Written by Christi Sparrow
Although long-distance travel is less likely this year, your family might be eyeing a map for a road trip adventure or a fun staycation close to home. If you’re looking for gifts for kids who love to travel, or you want to inspire curiosity about travel in their young minds, here is a roundup of 42 of the best travel gifts for kids!
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These items were designed with travel in mind. From practical gear to on-the-go games and activities, this list is packed with inspiration for finding gifts for kids that love to travel or have travel in their future.
Osprey is known for their high-quality, attractive, thoughtful gear, and their kids packs are no exception. With various pockets, durable zippers, removable hip belt, handles and hooks, these comfortable and practical packs were designed to keep up with your young explorer wherever they might venture.
These attractive kid suitcases tick all the boxes: they are bright and playful; they are easy to use and tote by kids and parents alike; and obviously, they are fun to ride. They can come onboard most airplanes as a carry-on bag, and they offer a clean place for your child to sit while waiting in airport lines. They are great for sleepovers, weekend road trips, or even as additional storage for toys at home. A great gift for kids that love to travel in style!
Travel-size Games
Yes, there are apps for virtually any game you can imagine, but these mini, packable versions of a few classics are sure to deliver fun for the entire family while on the road. Magnetic Tic-Tac-Toe, Magnetic Travel Tangram Puzzle Book, UNO!, and Travel Scrabble are all great travel favorites. (Though be warned: Travel Scrabble has lots of little pieces!)
This deck of fun, thought-provoking question cards is a creative way to pass time while traveling. Kids can engage with each other and with their grownups when answering questions like, “If you had a superpower, what would it be?” or “Was anyone kind to you today?”. With 100 question cards, this gift could keep giving all year long at the dinner table, during family game nights, and even at bedtime.
Most kids love taking photos. Long gone are the days when we had to pay to develop film, so why not let them shoot to their heart’s content on their very own digital camera? This waterproof digital camera by ISHARE is easy to use and allows young explorers the ability to capture photo and video memories of their travels near and far.
Headlight or Small Flashlight
Whether a child is camping or simply reading before bed, a headlamp or flashlight is a fun, lightweight accessory that is easy to pack and will come in handy in a variety of travel scenarios, including imaginative play! This SmarterLife LED Headlamp has several brightness settings, an adjustable beam, water resistance, and four color band options. And these EverBrite mini flashlights are perfect for smaller hands. They come with a wrist strap, and the handles glow in the dark so they are easy to find!
Luggage Tags and Passport Holders
Those flimsy paper luggage tags that the airlines provide barely last through one connection, so help your young traveler’s suitcase arrive labeled in style. These dinosaur luggage tags are cute and functional, or head to Shutterfly to design personalized tags. Luggage tags also make practical additions to backpacks, reusable lunch boxes or even diaper bags! Speaking of accessories, a stylish passport cover makes plain passports fun and protects against spills. Check out these cute patterns by Quttie and personalized covers available on Etsy.
Another fun accessory for exploring is a kid-size pair of binoculars. The uses are endless, and being able to see things really far away is kind of like having a superpower, no? These kid binoculars by ThinkPeak are compact and lightweight, so they are a breeze to bring virtually anywhere.
Road iD Bracelet
Road iDs are personalized identification bracelets that contain important contact and/or medical information for use in case a child is lost. This gift idea might seem like it’s more for the parents’ peace of mind, (okay, maybe it is!), but it’s also a bright, personalized accessory that kids will enjoy to wear, (our daughter sure does!). With nine color and pattern options for kids, a Road iD or a Road iD gift card makes a solid gift.
Read our review of ID Bracelets for Kids here: 7 Essential Family Travel Accessories
Water Wow Books are great for the older toddler who loves art. This is the solution for how to bring (almost) mess-free art on the go. Simply fill the plastic pen with water, and then watch your child paint away!
I just recently learned about Twistables Crayons, and they make total sense! No more broken crayons at the bottom of backpacks. No more pesky crayon wrapper peelings all over the floor of the car. Don’t forget to include a simple pencil case to keep the set together while traveling.
Related post: 10 Toddler Airplane Activities
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Books have a timeless ability to draw readers into another world. That makes them natural choices when you want to introduce, inspire, teach, or excite kids about travel. The options are truly endless, but here I’ve profiled a few awesome options and personal favorites for a variety of ages that would make terrific travel gifts for kids. Happy reading!
The perfect introduction to faraway cities, these colorful board books offer babies and toddlers a glimpse of life in Paris, London, New York and San Francisco.
All Aboard! National Parks
This board book by Haily and Kevin Meyers is a fun way to take an imaginative train ride across the U.S., stopping at beloved National Parks to see the sights. Check out their entire All Aboard! series which profiles several U.S. states and cities around the world!
Indestructible Books
Not only are these books rip-proof and chew-proof, they are bursting with color and weigh virtually nothing which earns them a big thumbs-up from on-the-go parents!
Wonderbly produces beautifully unique children’s books. These particular two interactive books are part travel adventure, part time travel, part Where’s Waldo, and part saving the world. And you can personalize the books with your child’s name so Waldo is actually them! Who wouldn’t like a book about themselves traveling through time to save the world?
Travel Journal Gifts
Travel journals are a great way to encourage kids to reflect on their travel experiences by recording their impressions for the enjoyment of their future selves. For the preschool crowd, this travel journal by Wee Society offers colorful, interactive pages to engage young travelers. For elementary school kiddos, this journal by Lonely Planet offers fun prompts, ideas, and lots of room to sketch or write. So does this journal by Rob Taylor, which also boasts writing space for four trips.
For kids who you know have a Disney World trip on their horizon, this book is an awesome guide that details park rides, shows, and attractions. It includes insider tips, a scrapbook section, and even an autograph section for when they meet their favorite Disney characters in person. Last year I gave this book as a gift to five-year-old twin boys, and their mother told me that not only did her boys love it, but she found this kids guide as useful as her grown-up guidebook when planning their days in the park!
First published in 1985 and winner of the Caldecott Medal in 1986, this classic Christmas tale by Chris Van Allsburg continues to delight and enchant. The story follows a young boy on a magical train ride to the North Pole, and readers can’t help but get drawn into his mysterious adventure. This 30th anniversary edition on Amazon includes some bonus content and an ornament for the tree.
In these updated versions of Miroslav Šašek’s nostalgic children’s travel books, readers get lost in bright illustrations, interesting city facts, and engaging stories. These are great reads for the entire family! Other destinations in this book series include Paris, Rome, New York, Hong Kong, San Fransisco, Texas, Edinburgh, Israel, Australia and so many others!
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Looking for other ways to spark conversations and curiosity about travel from the comfort of your home? These gifts are natural conversation starters and make welcomed additions to any kid’s room.
Our daughter was graciously gifted a three-month Little Passports subscription last year, and to say she loved it would be an understatement. Little Passports is a monthly mail subscription aimed at “sparking your child’s curiosity about the world”. Now, I’ve never met a kid who doesn’t like to receive mail, and Little Passports shipments include items like educational toys, travel stickers, travel workbooks, letters, and of course, maps. Our first month’s delivery even included a little suitcase to collect all of her travel treasures. Little Passports offers several subscription themes for three different age ranges, so you’re bound to find the perfect fit. And you can select a 6-month, 12-month, or monthly subscription.
Arguably one of the world’s foremost authorities on all things travel and adventure, National Geographic publishes Little Kids, a magazine for young readers ages 3-6. Complete with stories, games, and gorgeous photographs, this magazine is sure to spark curiosity and amazement. A one-year subscription runs only about $15.
A terrific way to visualize our earth and keep young minds curious is to park a globe within reach. What do all the colors represent? Why does it spin? How do we not fall off?? This 8” globe lights up and can double as a night light.
An attractive, educational addition to any kid’s bedroom, a wall map is a cool way to keep track of the places they’ve been and where they dream of going. Choose from a selection of scratch-off maps of the United States, National Parks, or the entire world, or opt for a beautiful push pin map.
There’s a reason why puzzles have stood the test of time: they are simple and fun; they don’t require batteries or a charger; the entire family can participate; and you feel awesome when you complete one! For toddlers just getting the hang of puzzles, check out this jumbo world puzzle by Mudpuppy. Older kiddos may enjoy attempting this beautiful Ravensburger world puzzle.
Jewelry Gifts
For the pre-teen or teenager who might appreciate something special, consider choosing an affordable travel-related piece of jewelry. This world necklace or a simple bracelet like this wanderlust bracelet or a nautical bracelet would make thoughtful holiday gifts.
Related post: 7 Essential Family Travel Accessories
Finding the perfect gifts for kids that love to travel can be tough. Sometimes giving a unique experience rather than a physical gift has the potential to last in their memories forever. Here is a list of some ideas that all at once offer anticipation, excitement, opportunities to learn, and the potential to make a lasting impression.
- Passes to a local zoo
- Tickets to a theme park or water park
- Passes to a children’s museum or other museum
- Tickets to see a play or musical, dance performance, concert, or athletic event
- Tour of a professional athletic stadium
- A cooking class
- Gift card to a themed restaurant like the Rainforest Cafe or Dave & Buster’s
Below: A day with the Elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
I hope this guide gives you some helpful ideas as you search for travel gifts for the kids in your life, no matter where their curiosity takes them. Please comment below if you know of other gifts that might inspire kids to travel!
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9 thoughts on “42 Gifts That Inspire Kids to Travel”
This is content May I ask you to contact us so that we can talk. It’s so good that i’m going follow you!
Thank you Jubilee. We have sent you a private email per your request.
Long list, good ideas x Thanks for sharing x
Love this it’s amazing wow thank you
Such great ideas for kids!
Very good post! You’ve put some great ideas on this list
I am a huge fan of children traveling early and wish I’d thought of the ride along luggage before. Very thorough list of great gift options for kid travelers.
Some fantastic gift ideas on this list! Our kids would love them, thank you.
This is a perfect list of gifts to inspire travel in kids. I especially like the book sections since that’s how mine first started.