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It’s always a good time to think about gifts idea for a friend who likes to travel. Either family, friend or a travel companion, here is my must-have 20 travel gifts for female travellers over 50.
This list is what I discovered as a solo female traveller with over 30 years of travel. These items help make my solo travel more thoughtful, from gear to clothes. Here are my best travel gifts for 50-plus female travellers in five categories.
I wish I could travel all the time with my carry-on. Carry-ons are the preferred type of luggage for many travellers – including me. It does save you the hassle of lugging around bulky luggage, let alone saving time when checking in bags at the airport and collecting them at the conveyor belt.
Choosing a good and lightweight cabin bag is not easy.
I have used Samsonite for years and wouldn’t change it with anything else. Here is my pick of the Samsonite Base Boost Spinner 55/202 luggage for a great travel gift to all 50-plus female travellers who travel a lot.
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A daypack is an essential piece for travelling. A few years ago, I discovered my Pacsafe 25 Venture Safe Day Pack, and since then, it has become my best travel gear companion. I use it in all my short to long-term travels and not only in my outdoor adventures but also in my all-around day activities.
My Mac fits in beautifully, and there is a lot of space for my camera. It is spacious and lightweight, and the fabric is soft. Moreover, the extra anti-theft feature and RFID make this 25-litre pack a fantastic piece of travel gear for everyone.
If you like me and like to combine a great day pack for adventure and business, as long as safe, then this day pack is the perfect match.
Here you can read my review about my experience with the Pacsafe Venturesafe GII Anti Theft DayPack.
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One of the best addition to my travel packing list. I have the previous version of this compact waist pack from Pacsafe. The older version is not available anymore, sadly. The newest edition replaced it. However, I liked the older one better, this looks a bit smaller, but it still is a must-have for the female solo traveller over 50. You don’t have to take off your backpack and search for your wallet or a document.
In a fraction of a second, you have everything by hand. It’s a great way to keep your valuables safe and under control. Like the Venture Safe daypack, the Pacsafe Metrosafe LS120 Anti-Theft Hip Pack has a premium, lightweight, Anti-theft material with RFID pockets. In my opinion, this is the best anti-theft waist pack that you can find on the market.
Here you can read about my experience with this Pacsafe waist pack.
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One piece of garment I first pack is a Thermal Base Layer. There is nothing worse than feeling cold when you travel, and a functional base layer made of long sleeve top and leggings is something I never travel without. I love it so much that I turned it into my favourite sleepwear.
No matter where I go, it’s important to feel warm when you are on the road, and I always pack it with me. Here below two pieces that are a bit pricey but worth the investment.
If you want to make a unique gift for a female friend in her 50s who travels to different countries worldwide, here is the Icebreaker Merino Women’s Oasis with a long sleeve.
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And the Icebreaker Women’s Everyday Leggings
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It’s not easy to find good hiking boots, especially for those with sensitive feet. When walking and hiking for long hours, you need good shoes that are durable and lightweight and very comfortable. These are the last addition to my travel shoe collection. I can go anywhere with them, hiking, walking, running, on all terrains.
I have been looking for the Salewa Women’s MultiTrack GTX Speed Hiking Shoe with waterproof breathable protection and a Michelin rubber outsole. If you like hiking and are serious about having healthy feet and joints, check them out, they are superb hiking boots.
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If the above Salewa Hiking Boots are unavailable in your country, check out the Timberland Women’s Mt. Madsen Lite. Timberland used to be my favourite brand for excellent outdoor shoes. I switched from Timberland to Salewa because they considerably reduced the European female outdoor shoe collection.
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It is a little expensive but worth the price. These comfortable slip-on shoes are stylish, excellent quality, and fantastic for walking everywhere. The Via Spiga Women’s Galea5 are cool sneakers for a sleek and slender look. An excellent choice for all mature women who are fifty-plus.
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I never liked sleep masks because, over time, I never found one with all the features I wanted. Last year I tried the Tempur Sleep Mask and fell in love with it. I also pack it for short trips on trains and long-haul flights. I wear it to sleep and to give my eyes a good rest. The fabric seems to release moisture to your eyes, thus preventing them from getting sore and dry due to the cabin flight’s pressured air.
You can read about my experience with the Tempur Sleep Mask. If you have sensitive eyes, it’s a must, and this is also a fantastic gift for all female travellers over 50 who travel a lot.
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I rarely use one because of one simple reason: space. I never pack one into my cabin bag. However, I have tried a few. Some are good, and some are useless, like the inflatable neck pillows you can get for 10 dollars at airports.
I have reviewed a few travel pillows lately, and this one seems to have passed my test. However, it is pretty bulky, but it does have all the necessary features I would look for in a good travel pillow cause sleeping on the plane is essential on long-haul flights.
The BCOZZY Chin Supporting Travel Pillow supports the head, neck and chin in any sitting position, making it one of the best gifts for international travellers.
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I stopped using large toiletry bags years ago when I decided that lightweight was the way to go when you travel alone. It took me a while, but in the end, I managed to reduce my luggage weight from an average of +20kg to an average of 13-15kg. A roll toiletry bag is a perfect gift for all travelling and mature women: it is handy and small; you can hang it everywhere, and it folds beautifully into a compact bag.
I use a similar one to this Osprey Ultralight Roll Organizer, which I believe is one of the best value toiletry bags you can purchase on the market.
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I like packing cubes. However, I prefer the smaller pieces of these sets for all my long-term solo trips. They are ideal when you travel with a large suitcase, and they are practical when you cross several time zones and need to separate different types of clothes for each trip segment.
These TravelWise Packing Cube Systems are excellent for a travel gift idea under 25 dollars. This is an excellent gift for female friends who travel long-term and to multi-destinations.
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I gave up packing bulky cotton towels with the lightweight goal and replaced them with ultra-light microfiber travel towels. Besides being ultra-absorbent and thin, they are also multifunctional and antibacterial. You can use them for personal hygiene, the beach, sports, yoga, and outdoor adventures. Another helpful travel gift for all mature female travellers is this Arnuwa Microfiber Camping Travel Towel, a must-pack item for your lightweight luggage.
A must-have gear that will help you survive the hot summer months in Australia.
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Likewise, I like to pack a travel robe when staying in hostels or shared accommodations. This allows freedom when sharing common areas like bathrooms and dorms in hostels, huts, camping, and outdoor adventures. This Chamois Microfiber Kimono Hotel Robe makes it the perfect travel gift for the female solo traveller who, like me, travels a lot.
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A headlamp is one of those items that comes in handy whenever you stay in hostels and don’t want to disturb your roommates or when you camp or go hiking and need a lamp while walking in the woods, in caves, or when camping.
But it is also super valuable for everyday life when cycling on the roads. The Supfire Headlamp LED Headlight is a cheap travel gift under 20 dollars, which is very useful to all women travelling alone and hiking. In my opinion, one of the most helpful travel gifts of all.
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Bottle water is one of those essential travel accessories that every savvy traveller packs. But let’s face it, bottles are bulky and take up a lot of space from your back. With this Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle – -Leak Proof and Twist Cap – BPA Free, 22 oz, you can save lots of space by using an environment-friendly bottle of water, avoiding the whole recycling process.
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You cannot take for granted that water is safe worldwide. If you travel to remote regions or countries where water is an issue, you need to purify the water; you can get this LifeStraw Personal Water Filter.
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Another essential piece for all female travellers is a mobile external power bank to recharge all our electronics like iPhones, Samsung phones, cameras and portable computers. This Anker PowerCore 5000 is a life-saver and an excellent gift for those frequent travellers around the world who pack lots of technical gear.
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If your female friend loves to keep track of her travels, many ideas come to mind to document her experiences. On travel journals, on guide books and by scratching off a world map. A scratch map is truly a great gift for a woman travelling alone.
There are many that you can pack with you. While you can find many on the market, few are of good quality. I recently came across the ones from Luckies of London world maps, and I was blown away by their quality. They are authentic cartographic artworks.
On this page, you can read about my experience with the Deluxe World Map by Luckies of London.
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One of the most expensive among all unique travel gifts and probably not something you expect to receive or to give to someone. As a Mac user myself, I have been using iPhone since 2016. This year I purchased the iPhone 13 with 256 GB. You probably need more extensive storage if you take lots of videos and photos and use them for work. Otherwise, the 128 GB will do. If your friend is an Apple lover, you may want to consider it the top travel gift for your best female best friend or yourself.
I also own a MacBook Air, a lightweight laptop that’s hard to beat. MacBook Air + iPhone are a must-have if you work while travelling.
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This post was first published in 2018 and last updated in Nov 2022
