Best Mother’s Day Gifts for Moms Who Love Traveling

Best Mother’s Day Gift For Traveling With Jewelry

She might like to dress up for each night of the cruise, but she won’t like the frustration of untangling her necklaces after traveling. The Monos Travel Jewelry Case keeps things organized, with spots for four pairs of earrings, a half-dozen rings, and more, in a posh vegan leather package. It has a modular design to help make it her own: she can loop necklaces over the earring panel and tuck them into the pouch below to keep them from tangling, organize rings and other accessories in the divider, or remove it to store a watch or chunky bracelets.

The case’s small footprint fits easily into her luggage, and she can take the vegan leather pouch on the go to hold her rings when she takes a dip in the pool so they don’t fall off chilly fingers. No matter her signature style, this will make it easier for her to travel with her favorite accessories than tucking them back into the boxes they came in; those are great for gifting but leave a lot to be desired for travel.

Why We Like It

• The earring panel and ring organizer are removable if she doesn’t need them
• The case’s structure protects her gems and keeps necklaces from kinking

What You Should Know

• She can stow a large watch or use the ring divider, but not both
• It has a larger footprint than a roll, but it should fit easily into most carry ons

Best Mother’s Day Gift For a Great Blowout

Forget the ads you see scrolling Instagram: the best travel hair dryer for mom is from Conair, a brand she’s probably been using your entire life. This compact folding hair dryer won’t take up much space in her travel bag, yet dries hair faster than the anemic complimentary dryers she’ll find in hotel rooms and cruise cabins. It works just as well as models twice its size, but its petite handle is ergonomic to hold, feeling just like her favorite dryer at home.

Whether she folds it or not, it’s easy to pack for nearly any trip and has dual-voltage capabilities for travel to Europe. Just be sure to point out the switch on the front she has to turn before using it overseas.

Why We Like It

• It’s super small and lightweight, so it’s comfortable to hold even with weak hands or wrists
• It costs less than $20

What You Should Know

• It’s as loud as a full-size dryer
• She’ll still need a travel adapter to use it in another country, since it has a standard U.S. plug

Best Mother’s Day Gift For Personal Item Travel

If she’s been out of school for a while, she might not have a great backpack to take on the plane. With this stylish, durable daypack from Cotopaxi, she can carry an extra layer and outfit, her Kindle, and snacks onto her next flight, and then have a way to carry gear to the park, beach, or cafe throughout her trip.

The Cotopaxi Allpa 18L Daypack has a size and shape that suits smaller frames very well, and it’s made with durable materials that she can wipe clean if it gets dirty on the floor of the plane. Since it’s from Cotopaxi, it comes in several colors to suit nearly any style, and it’s built to last. Its pockets keep things organized, and there are padded sleeves for a small laptop or tablet if she’s inclined to travel with tech. Combine that with stretchy side pockets for her water bottle and umbrella, and she should be set to explore the world without getting a sore back.

Why We Like It

• The harness system is very comfortable
• Water beads up on the exterior in the rain

What You Should Know

• The bag’s slim profile makes it a little harder to reach the bottom of the main compartment
• The front pockets press into the main compartment

Best Mother’s Day Gift For Easy Laundry After A Trip

Laundry might not sound fun, but it’s probably something mom will have to do when she gets home, so why not make it easier on her? Sure, you could plan to surprise her by doing the wash yourself when she gets home, but it’s easier to give her a packing cube that will help keep things sorted throughout her trip.

The Thule clean/dirty packing cube is a divided organizer that lets her pack clothing on one side for her trip and move it to the other side as she wears items. A TPU divider protects the clean pieces from the dirt and odors of the gear she’s worn. The cube is pretty large and holds a decent amount, so it will make it through shorter trips, but you might want to get her two if she’s an overpacker or often travels for longer (especially if she hates doing laundry on vacation).

Why We Like It

• The flexible TPU divider takes up less space than on other clean and dirty cubes we’ve tested
• She can wipe the divider clean when she gets home

What You Should Know

• It only comes in one size
• There’s no compression zipper

Best Mother’s Day Gift For Charging On The Go

Whether she’s the travel planner, takes all the photos, or just has an old phone, there’s a good chance your mother could use a battery bank before her next trip. You wouldn’t want her to get stranded with no way to call an Uber because she used her last bit of juice to send you a photo of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, would you? No, you would not.

Unfortunately, batteries can take up a lot of space in a small purse or sling. That’s why we like the NITECORE Carbo 10000 Gen 2. Its slim shape fits in nearly any pocket and is easy to hold. The Carbo has enough capacity to charge her phone more than once throughout the day or on multiple days if she forgets to pull it out and recharge it every night. She’ll need to bring her own cord, but it has two ports, so she and a friend can use it at the same time.

Why We Like It

• The 30-watt speed is handy for faster charging
• It’s water-resistant if she drops it in a puddle

What You Should Know

• It only includes USB-C ports, so buy her a new cord if she’s still using USB-A
• It’s a bit pricey, but isn’t mom worth the upgrade?

Best Mother’s Day Gift For Organizing Makeup

If your mom’s medicine cabinet is overflowing with makeup, creams, and brushes, she’ll love all the space and organization in the Solgaard Trio Hanging Toiletry Kit when she takes it on her next trip. It’s the best of both worlds—the capacity of a large, open space with differently sized pockets to keep things organized. The toiletry bag unfolds into three sections, with the bottom a removable 3-1-1 bag so she can be ready for the security line. Some of the pockets are water-resistant to contain any spills, and there’s a hook to hang it up at the hotel. There’s even an exterior pocket where she can slip her compact and gloss for touchups while traveling.

The material is recycled and durable, so it will be her travel companion through many trips. It has a large footprint, but you can always get the Solgaard Duo if she doesn’t bring as much when she travels.

Why We Like It

• The 3-1-1 bag is removable
• It has space for all the gear she needs

What You Should Know

• Its large footprint can be hard to fit into a travel backpack, but it fits perfectly in rolling luggage
• It’s not compressible when she’s carrying less

Best Mother’s Day Gift For Coffee Lovers

Is the coffee brewing whenever you wake up, whether it’s at home, the hotel, or the Airbnb? If so, get mom a new travel mug to carry her favorite drink wherever she goes, whether it’s coffee, tea, or something else. The YETI Rambler 16 oz Travel Bottle will help her stay hydrated all day long, and you can get it in her favorite color so she doesn’t have to share.

The Commuter Cap allows her to sip anywhere around the rim and is leakproof, so she can toss it in her tote without worrying about it spilling on her favorite novel. Its tapered base fits easily in cup holders and bottle pockets, and it has top-notch insulation to keep things warm—or cold—for hours. It’s easy to clean the BPA-free stainless steel bottle and cap since there aren’t a ton of small pieces to take apart—and it’s dishwasher safe. Win-win.

Why We Like It

• It has top-notch insulation
• You can get it in a ton of colors

What You Should Know

• It doesn’t have a handle
• The cap can be hard to open one-handed

Best Mother’s Day Gift For The Long-Haul Flyer

Does your mom fly around the world or often take the red-eye? Help her arrive rested and refreshed with the Trtl Glimpse Sleep Mask. It’s soft, breathable, and built to stay put through long flights or restless nights, while keeping fabric completely off your eyes. Plus, it provides complete blackout coverage to keep her travel companion’s reading light or in-flight entertainment from bleeding through and keeping her awake.

The adjustable strap fits any head with a hook-and-loop fastener that’s soft and doesn’t snag on hair. The eye cups are adjustable, too, so she can find the right fit for her face. It comes with a travel pouch and earplugs, making it an all-in-one kit that ensures she gets the best rest possible while traveling. While it’s not the slimmest or cheapest option, its comfort and reliability more than justify the price. So if your mother needs total darkness to sleep, this is the best travel gift you can get her.

Why We Like It

• Adjustable eye cups keep pressure off the eyes and lashes
• There are no gaps around the nose or sides to let in light

What You Should Know

• Eye cup alignment takes a few tries to get just right
• The peek-through mesh feature is mostly gimmicky

Best Mother’s Day Gift For The Outdoors

If your mother likes to hike and spend time out in the cold—or if she’s just always chilly—these hand-warmers are a lifesaver. Instead of buying multipacks of disposable hand warmers for every trip, she can recharge these small warmers to keep warm for 4-8 hours, depending on the setting. She can keep them in her pockets to warm up between texts or photos if she doesn’t like using her phone with gloves, or slip them inside her gloves or mittens for extra heat. They have three levels of warmth and are small enough to fit easily in her palms. At the end of the day, she can plug them in with a USB-C cord for warmth throughout her trip.

Why We Like It

• You can get her favorite color or pattern to suit her style
• Small loops at the top make them easy to grab from a pouch or sling

What You Should Know

• The square shape may be a bit large for tiny hands
• She’ll need a USB-C cord to charge them if she doesn’t have one yet

Best Mother’s Day Gift For A Luggage Upgrade

If your mom’s still hauling around a suitcase from the last century, bring her into the modern age before her next trip. The Bellroy Transit Carry-On has a hard shell and smooth-rolling wheels to help her get her gear where it needs to go, along with a sturdy handle that won’t wiggle if she has to roll it over rougher pavement. The layout is similar to other carry-ons, with the space pretty evenly split between the front and back halves, but this one comes with built-in packing cubes. There’s one large and one small, and they connect to the bag with toggles that slip into loops to keep them in place while she travels. She can use the extra space for her sun hat and shoes, or for more clothing.

This luggage will last, too, since you can replace the telescoping handle, TSA-approved lock, grab handles, and wheels for her if they ever break.

Why We Like It

• She can stay organized without extra accessories
• It has enough space to get her through several days

What You Should Know

• The included cubes can waste space if she doesn’t fully use the space underneath
• The handle doesn’t always slide all the way down under its own weight, and sometimes has to be slightly pushed at the end

Best Mother’s Day Gift For The Shoe Lover

Sure, Mom might have more shoes than she has children (or closet space), but it’s Mother’s Day, so get her what she wants. Tieks Ballet Flats are excellent for travel because they look great with jeans or dresses and fold in half for easy packing, taking up less space in her travel bag than a swimsuit. We like that the full-grain Italian leather develops a patina over time, and the non-skid soles will keep her from slipping. They have a cushioned instep for all-day comfort and a padded back to prevent rubbing and blisters.

They only come in whole sizes, so you’ll need to size up if she wears a half-size, but Tieks also offers an e-gift option, so she can choose her own size and color.

Why We Like It

• They fold up to pack down incredibly small to fit into your pack
• They’re easy to dress up or down for everyday or formal wear

What You Should Know

• It can be hard to flatten them out again if they’re folded for long-term storage
• Every model has a teal sole, which is visible even when you’re wearing the shoe

Best Mother’s Day Gift Phone Accessory

If she’s prone to losing her wallet, giving her the Nomad Goods Leather Mag Wallet will help in two ways. First, it’s MagSafe to stick to the back of her phone. Secondly, it’s trackable via Apple’s Find My Network if she takes it off to charge her phone and leaves it behind. The MagSafe is quite snug, so it’s unlikely to slide off as she pulls it out of her purse or pocket, but she’ll be able to find it if she does. The Horween leather looks premium after years of use, which is probably more than we can say for a phone case, and there’s a little tab inside to hold snugly onto one card even if she wants to downsize for a trip after routinely stuffing three or four inside.

Why We Like It

• She can carry just the essentials in one package
• It doesn’t stretch out over time

What You Should Know

• It’s rather expensive, but that’s due to the leather construction and the trackability, which you don’t find on many MagSafe wallets
• It doesn’t work with Android

Best Mother’s Day Gift For Freshening Up

No matter where she travels, she needs a way to carry her lotions, creams, and other liquid toiletries with her. The Cadence Capsules come in 0.56 oz and 1.32 oz sizes. If that’s not enough, you can add an extender module to the larger one for a total of 2.75 oz. That meets TSA carry-on guidelines and will give her plenty of shampoo to get through vacation. The smallest capsule is ideal if you just want to store a week’s worth of creams and pills, while the mid-size and large are enough for shampoo and conditioner.

What sets them apart from plastic bottles is that they’re magnetic. They stick to each other to conserve space in a toiletry bag and include magnetic labels, so she knows exactly what’s inside.

Why We Like It

• They’re very durable
• They come in a variety of sizes

What You Should Know

• They’re heavier than plastic bottles
• These are screw-cap containers with no options for a nozzle, spray, or pump; she’ll have to pour, dig, or scoop toiletries out

Best Mother’s Day Gift To Carry Small Gear

If she’s always digging around in her tote for her favorite lotion or cord, she needs a pouch! Whether she needs to carry tech or toiletries, this clear bag will let her see her gear without digging deep. It’s primarily clear polyethylene-vinyl acetate (PEVA), with tops and sides made from recycled Robic nylon. A small webbing handle makes it easy for her to pull it out of a bag or carry it to another room, and an internal mesh grid forms an X-shaped divider to help organize her gear. It helps everything stay standing when she pulls out a cord or bottle instead of everything falling on top of one another as it would in a more open bag. The pouch stands nicely on its own when full and doesn’t take up much counter space, which is great for small hotel rooms or cruise ship bathrooms.

Why We Like It

• It’s easy to wipe clean
• The mesh divider keeps things organized

What You Should Know

• The stated 3L capacity is over TSA 3-1-1 limits, though the bag seems smaller
• Despite the built-in organization, bottles can still fall over if there’s less inside

Best Mother’s Day Gift For The Mom Who Packs Snacks

Does any mom travel without snacks? Probably not. So give her the humangear GoPouches for a more sustainable way to carry trail mix, cereal, or fruit and vegetables. Their unique SlideLock is much easier to seal than the ziptop closure on a plastic baggie. We also like the pouch’s broad base and the top frame that keeps each open, making them easy to fill and use on the go. You can get them in 0.4L or 0.8L sizes, and the food-grade silicone is easy to wash, either by hand or in the dishwasher. It’s even microwavable if she wants to warm up her food, though we don’t recommend using them for soup.

Why We Like It

• They work well for tech and toiletries, as well as food
• The pouches seal better than plastic bags

What You Should Know

• We wish there were a larger size available
• Silicone can collect hair, dirt, and lint