18 White Elephant Gifts Everyone Will Love | SmarterTravel (2024)

If you have a white elephant, Secret Santa, or other holiday gift exchange on your calendar this season, skip the gimmicky mall gift and instead buy one of these travel-related gifts that won’t break the bank.

The Best White Elephant Gifts to Shop for This Year

No matter what type of game you need to shop for, these 18 thoughtful gifts will win everyone over at your holiday gathering.

TONYMOLY Mini House of Masks, $8

These bestselling face masks by TONYMOLY are great for travelers to use in their hotel room or on the plane. The cute gift set makes the perfect white elephant gift for friends, family, or coworkers.

Rael Himalayan Pink Salt Toothpaste, $8

The buzzy product in the health and beauty department is Himalayan pink salt toothpaste. Bring this to your gift swap, and you’ll be sure to pique somebody’s interest.

Coolrunner Four-Piece Suitcase Luggage Tags, $8

Luggage tags are a useful holiday gift exchange idea and are something you can never have enough of. This four-piece set is brightly colored so you can easily spot your luggage on the carousel.

Food Huggers Silicone Avocado Huggers, $12

It’s a sure thing that avocado huggers will be a bestselling gift this year. Almost everyone will love them, and they make an inexpensive white elephant gift.

Vinetto Wine Aerator, $9

The Vinetto Wine Aerator pourer and decanter spout is a welcome addition to any vacation rental. At only $11, this handy tool aerates your wine to ensure it tastes the way it is meant to.

Silicone Reusable Food Bag, $12

Stasher reusable bags are the latest Instagram product to become mainstream, and these bags have as much use on the road as they do in the kitchen. Use it for a toiletry bag, washing bag, jewelry organization, or about a dozen other things.

Shoe Storage Bag, $15

Practical and organized travelers will love this unexpected packing item. It holds up to three pairs of shoes and has plenty of other organizational pockets. These are the new packing cubes.

Minicat Crossbody Cell Phone Purse/Wallet, $19

Cell phone purses are the perfect gift for female travelers, as they take up minimal luggage space and fit everything you need for travel days or city touring. The Minicat Crossbody comes in six colors, and its price should meet any white elephant gift budget requirements.

Fuse Reel Side Kick, $14

The collapsible laptop charger winder makes for an ideal white elephant gift for any office gift swap. Business travelers and commuters alike will appreciate this gift’s functionality.

Carry-on co*cktail Kit, $16

Who can turn down a margarita mid-flight? This fun—and TSA-approved—white elephant gift will make anyone’s holiday flight easier. The co*cktail kit includes margarita mix, rimming salt, a jigger, a bar spoon, and a coaster; just purchase tequila in flight and you’re ready to go.

A Year Off by Alexandra and David Brown, $19

Wondering what it’s like to quit your job and travel the world? A Year Off, a travel guide/memoir hybrid, fuels wanderlust and gives advice on how to travel the world for a year without working. Inspiring and entertaining, this book will be a fun read for any travel lover.

Portable USB Diffuser, $17

Diffusers and essential oils are a trendy gift to give this year, and this portable diffuser is ideal for the office, car, or hotel room. It’s about the size of a standard water bottle and doubles as a humidifier.

Corkcicle Stemless Flute, $20

Everyone will love Corkcicle’s portable Champagne flute around the holidays. Made of stainless steel, it’s easy to travel with, and the fun styles add some extra sparkle to holiday parties or happy hours.

Matador Mini Pocket Blanket, $20

This super packable, water-repellent blanket is a useful white elephant gift for almost anyone. Whether your recipient is an active traveler or a beachgoer, the mini pocket blanket is easy to throw into your bag for day trips or vacations.

Atlas Kit World Map, $20

Scratch-off maps are so last year. Instead, gift this pocket world map, which you can color, write, sign, and draw on as a way to remember your travels. The Atlas Kit also comes with one random international coin and a small glass vial for keepsakes.

Atlas Obscura, 2nd Edition: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders, $26

The second edition of Atlas Obscura was released just in time for the holidays and makes a thoughtful white elephant gift.

Fisher Space Pen, $25

A space pen is the white elephant gift nobody knew they needed. Many travelers forget to pack a pen and then find themselves in a pinch when the time comes to fill out a customs form. This space pen can write in extreme altitudes and temperatures, and even has a lifetime guarantee.

Pocket Hand Warmer, $27

This might be the most useful white elephant gift ever. Ideal for commutes, travel days, and cold winter weather, the Zippo rechargeable handwarmer doubles as a power bank.

More from SmarterTravel:

• 12 Tiny Travel Gifts That Make Great Stocking Stuffers
• The Worst Winter Travel Gear (and What to Pack Instead)
• How to Pack a Suitcase: The Ultimate Guide

Ashley Rossi is always ready for her next trip. Follow her onTwitterandInstagramfor travel tips, destination ideas, and off-the-beaten-path spots.

Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product.

Editor’s Note: Prices were accurate at the time of writing. This story has been updated from an earlier version.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.