Best Travel Gifts For Stress-Free Getaways

Taking a much-needed vacation shouldn’t come with hassle, but let’s face it—every traveler faces a little bit of stress at some point during the journey. That’s where a stress-relieving travel gift can help this holiday season. From innovative suitcases and smart luggage tags to on-the-go styling tools and self-care products, these travel gift ideas can help globetrotters navigate the challenges of exploring the world and look and feel their very best, no matter what a trip throws their way.

Here are 12 hand-picked travel gifts that can make a loved one’s next getaway their most relaxing one yet.

Props Carry-On Luggage

This novel carry-on bag from Props takes the stress out of travel in more ways than one. Its telescopic handle and 360-degree spinner wheels make it a breeze to get stuff through airports smoothly and efficiently, but that’s just the beginning. The durable hard shell suitcase is also equipped with legs that pop out to convert the bag into a work surface, allowing travelers to make the most of layovers and delays without competing for a place to set up a laptop. Those legs also come in handy when you’re unpacking or packing and you want to minimize the risk of bed bugs or simply avoid placing your bag on a questionable surface. $349.99 at propsluggage.com

Anker Magnetic Battery

If you’re looking for a stocking stuffer for a traveler this holiday season, this magnetic battery pack from Anker is sure to be a hit. No need to fumble around with a mess of cords—this slim, pocket-size power bank snaps onto the back of any MagSafe-compatible smartphone to charge the battery wirelessly. With this charger in their pack, travelers will never have to worry about a dead phone on a long journey again. $39.99 at anker.com

Loop Switch Earplugs

Loop has made the humble earplug a sought-after travel gift with its new Switch model. The pair features the same soft, chic design that has made Loop’s other silicone earplugs popular, but with an innovative advantage: Adjustable noise control. Using a lever on the side of each plug, travelers can switch between three levels of sound quality for any travel situation—whether you need silence to get slumber in a bustling hotel or some hush to wrap up work at an airport bar. $59.95 at us.loopearplugs.com

Sharper Image Revel Styling Tool

Know a traveler who loves looking their best for days of sightseeing? Give them the Sharper Image Revel multi-styling kit for the holidays. Unlike those old, cheap hair dryers in most hotel rooms, this high-tech airflow styling tool can leave you with perfectly coiffed, frizz-free hair in mere minutes, with minimal heat required. It comes with six styling attachments to create your ideal look, whether you want beachy waves, tight curls, or a smooth blowout. And at just 1.5 pounds, this tool adds hardly any weight to a suitcase. Don’t be surprised if the recipient of this travel gift never leaves home without it. $189 at qvc.com

Headspace x Poketo Journal

Poketo has partnered with the meditation experts at Headspace to create a journal that can help travelers—or anyone in need of mental clarity—write their way out of heavy thoughts. The 256-page, lay-flat journal provides a mix of inspirational quotes, self-reflection prompts, and dedicated spaces to do daily check-ins on your mood. And since it’s open-dated, the workbook offers the flexibility travelers need to jump in and out of a journaling practice when they’re perpetually on the go, sans any guilt about missing a week. $28 at poketo.com

Sapahn Staney Crossbody Bag

Sapahn zaps the stress of trying to keep track of your essentials when you’re traveling with its Staney crossbody bag. The ethically made leather bag is a cross between a wallet, purse, and passport holder, giving you dedicated storage compartments for everything you need at your fingertips. It can also be carried in several different ways, including as a belt bag and a wristlet, so you’ve got options. Choose from among 17 available colors to find a style your favorite traveler will love. $225 at sapahn.com

Ora Advanced Acupressure Kit

This sleek kit from Ora gives travelers a way to take the mood-boosting, stress-soothing benefits of acupressure anywhere they go. It contains 40 “ear seeds”—tiny acupressure devices—that travelers can apply to key points on their ears to help with ailments like insomnia, pain, and stress. The kit includes an instructional guide to explain exactly where to place each seed to address specific concerns. And since the ear seeds are made from gold or Swarovski crystals, they look more like jewelry than a therapeutic tool. It’s a beautiful way to get some self-care on a trip. $55 at oraspace.com

Parker Clay Sira Laptop Sleeve

Travel can be tough on our expensive devices, but this sleeve from Parker Clay will help keep a loved one’s laptop safe from bumps and scratches on a trip. Available in black or rust brown, the leather sleeve can accommodate a 13-inch laptop. It has soft leather lining, a high-quality zipper closure, and two interior pockets to stash cables and accessories. What’s more, the ethical bag maker provides 12 hours of empowering training and education to women in Ethiopia for every sleeve sold. $128 at parkerclay.com

Scout Travel Smart Luggage Tag

Here’s a travel gift that can bring peace of mind throughout someone’s journey: the Scout Travel Smart Luggage Tag. Dubbed “the world’s smartest luggage tag,” this lightweight device connects with Apple’s “Find My” app to provide an easy way to track your bags—a feature that offers major relief when luggage gets lost in transit. If someone finds your bag, they can scan the QR code on the tag to get in touch with you ASAP. The tag also doubles as a motion-sensitive alarm that blasts an 85-decibel sound if it detects theft or plays a pleasant chime to help you find your suitcase among the masses at baggage claim. $59.95 at us.knog.com

Shibumi Shade Mini

The TSA’s pesky restrictions on liquids make it hard to pack enough sunscreen for a beach getaway, but this nifty beach shade from Shibumi can offer additional sun protection for your skin. The lightweight sun shade sets up with poles, just like a tent, in two minutes flat and provides plenty of shade for a couple to spend the day at the beach. It packs down into a two-pound case that’s just 20-inches long and 4-inches wide, taking up minimal real estate in your carry-on bag. Plus, it’ll help you claim a spacious spot on a crowded beach. $190 at shibumishade.com

The Herbal Zen Stress Fighter Shower Steamers

Move over, bath bombs—these shower steamers from The Herbal Zen are the perfect stocking stuffer for a traveler in need of on-the-go stress relief. Simply place one of the handmade tablets in the shower, and as it dissolves, it will release the relaxing scent of lavender and lemon essential oils into the air, turning your hotel shower into a personal spa. $24.99 at amazon.com

Cadence Magnetic Containers

Your favorite traveler won’t ever have to worry about liquids leaking in their bag again when you give them these containers from Cadence. The TSA-friendly containers feature a secure screw-top design to keep goops and goos exactly where they belong. Thanks to Cadence’s ingenious labeling system, you can see at a glance which container holds your body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and other toiletries—and you can swap the magnetic tile labels around based on what you’re bringing on each trip. No need to deal with the hassle of scrubbing out the petite jars by hand once you get home from a vacation. Simply toss them in the dishwasher and they’ll be squeaky clean for your next adventure. $152 at keepyourcadence.com