Travel is a great way to teach children about the world. Embarking on a trip with children can be a thrilling adventure.
Through travel, we’ve been able to introduce our daughter to the many different cultures, people, and ways of life that make this world great.
Whether you’re planning a family vacation and looking for travel gifts for kids to keep them engaged and excited during your trip, or you’re searching for the perfect travel-inspired present for a young globetrotter, we’ve scoured the internet and uncovered the best travel gifts for kids – from babies through teens.
From toys to books – these gifts for kids who travel will feed your child’s curiosity and fuel your little one’s love for the world.
We’re constantly looking out for travel-inspired gift ideas for kids.
To help you find the perfect present for your own young adventurer, we’ve created a list of the best travel gifts for kids of all ages that your little globetrotter will be sure to love!
Hopefully, these gifts will bring that travel feeling into their everyday lives.
Don’t have time to read now? Pin these travel gift ideas for kids to save for later!
The Ultimate List of Travel Gifts for Kids
To help you find the perfect present for your young traveler, we’ve broken this list into several categories and created a table of contents to take you directly to the category that is best suited for your child’s age and interests.
Travel gifts for babies (0-18 months)
Travel doesn’t have to stop when you have a baby. In fact, why not start developing a love for travel as soon as your little one is born?
These travel gifts for babies are sure to start molding your tiny traveler’s wanderlust from the very start.
My First Plane Airplane Toy for Toddlers and Babies
Prepare your baby for all the exciting sounds of travel with this fun and entertaining toy. Just press a button and the toy makes landing, flight and take-off noises that will have your tiniest traveler fascinated.
Additionally, it helps little ones learn their letters, numbers and colors with fun songs they can sing along to.
Photo Credit: Amazon.com
Future World Traveler Baby Bodysuit
Let your baby’s first outfits tell the world they’re going to be a traveler with adorable travel-themed onesies and outfits. Available in multiple, gender neutral colors, this onesie makes for the best travel-day outfit for babies.
Your baby is sure to get lots of smiles going down an airplane aisle in this bodysuit.
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Fisher-Price Tiny Tourist Gift Set
This adorable travel-themed gift set for babies is the perfect gift for babies whose parents are always on the go.
The Tiny Tourist set includes 3 infant toys including a camera rattle, crinkle sunscreen bottle, and teething passport toy, as well as a fun tourist bib.
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Good Night Planes (Good Night Our World)
We all remember and love the popular book Goodnight Moon.
This short, easy-to-read board book is a fun travel-themed take to the book. It features a variety of different planes and will inspire a love for airplanes and airports at an early age.
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Carter’s Take Flight Airplane/Cloud Nursery Crib Musical Mobile
When our daughter was a baby, she had a travel-themed nursery. And while this mobile is more geared toward a boy’s nursery, it definitely fits the travel theme.
You can also find lamps, blankets, and artwork to match this cute airplane-themed nursery.
Have a baby girl? This nursery mobile featuring planes and hot air balloons is a bit more gender neutral.
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Travel gifts for toddlers (18 months – 4 years old)
Toddlers are at the perfect age to really nurture a love for travel. It is during this fun yet trying time that children start developing unique interests. You can build upon those learning experiences they get during travel through play at home.
Pretend play is also important during this stage of development, and these travel gifts for kids ages 1 1/2 to 4 years old are perfect to help them expand their minds, develop a worldly perspective, and make travel with squirmy toddlers easier.
Ride-On Toddler Carry On
Toddler’s little legs don’t always move as quickly as we need them to. That’s why a ride-on suitcase is a great travel gift for kids. This luggage has a unique design with a built-in seat for your toddler, so little ones can sit and relax while you pull the suitcase through the airport, train station, or even down the street.
Not only does it speed up the process of navigating through airports and train stations, but it makes this often stressful part of travel more fun for your toddler.
Fisher-Price Little People Travel Sets
What kid doesn’t like Fisher-Price Little People? Luckily, Fisher-Price makes a variety of great travel-themed Little People sets. The Travel Together Friend Ship is a great way to get your little person ready for a cruise or beach vacation.
But, if you’re heading to the mountains instead of the beach, the Light Up Learning Camper Playset allows kiddos to build a pretend campsite with a tent, campfire, and, of course, family camping essentials, like a hammock, chairs, and camping food.
When your baby graduates to the toddler stage and you want to make flying familiar to them, the Travel Together Airplane will help them plan their pretend Little People trip. And for about $15, this is the type of budget-friendly travels any parent can appreciate!
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LEGO DUPLO Travel-themed sets
LEGO is another popular brand for toddlers and older kids alike. And the DUPLO Town Airport set is a great way to let your child explore the world of air travel through pretend play.
Add a few more play people that represent all the different and beautiful colors people come around the world, and you have the perfect gift for kids to help them build awareness of diversity.
It is a subtle way to teach children about embracing other cultures and celebrating differences by making sure their toys are representative of all people.
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Learning Resources New Sprouts Multicultural Play Food Set
Our daughter loved “play food” from the time she was about 18 months old to around the age of 7. And when it comes to play food sets, Learning Resources makes the best, most realistic, and most cultural options on the market.
The Multicultural Food set and the Stir Fry Set are two of our favorites by Learning Resources. By exposing your toddler to multicultural play food, your little one may be more willing to try those foods in real life.
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Melissa & Doug Sushi Slicing Wooden Play Food Set
Another great cultural food set for toddlers is the Melissa and Doug Sushi Slicing Set. We love sushi! Even kids who don’t like sushi yet will love to pretend to eat foods that their parents eat.
This set is also great for preparing your child for a family trip to Japan.
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Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. Talking Globe
Introduce your toddler to geography, animals, and nature with this interactive talking globe from Educational Insights.
The globe comes with a stylus pen that kids can use to touch the globe to learn fun, kid-friendly facts about the planet.
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First Sticker Book Travel (First Sticker Books)
Whether you’re flying on an airplane with a toddler or going on a road trip, a sticker book is a great travel gift for kids that they can take with them on your family’s travels.
The Usborne First Sticker Book Travel Edition lets your creative toddler build their own adventure using stickers of cars, buses, boats, planes, and people.
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CozyPhones Over The Ear Headband Headphones
These headphones are great for little ones that can’t use ear buds and don’t like the feel of traditional headphones. They are super lightweight and pack up very small.
They fit more like a soft headband rather than headphones and have volume control to protect little ears.
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Travel-inspired toys and gifts for kids (5-12 years old)
Grade school kids are at a great age to continue to learn through imaginative play. Nurture their love for the world with these awesome travel-inspired gifts for kids ages 5-12 years old.
Ride on Scooter Suitcase
Turn those long walks through the airport into an adventure with a suitcase that doubles as a scooter. Not only will your child be able to keep up as you speed walk to your gate to make your connection, but this fun suitcase is great for passing the time if you have a long layover at the airport.
Crayola Multicultural Crayons -24 Count (Set of 24 colors)
Thank you, Crayola, for recognizing people don’t all come in one or two shades and for creating a box of crayons of varying skin tones. This set of multicultural crayons is a great, inexpensive travel gift for kids to color and draw beautifully diverse pictures of their friends and family.
Pair it with a People of the World kids’ coloring book and you’ve got a great travel gift for kids that they can take with them on vacation!
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Little Passports World Edition – Subscription Box for Kids | Ages 6-10
Little Passports is perhaps the most recognized brand name in travel gifts for kids. The subscription boxes help your little one explore one country at a time with fun and educational activities and books.
You can get a subscription for kids ages 6-10 or get one that is more appropriate for early explorers ages 3-5.
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Osmo – Detective Agency – Ages 5-12
Let’s be honest, it is nearly impossible to keep kids off tablets, so why not buy them this fun and educational travel gift for kids that works with their tablet?
We love Osmo in our house. These award-winning educational games are so fun, your child won’t even realize they are learning!
Using a handheld magnifying glass game piece, your child can search for landmarks around the world while learning about local cultures and solving mysteries. Osmo sees and reacts to your child’s moves on their tablet.
Of course, you’ll need an iPad or Fire Tablet for your Osmo kit to work.
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Fire HD 10 Tablet
Judge me all you want, but a tablet makes traveling long distances so much easier. We load ours up with our daughter’s favorite shows and a handful of educational, fun apps when we are traveling.
It’s also a great gift for home activities that will inspire a love for travel. (See the Osmo game above.)
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USA Scratch of Map Poster for Kids
Much like the scratch off map that made our gift guide for dads, this poster lets you scratch off where you’ve been. But this map of the USA is more colorful and features illustrations depicting what each state is famous for to help kids learn about all the places they’ve visited.
So, if you take a Southwest USA road trip, for example, your child can not only scratch off the southwest states but also learn fun facts about them.
Educational Insights World Foam Map Puzzle
The World Map Foam Floor Puzzle is another one of the great travel gifts for kids from Educational Insights.
The 54 piece puzzle is perfect for older toddlers and young elementary school kids who are ready to move on from the 24 piece puzzles to something slightly more advanced.
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Barbie Doll and Travel Set with Puppy, Luggage & 10+ Accessories
Mattel makes so many great Barbie gifts for kids that inspire travel. From their Dolls of the World collection to their playsets that allow kids to take Barbie on a variety of adventures, these toys are sure to create hours of fun.
Travel Barbie is ready for an adventure! Her bag is packed and she’s ready for jetsetting. Who knew Barbie flew carry on only?!
You can also get Travel Ken, Travel Chelsea, and of course, all of Barbie’s BFFs come in a travel version, including Nikki and the ever-so-hip Daisy.
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Barbie Dreamplane
Of course, Barbie and her crew need a get around on their travels, and luckily Mattel offers plenty of options. Your young jetsetter will love the Dreamplane, where Barbie and friends can travel in style on their way to or from a new adventure around the world.
Barbie travels in style, so it should come as no surprise she also has a DreamCamper Vehicle, a helicopter, and even a getaway portable dollhouse. Gosh, Barbie is cool!
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LEGO Friends Summer Travel-Inspired Building Kits
LEGO is one of those brands that grow with your child. Here are a few travel-inspired LEGO sets for kids in grade school.
The LEGO Friends Sunshine Catamaran is a great travel-themed set that lets your child build their dream boat.
Ah, remember those days of lounging on a private catamaran as a child while island hopping in the Greek isles or the Malta archipelago? Yeah, me neither. But your globetrotter can always dream, and this LEGO set will help them do just that!
For a slightly less posh building set, the LEGO Friends Mia’s Camper Van set is a great 488-piece building set that will have your child ready for your next family camping trip.
Traveling the world in an old camper van is probably a bit more budget-friendly than a private catamaran. So, if your child is a realist, this set might be more up their alley.
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LEGO Friends Winter Travel Building Sets
The LEGO Friends Snow Resort Chalet and Ski Lift are both great sets for kids who love to ski or are learning to ski at a young age. And the best part is, you don’t have to dress for the cold weather at this snow resort!
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BEST LEARNING i-Poster My USA Interactive Map
This award-winning talking world map is another great way to teach geography to children and inspire a love for travel.
Hang it on the wall or let your kids play with it on the floor as they explore and learn about capital cities, countries, flags and more fun facts about the world we live in!
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Pretend Passports
You may keep your children’s passports put away somewhere for safe keeping, but they will have a blast filling up these pretend passports with passport stickers and stamps.
Who doesn’t love the feeling of a new passport stamp?! This set of 24 stampers includes a variety of popular countries from all over the world. It’s another great option for filling up the pages in your child’s pretend passport.
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Eiffel Tower 3D Night Light
Is your grade schooler still afraid of the dark? Light up his or her room with this travel-inspired, Eiffel Tower Nightlight that will have them asleep and dreaming of Paris in no time.
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stocaggio Convertible 2-in-1 Travel Pillow
Sleeping on a plane is never fun and never comfortable, but a neck pillow can definitely improve your odds of getting some quality shut eye.
This cute, convertible neck pillow is a great companion on any trip as it easily folds up into a stuffed animal.
My Travel Journal (Lonely Planet Kids)
A travel journal is a great way to document your child’s travels and encourage them to write down what they learned, saw, and experienced on a trip.
This kid’s travel journal from Lonely Planet is perfect for kids who need additional prompting to help them craft their writing.
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Travel gifts for kids ages preteen and teen
Buying for preteens and teenagers can be a challenge, especially if you are trying to buy them anything educational. But even the hard-to-buy-for preteen or teenager will like one of these awesome travel gifts for older kids and teenagers.
FUZADEL Multi-Color Changing Levitating Globe Desk Lamp
It glows, it changes colors, and it levitates. This globe doesn’t get any cooler! It’s the perfect gift for a teenager’s desk.
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Travel Bangle Charm Bracelet
Looking for customizable travel gifts for kids or teenagers?
A charm bracelet with different charms representing the places they’ve been is a gift that is as unique as they are! This is a great gift for a teenage girl who is developing a passion for travel.
An alternative for girls who don’t wear bracelets, this dainty necklace will always remind them to keep going to new places.
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Travel inspired duvet set
Teen girls who love travel will find this duvet set perfect for a travel-themed teen bedroom.
Teenage boys who love to travel may prefer this duvet set instead.
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Nintendo Switch
Gaming is popular among preteens and teenagers regardless of gender. And the Nintendo Switch is a great gift for kids to take on trips and keep them entertained for hours on planes, trains, and on road trips.
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Noise Cancelling Headphones
Not that we want to give our teenagers another way to tune us out, but noise cancelling headphones are one of the must-have travel essentials.
So, help your teenager become a pro traveler with their very own pair of headphones that will reduce the sound of traffic, airport noise, and younger siblings.
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4 Pack of Reusable Straws with Key chain and Cleaning Brushes
This makes for a perfect stocking stuffer or small gift your teen can give to friends. These reusable straws with a key-chain carrying case, are great for the environmentally-conscious teenager or preteen.
Made from stainless steel and collapsible, these straws can go to school, on trips, or anywhere else with your child. They will be reducing environmental waste while making a small, positive impact on the world around them.
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World Map Wall Decal – Let’s Get Lost
Next time your teen tells you to get lost, tell them OK! This decal of a short and sweet travel quote is perfect for the teen who has developed an attitude and love for travel.
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Travelers Club Midtown Hardside 4-Piece Luggage Travel Set
Prepare your teen for a lifetime of travel by buying them travel gear that will grow with them. This 4-piece luggage set comes with 2 spinner rolling suitcases, plus an overnight back and a toiletry kit.
It is the perfect set to ensure they will have everything they need on your family travels and afterward.
Don’t forget a fun luggage tag to match! Luggage tags make for the perfect stocking stuffer! And together, a luggage set and luggage tags make for an ideal practical travel gift.
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Travel the World Journal for Teens
When your young traveler graduates to a not-so-young traveler, this travel journal may be more their speed.
It’s perfect for pre-teens and teenagers who love to travel with prompt pages to encourage them to write about and draw their travel adventures.
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Edible kids travel gift ideas
There is something great about a gift you can eat. And these edible gifts are even better because they are travel inspired!
Cadbury Chocolate bars from the UK
Let your child’s taste buds take a trip around the world, even during the times of the year you cannot. These awesome Cadbury chocolate bars bring a taste of the United Kingdom home to you. They even come in a fun UK-flag gift box!
Bonus points if you buy this delectable travel gift for kids to get them excited about an upcoming trip to London or the adorable Cotswolds villages.
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European Snacks Mix
Looking for international variety in your edible travel gift for your kids? How about a snack box with an assortment of treats from Europe.
This box includes pre-packaged snacks from Poland, Greece, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and even lesser visited places like Romania and Croatia, a country with some delicious cuisine!
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Mashi Box Asian Candy Mystery Variety Pack
If you want to bring the taste of Asian sweets home to your kids, this box is more suited for your family.
With 40 different candies from China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan, your kids will love all the variety and the fun packaging. In fact, during our travels through Japan, the fun candies and food were two of the awesome reasons we loved Japan.
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Have a question or comment about these travel gifts for kids? Leave a comment below!
Like it? Pin this list of travel gifts for kids to save for later!
This post was originally published in November 2018 and was updated to include the latest and best travel gifts for kids in 2026.
