The holidays are approaching so we’ve created a holiday gift guide for travelers — hopefully you find some cool travel gadgets for yourself or a fellow traveler. For more ideas on what to pack for your trip to Europe be sure to check out our Europe packing list for women and our Europe packing list for men.
Exofficio Travel Underwear
As children we dreaded receiving underwear as a gift, but those days are over. These Exofficio travel underwear are the prefect travel companion and we never travel without them. And, to be honest, I wear these even when I’m not traveling in Europe (you can see my personal review here). The beauty of these underwear are their ability to air-dry in just a few hours, so you can wash them in the sink and they’ll be dry in the morning.
Price: Around $20/pair for Mens (via Amazon) and $12-$18/pair for Women’s (via Amazon).
Miniature Keychain LED Flashlight from Streamlight
The Streamlight 73001 Nano Light Miniature Keychain LED Flashlight is the top choice of travelers because of its bright light but tiny size. It is prefect to help guide you through dark European streets or at night in the hostel.
Price: The Streamlight 73001 flashlight is only about $7-$10 via Amazon.
Moleskine Notebook or Journal
In this digital age it is nice to have a high quality physical notebook for jotting down things while traveling. We use our Moleskine notebooks to write down everything from our purchases (gotta keep those expenses under control) to journaling about our experiences. And once your trip is over the notebook makes a great souvenir.
Moleskine makes a range of notebooks. I prefer the 3.5 inch x 5.5 inch hardcover notebooks (available on Amazon for about $10) because it fits in your pocket, but there are a lot of other sizes available (see them all here).
Moleskine also makes a range of city-specific guides for major European cities (London, Paris, etc) which are kind of cool.
Osprey Farpoint Travel Backpack
Osprey makes my favorite backpacks, and in my opinion, the Farpoint is the best all around travel backpack. Weighing in at only two pounds, the Farpoint is designed specifically for travel, so it is great for traveling through Europe. I also love how Osprey has a lifetime warranty.
Price: The 70L version is around $200 (via Amazon), the 55L version is around $170 (via Amazon) and the 40L version is around $150 (via Amazon). For more backpack recommendations check out my post on the best backpacks for travel.
Eagle Creek Packing Cubes and Packing Folders
Trying to stay organized while traveling can be a challenge — especially if you are backpacking with limited luggage space. One of the best ways to keep your clothes organized are with packing cubes and packing folders. My favorite are from Eagle Creek. The cubes are good for things like socks, underwear, t-shirts, etc., and the folders are good for pants and long-sleeve shirts.
Price: Traditional packing cubes are about $11 each (via Amazon), the packing folders start around $24 (via Amazon) and the new ultralight specter packing cubes start around $14 (via Amazon). I recently reviewed the Specter Packing cubes if you want more information.
Nice Point-and-Shoot Digital Camera
A nice digital camera is a great travel accessory, and it is amazing how good modern point-and-shoot digital cameras have become. There isn’t one “best” digital camera but some of my favorites are the Sony DSC-RX100M II Cyber-shot Digital Still Camera 20.2MP, Sony DSC-RX100/B 20.2 MP, and the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7K. I’ll always choose a point-and-shoot over a bulky DSLR when it comes to travel. The cameras mentioned above will all provide amazing photo quality — without being big and bulky.
Anti-Monkey Butt
Walking around all day can lead to a bit of chafing — especially during the hot summer months. Anti-Monkey Butt is formulated to absorb excess sweat and reduce frictional skin irritation.
Price: Around $7 (via Amazon)
Spotted By Locals Travel Guide
Traditional travel guides are fine for finding the standard tourists sites, but you need a different type of guide to help you get away from the tourists. This is where Spotted by Locals excels. Spotted By Locals is an app (or a PDF if you don’t have a smart phone) that has city guides for 50+ cities in Europe. Each guide is written by locals and they share their favorite spots, shops, and restaurants. It is the perfect way to have a more authentic travel experience. I also really like how each guide can be used downloaded, so you don’t need an internet connection to access the information.
Price: $3.99 per guide (via Spottedbylocals.com)
Belkin Headphone Splitter
Most people travel listen to music while they travel, so it is nice to have a headphone splitter if you want to let other people listen to your music also. The Belkin Rockstar Multi Headphone Splitter is perfect for sharing tunes with your new travel buddies.
Price: About $12 (via Amazon)
Ray-Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses
You’ve got to look cool as you walk the streets of Europe and Ray-Ban sunglasses are the perfect fashionable and functional travel accessory. The Wayfarer are the most popular model but be sure to check out all the different styles.
Price: $80-$180 (via Amazon)
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