Looking for the best luxury travel gifts for him? Don’t worry, there’s more to life than socks. Enjoy this collect of unique travel gifts for men who love to travel. And if that doesn’t do the trick, try our other gift guides here.
- Hey – if you’re in the shopping mood, check out the best travel gifts for kids and the best travel gifts for all budgets too.
The Best Luxury Travel Gifts for Him
Ah, travel gifts for men. Where do you start with present ideas for him?
It can be hard to know what to buy for men, since society sees bath salts and a scarf as about as socially acceptable as stripping down and belting out karaoke at a job interview. Or indeed, any other situation.
And where does that leave you?
Socks? Socks! James Bond never had to wear socks (actually, Ed, I think he did.) But that’s not the point.
Let’s save your present searching bacon (or vegan alternative) with this list of brilliant travel gift ideas for him. To make it even easier, we’ve categorised these luxury travel gifts for him into different budgets for luxury.
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Traditional Gifts for Men Who Travel
Touchscreen Leather Gloves
Lovely, supple leather gloves add a touch of class to a journey, whether it’s checking into a five star hotel on a romantic getaway or taking out the bins on a standard weekday night.
But there’s only one problem? How to operate a touchscreen at the same time. Enter these leather gloves, which promise full touchscreen access at all times.
Passport Holder
He’ll still have to actually hold his passport, but this gift makes it look much better.
You can go for the lean, rough and tumble look like this vintage-looking leather leather passport holder fresh from a 1990s Levi ad.
Or, buy him one that also functions as a wallet and loyalty-card holder, like this leather passport holder in a rich, chocolatey brown.
Briefcase
One of the best travel gifts for men who travel for work is a decent briefcase that will go the distance. Make sure you know your man well and suss out which features matter most to him.
Does it need to look stylish? Be waterproof? How many gadgets do you need it to hold?
I’ve rounded up some gorgeous options for you.
- Columbian leather “old school” briefcase in brown
- Black Samsonite attache briefcase
- Mid budget multipurpose briefcase and travel bag
Suitcase
If buying a briefcase was daunting enough, a suitcase is all the more so. Tastes are so personal. Needs all the more so.
But if you know your guy well, this can be one of the best travel gifts you can buy. A decent suitcase should last for years – and he’ll have a reminder of you everywhere he goes.
So, how do you narrow it down. Surreptitiously, you need to find out the following. Which kind of bag does he prefer?
- Carry on or checked luggage?
- Hard shell or soft?
- Travel backpack, over the shoulder or wheelie?
Fully equipped with this information, here’s what to do next.
Carry On Luggage
Read the full guide to the best hand luggage or carry on luggage over here.
Hard Shell Suitcase
After a decade on the road, neither Samsonite nor Rimowa have let me down. A good wheeled option is this expandable hardside suitcase from Samsonite.
Soft Shell Suitcase
Either go for the adventurous, all weather Osprey range.
Or, the less practical but supple and sexy leather holdall, like this YALE weekender bag. It’s great for road trips.
Travel Wallet
You may need to do some research on this one. Some people love the zip up, RFID protected travel wallets with space for cards and cash. Other people see them as unnecessary and just use their own wallet, maybe combined with a money belt.
Washbag
A decent washbag for a frequent traveller is probably next in line after a decent suitcase. Sometimes, it just seems as though hotels are out to destroy you with their smooth-topped, rolling and curving surfaces that mean that almost your only choice is to leave things on the toilet or on the floor. Uck.
Unless, of course your washbag has a hook! Not a loop to hang on a hook. But an ACTUAL HOOK, should the hotel or airport toilet lack such an essential devide.
Yes, forget the Christmas concoctions of Old Spice and aftershave and buy your travel man a decent washbag!
Here’s one: water-resistant, stylish, HOOK
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Oh my. Headphones are the closest things to cars when it comes to gadgets to obsess over when travelling. Sure, most airlines still give them out for free. Most cities have public transport. That matters not a jot!
There are two main choices. Sleek and discreet. Or so large they need a suitcase of their own. Tread carefully, and try to suss out the headphone preference of the man you have in mind before you buy. Get it right and you will have found him the perfect travel companion.
- Mid range SONY noise-cancelling headphones with carrying case.
- Luxury BOSE noise-cancelling headphones with voice activation
- Bluetooth wireless earbuds (aka teeny, tiny)
Practical Luxury Travel Gifts for Men
Packing Cubes
Once you’ve tried packing cubes, you’ll never go back. At a surface level, they sound as though they organise your clothes. But the benefits go further than that. They make it easy to stay organised as you travel, they protect clothes from creases and damage, and they make it easier to get things out of a suitcase quickly while on the go. Every professional traveller I know swears by them.
- Here’s a decent set of packing cubes, including a bag for shoes.
Travel Adapter
File under boring but important. The most versatile travel adapters are those that work worldwide, you can simply slide out the setting you need.
- This travel adapter also comes with a number of USB ports to make charging your gadgets easier.
Power Banks
Next up, are portable power banks. These are blocks that you charge with electricity in your hotel room and then use throughout the day.
They come in a range of sizes, typically the larger, the more charge.
- The Anker PowerCore Mini is one of the most portable devices, looking like a black ninja lipstick. For more charge, the 30000 mobile Power Bank can charge your mobile phone 5-6 times.
Water Bottle
Drinking water becomes a priority when travelling and the right water bottle can help with this.
Vacuum insulated, powder-coated stainless steel bottles are all the rage at the moment: they keep cold drinks cold, hot drinks hot and prevent condensation from collecting on the outside and making everything else soggy.
- The Iron Flask Sports Water Bottle comes with a gift box and a range of colours. It also comes with three different lids (straw, flip and stainless steel screw top,) so you can be more confident you’ve bought the perfect gift.
I also want to give a shout out to the Platypus Water Reservoirs for active backpackers. Flexible and squishy, they’re great for hikers and long city tours. Slip them into a day backpack for sips without needing to keep stopping to take things out of your bag.
Travel Toiletry Refill Bottles
The idea behind these bottles is simple: decant your favourite toiletries into these airline-approved bottles and save money while still looking groomed.
The only caveat? Make sure the guy you have in question will actually use them. If his idea of a shower involves grabbing whatever bar of soap is closest, then these will be a waste of time and money. If he has a three product routine, buy away!
Luggage Scale
Airlines show no mercy when it comes to weight these days. It’s easy enough to check how much luggage weighs before you head out, but rather more difficult once inside the hotel room.
Enter a portable travel luggage scale. I’ve chosen this Samsonite luggage scale for two reasons. First, it’s lightweight, which is half the point. Second, it’s manual rather than electronic, thereby sidestepping any battery or charging issues while your guy is on the road.
Bamboo Cutlery
Single use plastic is bad, obviously, but often there isn’t a choice when on the road. Enter bamboo cutlery, a greener way to eat.
- You can buy beautiful, all encompassing toothbrush and cutlery sets in a fabric container or simply buy a compostable set without the container.
Sunglasses Holder
On the road, sunglasses can easily get scratched. In planes, cars, hotels, pockets, bags.
- A decent, hard shell sunglasses holder prevents all that and also makes a nice, modest-size gift.
A Waterproof Daypack
Absolutely perfect for a guy with an active lifestyle, a “dry bag” style backpack protects laptops from the rain or keeps camera gear dry during a kayak or active boating trip. Aquaplanet make some of the toughest bags around, with roll down tops and waterproofed zip seams for keys, phone and wallet. They also come with padded, adjustable straps and reflective stripes.
Recommended reading: The Best Travel Gifts for Kids (That Parents Will Thank You For)
Personal Luxury Gifts for a Travel Man
A Flight Sleep Kit
The idea here is that you put together a flight sleep kit that includes things that he, personally, would like.
So you include the essentials:
- Inflatable pillow
- Eye mask
- Ear plugs
- A scarf or pullover if you want to raise the perceived value of the gift
Then include a favourite magazine or scented oil perhaps. If that’s too “feminine” then try a scented soap in a tin.
See also: how to sleep on a plane for more recommendations.
Travel Journal
Rustle up the romance of a bygone age with this gorgeous leather travel journal, with paper to write on and everything. Farewell screens, hello ink splots.
Luggage Label
Will a lovely leather luggage label stop your luggage from getting lost? No, but it will look good before it gets there. Buy a pair of chocolate leather luggage labels on Amazon here.
Hip Flask
So much snazzier than a plastic bottle! You can even find ones with initials or engravings. I like the look of this pure copper hip flask on Amazon here.
The Best Luxury Travel Gifts For Him for Home
Map of the World
You can buy a huge range of maps in frames or decals to stick to the wall. A popular idea at the moment involves a Scratch Off Map of the World, whereby the man of the hour can keep a visual record of the countries he’s visited. A personal world map, if you prefer.
A Travel Themed Savings Jar
Keep the mind focused with a travel-themed piggy bank. It’s a cute gift for him, with little room to go wrong.
The Best Luxury Travel Tech for Him
Ooh, the travel tech options are endless. But I’ve tried to limit them here to stop gift buying fatigue.
With travel comes photography, usually, with the urge to capture the moment forever.
You can spend a small, or even a large, fortune on travel tech but there are also some good budget options available.
Here’s what I believe are some of the best travel gifts for him in the tech department.
A Camera
This is not for the faint of heart. But digital technology has improved enormously and today’s cameras easily outshine those from even five years ago. Most are now capable of video, with resolution and performance our younger selves could only dream of.
Entire articles could be written on the subject. But if cash is not a problem, but time most definitely is, let me help you with my own recommendation: The Sony Alpha 7RIII.
Always check out the local cashback offers on the Sony site directly or through other retailers, like Jessops.
Phone Lens Kit
At the other end of the scale, you can upgrade his phone with a variety of clip on lenses that allow for special effects.
I’ve used Olloclip for years, they have a range of options but this multi-lens kit looks best for the traveller because of its handy case.
Monopod/Phone Selfie Stick
Mock them all you like, a good selfie stick or monopod does lead to better travel photos with someone in them!
Finally, I’ve found one that works well with both a smartphone and GoPro and it comes with a stand so that you can move further away.
It’s ingenious and you can buy the selfie stick slash monopod right here.
A Gimbal or Starter Vlogging Kit
These days, you don’t need much kit to start travel vlogging but a gimbal and a decent microphone are a must. I’ve written a whole article on the topic of what makes the best vlogging starter kit, again with links to help you buy.
GoPro
A GoPro is a neat piece of kit that’s a camera and video in the palm of your hand. They’re small, tough and lightweight. And most importantly, they come with a range of accessories designed to help film adventurous pursuits.
You can mount them on your head, to your wrist, chest, the dashboard, take them underwater…
They’re not cheap but they’re not all that expensive either (compared to the mirrorless camera above, anyway.)
You can buy a GoPro on Amazon here.
Camera Harness
Moving back to the mid-range gift, a camera harness is the gift he never knew he needed. It attaches to most large cameras and frees the hands while hiking or racing around a city, but keeps the camera attached. You can buy a camera harness here.
Portable Speaker
Personally, I like a bit of quiet when I travel, or headphones of my own. But for the guy who needs music on the go, look into these portable speakers.
- The Bose Soundlink Micro Speaker comes highly recommended for the best performance on the road.
- The Sony SRS-XB12 Extra Bass Portable Bluetooth speaker ranks well for battery life.
Polaroid Camera
Go completely retro with a polaroid camera. They’re back, I tell you! Or at least, so the cool kids tell me. You can buy a retro but actually modern Polaroid camera here.
Garmin Running Watch
Does your man like to run and travel? Then razzle dazzle him with a Garmin running watch that can track is route in new locations and feedback more data than he’ll know what to do with.
Or, if you’re wondering how to choose between and Apple Watch and a FitBit for his sports tracking need, check out this review from Superwatches.
Kindle
Ah, sweet, soft pages of books, how I miss thee. But I don’t miss the extra weight in my luggage nor the hours of boredom once I’d finished the books I could carry.
Surely, one of the best travel gifts for him is a kindle. That way, thousands of books are available at almost any time of day or night.
If you first saw or tried one years ago, it’s time to think again. The technology has improved enormously, the screens are kinder to the eyes and the bookmarking and pageturning tools even better.
Unique Travel Gift Ideas for Him
A Hotel Giftcard
For many of us, it’s tough to justify spending money on a break when there are so many other pressing things to be done. A Hotel Giftcard takes away that guilt, not to mention the logistics of trying to book a hotel stay for someone else.
The whole process can be online only or you can arrange for them to send a physical card and gift set. Over 110 000 hotels participate in the scheme in over 170 countries. And don’t worry, it’s not just about the bigger chains. Independent and boutique hotels belong too.
A Travel Hammock
Just how much fun does a travel hammock sound? I had an old fashioned one back when I backpacked long term and I loved it. Nowadays, travel hammocks are more lightweight, eliminating one of the reasons why I stopped carrying one.
A Memento of Places Travelled
The Wander Club creates handcrafted tokens with the names of travel places as a souvenir. For each gift bought, the Wander Club provides a meal to children in need. You can choose the places for the tokens and make them as personal as you like.
For the Man Who Has Everything
Can I let you in on a secret? He doesn’t have everything. At least, not yet. He may have rhythm but does he have…
Physio Approved Massage Balls
Don’t worry, they’re nothing kinky.
Rub them under your feet. Stick them between your shoulder blades on a long haul flight. Do that awkward looking thing where you sit half cross-legged on the floor and lean over the ball until you shriek with pain!
They’re the perfect gift!
Clinically tested (whatever) and robust to the core, these spiky balls can bring pleasure back – or at least relieve pain – in all manner of travel situations. They make other travel accessories fade into insignificance!
What About Gifts for Her?
Why are you writing about luxury travel gifts for men? What about women?!
Yeah, I know. I actually loathe the gender stereotypes our marketing economy tries to foist upon us. Men can like pink. Girls can detest frills.
But, size and personal hygiene do make a real difference, some of the time. For all those other times, shop away.
And just to complete the set, here is a list of the best travel gifts for her.
The same caveats apply ;-)
More Luxury Travel Gift Ideas
None of these quite fit? Not to worry, we have specialist gift guides and lists for you as well. Check out the following: