Etsy's best 9 gifts for backpackers | Xmas ideas for travel-lovers

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What I love about Etsy is that it gives small-time, hugely talented artisans a chance to access a global market with their wares. It’s the place I go to find really unique, thoughtful products, and for that reason it’s an excellent source of birthday and Christmas presents for family and friends.

This year, Etsy have asked their affiliates (that’s me!) to put together a list of their favourite finds for the 2022 Christmas season.

Etsy is obviously an absolute goldmine of gift ideas for your loved ones (or screw it, a treat for yourself), and it can be easy to get lost if you don’t yet have a solid idea of what you’re looking for, so I’ve taken the time to pull out a few of my best gifts for backpackers.

Once you’ve finished reading about these gifts for backpackers, you may also enjoy:

So, first on my list of the best gifts for backpackers is…

This travel-lover’s necklace

My sister bought me one of these beautiful necklaces for Christmas a few years back and I ADORED it. Unfortunately I then left it in a hotel room on Isla de Providencia, but I think I’ll buy one to replace it since I loved it so much. The design is a dainty little nod to travelling without screaming, ‘ASK ME ABOUT HOW I’VE TRAVELLED THE WORLD’.

Along similar lines, I’ve fallen in love with this mountain sunrise necklace, which is a perfect gift for travel-lovers who enjoy hiking!

Here’s a fairly butters picture of me wearing my globe necklace at Guatavita Lake, Colombia:

…Kept safe in a jewellery box

On the road, I am CONSTANTLY losing my jewellery, so a travel jewellery box had to make my list of best gifts for backpackers.

Compact, with a few compartments and a zip for security, this case is the perfect addition to any backpack. You can also personalise it, which is an added bonus for hostel life.

A handy cable bag

And what do I also lose more than jewellery? Cables.

Make sure the backpacker in your life never misplaces or tangles a wire again with this beautiful cable bag. One of those gifts for backpackers we never knew we needed!

An artisanal Colombian Wayuu camera strap

When taking travel snaps on the road, any backpacker needs a sturdy camera strap to keep their gear from falling or getting nicked, and it’s best to have one that doesn’t tempt people in by having the camera model embroidered into it.

This woven Wayuu-style camera strap (that can double up as a bag strap!) is made by artisans in Northern Colombia, so you’re not only gifting something authentic but you’re also helping the local indigenous community.

An extra comfy travel hoodie

As I mentioned in my hand luggage essentials guide, the key to staying comfortable across the ever-changing climates of air travel is to pack layerable clothes.

As the final layer, and a way to block out some light/make sure the people directly to your side can’t see you dribbling with your jaw hanging loose, a travel hoodie is a great way to go.

These are some of my fave hoodies & jumpers for travel-lovers!

Women’s sweatshirt
Unisex sweatshirt
Unisex hoodie
Custom embroidered country hoodie (really cool!)

One of these wanderlust-inducing phone covers

The best gifts for backpackers combine wanderlust with the unfaltering protection of your valuables! These painted landscape phone covers will trigger all sorts of travel desires.

To prove I’m not just trying to flog products that I have no idea about, here’s my real life phone with one of these covers on. I really love it; it’s sturdy, not too bulky and transports me to somewhere in Argentina (maybe Bariloche?) every time I look at it.

Some turtle-saving metal drinking straws

While a lot of the world has taken a stance against plastic straws, there are still many countries in which they’re the cheapest option for restaurants, so you’re bombarded with baby-turtle-killers at every stop you go. Save turtles and locals’ operating costs alike by bringing your own reusable straws with you.

I was amazed and a little jealous when my friend whipped one of these out from her bag at a bar in Granada. I’d never really seen them before, but now I think they should be a staple of your rucksack wherever you are!

And if you want to go one step further, among the best gifts for backpackers wanting to reduce their impact on the planet (and never get caught out without cutlery) Etsy also has an 8-piece zero waste set.

A jam-packed travel journal

Now, a travel journal is just a notepad, right? Not this one. This travel journal is one of the best gifts for backpackers who love to wind down and reflect on their trip at the end of a busy day.

It of course gives them space to write about their adventures on lined paper, but also has insert sleeves to hold all their paper memories like tickets, a little box to collect small keepsakes and a map to colour in the places they’ve been.

A cutesy organiser

These great gifts for backpackers who are always losing their stuff halfway through an airport are a lifesaver wrapped up in an personalised wallet.

This travel document organiser. is a place to hold tickets, passports, reminder notes, currency and even a pen.

So that’s my list of the best gifts for backpackers! If you want more general ideas, don’t forget to head over to Etsy’s editor’s Christmas picks to see what they’ve pulled out of the hundreds of thousands of gift ideas on their site.

Hope you have a very merry Christmas!