Gifts for Someone Going to Europe: Useful Ideas They’ll Actually Pack

Gifts for someone going to Europe should be things they’ll actually want to pack and hopefully still use long after the trip is over.

We’ve taken several trips to Europe as a family, and I’ve definitely learned what earns a spot in my suitcase. Some things make a long overnight flight much more comfortable, while others make a huge difference when you’re walking all day, moving between cities, or trying to keep four people organized.

Most of the gifts on this list are things I personally pack for Europe and use on our other trips, too. There’s a mix of inexpensive gifts, practical travel gear, and a few bigger splurges, so there should be something here for just about any budget.

If you’re planning your own trip, you can also find all of our Europe travel guides in one place.

Gifts That Make the Flight to Europe Better

A long flight is usually the first part of a trip to Europe, so anything that makes those hours a little more comfortable is a great place to start. These are gifts they can use on the flight over, and most will come in handy throughout the rest of the trip, too.

Apple AirPods Pro 3

I recently bought the newest AirPods Pro, and one of the features I’m most excited to try is live translation. I haven’t traveled internationally with them yet, so I can’t say how well it works in real-life situations, but I’m really curious to see if it helps when we’re trying to communicate with someone who speaks another language.

Of course, they’re also great for the actual flight. Noise cancellation makes a big difference on a long overnight flight, and this is one of those gifts they’ll continue using long after they get home.

Avantree Relay Airplane Bluetooth Adapter

The Avantree Relay lets you connect AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones to the airplane’s entertainment system instead of using the headphones provided by the airline. It can even connect two pairs of headphones at once, which is nice when you’re traveling with someone else.

This is a small gift that doesn’t take up much room but makes using your own headphones on a long flight much easier.

Airplane Phone Holder Mount

A lot of the overseas flights we’ve taken have built-in entertainment screens, so we don’t always need an airplane phone holder on the flight to Europe. However, it’s great to have when you end up on a plane that doesn’t have one.

My son especially loves this. It clips onto the tray table and holds your phone at eye level, so you aren’t trying to hold it or prop it up for an entire movie.

Mulberry Silk Sleep Mask

If there’s ever a time I’m willing to try just about anything to get some sleep, it’s on an overnight flight to Europe. This mulberry silk sleep mask takes up almost no room in a personal item and helps block out the cabin lights when you’re trying to convince your body that it really is time to sleep.

It’s also easy to use again in hotels once you arrive.

EverSnug Travel Blanket and Pillow

Yes, you usually get a blanket on an overnight flight to Europe, but I’m always cold, so I’m perfectly happy to have two! The EverSnug Travel Blanket and Pillow folds into its own pillowcase and can attach to your luggage, which makes it much easier to bring along.

I also like that this isn’t something you’ll only use on the plane. Having your own blanket can be really nice on trains while traveling between cities in Europe, too.

Portable Charger

Our family uses this portable charger constantly. Not just when we travel, but at sporting events, day trips and pretty much anytime we know we’ll be away from an outlet for hours.

I’ve tried several over the years, and this is my favorite one I’ve found. In Europe, we use our phones all day for pictures, maps, tickets, directions and looking things up while we’re out sightseeing. Having a portable charger in my bag is one of those things I don’t even think twice about anymore.

If you’re shopping for a teen, I also rounded up some of our favorite travel stocking stuffers for teens that are small enough for a stocking but useful enough to actually come along on our trips.

Practical Gifts That Come in Handy in Europe

Some of the best gifts for someone going to Europe aren’t necessarily the most exciting ones to unwrap. They’re the things you end up using every single day of the trip and are really glad you packed.

VINTAR European Travel Plug Adapters

A set of European travel plug adapters is definitely one of the more practical gifts on this list, but it’s also something they’re going to need. We own these and bring them with us to Europe so we can charge multiple devices without everyone fighting over one adapter.

I especially like getting a three-pack when we travel as a family. We have phones, watches, AirPods, portable chargers and plenty of other things that need to be plugged in by the end of the day.

Apple AirTags and Holders

I will never travel without AirTags in our luggage again. Years ago, our luggage was lost on our way home from Scotland. It took five days for some of it to make its way back to us, and one bag was never found at all.

Now I put AirTags in our checked luggage and backpacks. I love being able to open my phone and see where our bags are, especially when we’re flying internationally.

Losing that luggage is also one of the reasons so many of our best travel tips came from learning things the hard way.

For one traveler, a single AirTag and AirTag holder makes an easy gift. For a couple or family, I’d go with the AirTag 4-pack and set of holders.

Travel Electronic Organizer Case

I use this travel electronic organizer to keep all those little cords and electronics from disappearing into different pockets of our bags.

Europe trips seem to come with an especially ridiculous amount of charging stuff. Between phones, watches, AirPods, portable chargers and plug adapters, having one place to keep everything makes packing and finding what I need later much easier.

Collapsible Travel Water Bottles

These collapsible water bottles are great for Europe because they don’t take up much room when you aren’t using them. We used refillable bottles while sightseeing in Rome and filled them throughout the day at the public water fountains around the city.

Those fountains were just one of the little things we learned while traveling around Rome with our kids that made sightseeing in the summer easier.

When you’re walking for hours in the summer heat, having water with you is a must. I also like that you aren’t giving up a huge chunk of backpack space to an empty bottle once you’re finished with it.

KiCA Mini Handheld Fan

My KiCA mini fan wasn’t even originally a travel purchase. I bought it for baseball after watching players constantly borrow one during hot July tournaments. It ended up being so useful that now it comes along for all kinds of trips.

I’ve brought it to Disney and Europe, and it was especially nice to have in Italy in August. It’s small enough to throw in a backpack but surprisingly powerful when you’re standing outside in the heat wishing for even the slightest breeze.

RFID Family Passport Holder

When we’re traveling internationally as a family, I like having one passport holder for all of us rather than digging through different bags trying to find four passports.

It also gives me one place for the other little things I want easy access to while we’re going through the airport. This is especially useful for a family going to Europe, but it would also make a practical gift for a couple traveling together.

Gifts for Packing and Sightseeing in Europe

Packing for Europe can be a little different from packing for a trip where you stay in one place all week. If you’re moving between cities, getting on and off trains, and changing hotels, anything that makes your luggage easier to manage is worth having.

Packing Cubes

I love how organized I stay when I use packing cubes, especially when we’re moving between hotels. When we arrive, I pull the cubes out of my suitcase and put them right into the hotel drawers. My clothes stay organized in the dresser, and when it’s time to leave, I zip everything back up and put the cubes right back into my suitcase.

Anything I didn’t wear is still folded and organized instead of becoming part of the giant suitcase mess that somehow happens by the end of a trip.

One warning: packing cubes make it surprisingly easy to fit more into your suitcase. I have absolutely packed so much into mine that my suitcase ended up overweight. More than once. Apparently just because it fits does not mean the airline wants you to bring it.

Packing cubes are just one part of how we stay organized on these trips, and I have a full list of what we actually pack for Italy if you’re getting ready for your own trip.

Osprey Farpoint 55L Travel Backpack

We’ve taken the Osprey Farpoint 55L backpack to Europe, and we specifically liked having a backpack when we were moving between cities. Rolling a suitcase through train stations, onto trains and between different hotels can get old quickly. Being able to put our luggage on our backs and have our hands free made those travel days easier.

One of my favorite features, though, is the detachable daypack. We’ve used that smaller backpack on so many trips and day trips, even when we weren’t using the larger backpack. I love that you’re basically getting a travel backpack for your luggage plus a smaller bag you can use once you get where you’re going.

This would be an especially good gift for someone planning a Europe trip with several stops instead of staying in one city.

Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag

I use my Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag all the time. It has been to Europe, Disney, theme parks and plenty of other places with me.

For sightseeing, I don’t want to carry a big purse around all day. A belt bag holds the things I actually need while keeping my hands free, and it’s comfortable enough to wear for hours. It’s also one of the gifts on this list that doesn’t feel like you’re giving someone “travel equipment.” They’ll probably use it just as much at home.

Osprey Daylite Shoulder Sling Bag

The Osprey Daylite Shoulder Sling is another option for someone who wants a small bag for sightseeing without carrying a full backpack. It can hold the basics you want with you for the day while still keeping your hands free.

I like having different bag options depending on what we’re doing that day, and something this size is easy to pack inside your larger luggage until you need it.

Unexpected Gifts for Someone Going to Europe

Some of the most useful things we’ve brought to Europe aren’t necessarily the first things you’d think to put on a packing list. These are a few less obvious gifts that have come in handy on our trips.

Shawl or Wrap for European Churches

I started bringing a lightweight shawl or wrap for those hot sightseeing days when we planned to visit churches. Some churches in Europe have dress codes that require your shoulders and sometimes your knees to be covered, which can be tricky when you’ve dressed for a full day of walking around in the summer heat.

A lightweight wrap was an easy solution. I could use it to cover my shoulders or tie it around my waist if my shorts were too short for the dress code, then put it right back in my bag when we left. It takes up almost no space, which makes it an easy thing to keep with you just in case.

This was especially helpful when visiting the Vatican with our kids, where dressing appropriately was something we needed to think about along with everything else we planned for the day.

Heal & Rescue Epsom Salt Foot Gel

After walking around a European city all day, Epsom salt foot gel can feel pretty wonderful. We use it after long sightseeing days in Europe and at Disney when our feet have had enough.

Europe trips tend to involve a lot of walking, and we’ve had plenty of days where we were on our feet from morning until night. This is one of those little things you’re very happy to have waiting back at the hotel.

Beard Grooming Travel Kit

My husband uses this beard grooming kit, which comes with a beard brush, comb, mustache scissors and travel bag.

It’s obviously a more specific gift than most of the others on this list, but that’s also why I like including it. If you’re shopping for a man with a beard who has a Europe trip coming up, it’s something he’ll actually use instead of another generic travel gift.

Give Them an Experience in Europe

Not every gift for someone going to Europe has to fit inside their suitcase. Paying for an experience they can do on the trip can be an even more memorable gift.

A Tour or Experience for Their Trip

One of my favorite parts of traveling in Europe is actually doing something that helps us experience the destination instead of just checking off the major sights. A food tour, cooking class, guided walking tour or day trip gives them something to look forward to before they even leave.

Viator has tours and activities throughout Europe, so you can look for something in the city they’re visiting and either pay for the experience or give them money toward one.

You can make this as inexpensive or as big as you want. It could be a food tour in Rome, a cooking class, a boat ride, a museum tour or even a full-day trip outside the city.

Gift idea: Print out the experience and put it inside a card with one of the smaller gifts from this list. An AirTag, travel adapter or portable charger isn’t quite as boring to unwrap when there’s also a European food tour hiding in the envelope.

Finding the Perfect Gift for a Europe Trip

Shopping for gifts for someone going to Europe doesn’t have to mean buying something specifically made for European travel. Some of the best gifts are simply things that make the flight more comfortable, sightseeing easier or packing a little less stressful.

These are all things we own and use on our travels, including many that have already been to Europe with us. Hopefully, you found something here that the traveler in your life will be excited to unwrap and even happier to have once they get to Europe.

If you’re planning a trip of your own, you can also browse all of our Europe travel guides for more ideas from our family’s trips.

Our family travel photography © Stack the Miles. All family and attraction photos were captured during our European vacations. Select scenic and landmark images courtesy of trusted stock sources and tourism archives.

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