With the holiday seasons coming soon, it's a good time of year to think about gifts for people who like to Travel. Either family, friend or travel companion, here is my list with 18 travel gift ideas for the (female) solo traveller. Well, many gifts are suitable for both, male and female!

This list is what I discovered over the years, from gear to clothes that help make my travel more comfortable, simpler and smarter.

Here are my best travel gifts for the solo traveller, divided into three main categories:

Travel Gear  –  Clothing & Shoes  –  Tech gear

A versatile Carry-on Luggage

I wish I could travel all the times with my carry-on. Carry-ons are for many travellers – including me –  the preferred type of luggage. It does save you the hassle of lugging around bulky luggage, let alone saving time when checking in bags at the airport and collecting them at the conveyor belt. Choosing a good and lightweight cabin bag is not easy. I have used for years Samsonite and wouldn't change it with anything else. Here is my pick for a great travel gift to all travellers who travel a lot.

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The best Day Pack for Travel

A daypack is an essential piece for travelling. A few years ago I discovered my Pacsafe 25 Venture Safe Day Pack, and since then it has become my best travel gear companion. I use it in all my short to long-term travels and not only in my outdoor adventures but also in my all-around day activities. My Mac fits in beautifully, and there is a lot of space for my camera too. It is spacious and lightweight, and the fabric is soft to touch. Moreover, the extra anti-theft feature and RFID makes this 25 litre pack a fantastic piece of travel gear for everyone.

Here you can read my review about my experience with the Pacsafe Venturesafe GII  Anti Theft  DayPack.

Buy it on Amazon

The Pacsafe Waist Pack

One of the best addition to my travel packing list. I have the previous version of this compact waist pack from Pacsafe. The older version is not available any more. The newest edition replaced it. However I liked the older one better, this looks a bit smaller, but it still is a must-have for the solo traveller. Don’t have to take off your backpack and search for your wallet or a document. In a fraction of a second, you have everything by the hand. It's a great way to keep all your valuable under control. Like the Venture Safe daypack, the Pacsafe Metrosafe LS120 Anti-Theft Hip Pack has the premium lightweight, Anti-theft material with RFID pockets. You can read about my experience with this Pacsafe waist pack her.

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A Handy Toiletry Bag

I stopped using large toiletry bags years ago when I decided that lightweight was the way to go when you travel alone. It took me a while, but in the end, I managed to reduce my luggage weight from average +20kg down to average 13-15kg. A roll toiletry bag is a perfect gift idea for women who travel: it is handy, small; you can hang it onto everywhere, and it folds beautifully into a compact bag. I use a similar one to this Osprey Ultralight Roll Organizer, which I believe is one of the best value toiletry bags you can purchase on the market.

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Universal Packing cubes for long-term travel

I like packing cubes. However, I tend to prefer the smaller pieces of these sets for all my long-term solo trips. They are ideal when you travel with a large suitcase, and they are practical when you cross several time zones and need to separate different type of clothes for each trip segments. These TravelWise Packing Cube System are excellent for a travel gift idea under 25 dollars.

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A Multifunctional Microfiber Travel Towel

With the lightweight goal in mind, I gave up packing bulky cotton towels and replaced them all with ultra-light microfiber travel towels. Besides being ultra absorbent and thin, they are also multifunctional and antibacterial. So that you can use them for personal hygiene but also the beach, for sports, yoga, and all outdoor adventures. So another useful travel gift for travellers is this Arnuwa Microfiber Camping Travel Towel, a must-pack item for your lightweight luggage.

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A Microfiber Travel Robe for

Likewise, I like to pack a travel robe when I am staying in hostels. This allows freedom when sharing common areas like bathrooms and dorms in hostels, huts, camping and all outdoor adventures. This Chamois Microfiber Kimono Hotel Robe makes it for the perfect travel gift for the female solo traveller.

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Thermal Base Layers for active travellers

One piece of garments I first pack is a Thermal Base Layer. There is nothing worse than feeling cold when you travel, and a functional base layer made of long sleeve top and leggings is something I never go without. I love it so much that I often turn it into my favourite sleepwear, no matter where I go. Here below two pieces that are a bit pricey but worth the investment. If you want to make a special gift for someone who travels a lot to different countries around the world, here is the Icebreaker Merino Women's Oasis with long sleeve.

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And the Icebreaker Women's Everyday Leggings

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A Travel Sleep Mask

I always disliked sleep masks because over time I never found one that had all the features I wanted. Last year I tried out the Tempur Sleep Mask and fell in love with it. I pack it also for short trips on trains, and long-haul flights. I wear not only to sleep but also to give my eyes a good rest. The fabric seems to release moisture to your eyes thus avoiding them getting sore and dry due to the pressured air in the cabin flight. You can read about my experience with the Tempur Sleep Mask here.

Buy it on Amazon

A Travel Neck Pillow

I rarely use one, because of one simple reason: space. I never pack one into my cabin bag. However I have tried a few, some are good, some are just useless, like the inflatable neck pillows that you can get for 10 dollars at airports. I have reviewed a few travel pillows lately, and this one seems to have passed my test. However, it is quite bulky, but it does have all the necessary features I would look for in a good travel pillow. The BCOZZY Chin Supporting Travel Pillow does support the head, neck and chin in any sitting positions and it makes to one of the best gifts for international travellers.

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The multifunctional Hiking Boots

It’s not easy to find good hiking boots and especially those like me who have sensitive feet. When walking and hiking long hours you need good shoes that are durable and lightweight but also very comfortable. These are my last addition to my travel shoe collection. I can go anywhere with them, hiking, walking, running, on all terrains. The Salewa Women's MultiTrack GTX Speed Hiking Shoe with waterproof breathable protection and Michelin rubber outsole is what I have been looking for!

Buy it on Amazon

If the above Salewa Hiking Boots are not available in your country, check out the Timberland Women's Mt. Madsen Lite. Timberland used to be my favourite brand for excellent outdoor shoes. I switched from Timberland over to Salewa because they considerably reduced the female outdoor shoe collection in Europe.

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Comfy Sneakers for all travels

A little expensive but worth the price, these comfortable slip-on shoes are stylish of excellent quality and fantastic for lots of walking everywhere. The Via Spiga Women's Galea5 are cool sneakers for the perfect sleek and slender look.

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A Headlamp

A headlamp is one of those items that comes in so handy, whenever you are staying in hostels and don’t want to disturb your room-mates or when you camp or go hiking and need a lamp to while walking in the woods, in caves, or when camping. But it is also super useful in every-day life when cycling on the roads. The Supfire Headlamp LED Headlight is by far a cheap travel gift under 20 dollars, that is very useful to all women travelling alone and in my opinion one of the most useful travel gifts at all.

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Collapsible Water Bottle

Bottle water is one of those essential travel accessories that every smart traveller packs. But let's face it, bottles are bulky, and they take a lot of space from your back. With this Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle –  -Leak Proof and Twist Cap – BPA Free, 22 oz, you can save lots of space by using an environment-friendly bottle of water, avoiding the whole recycling process.

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A Water Filter

You cannot take for granted that water is safe all over the world. If you are travelling to remote regions or countries where water is an issue, you need to purify water you can get this LifeStraw Personal Water Filter.

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A portable power bank

Another essential piece for travellers is a portable external power bank to recharge all our electronics like iPhone, Samsung phone, cameras and portable computers. This Anker PowerCore 5000 is a life-saver and a great gift for those frequent travellers around the world who pack lots of technical gear.

Buy it on Amazon

Apple MacBook Air

One of the most expensive, among all unique travel gifts, and probably not something you expect to receive or to give to someone. I have added it to my list for 2019; if you are an Apple lover, you may want to consider it. The great benefit of the MacBook Air is its fantastic lightweight, and this is the main reason for me to buy one. If you work while you travel you need a reliable laptop.

For blogging the MacBook Air 13.3″ Silver is my best choice.

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If you like this list of travel gifts, share my Xmas gifts for travellers with your friends.

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