I discovered a lot of new gear during my adventures this year including the Osprey 32-liter pack with hip belt I used for my Havasu Falls hike.
12 Travel Gifts Under $100
2018 has been an epic year of travel for me and Alfred the gnome! During my adventures to Easter Island, Havasu Falls and the Galapagos, I discovered a lot of great travel gear that has made my life easier. Several of these were suggestions from friends and other travelers that I wish I’d bought years ago.
Here’s a few ideas (big and small) to help you find the perfect gifts for friends and family. Feel free to add these to your own Christmas list before you send it to Santa!
BAGGU’s reusable bags fold up into a small case to fit easily in your bag or purse.
I discovered these amazing BAGGU reusable bags last Christmas through a friend. I initially bought it because it had llamas on it. (I’m slightly obsessed with llamas.) It is the most amazing reusable bag on the market, which is great for trips to the grocery store and really handy when traveling for shopping or anytime you need a bag. They can hold up to 50 pounds and only cost $10! They come in a plethora of funky animal designs and include a storage pouch. I keep it in my purse and backpack at all times. (Cost: $10)
2. Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lavender Hand Sanitizer
Travel is often smelly and gross. The best way to stay healthy is to wash your hands regularly. If a sink isn’t handy, then Dr. Bronner’s hand sanitizer is the next best thing. It also has a nice lavender scent to help with smelly locations. (Cost: $12.50 for two)
Not all travel clothes lines are the same so be sure to get one made of bungee cord to hold your clothes in place! Normal rope lines aren’t as secure!
The thing that I hate the most about traveling is dealing with laundry. Earlier this year, a hostel in Chile charged me $12 USD for a regular size load of laundry and didn’t even fold my clothes! (For the price, they should have folded them AND sprinkled them with gold dust!!!!) Laundry is either overpriced or my clothes come back destroyed. I try to find laundromats to do it myself. I often don’t have enough for a load so I just started washing the few pieces of clothing I need in the sink and hanging them in my room. My friend Gen told me about this amazing bungee cord laundry line this year! The bungee cord makes it easy to cinch the clothing so it doesn’t fall off the line. (Cost: $17.99)
I was jealous of every single person on my Galapagos trip who had a rash guard, which is a long sleeve shirt made of either spandex, nylon or polyester. While it’s great for water activities like snorkeling, kayaking and surfing, they are great for just everyday travel because the fabric is moisture wicking and provides SPF protection. While I LOVE my Columbia Silver Ridge Lite button-down shirt for hiking, it wasn’t great for snorkeling. You can buy these anywhere but I recommend REI or Land’s End, which often has them on sale for $20. (Cost: $20+)
Lightweight dry sacks are the both effective and pack easier than thick river dry bags. Avoid the ultralight sacks that rip very easily! The 13-liter bag fits my camera body and a wide angle lens with room to spare!
As a photographer, keeping my camera gear safe has been the biggest burden. I travel with a ridiculous amount of rain gear – ponchos, rain covers for my pack, etc. While thick river dry sacks are great for rafting trips, they are too bulky to travel with for long-term trips. The ultra-thin sacks rip too easy. The lightweight ones are perfect, and I keep one rolled up in my daypack at all times for my camera. (Cost: $13-30 depending on size)
In college, my best friend gave me a journal to take to England for my semester abroad. I caught the travel bug on that trip, which lead to this crazy traveling life I currently live. I still keep a journal to this day about my adventures. Moleskine notebooks (size: 3.5″ x 5.5″) are the best because they are tiny and durable. I have a shoebox full of filled with journals at home that hopefully will one day become a book project. (Cost: $8-10)
I bought a lightweight Humangear spork that’s been a huge help this year. Initially, it was for hiking but comes in handy everywhere. It’s the perfect companion for the jar of peanut butter I travel with. When I am in the States, I’ll keep it in my car. My goal is to avoid using disposable plastic cutlery at all times. (Cost: $3.95)
I found these great reusable shampoo bottles at Target that I LOVE. To save plastic and the environment, fill them up with your normal shampoo and body wash. For more ways to be a more eco-friendly traveler, check out this post I wrote a few months ago! (Cost: $3 at Target or 13.50 for 3-pack with suction cups from Amazon)
I discovered these low sugar (only 1 gram) electrolyte tablets last summer in Yellowstone. They were a lifesaver during the four terrible bouts of food poisoning (more on that here) I had earlier this year. I always pack a tube of these for every trip! They are essential for all hiking trips! (Cost: $7 a tube or 4 tubes for $23)
10. Eagle Creek Compression Bags
Every adventure teaches me something new. My hike to Havasu Falls this year was a reminder that compression sacks are a blessing. They really help condense sleeping bags and other items for hiking. They also work well as a storage sack and space saver for dirty laundry, which is why these bags above are perfect for any type of trip. (Cost: $30 for set of two)
No matter where you are in your life, there’s a great travel book out there.
- Solo or Long-term Travel: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts (This book inspired my first long-term adventure in Australia and Asia.)
- Traveling as a Couple: Ultimate Journeys for Two: Extraordinary Destinations on Every Continent by Mike and Anne Howard (Mike & Anne have been on the world’s longest honeymoon! They left in January 2012 and never stopped travel. National Geographic approached them to write this awesome book for couples.)
- Travel Humor: Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene (This is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. It’s a great description of Cuba.)
- Adventure Junkies: Born to Run By Christopher McDougall
- Africa: West with the Night by Beryl Markham (My favorite travel book of all time.)
- Australia: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
- Asia: The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux & The Lady & the Monk by Pico Iyer
For our Havasu Falls hike, my friends and I all took Osprey packs with hip belts, which are critical for any hike to distribute weight properly.
For too many years, I hiked with a regular day pack with no hip belt support, which helps distribute the weigh off your shoulders. The reason was simple – my camera gear and laptop fits better in a daypack than a proper hiking pack. I always travel with a daypack filled with my camera gear so it seemed silly to buy a second hiking pack that I wouldn’t use as often. (I wasn’t going to take both on every trip!) I ended up buying one on sale at REI before my Havasu Falls trip, and the hip supports saved me! A proper hiking pack has better back and hip belt supports. While it’s not practical to travel with everywhere, it’s my new hiking pack. (As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a huge fan of Osprey because of their lifetime warranty. They’ve replaced two packs for me for free.) I recommend 24-32 liter packs for one to three day hikes. (Cost: Depending on size, these packs run from $90-175 USD. Take advantage of REI sales and their outlet for prices around the $100 mark.)
For more great travel gift ideas, check out my packing lists from Galapagos, Kilimanjaro and Havasu Falls! Don’t forget these great eco-friendly products!
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*Please note some Amazon and REI affiliate links are included above. If you click on the link and make any type of Amazon/REI purchase, I earn a small commission with no additional cost to you. I hope you found this post helpful and appreciate your support of the blog. Please email me if you have questions.
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COMING UP NEXT
“Good With Money” Book Launch
I’m super excited to announce that my first book “Good With Money” will launch on December 11th! The book answers the most common question I get asked: “How do you afford to travel so much?” I started this blog in 2014 to help other travelers and share my experiences. But, I can only cover so much in a blog post. The book documents the financial habits that allowed me to travel nonstop for almost 10 years with no debt, all on an average income of $30,000. I’m super excited to share it with you! Email list subscribers will get a surprise on launch day!
