Travel gifts for your spreadsheet-planner friend

Call them your built-in travel planner, personal hero or your Type A friend; we all know and need someone in our lives who can pull together a group trip, whether that’s through spreadsheets, packing lists or making all of the bookings. 

If anyone deserves a thoughtful gift this holiday season, should it not be the person who puts the most thought into your trips? We asked our staff for their top personally tested recommendations to gift this type of traveler, who loves to be prepared but could also use a break from planning.

All our recommendations are independently selected by our writers and editors. Lonely Planet may receive a commission if you buy something through the links on our site.

1. A set of packing cubes that’s actually cute

Recommended by Jessica Lockhart, Destination Editor, Oceania

Call it a holdover from my backpacking days: I've been reusing the same Ziploc bag for my undies since roughly 2003. If you're like me and looking to gift someone (or yourself) a very grown-up upgrade, I'm eyeballing these colorful and cute Cotopaxi packing cubes.

Our pick: Cotopaxi Cubo Packing Travel Bundle

2. Leakproof toiletry containers

Recommended by Ethan Radtke, Senior VP of Strategy and Operations

I love to gift the Cadence Travel Capsule System. They're leakproof and come in three different sizes in the starter set – with some sizes that are great for shampoos and lotions, while others work for supplements, medication or jewelry. They're also a uniform shape, which makes fitting them into a toiletry bag easy and keeps things organized.

Our pick: The Starter Set from Cadence

3. Sturdy, reusable bags for snacks and toiletries

Recommended by Jessica Lockhart

For your carry-on liquids, I highly recommend ditching the plastic bag and investing in a Stasher clear silicone bag instead. They stand up to the rigor of frequent travel and make security a breeze. And if anything leaks, you can throw them in the dishwasher to clean them afterward.

Our pick: Value 6-pack from Stasher

4. A handy portable charger

Recommended by Nitya Chambers, Executive Editor

This is a great value for $25; the brick itself holds battery charge for a long time and powers up devices (cell phones, computers, etc) so quickly. This is a fabulous "for anyone" gift. Last year, I bought one for my parents before their trip to India.

Our picks: Anker PowerCore (10k), Anker Nano Power Bank (5K, MagGo, Slim), Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K)

5. A high-end customized trip

Recommended by Nitya Chambers

A few years ago, we splurged on a multigenerational trip to Costa Rica through Lonely Planet Journeys. It’s incredible; their on-the-ground local expert does all the planning for you, and you just have to book your flight. We opted for the high-end stay options – and wondered if we were being too fancy when we did it – but no regrets! The grandparents and kids still talk about how much they loved the trip; the memory was totally worth the cost.

Our pick: Lonely Planet Journeys

6. A hotel room upon arrival

Recommended by Melinda Anderson, Guidebook Development Senior Editor

When my stepdaughter left her summer internship in Dong Mafai, Thailand, to meet her sister and dad in Lisbon for a vacation, I earned hero status with my travel gift. I booked her a hotel room upon arrival so she could shower and sleep straightaway following her 36-hour trek west. A close friend is taking a very special 50th birthday trip this year, and a few of us are going in on a group gift, booking her an extra night in her super-luxe hotel so that her celebration vacation can start on arrival. Just say no to the dreaded lobby snooze and disoriented around-town wandering.

7. A sleek backpack that will fit under the airplane seat

Recommended by Melissa Yeager, Destination Editor, Western USA and Canada

It's only $33 and such a great buy for the money. It has a ton of room – so you'll want to be careful filling it up, because it can get heavy. But between this and my Away carry-on suitcase, I was able to pack a month of clothing for a trip last summer, traveling to multiple countries in Europe by train and bus, just in my carry-ons. (The backpack slides under the seat in front of you so easily.)

Our pick: Taygeer Personal Item Travel Backpack

8. Compression socks that won’t bunch

Recommended by Alexander Howard, Editorial Director, Destinations

You'll have to pry my compression socks from my cold, dead feet. As a distance runner, I'm used to all sorts of aches and pains, but long flights make everything worse. A good pair of compression socks gets me through even the longest hauls so I can actually focus on whatever's playing on the seatback screen. Swiftwick's Aspire Knee High doubles as a running and cycling sock, meaning I can wear them on the flight and then go straight out for a run at my destination (after washing them immediately, of course).

Our pick: Swiftwick Aspire Knee High

 9. A five-year journal

Recommended by Aoife Breslin, Marketing and Publicity Coordinator

This is the perfect gift for someone going on an extended trip. You just write one line a day for five years – simple, but really meaningful, and helps you enjoy the trips you planned in the moment. I brought the Jane Austen version with me when I traveled around Asia. Now that a whole year has rolled around, it's been so nice to relive those little moments as I add new ones for this year. I was gifted this by a friend, and I adore it!

Our pick: Jane-a-Day 5-year Journal

10. A pretty set of pouches for your odds and ends

Recommended by Ann Douglas Lott, Digital Editor

In my efforts to convince every traveler they should always carry a Little Bag of Things™, I have gifted multiple people this exact set of block-printed, quilted pouches from a small manufacturer based in Jaipur. Depending on the length of my trip, I alternate between the larger two sizes for toiletries, and the smallest bag I carry daily in my work bag and personal item when I travel. I like this particular set because:  1. The prints are beautiful (I have the pink and green), and 2. There is a waterproof layer inside, making them easy to clean should you have any spills.

Our pick: Block-printed travel pouch set from HandloomCafe on Etsy

11. A flexible, compact wheeled backpack

Recommended by James Pham, Destination Editor, Southeast Asia

I love my Tumi Alpha Bravo Wheeled Backpack. It works like a regular backpack when I'm on the ground, but I wheel it around airports to save my back. It's pretty pricey, so if I do gift it to anyone, they'd have to be super special.

Our pick: Tumi Alpha Bravo Wheeled Backpack

12. A sustainable set of shoe bags

Recommended by Akanksha Singh, Destination Editor, South Asia

I am always horrified when I learn loved ones pack their shoes directly in with their clothes (they walk among us, I assure you), so I've made it my life's mission to introduce people to shoe bags. I get mine stitched by my tailor down the road (fabric scraps and a drawstring to close), but a company called Ecoright does great recycled plastic ones.

Our pick: Ecoright Shoe Bags