Travel gift cards are great last-minute gift ideas for travelers. But the big question is, what are the best gift cards for travelers? Which stores and brands do they love and where can you find them?
For today’s post, I gathered the 25 best travel gift card ideas that travelers will definitely love, and more importantly, use.
Did you know that 80% of the respondent of an international study in 2021 said they were planning to give gift cards over the holidays? It’s by far one of the most popular gifts, and it’s only getting bigger and bigger. Check out the gift industry statistics or gifting fact posts for more interesting stats.
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Best activity gift cards for travelers
#1 Global experience gift card by Viator
The global experience gift card is one of the travel gift cards that I often recommend in my destinations guide.
The gift card can be used for Viator tours from around the world. Recipients can choose from over 350,000 different types of activities, day trips, or multiple-day tours with this card. Which makes it one of the best gift cards for travelers of any kind. Whether they are city-trippers, backpackers, hikers, foodies, or cruise-lovers, Viator offers tours for everyone.
For more travel gift card ideas for cruise lovers, check out #14
#2 Tinggly gift cards
Just like Viator, Tinggly offers tours, getaways, experiences, and activities around the world. You can go for a Tinggly e-gift card, and decide for yourself how much money want to put on the gift card.
But what’s cool about Tinggly is that they offer all sorts of pre-designed gift cards for travelers, such as Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, and Just Married boxes. The latter, I also shared in my travel wedding gifts.
So make sure you check out Tinggly to see if they have a gift card box for your recipient. If not, the e-gift card is the perfect alternative. Or check out the next Tinggly gift box if you are looking for travel gift cards for foodies.
#3 Tinggly’s taste the World box
Are you looking for the best travel gift cards for foodies?
Then Tinggly’s “Taste the World” box is the gift you need.
As I explained above, Tinggly boxes give the recipients access to Tinggly’s tours and activities, and in the case of this box, it allows the recipient to choose from over 300 food-related experiences in over 50 countries.
Some activities you can think of are tapas making in Spain, tagine cooking class in Morocco, or a Brazillian food class.
#4 Spafinder gift card
Are you looking for travel gift cards for someone who loves saunas and spas? Then the Spafinder gift card is what you are looking for.
Spafinder gives the recipient access to over a thousand spa and salons across the US. Unfortunately, they don’t operate outside of the US. So make sure you only give this gift card to someone traveling to the US or someone who lives there.
However, the gift card doesn’t expire, so even if the recipient isn’t going to the US soon, they can still use the gift card in 5 or 10 years.
#5 CityUnscripted gift card
CityUnscripted gift vouchers are the best gift cards for travelers who love unique and authentic experiences.
The activities and tours that are available on CityUnscripted are not designed for large buses filled with tourists, but for the individual. Literally.
They offer private and personalized activities in 45 different cities around the world.
Activities you can think off include private walking tours, food tours, or just a kick start to a new city with a local guide.
Best accommodation gift cards for travelers
#6 Airbnb gift card
Airbnb is one of the largest platforms for lodging and homestays. So a gift card from Airbnb will definitely be useful for any type of traveler.
However, there is one thing to keep in mind before buying an Airbnb gift card. They are not valid everywhere. In fact, they are only valid in the following countries Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. So if you are looking for gift cards for travelers from other countries, you will need another option. Check out the next lodging gift cards for that.
#7 Global hotel card by Expedia
One of the best travel gift cards for accommodation besides Airbnb is the Global Hotel Card by Expedia.
Expedia is a popular and highly rated platform to book flights and hotels. And their gift card gives access to over 350,000 different hotels across the world.
Unfortunately, you can’t buy the gift card directly from the Global Hotel card website, but you can buy it on Amazon.
#8 Hotels.com gift card
Another good alternative to Airbnb and Expedia is Hotels.com. This also allows the recipient to book hotels around the world. They have access to hundreds of thousands of different hotels, so they will surely find one they like.
You can buy the gift card directly from Hotels.com or from Amazon.
#9 Pack & Go travel gift card
The Pack&Go card is one of the best gift cards for travelers because it gives the recipient the option to choose which brand they would like to spend it on.
The brands that are featured are Airbnb, Southwest Airlines, Chevron, Texaco (although these seem to be out of stock often), and Grubhub. So they can choose if they want food, plane tickets, gas, or a place to stay with this gift card.
One important thing to know about the Pack&Go card is that the recipient has to pick one of the brands. They have to convert the Pack&Go card to an e-gift card for one brand specifically, which they can then spend.
#10 Coolstays gift card
If you are looking for gift cards for travelers who love unique accommodation, then the Coolstays gift card and the next one are the two you need.
Coolstays is a platform that (as the name already suggested) offers cool accommodation options. From beautiful castles to cave houses and treehouses. You can find all sorts of unique lodge ideas here.
You can order the Coolstay gift card directly from their website and it will be sent to you by email. The gift card is only valid for two years. Which should be plenty of time for the recipient to book one of the 2300+ options.
#11 Small luxury hotel gift card
The gift cards by Small Luxury Hotels (SML) are also great travel gift cards for people who love authentic lodging. As you probably already guessed, SML gift cards give recipients access to more than 500 cute and small boutique hotels. They operate in over 80 countries, so I am sure that the recipient will find a beautiful small luxury hotel in their favorite country too.
Best transport gift cards for travelers
#12 Delta airline gift card
Delta gift cards are great travel gift cards for all sorts of travelers. Recipients can use the gift card to book flights or Delta vacation packages. And luckily, Delta flies to many different destinations around the world.
However, if you don’t want to limit the recipient to one airline, check out the next gift card.
#13 Flightgift
Flightgift is a Dutch company that provides gift cards that can be used to book flights with more than 300 different airlines and to over 980 destinations across the globe.
#14 Princess cruise gift card
Are you looking for gift cards for travelers who love cruises? Then a gift card from the Princess Cruise Lines is what you need.
The gift card can be used to book one of their cruises or for onboard purchases.
But before you buy this gift card, there are two things to know.
The first one is that the gift cards can only be purchased by residents of Canada or the United States. If you live in a different country, you should go for one of the other 24 travel gift card ideas on this list.
And the second thing applies to Canadian customers. You should select the e-gift card option because the physical cards are not sent to Canada.
#15 Uber travel gift card
This is another one of the gift cards for travelers that is useful for any type of traveler. Uber operates in many different countries and whether the recipient is a cheap backpacker or staying in a luxury hotel, at some point they will need a taxi. And for that, Uber is perfect.
You can buy a gift card directly from Uber or check out Amazon.
#16 Eurostar gift card
Are you looking for travel gift cards for travelers in Europe? Then the Eurostar gift card is perfect.
It gives the recipient access to all Eurostars’ train routes in Europe, mainly between England, France, Belgium, and The Netherlands.
The voucher is only valid for one year, so make sure the recipient will be in Europe in the coming year to use the gift card.
Best travel gear gift cards for travelers
#17 Arc’teryx
Are you looking for travel gift cards for outdoor lovers and climbers? Then a gift card from Arc’teryx is perfect.
Arc’teryx is a well-known outdoor brand that makes high-quality climbing gear. However, they also have high-quality clothing and gear for other outdoor sports such as hiking, trail running, skiing, and snowboarding.
#18 The North Face gift card
The North Face is one of my personal favorite brands when it comes to travel clothing and gear. So if you are looking for gift cards for travelers who could use more clothing or gear, then I highly recommend a gift card for The North Face.
You can buy one online or in stores, but keep in mind that the in-store bought cards are only valid in the US.
#19 Mountain Hardwear
A gift card from Mountain Hardwear is a great gift for people who love alpinism and other mountain sports. They provide high-quality clothing and equipment. And since mountain gear is often quite pricy, a Mountain Hardwear gift card will always come in handy.
#20 Swimsuits for all gift cards
Are you looking for travel gift card ideas for people who love to swim or who love the beach? For those, a gift card from Swimsuits for all is perfect.
You can find all sorts of swimsuits for all types of bodies on Swimsuits for all, so I’m sure the recipient will find something she likes.
Oh yeah, Swimsuits for all only sells women’s swimwear.
#21 Bluffworks gift card
Bluffworks is one of the best brands for fashionable travel clothing. Their clothes are specifically designed to look great, but also be practical for travelers. So their clothes are wrinkle-resistant, can be washed in a washing machine, and have practical hidden pockets.
In other words, if you are looking for gift cards for travelers who want to look fashionable while traveling, Bluffworks is the card to go for.
#22 Columbia gift card
Columbia is another famous travel brand, so when you are not sure which of these travel gift cards you should go for, Columbia is always a safe option. Though check out #25 for an even safer option.
#23 Zappos gift cards
Are you looking for gift cards for travelers who also love to look fashionable? Then a gift card for Zappos is perfect. They can literally find any style of shoes or clothing, so there will always be something the recipient can use.
#24 Apple gift card
If you are looking for travel gift card ideas for techy people, then a gift card from Apple is always a good idea. You can buy it directly from Apple or from Amazon.
#25 Amazon gift cards
Alright, let’s finish this list with one of the safest gift cards for travel lovers (or anyone, really). A gift card for Amazon.
You can literally find anything on Amazon, so every traveler can surely find something they need on Amazon.
Save these travel gift cards
Don’t forget to save these gift cards for travel lovers on Pinterest!
Final note on the best travel gift cards
Alright, if you made it all the way to the bottom of the post, I am assuming you haven’t decided which gift card to buy yet.
If you want to play it safe you can always go for the Amazon (#25) or the Tinggly (#2) gift cards.
