Subscription boxes for travelers make amazing gifts! They have the potential to immerse someone in cultural and educational experiences from food to language and crafts, as well as transport the recipient (back) to a bucket list destination.
And, if you’re considering this as a gift-giving possibilty, then you’re in the right place.
In this guide, you’ll find a selection of the best travel subscription boxes and the top reasons to select one of them as a gift for the travel lover on your list.
Why a Travel Box Subscription Can Be a Perfect Gift
Gift-giving is an art. To do it right, you want to combine the person’s interests and the price you want to spend with the thrill of the person receiving something new, original, and unexpected. And as easy as this sounds, I’m sure we can all relate to feeling stuck and indecisive about finding just the right gift for a friend or family member.
But, that’s why travel subscription boxes literally check so many boxes!
For the person receiving one, the subscription is customized around a personal interest or theme. Yet, it offers that person the chance to try something new and receive gifts that might be unavailable where they are.
For a travel-lover on your gift-giving list, a travel box subscription could have food or items from a favorite destination or place on the person’s travel wish list. Or it might have gadgets and gear to go along with a travel-related activity like hiking, camping, or road-tripping.
Not to mention, a box like this contains the element of surprise and unpredictability. So whether you choose to gift one box or have the subscription continue over a few months, it’ll be so exciting for the travel enthusiast on your list to get something special, delivered by mail, all the while connecting with the person’s love for travel.
Plus, as the person giving a travel box subscription, options come in a range of prices and travel themes. They are conveniently available online and can simplify last-minute shopping. Oftentimes, too, you’re supporting small businesses and local artisans in specific destinations which is a definite feel-good bonus!
Best Subscription Boxes for Travelers
Below you’ll find the best subscription boxes for travel lovers. Most are monthly subscription boxes that you can decide for how long you’d like it to continue. In a few instances, boxes may come seasonally or each quarter.
And as you’ll see, many of these travel-themed subscription boxes are from small businesses that in turn curate items from other small businesses, as well as family-run shops, farmers, and independent artisans. All of this adds up to a personalized and unique gift that does a lot of good!
1. Sakuraco
Sakuraco curates beautiful premium subscription boxes with a combination of 20 Japanese foods, sweets, and tea. Each month, the selected items highlight a different area of Japan and the local family-run businesses that make the goodies in each box. Some boxes even come with a handmade dish or other houseware to connect with the foods in the box.
From the moment you open the box, you’re instantly immersed in a Japanese cultural experience. The booklet included not only tells about each snack but also gives insights about the place in Japan where the items have come from and the items themselves, as well as thoughtfully written explanations about the families and businesses behind these products.
There are also interesting facts you learn as you read and taste each item. For example, I learned that the Indigo Yuzen Dish in the box I received had a repaired broken pottery look because it’s remembering the Japanese art of kintsugi. Or that the butter used to make the Hokkaido Butter Cookies in the box comes from Hokkaido’s dairy farms which supply more than 50% of Japan with the raw milk it needs.
Quite simply, the Sakuraco subscription box is the most impressive I’ve received. It’s my top pick for a travel box subscription gift! Don’t just take my word for it, though. Their subscription boxes have been featured in publications like The New York Times, BuzzFeed, CNET, Refinery29, and many more.
Sakuraco’s boxes will transport recipients back to Japan to relive travel memories or take them on their first cultural and educational journey there. Either way, giving a Sakuraco subscription box as a gift is an absolute treasure!
2. Finders Seekers Mysteries Subscription Box
This best-selling travel adventure box comes with a mystery to solve in a different city every month. The content is family-friendly, as well as challenging and exciting for an adult game night.
Recipients receive clues that take them on an exploration of a new city and its culture and history as they work to solve the mystery. Inside these boxes, you’ll find everything from destination information and maps to photos, recipes, and sheet music that immerse you further into the location.
From the comfort of home, this travel gift box takes participants around the globe to places like New Zealand, Mont Saint-Michel, Petra, and Chicago and will have the travelers on your list anxiously awaiting to see where the next adventure will take them!
3. Full Suitcase Three Books Box by The Wordy Traveler
As a passionate traveler and teacher, The Wordy Traveler’s travel box subscription could not be more perfect. After all, books not only have the power to teach you about a new place or culture, but they also can inspire someone to plan an actual journey of their own!
Included in these recognized-by-Oprah-Lonely Planet-Forbes-and-USAToday boxes are books highlighting a new destination and other gifts like leatherbound bookmarks, hand-carved keepsake boxes from local craftspeople, as well as cozy reader delights like socks, tea, or coffee.
These boxes come once every 3 months with past destinations ranging from Italy, Japan, Ancient Egypt, and Spain/Portugal. You can choose from a variety of options regarding the number of books in a box and even personalize it further by choosing the ratio of fiction and nonfiction books you’d like the subscription box to have.
Plus, with each box purchased a donation is made to help children and pregnant women from around the world receive the nutrition they need.
4. Wanderkarma Travel the World Box
Have a world traveler on your list who appreciates unique, sustainable handmade gifts? Then, Wanderkarma just might be one of the best travel subscription boxes for you.
Each month, Wanderkarma’s boxes travel to a new country or city and include handcrafted artisan products that range from home decor, bags, and fair trade trinkets and jewelry. Some boxes might even include tastes of traditional foods from that place, too! There’s also an included travel guide to learn more about what the country or city is all about.
Locations are varied as you probably expect, but you’ll also find that some featured destinations truly open the recipient’s eyes to places they might not know a lot about like Rwanda, Nicaragua, and Haiti.
Quite honestly, these boxes are beautiful and so thoughtfully put together with the intent of sparking someone’s wanderlust all while giving local artists a marketplace for their goods.
5. Explore Local Box
Explore Local subscription boxes take recipients to a new U.S. city every month and are guaranteed to make the travelers on your list get out and discover all the countless spectacular places to visit in the United States.
In the true spirit of supporting small businesses, each box includes high-quality local products ranging from foods and hand-crafted gifts made by artists in that city. There’s also an information card and watercolor map with interesting facts and travel tips about the city, the products, and the artisans and businesses behind them.
This connection is bound to make a traveler feel like they know the city better when they eventually visit. Plus, past recipients have loved the products so much that they’ve ordered things again directly from the local businesses which is a definite win-win for all involved!
6. Treats International Snack Box
How about giving a gift that transports someone on a cultural journey with the help of fun and different snacks from around the world? The Treats International Snack Box does just that in a travel subscription box gift that arrives once or for 3, 6, or 12 months depending on what you choose.
Inside, recipients will get authentic treats, plus recipes, cultural information, and postcards from the featured country which has ranged in the past from Greece to South Korea. And, I’m not sure there is a more enjoyable way to learn about a new country than through its food, all while discovering new flavors along the journey.
Not to mention, world travelers who’ve visited many countries often find themselves missing some of their favorite snacks from abroad that aren’t available back home. So if this matches a traveler on your list, this affordable subscription box can help transport them back to their favorite places.
7. Tokyo Treat Snack Box
Tokyo Treat subscription boxes are full of the most awesome snacks and candy in Japan. Where Sakuraco mentioned above focuses on traditional culture, a Tokyo Treat box is full of the popular snacks in Japan today.
Each box is filled with 15-20 full-sized snacks, candy, and drinks. Some brands like Kit-Kat or Coke have exclusive or limited-quantity Japanese flavors that Tokyo Treat curates and includes in its boxes. You’ll also find ramen, Japanese drinks, one-of-a-kind Japanese candies, a selection of Japan’s delicious savory snacks, and baked goods Japanese-style.
Tokyo Treat makes it fun to travel through the flavors of modern Japan. The best part is you only need your tastebuds! This is a one-of-a-kind gift that would be especially great to give travel-loving families with an interest in Japan.
8. Wild Woman Box
Of all the subscription boxes for travelers on this list, Wild Woman boxes are for women who love the outdoors. Whether she is someone who backpacks into the backcountry for a multi-day camping trip or simply loves to get outdoors for a weekend hike, this is a great gift that speaks to those passions.
Each monthly box contains 4-6 outdoor-themed products from gear to body products and snacks. Everything in the box is chosen because of its usefulness and portability for outdoor adventures like hiking and camping. Past boxes have included emergency blankets, tinder packs, dry bags, repair patches, energy bites, self-care balms, and lotions.
If you’re shopping for a travel-loving outdoorsy gal, you’ve landed on the perfect gift!
9. IndiFix – Your Indian Snack Fix
IndiFix takes snacking to the next level by immersing you in India’s most popular snacks, foods, sweets, and even drinks. From chatka and roasted fox nuts to vegetable soup, mango nectar, and caramels, this India-themed travel subscription box will take recipients on an adventure of the Indian sweet and savory!
Depending on whether you choose an “Original Fix” or “Super Fix,” you’ll get 12-20 full-sized Indian snacks in the gift box. Everything included is 100% vegetarian. And each time a box is purchased, IndiFix donates a portion of the proceeds for at least 1 meal to a child in need in India.
Choose to gift 1, 3, 6, or, 12 months with each box bursting at the seams with delights from India. (Seriously, every inch of space is used in these gift boxes!) And as the recipient discovers the items, it’s bound to lead to new learning about India and the cultural connections to its food.
10. Sealed with Irish Love Box
Trying to find the perfect gift for someone who can’t stop talking about their trip to Ireland (either past or future)? Why not bring Ireland to them every month to help satisfy their love for all things connected to the Emerald Isle!
The Sealed with Irish Love Box arrives each month with 3-5 items from Ireland. These items are curated from the works of independent businesses and Irish artisans, many of which are handmade. Past boxes have included housewares like textiles and bowls and skin and beauty products like lotions, as well as food goodies like jams, brown bread, and tea. Recipients will also receive a notecard with information about the item, the artist who created it, and their inspiration.
So, whether it’s to reminisce about a past visit, fan the flames of wanderlust, or maybe even an homage to someone’s Irish family heritage, this subscription box about Ireland would make a special gift.
11. Exotic Noods Subscription Box
That noodle-loving traveler on your list used to be so hard to shop for, but not anymore!
Recipients of Exotic Noods boxes are transported around the world through steamy, savory bowls (or cups) of noodles in a range of flavors, styles, and broths including spicy seafood, shoyu, and tonkotsu. The mix of noodles includes ones that can be enjoyed at home, as well as on the go. And each box also has a pamphlet to explain the types of noodles every month.
This subscription box captures the spirit of gift-giving with something unique, fun, and unpredictable each month. All while, speaking to the soul of someone who loves to explore new cultures through food. And who knows?! Perhaps your gift will even wind up expanding more than someone’s noodle horizons!
12. Spice Madam Subscription Box
Spices are one of my favorite souvenirs to bring home for myself and others which is why the award-winning travel box subscription from Spice Madam caught my eye immediately! Their boxes are perfect for recreating new favorite dishes back home, as well as experiencing the flavors of a country not yet checked off the bucket list.
From the moment the monthly boxes arrive, the aromatic scents from the spice packets draw you in. Along with them are 5-6 recipes, even those to accommodate vegetarians, so you’re able to make a complete meal for a group of 4-6 people. There will also be postcards, fun facts, and even music to complete the atmosphere as your kitchen lands in places like Morocco, Japan, Pakistan, and Greece.
Plus, each box supports a Non-Profit focused on youth education so you’re helping to give back while you gift-give.
13. Little Passports
Little Passports offers monthly geography and travel subscription boxes for kids as young as 3 years old and up to 9+. Their boxes are designed to inspire children to explore the world beyond their neighborhoods and communities.
Using hands-on activities and stories, children can travel the world learning about different countries and cultures through food, art, and maps, as well as facts and game workbooks.
The World Edition monthly subscription also includes a passport so kids can collect stamps and other collectibles like coin replicas kids can display. By going through the activities each month, kids discover famous sights, animals from around the world, and different customs and traditions. There are even recipes to try.
And for the curious future chef, the Kitchen Adventures monthly subscription box gives children a taste of countries around the world with themed cooking activities from a different country each month.
With the anticipation of a new box arriving each month, this is a fun and educational gift to open little minds to the world.
14. Tea Runners
In many countries around the world, tea is an art form with more varieties of tea leaves than anyone can count. From Morrocan mint to India’s Darjeeling and the green teas of East Asia, Tea Runners subscription box brings all of these teas to your front door.
Every month, recipients get 4 types of loose-leaf teas which is enough for 30-40 cups of tea. The teas are sourced from the best tea companies, as well as from small growers in Asia. These varieties include rarer teas that are difficult to find anywhere else. In addition, the box will have tasting notes and steeping directions to help extract the best flavor from each tea leaf.
Food & Wine and Food Network have even named Tea Runners the best tea subscription box for black tea and overall! And if you read the tea leaves (sorry couldn’t help it!), you’ll see that the traveler on your list will also love this thoughtful way to bring global tea flavors to their doorstep.
15. Taste Italy Monthly Subscription Box
Italy is always a good idea. And when you can’t get there in person, a monthly selection of sweet and savory products from northern to southern Italy delivered to you is the next best thing!
The Taste Italy subscription box includes food items like cured meats, spreads, olives, pasta, biscotti, preserved vegetables, chocolates, and coffee. With the 5-6 full-size items in each box, there’s enough to put together a charcuterie board and prepare delicious Italian snacks and dishes.
As the recipient unboxes each item, it’ll take them back to Italy and everything they loved about traveling in the Bel Paese! And if they’re still dreaming of that Italy trip, the Italian experience in every box will tide them over until they finally get there!
16. Celebrate States
Celebrate States subscription boxes are just as they sound!
Each month, a box will arrive themed around a particular U.S. State. Inside there will be 6-8 thoughtfully chosen items from local, family-owned businesses so that recipients can experience the best of that State through food, home decor, and personal items like soaps. Also included is a fact booklet to learn fun facts about each State!
You can even personalize the boxes by choosing which State to start with, as well as letting them know some preferences and whether or not you’d like a kid-friendly pack included.
Not only will the items be one-of-a-kind local products for that State, but the boxes can also help to inspire future family road trips!
17. My Bean
This is the perfect subscription box for someone whose interests align with travel and delicious coffee.
My Bean subscription boxes include 2 types of single-origin coffee beans from different regions around the world. The coffee beans are ethically and sustainably sourced by environmentally friendly farmers who live in the local communities from where the beans come.
Coffee beans arrive monthly from places like Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Peru, and Brazil. Along with them, recipients get tips for the best brewing methods to pull the best flavor from each particular type of bean and fun facts about their coffee beans.
Plus, when you gift a subscription box from My Bean, you’re supporting a veteran-owned business in addition to the local farmers who grow the coffee beans.
18. The Happy Glamper
The Happy Glamper caters to ladies who like to get out and explore the great outdoors but refuse to sacrifice their creature comforts. After all, glamping is camping in glamour. Think stylish tents with cozy, heated beds and gadgets to help make the outdoor experience more pleasurable and even luxurious!
With this subscription box gift, recipients will receive 1 box per season or 4 boxes over 12 months. Each box will come with 4-7 glamping gadgets and essentials for the luxury glamper to look and feel her best! Plus, the items selected for each box help at least 4 small businesses.
19. The Italian Wine Club
Aside from mouth-watering food, I’m not sure anything is more synonymous with Italy than its delicious wine!
We all know an Italophile among us. Italy is or has been on most people’s travel wishlists which is why Italy-themed gifts are always a hit. Pair that passion with a love for wine and the Italian Wine Club subscription box is just the gift you need!
A quarterly box is delivered every 3 months, each with 6 bottles of high-quality Italian wine from independent wine growers throughout several regions of Italy. These are wines that come from small batches made from handpicked grapes in family-owned vineyards. Every box is different and the wines included are completely unique. You won’t find them anywhere in the U.S.
Recipients rave about the value and quality of the wines and the Italian wine lover on your list is bound to do the same!
20. National Park Adventure Tees
This travel box subscription speaks to the hearts of National Park fanatics. A lot of us are on a quest to visit every U.S. National Park and collecting a tee-shirt for each one goes hand-in-hand with getting your National Park passport stamped.
Each month, the National Park lover on your list will get a new National Park Adventure tee shirt accompanied by a park informational card. However, there’s an interactive component to this gift, too! The recipient must figure out the hidden password on the tee shirt and then use it to access a monthly challenge online. With each challenge comes the chance to win prizes.
The tee-shirts are beautifully designed and will add to any National Park lover’s look when out on the hiking trail!
Travel Subscription Boxes Bottom Line
Quite simply, travel-themed subscription box gifts are the perfect way to give something that matches a person’s passions, while keeping exactly what that gift is unknown. After all, everyone loves to receive a unique gift and feel excited as they open it and discover what’s inside!
And for that person with the love of travel on your list, you’ve got fun, unique, and beautiful subscription box options to give a truly unforgettable gift.
What questions do you have about subscription boxes for travelers?
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