The Best Gifts for Every 2025 Travel Vibe
We've got gift recommendations that fit every frequent traveler's specific personal interests.
These days, it's not enough to say that you are “into travel.” That’s too nebulous, too vague. The way someone travels is a reflection of their interests and needs. It’s not just luxury versus budget travel, or off-the-beaten path destinations versus bucket-list locations. In recent years, an endless parade of more niche travel vibes have emerged.
There are the rough and tumble backpackers, seeking to reconnect with the natural world and disconnect from everyone else. The two out of five travelers who book their hotels based on sleep needs. The Letterboxd-obsessed who are living out cowboy fantasies and seeking White Lotus filming locations. Then there’s the social media-obsessed traveler, who is as concerned about documenting the experience as they are about sharing it.
Even though many millennials and Gen Zers say they prefer to receive experiences over material goods, it can be difficult to give someone an entire vacation. Plus, it's simply not as exciting to unwrap an envelope. So how do you bridge the gap between gifting an entire vacation and giving someone something that they don’t really want? To put it simply: travel gear.
This is where it will be important to determine what kind of travel vibe your loved one has got going on: Are they chasing wellness or adrenaline? Obsessed with TV shows or posting their own videos? Here are the perfect gifts for all of those archetypes.
The Sleeper
The sleeper just wants to catch some good sleep and have a restorative experience when they travel. According to Hilton’s 2025 travel trends report, one in five global travelers enjoys lounging in bed all day for at least one of their trip days. And in 2024, we’ve seen the rise of “sleep retreats.” But you don’t have to gift an entire retreat in order to give the sleep-focused traveler in your life the tools they need to get some great rest.
The Survivalist
The survivalist in your life might not be ready to win Naked and Afraid, but maybe they’re fantasizing about it. In a Campspot survey, 85% of respondents reported missing the thrill of discovering nature like they did as kids. There’s a real urge now for people to leave the tech and screens behind on their vacations and get as close to nature as possible—and maybe chase a few thrills while they’re at it. Here are gifts for the nature lovers and thrill seekers in your life.
The Pop Culture Buff
About 40% of Americans planned to take a pop-culture inspired trip in 2024. In 2025, that number is only going to increase. Whether your pop-culture-obsessed loved one is a hardcore HBO fan who keeps Sunday nights free to watch the latest episode of Industry, keeping saying words like, “That’s so Bella Hadid,” or is always bringing up the names of famous directors like they are personal friends, we have a gift recommendation for them.
The Poster
Is your traveling loved one always showing you videos and photos from their latest trip? They might frequently volunteer to take the family photos, or post beautiful pictures from their vacations. They probably follow travel influencers on social media and want to coordinate TikTok skits in places like airports and train terminals. They are far from alone—one study found that 35% of all travelers get trip inspiration from social media. Help their social media content get to the next level with these gift recommendations.