25 Travel Gifts for Everyone on Your Holiday Shopping List

Fodor’s Contributing Digital Editor, Esme Benjamin, has dreams of one day opening her own B&B, which is why she recommends this gorgeous book by seasoned travel editor and photographer Jackie Caradonio. The Inn Crowd: Artistic Getaways and the Modern Innkeepers Who Crafted Them provides a peek behind the scenes of 20 independent inns across the Northeastern United States, capturing every thoughtful decor choice and detailing the entrepreneurial stories of the innkeepers themselves. This book also serves as a lovely reminder that supporting independent businesses on our travels doesn’t just ensure a more place-centered experience for us; it also bolsters the dreams of people who put their hearts and souls into hospitality.

While this insider-y dive into the stories, scandals, and hidden histories tucked into the blocks around Times Square would pair well with tickets to a popular Broadway show, Fodor’s Contributing Digital Editor Stacey Lastoe also recommends this read as a great stocking stuffer or gift for that friend or family member who is obsessed with New York’s niche history. History Hiding Around Broadway: Backstage Lore, Secrets & Surprises from New York’s Famed Theater District, written by Teale Dvornik, goes well beyond the standard Playbill trivia. Reading it feels like walking the inimitable Midtown Manhattan neighborhood with a uniquely plugged-in Broadway veteran.

Is it ever too late to change your life dramatically? Are we ever too old to seek adventure or begin a new chapter? These are some of the questions begged by Matt Haig’s gorgeous novel, The Life Impossible. Haig, whose previous fiction novels include the beloved Midnight Library, has a knack for exploring existential questions about life and love through the lens of magic and wonder. For Fodor’s Senior Digital Editor, Nikki Vargas, The Life Impossible is the sort of book that stays with you long after you turn the last page. And for travelers, this globe-spanning story of an elderly woman who moves to a Mediterranean island and embarks on a fantastical journey is as inspiring as it is transporting.

Chef and cookbook author Alison Roman is no stranger to creating easy, accessible, and delicious recipes. With three cookbooks already under her belt—including Dining In, Nothing Fancy, and Sweet Enough—Roman’s fourth and already bestselling cookbook, Something From Nothing, is an ode to that time-old adage that less is more. For anyone who finds weekly meal planning and grocery shopping exhausting, Something From Nothing is the perfect present. Roman’s latest cookbook creates magic from those long-forgotten jars, cans, and tins sitting in your pantry, just waiting to be utilized. Even for Roman, whose recipes are as unfussy as you can get, these recipes take it a step further, proving you really can whip up something from nothing (or in this case, something from a few pantry staples we’re all likely to have sitting in our cupboards). 

Everything in this holiday gift guide is top-notch–because Fodor’s gives very good advice! And some of our best advice is found in our many guidebooks. A guidebook may sound like a simple gift, but it’s the perfect one for any traveler in your life. They’re beautiful keepsakes to remember memorable travels, they’re invitations for upcoming adventures, and they fit beautifully in a stocking. With over 100 titles covering the entire globe, we’re pretty much guaranteed to have a book that will help your loved ones plan any 2026 trip.

From the Bahamas to the Galapagos, whenever you travel with Aggressor, luxe lives here. Save during select, small group worldwide adventures. Aggressor Adventures offers expertly guided trips, including scuba diving adventures and river cruises, designed for comfort, adventure, and discovery. Gift someone the ultimate bucket-list trip to see Thailand’s majestic wonders, or to experience world-class reefs in Palau. And right now is Aggressor’s annual “Explore the World Weeks” promotion, where select trips are 25% off for a limited time. Explore the full line-up of journeys and dream-worthy escapes here.

They call this grinder from MÄNNKITCHEN the Ferrari of pepper mills, and we have to say it’s a pretty accurate description. With over 75 grind settings (!) and a sleek design with a bottom cup for grinding directly into—and for keeping your kitchen counter clean—it’s an excellent gift for the home cook who likes nice things. Fodor’s Contributing Digital Editor Stacey Lastoe has tried and tested this grinder, which produces a consistent grind (rare!), from super-fine to big, crackly flakes depending on the dish’s needs. Built to last forever, not clog, and not leak pepper dust all over your counter like many inferior mills, it’s a thoughtful gift for the cooking enthusiast in your life.

We know what you’re thinking: who would give tinned fish to anyone for the holidays? But hear us out. Fishwife is so much more than tinned fish; it has become a movement in New York, a pantry staple that can elevate a charcuterie board, be served as a midday snack atop an artisanal cracker, be added to a dish, or enjoyed alongside a martini. You name it. And lest you imagine handing your loved ones a plain can of sardines this holiday season, know that Fishwife goes above and beyond with flavors, including smoked rainbow trout with red chimichurri, mussels in basil pesto, smoked salmon with Fly By Jing Sichuan chili crisp, albacore tuna in spicy olive oil, and more. Fishwife’s variety pack shares the best of the best, and is pretty beautiful to look at, too. In short, this is the most delicious, most beautiful box of tinned fish you’ll find. 

This excellent coffee set by Coffee Project New York includes four bottles of their whole coffee beans blended and named for each season in 2025: Spring Symphony, Summer Friday, Fall Rhapsody, and Winter Sonata. Though none of us at Fodor’s can claim to be a coffee expert (we’re travelers first, after all), our favorite cup of joe came from Winter Sonata—rich and aromatic, perfect for cold wintry mornings.

When Fodor’s Senior Digital Editor, Nikki Vargas, found herself feeling under the weather earlier this year, she was surprised when this thoughtful gift from Spoonful of Comfort arrived at her doorstep. Founded by Marti Wymer, Spoonful of Comfort sends boxes of delicious soup, a silver ladle, and your choice of add-ons, including fluffy dinner rolls, cookies, and more. From a classic chicken noodle to tomato basil, loaded baked potato, or garden vegetable—you really can’t go wrong with sending a Spoonful of Comfort this holiday season. While they offer packages for every occasion—from sympathy to birthdays to just because—Spoonful of Comfort has festive holiday packages. We especially love this one, which includes a scented candle, holiday puzzle, and more. 

Designed in Japan, the adorable female-owned toy company, kiko+ & gg*, has some great options for travel-inspired gifts for little ones, like their city playset series. Our favorite is the London-themed set, which includes a wooden Big Ben, a double-decker bus, and Tower Bridge, but there’s also a Paris- and New York-themed set. They also have a wooden jet and a ramen set that can add to the fun of play travel. 

The Zambian-based Bushcamp Company (you may know them from the viral videos of elephants tromping through the Mfuwe Lodge lobby to eat mangoes) has a line of elephant-inspired jewelry that Print Editor Alexis Kelly recommends. All proceeds from the jewelry collection help finance the company’s community and conservation efforts, including protecting the elephants that live around the Mfuwe Lodge. Visitors to the Bushcamp can buy the Ele Africa Collection pieces onsite, but non-guests can email the company directly to order them; the pieces range from bangles and cuffs to earrings, pendants, and charms—all beautiful with an even more beautiful cause. 

This year, unplugging became a luxury in itself, and in 2026, the trend of going analog is only predicted to grow. Be it listening to vinyl records, painting with watercolors, or reading a book, it has become a “flex” to log off, shut down, and pass the time the way we once did pre-social media scrolling. This year, Fodor Senior Digital Editor, Nikki Vargas, tried leaning into the luxury of unplugging with a Freewrite typewriter, which promises distraction-free writing with the satisfying ‘clack-clack-clack’ that only a typewriter can deliver. While the Freewrite offers a wonderfully vintage approach to writing, it automatically syncs with the Cloud and allows you to e-mail your drafts to yourself, making sure your writing is always safe and backed up. For her typewriter test, Vargas chose the Hemingwrite, crafted in collaboration with the Ernest Hemingway estate and featuring a hand-polished raw aluminum surface that develops a patina over time.

In the same vein as the Freewrite typewriter, the Camp Snap CS-8 Digital Video Camera is another throwback to a less plugged-in time, when handheld camcorders were all the rage. Inspired by the iconic Super 8, the CS-8 reimagines this technology for the present. With no playback screen or instant previews, the CS-8 (much like other analog technologies becoming vogue again) keeps you in the moment, rather than editing, captioning, and fiddling with filters. You can play with different aspect ratios—from reels and squares for social media to widescreen for a more cinematic experience. 

Sometimes the best present can’t be wrapped. Sometimes the best gift is one that is experienced, which is why we love these curated experiences from the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Legend Collection. The Live Like a Legend collection features six bespoke and ultra-exclusive experiences offered in some of the most outstanding hotels around the globe.

To name a few: for sports lovers, there is the ultimate sports fan experience at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston, featuring four center court tickets to a Houston Rockets game, complete with custom jerseys and VIP access to the Lexus Lounge. For the fashionista, there’s the oh-so-chic  ‘Tailored by Armani’ experience at the Armani Hotel Milano, including front-row seats to the legendary Georgio Armani show during Milan Fashion Week, and a private fitting at the Armani atelier, where master tailors will craft two made-to-order garments. And over in Wyoming, a private winter wonderland awaits at The Brush Creek Luxury Ranch Collection, where you can enjoy a secluded Homestead cabin, ski on your own private peak, visit the ranch’s distillery, bakery, and creamery, and even arrange a bespoke cowboy hat fitting to complete your frontier fantasy.

Our editors are always on the search for a backpack that isn’t too big, bulky, or heavy, and makes us look like someone who will be spending the next 12 months backpacking the globe. This Eastpak Tecum from the CNNCT collection proved to be the perfect blend of sporty, classic, professional, and versatile. This is the type of bag that can transition from jetbridge to the office to the trails of a hike. Plus, it has one of our favorite luggage features: adjustable straps that compact everything down.