Are you facing the daunting task of finding the perfect gift for a teenager? Trust me; I’ve been there. Between my teenage daughter, niece and nephew, and all my friends’ kids, I’ve searched high and low to find the perfect travel gifts for teens and tweens.
But you need to look no further! I’ve curated the perfect list of travel gift ideas for teenagers that they’re sure to love.
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Looking For The Perfect Travel Gifts For Teenagers?
You’ve come to the right place! I’ve done the research, scoured the internet, and even gotten advice and suggestions from teens themselves to put together this comprehensive list of all the most perfect travel related gifts for teens.
I’ve listed the best tech gifts for teenagers, travel gifts for outdoorsy teens, games for teens who love to travel, and more, so you’re sure to find the perfect travel gift for teens here in this article. Most of these can be gifts for teenage boys or gifts for teenage girls, making them versatile and even more perfect travel gifts.
Looking for more gifting inspiration? Be sure to check out our other gift guides! The Best Travel Gifts For Mom The Best Travel Gifts For Dad
My Top Picks: Travel Gifts For Teens
Best Travel Gifts For Teens Under $20
Whether you’re looking for teen stocking stuffers or just don’t want to break the bank, these travel gifts for teens are under $20 (at the time of this writing) and are perfect for giving to a special teenager in your life.
Portable Phone Mount
Perfect for holding their phones on a flight, or even while filming their social media videos, this portable phone mount is the perfect travel gift for teens. It’s lightweight, small, and super versatile.
Power Bank
Make sure the teens in your life always have a full battery with this power bank. It lets them effortlessly keep their devices charged on the go, ensuring they’re always reachable.
Whether they actually answer their phones is another story…
Vinyl Stickers
Let the teens you love decorate water bottles, notebooks, computers, and basically anything else with these awesome travel related stickers. They’re a perfect gift for a teen who likes to travel, and with 150 stickers they’re sure to get good use out of them.
Personalized Passport Holder
A personalized passport holder is the perfect travel gift for teens, tweens, or adults. It gives them a stylish way to keep their important documents safe while traveling the world.
Waterproof Phone Pouch
Phones are a lifeline to teens, so a waterproof phone pouch is a perfect gift for a teenager. They can take it to the beach, to the pool, on vacation, or to waterparks, and not worry that they might destroy their phone.
This one’s got a triple layer of protection to keep their phone, cash, cards, etc. safe and dry while they’re enjoying water activities.
Luggage Tags
A great travel gift for teenagers is a set of fun luggage tags. Luggage tags help your teens more easily identify their luggage in the sea of similar looking bags, reducing the chance that they’ll grab someone else’s by mistake, or that someone grabs theirs.
Plus, the cheeky sayings on these ones are sure to be a hit with any snarky teenager.
Best Tech Travel Gifts For Teens
Although tech gifts usually come with a heftier price tag, we all know how much teens love technology. These tech travel gifts for teens allow them to utilize technology in their travels to take epic photos and videos, listen to their favorite music or podcasts, and stay connected on the go.
Bluetooth Noise-Canceling Headphones
Noise-canceling headphones are pure gold when it comes to gifting teens. They can drown out the chaos with their favorite tunes, podcasts, or even just enjoy some quiet ‘zen’ time. It’s like a magic mute button for the world’s noise, and a perfect travel gift for teens or adults!
If your teen isn’t a fan of the bulk of over-the-ear headphones, a set of ear buds is the perfect alternative gift. Here are a few options for the best ear buds for teens.
Bluetooth Sunglasses
You ever heard of sunglasses that not only protect your eyes from the sun but also play your favorite music? These Bose Sunglasses are more than just your typical shades; they’re the ultimate travel gift for tech-savvy teens.
With built-in speakers that only the wearer can hear, your teens can enjoy music and make calls hands-free while staying connected to their surroundings. I actually bought them for my husband and he loves them!
Drone
A DJI drone is the perfect gift to give a teen who loves to travel. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities for capturing breathtaking aerial footage and photographs. It’s got advanced technology and stable flight capabilities, which really allows your teen to explore and document their travels from unique perspectives.
- Best all-around drone: DJI Mini 3
- Best lower-cost drone: DJI Mini 2 SE
- Best premium drone: DJI Mavic 3 Classic
Walkie Talkies
Depending where your teen is, they may not have access to their phones. (The horror!) Give them the gift of communication in a fun way with a set of walkie talkies.
Whether they’re camping and have no service, taking a cruise and have no internet, or want to keep in touch with another car on a road trip, these are the perfect travel gift for your teens.
Phone Lens Kit
Let your teens step up their photography game without having to buy them an expensive camera. This phone lens kit gives them the ability to shoot up close photos with more clarity than their phones alone will allow.
It’s got 8 different lenses for them to use, plus it also comes with a tripod, and of course, a carrying case to haul it all around.
Best Travel Gifts For Teens – Top Travel Gear
A fantastic travel gift idea for teenagers is to buy them some gear that will be crucial to their travels. Here are our picks for the best travel gear for teens and tweens, that are sure to help them on their adventures.
Luggage Set
Every traveler needs a good set of luggage, and this expandable luggage set is the perfect gift for teenagers who love to travel.
It comes with a full size and a carry-on size, plus a duffel bag and a toiletry case. There’s multiple colors to choose from, so you’re sure to find the perfect one for your teen.
Packing Cubes
An absolute game changer, packing cubes are the key to staying organized while traveling. Packing cubes help save space in your luggage and keep everything exactly where you want it.
It’s an awesome travel gift for teens, kids, or adults, and is an essential piece of travel gear.
Toiletry Bag
Every teen needs a way to keep their travel products organized, so get them a toiletry bag like this one. It’s perfect for storing shampoo and conditioner, body wash, perfume or cologne, toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant, and more.
Plus it hangs up so everything they need can be right within reach yet out of the way.
Travel Pillow
Sleeping on a plane, train, or long car ride can be a pain. A great travel gift for a teenager is this travel pillow set. It allows your teens to sleep comfortably wherever they are, without dealing with neck pain when they wake up.
This one even comes with an eye mask and ear plugs to make their sleep even better.
Travel Blanket
Another essential travel item for teens is a good compact travel blanket. It lets your teens stay warm wherever they are, whether on a road trip, on a plane, camping, or at a ball game. It’s versatile, lightweight, super soft, and can clip onto your teen’s luggage for easy transport.
Carry-On Bag
Everybody needs a good piece of carry on luggage for their travels. International flights have a slightly smaller dimension limit than domestic US flights, so this 18″ carry on luggage is a fantastic gift for someone who loves to travel.
It will allow your teen to pack what they need for their trips without having to deal with the hassle of checked luggage.
Best Travel Gifts For Teens – Essential Accessories
There are some accessories that you just can’t do without on a vacation. Here are our picks for the best travel accessories for teens.
Universal Adapter
If your teen is traveling to another country, they will need an outlet adapter. This universal adapter allows them to plug in their electronics in pretty much any country they visit. It’s lightweight and compact, and is an absolutely perfect travel gift for teens.
Door Locks
Safety is paramount when traveling, and we all want our teens to be safe. Give them an extra secure hotel room with this set of travel door locks.
They can be applied to almost any door in seconds, and it makes the doors completely unopenable from the outside. It gives you and your teen peace of mind wherever they are. I personally never travel without them.
Water Bottle
A good water bottle is an essential accessory for any traveler, so it would make a great travel gift for teens, tweens, or adults. This refillable water bottle is double insulated to keep cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot for 12-24 hours. It’s a perfect gift for someone who loves to travel.
Tripod
Teens love taking photos and videos of their travels. Get them a travel tripod and watch their photography skills flourish! This travel tripod is lightweight and compact, meaning your teens can take it anywhere they go.
It’s a perfect gift for anyone who wants to showcase their adventures.
First Aid Kit
Everybody should have a first aid kit, regardless of whether they are 17 or 75. Gift your teen this essential travel item and be sure that they can handle any minor emergency that comes up on their travels.
This one contains bandages in multiple sizes, ointments, burn cream, medications, and more.
Best Travel Gifts For Teens – Fun Travel Games
Games are a fantastic idea for travel gifts for teens. These are my top picks for the best travel games for teens and tweens, that are sure to be a hit.
You Laugh You’re Out
This is a fast paced and interactive game where you have to act out the directions on the card, trying to make the other players laugh. With actions ranging from acting “like a kitten trying to get someone to pet you” to “explaining hurricanes through interpretive dance” there’s no shortage of laughs to be had.
It’s the perfect travel game for teens and families!
TidalBall Set
TidalBall is a perfect beach gift for teens. It comes in a super lightweight, mesh bag, and is tons of fun to play. Your teen can bring it with them to the beach, on vacation, or really anywhere there’s sand.
It’s basically a boardless version of cornhole, with balls instead of sandbags, and it’s sure to be a hit with your teens.
What Do You Meme? Shotgun!
A super fun way to pass the time during a road trip, “What Do You Meme? Shotgun!” is an excellent travel gift for teens or tweens.
You have to do various things, like getting someone in another car to wave at you, answering a trivia question about where you are, singing song lyrics, and more. It’s tons of fun and an excellent travel game for teens and families.
Popdarts
Popdarts is an incredibly fun game that can be played basically anywhere there’s a smooth, flat surface. Think: fridge, table, car windshield, paddleboard, floor, etc.
Kids, tweens, teens, and adults all will have a blast playing Popdarts at home, on vacation, or anywhere really. Basically, you try to get your Popdart to stick closest to the target marker, and you score it just like cornhole.
Note: Each set of Popdarts allows 2 people to play at a time. Grab an expansion set in different colors to get more people playing at once!
Best Outdoorsy Travel Gifts For Teens
Some of the best travel gifts for teens are the things they can use while outside in nature. Whether they need cold weather gear or stuff for summertime fun, these are our top picks for the best outdoorsy travel gifts for teenagers.
Portable Hammock
From relaxing under the stars in the middle of nowhere to camping in your own backyard, a portable hammock is the perfect travel gift for teens. It’s easy to set up, and super comfortable, so they’re sure to love it.
This one can hold up to 300 pounds, and it only weighs 24 ounces, making it a conveniently compact piece of travel gear for them to take on any adventure.
Inflatable Kayak
An inflatable kayak is the gift of adventure, and let me tell you, it’s a game-changer for teen travelers. Whether they’re exploring serene lakes, paddling down gentle rivers, or navigating coastal coves, this portable watercraft opens up a whole new world of exploration.
This one weighs about 25 pounds, which a teen should be able to handle without much problem.
Heated Jacket
My husband and I got heated jackets years ago and they are one of my absolute favorite purchases ever. You charge the battery and then your jacket stays warm for hours. It’s a fantastic piece of outerwear and a wonderful travel gift for teens that they will be extremely grateful for.
Hydration Backpack
A Camelbak hydration backpack is the absolute perfect gift for teens. It’s lightweight and breathable, and has enough room to hold everything your teenagers need to keep with them, while removing the need to carry around a water bottle.
So whether they’re hiking, biking, boating, or anything else outdoors, they now have the ability to keep 100 oz of water right within reach.
Snorkel Gear
Snorkel gear is always a great gift idea for teens, and this snorkel mask is my all time favorite. Unlike the traditional snorkel masks, there’s no mouthpiece to bite down on. You can breathe effortlessly through your nose or mouth, and when you go under the water, it automatically shuts down so you don’t get water in your mouth.
I’ve never had this one fog up on me either. You have a huge field of vision, and any teen would be psyched to get this as a travel gift.
Final Thoughts On the Best Travel Gifts For Teens
In wrapping up my list of the best travel gifts for teens, one thing’s for sure: the right gift doesn’t have to be a mystery. You can grab any of these items and be confident that it’s a great gift for a teenager who likes to travel.
Whether it’s that trusty pair of noise-canceling headphones or a high-tech gadget, they’re the stuff of teenage dreams. Remember, it’s not just about the ‘what,’ it’s the ‘why’ that counts. It’s about inspiring them to embrace the unknown, firing up their imagination, and sending them on their way to create epic stories.
