21 Great Gift Ideas for the Traveling Teen
Why are teens so hard to buy gifts for? It’s hard to know what they’ll use. It’s hard to know what will still be in style by the time they receive it. And it’s almost impossible to know what their friends will think of the item, which is often the deciding factor in your teen’s approval of a gift! The gifts I list here were recommended by my own teens, who live about half of their lives on various road trips. If you travel frequently with your family, I urge you to consider gifting them something that will be used on your next road trip. Without further ado, here are my daughters’ suggestions:
For the pet lover:
If your daughter, like my Esther, hates to be away from her baby and is always concerned about whether her dog is doing okay with whatever friend is checking in on her, this Pet Monitor with Night Vision and Two-Way Audio will give her peace of mind. You can talk to your pet anytime and observe his area with a nearly 360 degree view. Obviously, you can’t send it to a kennel if you’re boarding your dog, but it would provide reassurance for your teen in most other settings. Just hook it up to wifi and relax, knowing your pet can hear your voice and you can see her adorable mug anytime you want!
For the Digital Media Lover:
Whether your teens prefer music or movies, Netflix or Hulu, it’s always more fun to enjoy digital media together. When they finally stop bickering and decide what they’re going to watch or listen to, they can grab this handy-dandy 3-way headphone splitter right off their keyring to let them enjoy the experience together! Up to three siblings or friends can attach to the same device at one time for maximum fun. Karaoke, anyone?
When your device’s batteries run low, your teen can reach for this travel case, which holds all of their cords, headphones, and charging accessories. No more mystery cables draped across the backseat when you get out of the car for a dinner stop! And when you unload into the hotel room, this travel pouch makes it easy to grab everything you need to charge your devices for the next day’s travel.
If your teen is more into reading than watching shows, here are some gift ideas for your bookworm:
These adorable magnetic page markers come in a set of six, so she can switch between various reading materials throughout the trip. Or she can share with her mom, who is also an unrepentant bookworm!
When the sun goes down before you’ve reached your destination, reach for this flexible reading light and continue the adventure in your favorite novel. The lights can be turned on and off individually, and can be angled to completely eliminate distractions to the driver and other passengers. I use this thing all the time, and both of my girls want one for themselves, too!
For the creative teen:
Many of our teens are beginning to grow into their creative selves. For the creative teen, a road trip might provide hours of down time for them to explore the nooks and crannies of their inventive minds. Your aspiring writer will love this wire-bound lined journal. It can be the gateway to unknown stories or to a daily journal of sites yet unseen.
Even the most ambitious artist will find plenty to love in this unlined notebook, which is perfect for sketching the beauty that surrounds them, or the things they can only see with their mind’s eye. The spiral binding allows it to lay flat in the car, and the hard cover will protect their masterpieces from errant feet and luggage.
Instead of creating their own words or pictures, your teen might prefer this Scripture coloring book. With single-sided pages covered in a variety of styles of closed figures, she will be kept busy for hours. And at the end, she’ll have a frameable or giftable piece of artwork from her own hand!
For the responsible teen:
Eventually, we all hope our teens will take responsibility for some of their own travel accessories. If you have a teen who wants to travel with her own money, or keep her own lip balm, ID, and face mask at the ready, these gift ideas will help her to do just that. The biggest risk when a girl is first getting in the habit of carrying a purse is that she will put it down somewhere and walk away. But with this lightweight crossbody purse, she’ll forget she’s even wearing a bag until she needs something out of it!
If your daughter is looking for something with a different style, this one with a metal chain might fit the bill. Both offer crossbody or shoulder style, with multiple zippered pockets for all of those valuable accoutrements. When I want to travel light, I can even ask my daughter to carry my own cash or chapstick. Now that’s good parenting!
Many of our teens use different hair and beauty products than their moms do. This versatile set of travel bottles in its own clear travel pouch will allow them to bring just the right amount of whatever they need. Whether flying by air or by car, these bottles are designed to keep the contents safe and to fit TSA regulations. Just make sure they mark each container with the product, or it will still get wasted when they can’t remember what it is for the next road trip!
For the kid at heart:
Most of these gifts are geared more toward the teen with maturing interests, whether art, reading, music, or movies. But many of our teens are still kids at heart, and they need their own gift ideas, too! This gift was specifically requested by my 16yo girl. She claims that, if I get this for her, she won’t sit in the back seat bouncing and tapping her knee. We’ll see. If this fidget cube with travel case will solve her restlessness on a long road trip, I’m willing to try anything at this point.
It’s been years since I thought I had a child the right age for these window markers. But as much as these teens love drawing on steamed up windows in the winter, I’m thinking it might be time to take these out of the vault. And bonus, now they’re old enough to clean if off the window by themselves when we reach our destination! Mom wins!
Nothing says “kid at heart” like this retro video game that works without wifi. When you’re out in the middle of nowhere with no cell signal, but your teens claim to be carsick from reading a book, you can pull this surprise out of your carry-on and have a superbly happy kid on your hands! Several games are included in a single device with replaceable batteries. We never had it that good in the 90s!
For the fitness fan:
If you only vacation for a week or two per year, you might be tempted to take a break from your workout routine during your travels. But for Esperanza, my committed workout partner, it’s important to have some tools with her that can be used to replicate her home workout regimen. Even a small space can become a home gym with this set of resistance bands and so much more. The carry pouch, the door weight, and the various resistance levels make this a perfect fit for any level of workout. No more searching for the hotel’s gym, only to find it closed due to COVID regulations.
I find that yoga is an important part of my week, even when I’m traveling. There’s nothing quite like being crunched into a seat for a 12-hour drive to make you long for a good stretching routine. Even when luggage space is limited, this yoga mat and strap can be packed away in their cute carry pouch. When it’s time to log in for your zoom yoga class, just find a small open space in your hotel room or your VRBO rental and stretch away the aches and pains of travel.
For your introvert teen:
One of my teens (ahem… Esperanza) has been living her best life during the pandemic. She loves the idea that she’s not allowed to go anywhere or get within six feet of anyone! If you have an introverted teen, give her the gift of privacy with this hoodie travel pillow with a carrying case. My girls spend half the car ride with a blanket over their heads to keep the sun out of their eyes, anyway. With this product, they can hide in the dark and still be able to breathe fresh oxygen! What a great solution!
One of my daughters is an avid sports fan. When her team is not playing, she is still surfing the NFL app or ESPN for any tidbit of information. Something tells me this trivia book could keep her busy for hours. And I imagine it will turn into a competition between her and her dad, who can barely keep up with her sports knowledge these days!
For every teen:
While most of the gifts on this list are specific to teens with a particular interest, the next few gifts will work for a teen whose interests you don’t know as well, or who seems impossible to buy for. I’ve never met a teen who couldn’t use another pair of these adjustable slides for travel, the shower, or the beach. Maybe your teen likes to kick off her shoes in the car, but needs something quick so she can get out at a rest stop. When we were enjoying a beach picnic recently, my barefoot teen stepped on a bee and got stung badly. Now she is a little more understanding when I remind her to wear shoes when we’re out and about. You just never know what lurks in wait for your feet in public spaces.
Another item that can be appreciated by every member of the family is this vacuum insulated hot or cold water bottle, which comes in any color you could dream of! Whether you’re traveling in the heat of summer or the driest winter weather, the best way to mitigate the risk of illness is to keep hydrated. There are so many germs when you’re passing through various truck stops, hotels, and restaurants. Make healthy choices and keep cold water or hot tea out of your vehicle’s carpets with this spill-proof bottle.
All of our road trips originate in the Midwest which is notorious for bipolar weather. When you leave your house in 50 degree morning mist, only to reach your first fuel stop in 75 degree sunshine, you need this lightweight hoodie with built-in face cover. I’m tempted to buy myself one, too, because Hubby and the girls love to blast the AC when I’m already shivering. Layering is the answer, and this layer is just too adorable to live without!
Shopping for teens can be frustrating, but it can also be rewarding, when you know you hit it out of the ball park and got them the perfect gift that they will use for years to come. What would your teen add to this list? Which items do you think will be most popular this holiday season? Leave a comment so I can run your ideas by my own interest group. More lists coming soon!