Gift Ideas for Grads Taking a Gap Year Updated for 2024

Wondering what to gift an intrepid adventurer soon-to-be graduate who is taking a gap year after high school? Whether they are bound for a semester of Eurailing, Hiking the Appalachian Trail, or dedicating a year of service to Americorps here are some essential items they will find useful during their gap year and beyond.

LL Bean Personal Toiletry Bag is quality, essential piece of gear for any traveler. It can also come in handy for dorm life when they get to college.

Quick Dry Towel is useful for travelers, backpackers, and volunteers sharing bathrooms or regularly on the go.

A Universal Travel Adaptor will come in handy for any gapper who plans to embark on some international travel during their gap year.

A Power Bank is an increasingly essential item for any young person, but especially one who might be relying on it for help navigating a new city, keeping an emergency communication device charged in the backcountry, or anyone living in bunk room style dorms sharing wall outlets with 12 - 20 other people.

Lightweight Notebook or Journal can be a useful item for writing down must visit restaurants, shops, and other hidden gems during travels, journaling about gap year experiences, or sketching their own masterpieces after being inspired by sights at the Uffizi or Louvre.

A Sturdy Suitcase is a big ticket item when it comes to gap year gear, but a quality piece that is versatile in many different scenarios can last decades.

Bluetooth capable Music Player that doesn’t connect to WIFI such as a vintage iPod Nano (make it more personal by loading a playlist of songs you selected)

Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a great gift for music lovers who also love to be the life of the party.

Portable Sewing Kit might seem like a boring gift, but it can be absolutely clutch at times…. Like the time our window blew off our tent on Day 2 of a 4 day backpacking trip in Iceland.

Repairing a tent window with my emergency sewing kit in Iceland

Bamboo Travel Utensil Set is a thoughtful gift, especially for environmentally conscious gappers who wish to reduce their single use plastic consumption.

Frequent Flyer Miles make a great gift for any gapper needing to travel by air during their gap year, since airfare can be one of the biggest expenses gap year students face. You may want to check with the recipient first before transferring miles in case they need to travel with a particular airline, such as with a group flight.

Portable Travel Games like Bananagrams, Uno, or Game of Things (travel size version) can help foster new relationships during the gap year.

Cash, Visa Gift Cards, or contribution to their Gap Year Fund might feel impersonal, but are always incredibly useful and appreciated by all gappers, especially those funding their experience on their own.

Gift Ideas for Graduates Taking a Gap Year

The growing gap year trend has given us the opportunity to get creative (and in my opinion have more fun) with graduation gift giving. In case you are struggling with what to give a recent grad who is planning a gap year next fall, here are a few ideas based on my years of leading gap year and study abroad programs.

Portable Charger

A portable charger can be an especially practical gift if your graduate is planning any international travel during their gap year. My portable charger has been a lifesaver when relying on my phone for navigation while traveling, and useful for keeping my camera charged when in areas without easy or reliable power connection.

A Reusable Water Bottle

I recommend a sturdy 1 liter water bottle such as a Nalgene or a Klean Kanteen. 

Headlamp

A headlamp is a critical piece of travel gear. Whether the gapper in your life plans to embark on a wilderness adventure or spend part of their year backpacking across Europe or WOOFING in Southeast Asia, they’ll likely use a headlamp on an almost daily basis.

Bamboo Utensil Set

Gap year students often find themselves on the go. A bamboo utensil set is ideal for a gapper planning to travel or backpack. A reusable utensil set will keep your gapper from relying on single-use disposable plastic ware, reducing the amount of waste they generate during their travels.

Frequent Flyer Miles

Flights aren’t cheap, and can account for a large portion of the gap year budget. Maybe you travel so much for work the last thing you want to do for vacation is set foot on an airplane. Put those miles to good use by gifting them to a gap year student in your life.

Guide Books

Lonely Planet and Rough Guides are always good options for gappers planning to explore several locations in one region or country. If your gapper plans to spend most of their time in one city, check out Citix60 Guides for urban artsy gappers, or City Cycling Guides for those keen to explore their home away from home on two wheels.

Travel Games

Bananagrams, The Game of Things, or a deck of cards with a fun design are great small gifts for students planning a gap year.

Blue Tooth Speaker

Some organized gap programs are technology free or technology light to encourage students to live in the present moment and allow for an improved social experience. A blue tooth speaker is great for group listening session and impromptu dance parties. Bose makes some small, portable speakers that could be great for a student taking a gap year.

Stuff Sacks & Reusable Containers

Whether planning an international trip or outdoor adventure in the United States, gappers need to pack all of their belongings for their trip into one suitcase or backpack. To stay organized I carry 3 different sized stuff sacks to keep track of smaller items, with the largest sack doubling as a laundry bag. I find that stuff sacks can be more versatile and save more space compared to packing cubes. A reusable tote bag that easily folds up can be used when shopping to avoid using plastic bags.

Reusable bags, like the Blue Avocado re-zip storage bags are an excellent alternative to disposable zip-lock bags. The medium re-zip bag is TSA approved for packing liquids in a carry-on bag.

While we’re on the theme of reusables… Reusable toiletry bottles are environmentally friendly and a wise investment for budget conscious travelers, like myself. For contact lens wearers Nalgene makes a small reusable drop-dispenser.

Combo Lock

I use a TSA approved combo lock to keep my valuables secured inside my backpack. Whether I am traveling by train, bus, or leaving my valuables in the hotel or hostel for the day I have found locking my backpack zippers with a small combo lock to be a good method of keeping my valuables secure. Combo locks can also be useful for hostel dorms that provide a locker, but expect you to provide your own lock.

Quick Dry Travel Towel

I have a quick dry travel towel that has been nearly everywhere with me. Whether your grad is planning a multi-country trip, an outdoor adventure, or will be staying in one place with limited access to laundry facilities a quick dry towel is a practical gift that they (and their fellow gappers) will appreciate. I also travel with a travel sized container of Dr. Bronners soap which can be used to shower, do laundry, and even brush your teeth!

Small, Lightweight Journal

Any student embarking on a gap year will want a journal where they can reflect on their experiences, make notes about details of places they've visited, or write down important information.  There are loads of beautiful hard cover journals that you might be tempted to gift a graduate embarking on a gap year, but a small light weight journal, such as a mole skin notebook, is really ideal for a gapper on the move.

Cash or Gift Cards

It may seem impersonal, but gap years are rarely inexpensive and a graduate who is helping finance at least a portion of their gap year independently would appreciate any financial assistance they can get. Gift cards could help pay for big ticket items like a backpack or suitcase. Cash that can be used to pay for meals, a Euro rail pass, or go towards an emergency cash fund would make for a practical gift that meets an important need. If you want to get creative you could visit your bank to see if they can order the local currency of the country to which your gapper plans to travel.