Great Christmas gifts for travellers

Christmas is indeed the most wonderful time of the year – especially for travellers who spend so much of their time in the air, on the road and away from family and loved ones.

Of course, just around the corner lurks the new year, holding the promise of more travel after that relaxing break.

So it’s not too late to grab the perfect gift for the frequent traveller in your life (or perhaps get some inspiration for yourself too).

These are some of the favourites of the Executive Traveller team for Christmas 2025.

Aesop travel kits

You can’t go wrong giving the gift of Aesop, no matter the time of year. And a perfect Aesop gift for those on the go is one of these compact travel kits.

Each contains carefully-selected Aesop classics in a simple yet stylish zip case.

The Arrival pack sets a solid foundation of the essentials: shampoo, conditioner, body cleanser and body balm.

The Departure set – similar to the new Qantas First amenity kit – offers Resurrection hand wash and balm, a facial hydrating masque and mist spray, lip salve, mouthwash and toothpaste.

From there, choose between the Amsterdam, Chicago and Kyoto kits for nine travel-sized essentials geared to different climates and skin types.

AeroPress Go Plus

Australians are famous (or infamous) the world over for being coffee snobs, but capsule coffee machines in your hotel room (especially in North America) rarely pass the test.

So from the makers of the popular AeroPress system, here’s something special for that on-the-go coffee lover in your life.

The AeroPress Go Plus is a proper coffee setup that fits into a carry-on bag and guarantees a reliable coffee wherever you wake up next.

It packs the full AeroPress brewing system inside a stainless-steel travel tumbler with a splash-resistant lid, so the whole kit travels as one piece.

It uses the familiar immersion and air-pressure method with micro-filters that remove grit and reduce bitterness, producing a cleaner cup than hotel pod machines or sachets.

The brewer is made from shatter-resistant Tritan, the tumbler is double-walled to keep drinks at temperature, and everything rinses clean in seconds.

Patricks AL1 Anti Lag Capsules

Jetlag is the bane of frequent flyers, and there’s no magic pill to fix it – or is there?

Patricks AL1 Anti Lag is a two-phase capsule system designed to smooth the shock of shifting time zones.

The AM dose helps reset energy and mental clarity after arrival, while the PM dose supports rest and recovery so your first morning at your destination doesn’t start with a headache.

Ingredients like adaptogens, nootropics and calming botanicals help rebalance your internal rhythm.

Across several international flights we’ve been impressed by how well Patricks AL1 Anti Lag works, so consider this as a smart ‘stocking stuffer’.

Anker Laptop Power Bank

Here’s your chance to channel Crocodile Dundee in the airport lounge. “That’s not a power bank... that’s a power bank!”

The aptly-named Anker Laptop Power Bank is your ultimate portable power source.

The staggering 25,000 mAh capacity and 100W USB-C output can keep your laptop running at full pace, with more than enough juice left in the tank to top up your phone.

Yet it sits just under the common 100Wh airline limit, making it approved for carry-on.

Two retractable USB-C cables reduce the cord clutter in your bag, while the screen shows real-time output and remaining capacity so you can ration power on long sectors.

Victorinox Spectra 3.0 Trunk

For those trips when carry-on doesn’t cut it – especially going from an Aussie spring or summer to a northern hemisphere autumn or winter, when you need to pack thick cold-weather clothing.

The shell of the Victorinox Spectra 3.0 Trunk series is cast from Sorplas – a Sony-developed, Victorinox-exclusive recycled polycarbonate – that shrugs off the usual cracks and dents from long-haul handling.

The classic trunk design gives you one deep packing well so that suits, jackets and bulkier items sit properly rather than being squeezed into a 50–50 clamshell.

Two fitted cubes and a broad compression panel keep everything neat, and the wider wheel stance keeps it steady when you are sprinting for a gate.

Carl Friedrik Palissy

Backpacks may be practical, but they simply can’t look as smart or impress the way a stylish briefcase does.

Crafted from vegetable-tanned Italian vachetta leather, the Carl Friedrik Palissy will effortlessly carry your laptop or tablet, phone, passport and other essentials without losing its refined lines.

The smooth yet heavy-duty zipper runs all the way around three sides of the bag, making it uniquely easy to pack and unpack your kit.

Choose between smooth or textured leather, in seven elegant colours.

Nebula Capsule Air

Hotel TVs can too often be a gamble when it comes to streaming content, but the Nebula Capsule Air lets you take control of your downtime.

While barely bigger than a soft drink can, it can fill a blank wall with a full movie or the next episode you were saving for the trip.

Google TV is built in, so your streaming apps log in and travel with you. Place it on a side table, point, and it focuses itself.

When the workday ends and you are done with laptop screens, this is an easy way to turn any room into your own lounge.

Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 glasses

Ray-Ban’s Meta Gen 2 glasses take the familiar Ray-Ban Wayfarer shape and layer in a camera, microphones and open-ear speakers without changing the feel of the frame.

The result is a pair of sunglasses that can capture sharp 12-megapixel photos and smooth video while you stay hands free: useful on city walks, at events or during work trips when pulling out a phone would interrupt the moment.

The speakers allow you to take calls or listen to audio while remaining aware of what’s happening around you, which makes them more practical than earbuds when travelling.