Every year for Christmas, I ask for the same thing: gift cards for experiences, or practical tools that will help me when travelling. Here's my definitive gift guide for the world traveller in your life (or maybe a cheeky gift for yourself, as well!)

My Camera Gear

First and foremost, I always recommend a decent DSLR camera. The ones I've used as a beginner photographer are the Nikon D5600 and Canon EOS 700D. I know that there are many who are very loyal to either Nikon or Canon, but as somebody who's used both, I really think that both are fantastic cameras. The Canon also has a video camera, which is a great feature for your reels & film.

I like to use this camera strap in order to keep the camera safely around my neck, because it's functional and super cute. It comes in either brown or black leather, and I have the brown! Alternatively, I love the look of this strap - and it comes in SO many great colors! Another SUPER useful thing is a camera clip for hiking - it's quick release for action/animal shots, and it makes sure your camera is secure when you're active.

The next thing you need is a solid, lightweight tripod. I love solo travel, and this means that I take my tripod with me everywhere! I've done a bunch of research on tripods, and this one is an affordable option - and VERY sturdy. It also folds up to be quite small, but is taller than I am when unfolded, which helps me get all angles of shots.

I also love this camera bag - it's not too bulky, but safely stores my camera and spare batteries and SD cards. I like to have 2-3 with me on a trip, so that I don't run out of space for photos. I also like to bring my external hard drive with me when travelling, so that I can safely store my photos and not use up too much space on my laptop (shooting in RAW photos creates better quality edits, but it means the files are very large!)

The last thing I use for photography is my drone - I have the DJI Mini 3 Pro, and it's been massively discounted since I bought it, so don't sleep on this deal! It's a great little lightweight drone, super intuitive, and creates unbelievable shots!

Travel Gifts

Now that I'm in my 30s, travel for me is all about how to create as much comfort as I can. I never fly without my favorite noise cancelling headphones - they're a total game changer for anybody who has any sort of flight anxiety, like I do. One thing my sister introduced me to as well is this unbelievable light-blocking sleep mask. When I say it's completely black-out, I mean it. It's great not only for the plane or train or car you're travelling in, but for helping with that pesky jet lag, too!

I'm somebody who really loves giving and receiving experiences as gifts, so a Get Your Guide gift card or a Viator gift experience would be the perfect present, in my eyes. Both websites have plenty of cultural, historical, and adventurous experiences, and are great resources for booking activities across the globe.

As far as practical gifts go, packing cubes are a total life-saver when travelling in Europe with limited luggage allowances. Universal plugs are also a complete travel life saver, and I always have at least one or two on me when I'm travelling. One thing I never travel without is my favorite rehydrating night creme. I hate feeling like my skin is super dehydrated after flying, and this little cream does the trick every time. It also lasts for AGES, I think I stock up about once a year.

So these are my top recommendations for travellers for 2023! Just so you know, these links are all affiliate marketing - which means that there's no added cost to you, but that I may get a kickback from your purchases.

Make sure to follow along at @elise.abroad to see all of my travels and adventures!