens and tweens might be helpful. Finally, be sure they know what to expect, give them their own itinerary copy, and they will soon become seasoned travelers.
Is travel a good gift?
I am biased here, so yes, I would say travel is a good gift. For some people, a gift of travel or travel gift cards can make a trip more affordable or possible when it wouldn’t be otherwise.
If you know someone has a trip coming up, such as a trip to Disney, a road trip, or a trip to an exciting city or international destination, travel gift cards would make great gifts. Plus, experience gifts will give someone memories and experiences, which is priceless and more special than things. But, if you know someone is traveling, travel gifts for teens or tweens can complement an experience travel gift or help them get the gear they need for an upcoming trip.
We have gifted airline tickets for our family and trips for resort stays. They have always been grateful. So, in my experience, yes, travel is a great gift.
Final Thoughts on Travel Gifts for Teens and Tweens
Now that you have some great birthday and Christmas gift ideas for teens, you’re ready to give them presents that relate to their next adventure with you. These are all neat and fun gifts on this list, many that any teenager or tween would be excited about.
For more gift ideas for travelers of all ages, check out these related posts:
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