Searching for the perfect Christmas gift for a solo traveller in your life? I've got you with this amazing list of Christmas gift inspiration to help you treat a solo travel queen to a gift that is both practical and a real treat to make them feel extra-special this festive season. Whether you're hunting for the perfect gift for a full-time solo traveller, or a part-time traveller who fits adventures into their limited annual leave. 'Tis the season to show them how much you appreciate them, and how much they inspire you with their adventures. We both know those solo travel queens will dedicate their money to those epic solo travel adventures but often won't take the time to treat themselves.
I'm Lucy, a solo travel expert who has spent the last decade travelling the world solo to 50+ countries. I've lived abroad in multiple countries, worked as a digital nomad and lived out of a backpack. I've rounded up the Christmas gifts that would make a solo female traveller feel seen and understood – a step beyond the usual tat that fills up their Christmas stocking. Let's make this Christmas the year of meaningful gifts that have been purchased intentionally to show someone how much you care.
20 Christmas Gifts for Solo Travellers
Here's 20 Christmas gift ideas for the solo traveller in your life, whether they prefer city breaks or adventures in nature. Find the perfect present for your special person, whether they're an adventurous soul, a city break lover, or relax and recharge kind of solo traveller.
1. Dry Bag & Phone Case for Solo Adventurers
This is a great budget-friendly option for a thoughtful gift for a solo traveller who loves adventures. Show them that you really understand their love of solo adventures and help them to feel adventure-ready. With prices starting at under a tenner, it's a great stocking filler that they will actually use! I've bought these for friends and also for myself and it's an item I use all the time for kayaking trips, hikes and even beach adventures, it also comes with a waterproof phone case which is so useful!
Shop this dry bag + phone case
2. The Perfect Handbag for Solo Female Travellers
For the solo city break queen who is always thinking about solo female travel safety on her trips, help her to keep her valuables safe and avoid pickpockets on her next adventures with a luxe gift. Thafael have designed this handbag which really is a treat and they really have thought of every tiny detail. From the sleek and fashionable style, to the clever anti-theft crossbody design, to the elegant vegan leather design. Forget bulky anti-theft travel bags and prove that safety can be stylish.
3. A Kindle – for Travelling Bookworms
My Kindle was one of the best investments for travelling days – I'm such a bookworm and love to read on flights and in the evenings before bed. It's a non-negotiable in my daily and travel routines. I always used to struggle because I read so fast and would want to carry heave paperbacks in my bag or suitcase but they take up so much space and they're just not practical for someone who likes to pack light. By having a Kindle, I can have several books on the go and can read to my heart's content. I recently upgraded to a new Kindle and it's sage green!!
4. A GoPro for Capturing Solo Adventures
Help your favourite adventurer to capture their travel memories with the gift of a GoPro! These cameras are the best for action shots, underwater shots and all those wild adventures. When I was first travelling, I was one of the only travellers with an underwater camera and it meant I was one of the lucky few who got to capture and keep those travel memories. Give the GoPro HERO12 Black this festive season to the solo traveller and adventurer in your life. If they're interested in creating content about their travels – this could be the camera to get them started!
5. trtl Travel Pillow for Neck Support
This is a game-changer for long travel days! If, like me, you struggle to sleep on planes, buses and trains and always wake-up with a start and a sore neck, the trtl Travel Pillow provides the support you need to prevent head nodding and keeps your head in a better, ergonomic position. Apparently they have been scientifically proven to perform better than the standard U-shaped pillows – they also take up a lot less space in your bag.
6. Packing Cubes for Minimising Luggage Fees
One of my favourite packing hacks for avoiding luggage fees for overweight baggage. Don't get caught out by budget airlines, trust me if your favourite solo traveller isn't already using packing cubes, this is something that will change their life! Packing cubes make it super easy to organise your backpack or suitcase, they also make it easier to compress your clothing within your bag. I even use them sometimes in my hand luggage to maximise the space and avoid booking in a suitcase which can save me £100 a flight!
Shop my favourite packing cubes
7. Multi-Use Travel Blanket for Long Travel Days
Any solo traveller knows those long travel days can take their toll, especially if you're constantly freezing in air conditioned planes and buses. A multi-use travel blanket can be a great addition to their travel backpack to keep them cosy and warm on long journeys – they're also really helpful in hostels and hotels when the air conditioning is too high, or in colder destinations. I found mine incredibly helpful when I climbed a volcano in Central America because it was FREEZING at the top!
Shop this multi-use travel blanket
8. Multi-charge Powerpack to Stay Connected
If you're looking for the perfect gift for solo travellers in your life, a multi-charge powerpack is a great idea! Forget the cheap powerpacks that hold one charge, go for a powerful one that will actually keep them going for long travel days and for their off-grid adventures. Juice has been one of my favourite travel brands for powerpacks and adapters for many years, I'm still using a powerpack with 5+ charges that I have from my very first trip and it's still working perfectly!
9. A Light-Up Mirror to Avoid Bad Hotel and Hostel Lighting
All the travelling girlies know what a nightmare it is to find a mirror when you're backpacking or travelling solo and staying in hostel dorms. I went over a week once without seeing my reflection in more than a window. Even if you're not staying in budget accommodation, often the lighting and positioning of mirrors in hotel rooms is not ideal for doing your make-up. So, I never travel without a mirror and this light-up one is even better. It makes the perfect gift for a solo female traveller.
Shop the perfect light-up mirror
10. The Perfect Travel Cabin Backpack
Having a good backpack can save you thousands each year on extra luggage fees of checked baggage if your solo traveller is a light packer. They're a great way of maximising your packing space and make your life so much easier so you can really make the most of those £15 flights within Europe. I never travel without a good travel backpack which allows me to max out my cabin baggage allowance and this is one of my favourite backpacks by a brand that is known for making the absolute MOST of your packing space. These backpacks are designed by travellers, for travellers!
Or check out my full list of tried and tested backpacks and luggage for every type of trip
11. A VPN to Stay Connected on their Solo Travels
If you want to show a solo traveller how special they are to you this Christmas, why not give the gift of connection? A VPN allows them to save money on booking travel while enabling them to surf the net securely no matter where they are. This is a particularly great gift for digital nomads or anyone who works remotely while travelling as they will constantly be online. My VPN of choice is award-winning brand Surfshark and their VPN starts from as low as $1.49 per month! Read my full blog post on Surfshark VPN.
12. A Polaroid Camera – to Capture the Memories
I had the lovely gift of a polaroid camera for Christmas last year and I honestly recommend them so much for solo travellers. It's such a thoughtful gift to encourage them to capture their travel memories and stay present on their trips. You can get polaroid cameras in all sizes and styles to fit in any travel bag or backpack. A polaroid camera is a great gift for solo travellers, particularly those who love to scrapbook or create photo albums of their trips. My polaroids are currently stuck all over the fridge and they make me smile every day!
Shop my favourite polaroid camera
13. Noise Cancelling Headphones for Solo Travel Days
An absolute must for solo travellers to survive long travel days – noice cancelling headphones have saved my sanity on multiple occasions. From coping with snorers in hostel dorms to cutting out the plane noise and screaming kids so I can get some much-needed sleep. If you have a traveller in your life, this is a great gift that could genuinely transform their everyday life during trips.
Shop my favourite headphones for travel
14. Hydrating Skincare for After Flight Care
If your solo traveller is a regular flyer with a taste for chasing the sun, there's a good chance they're not wearing enough SPF and their skin could do with a good dose of hydrating skincare. The air on flights can be super drying for your skin, plus there's the constant battle with air conditioning on buses and trying to rehydrate skin that's been in the sun a lot. Your solo traveller might spend all their money on trips and never treat themselves to nice skincare, so why not treat them?
Shop the perfect Jetset Hydration Kit
15. Books To Inspire Your Solo Travels
I am an avid bookworm and I love finding books that inspire me to travel, so if you're looking to treat your favourite solo traveller to a new book this Christmas, I have some recommendations for you. If they're new to their solo travel journey, try books to inspire them such as Wild, Eat Pray Love and What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding. If they're a seasoned solo traveller, why not get them a beautiful book that will inspire them to travel to destinations – Shantaram made me want to travel to India, and The Great Alone inspired me to travel to Alaska.
Don't forget to check out my list of 22 books that inspired me to travel
16. An Underwater Camera For Adventures
If you're looking for the perfect gift for a solo traveller who loves the ocean, an underwater camera is a great choice! Help them to capture all of their underwater adventures whether they love snorkelling, scuba diving or free diving. I love a GoPro and they great thing is, even if your solo traveller isn't a water baby, they're also great for action and adventure activities such as mountain biking. It's the perfect all-rounder camera for adventurers and when I first started out as a content creator, I captured all my favourite travel photos and videos using one.
17. An Air Tag to Avoid Lost Luggage
There's nothing worse than an airline losing your luggage when you've just arrived on a dream trip you've been planning for months. It can be so frustrating, especially if you've packed gear for adventures such as a mountain climb (as happened to me recently!) Air tags are a great way to keep track of your luggage so that if it does go missing, you can physically track it to a location. Often it can be much faster to track it down this way than to go through more official channels. It can also give peace of mind if your solo traveller is a worrier as they'll be able to see that their luggage is on the flight.
18. A Dry Robe for Outdoor Adventures
If your solo traveller loves outdoor adventures like me, there's a good chance they continue with them even when they are at home. They might love hiking and camping, have a camper van or love wild swimming – a dry robe makes the perfect gift as it will keep them dry, cosy and weatherproof for all occasions. Remind your solo traveller that travel doesn't stop just because the plane lands, it's all about bringing that sense of adventure into everyday life.
Or check out my full inspiration shopping list for outdoor adventures, camping & wild swimming
19. A Paddle board for Summer Adventures
Much like the dry robe, this is a gift that is all about bringing that sense of adventure and love of solo travel into the everyday. Most solo travellers are always up for an adventure and trying something new. If they live near a lake, river or the sea, a paddle board is a great way to encourage them to get outside in the summer (or all year round if they're brave enough!). It could also be a great way to make friends if they join a local group of like-minded souls who also love to paddle board.
20. An Electric Luggage Scale for the Chronic Over-packer
They know who they are – the ones who are always biting their nails when they check a bag in at the airport. If your solo traveller has never quite mastered the art of packing light, perhaps 2025 could be the year. I have always used a scale before travelling to check my bags and so that I'm certain how much they weight, I like to know exactly how much extra weight I have for shopping when I'm away. However, in the last few years, I bought a tiny electric scale which has been a game-changer! It's small and light enough to fit in my hand luggage and takes the guesswork out of packing, which means no embarrassing opening the suitcase at check-in to rearrange (and no extra fees!).
