The 2025 Gift Guide For Travelers (Part 1)

Help I can't stop buying vintage hotel ashtrays

Hi, and welcome to the third annual The Carry On Holiday Gift Guide! With 23 perfect presents for anyone on your list who would rather be on the road.

MiN Memento Body Wash from the Pendry Natirar; 1Hotels Kindling Candle; The Plaza Soap Set

The smell of their favorite hotel

My husband and I stayed at the new Pendry Natirar in New Jersey over the summer and we both couldn’t get enough of the scent of the custom bath products. I’m going to buy him a bottle to remind him of all the fun we had that weekend (the property has beautiful bike trails and a Gatsby-esque swimming pool), but plenty of hotels have their own custom scents. Pick one of your favorite stays to keep the good memories top of mind all year: MiN New York from the Pendry Natirar ($45); 1 Hotels Signature Kindling Candle ($38); The Plaza New York Boxed Soap Set ($12); an EDITION hotels reed diffuser ($68, on sale from $85) in the group’s Sicilian bergamot and fresh cedarwood scent. And omg the Westin’s famous white tea scent, I still remember walking into the Westin Beaver Creek more than a decade ago and wanting to drink the smell of the lobby. It now comes in body lotion form for $16, on sale from $20.

Vintage Hotel Ashtrays

Vintage ashtrays

These are so fun to shop for and give. Scour Ebay or Etsy for either a specific hotel or a destination, like Paris (George V, and a second George V!), Athens, The Bahamas, Reno, Atlantic City (The Playboy Hotel & Casino!), Venice, and a favorite: the Sydney Opera Hotel in Paris and this vintage terracotta from Hotel La Mamounia Marrakech! (I use the ones I pick up at flea markets and vintage shops when I travel for jewelry, matchbooks, etc etc etc.)

Baggu Cloud Bag; Luka Tote from Calpak; Suede Shoulder Bag from Quince

A packable bag

After forgetting to pack a day bag on my recent trip to Toronto (to write this story about eating dinner in a Canadian family’s home!) I came home and researched the best day bags so I’d never be without one again. (See the full list here.) A top pick is the Luka Expandable Laptop Tote from Calpak ($69) and I also love the Baggu Cloud Bag ($56) that folds down to a pouch and expands with room for all the essentials. This slouchy suede shoulder bag from Quince ($150) is a little more polished (but doesn’t zip.)

Eberjey pajamas; Quince dupes; Ritz Paris robe

Pajamas

My favorite Eberjey pajamas (regularly $150, on sale for $112.50) are also the best travel pajamas—they don’t take up much space in your luggage and since they’re so soft, they’re comforting after a long day of travel or sightseeing. I also love these dupes from Quince ($59.90).

A hotel robe

Speaking of comfortable, a fluffy hotel bathrobe from a favorite stay or a place they dream of going someday—like this Ritz Paris robe ($240), in the hotel’s signature soft peach color. (Founder César Ritz chose the color specifically to be flattering for guests’ complexions.)

Helly Hansen wet bag; Cotopaxi; Eagle Creek compression bags

Wet bag

For bringing home still-damp swimsuits from your tropical getaway, like this one from Helly Hansen ($30, on sale from $40), or this nylon and polyester laundry bag from Cotopaxi ($17) would also work well.

Compression bags

Eagle Creek makes my favorite version, I’ve had my set for 15 years and I once narrowly made a flight from Rome only because I didn’t have luggage to check thanks to these bags.