Gifts for women photographers who travel
Shopping for someone who's always planning the next trip with a camera? Here are gifts she'll actually use, from small things for her camera bag to travel tech and a couple of splurges.
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Before you buy: a few quiet checks
- Which camera she uses. The model name is usually on the top or front. Batteries, memory cards and filters all depend on it.
- Her lens's filter size, if you're buying a filter. It's the number in millimetres printed on the front of the lens or on the lens cap, such as 49 mm or 67 mm.
- The kind of bag she already carries. If she loves her leather handbag, she'll probably love a leather camera bag more than a technical one.
If you can't check without spoiling the surprise, choose something for travel days. It won't depend on the camera.
Small gifts and stocking fillers
The little things that make a trip easier. Most cost less than a dinner out.
A bag tracker
A small tracker slipped into her camera bag means she can find it if it's left behind in a café or goes astray with the luggage. Check it works with her phone: some trackers suit iPhones, others suit Android.
Shop bag trackers ↗A memory card wallet
A small hard case keeps spare cards together and safe from knocks and sand. It also makes it easy to keep full cards apart from the camera, so one lost bag doesn't mean a lost trip.
Shop card wallets ↗A digital luggage scale
Many airlines allow about 7 kg in the cabin, and camera gear eats into that fast. A pocket scale settles the question at home, not at the gate.
Shop luggage scales ↗An air blower and lens cloths
Dust and fingerprints find every lens on the road. These are in my bag on every trip, and they're cheap enough to tuck into a card.
Shop blowers and cloths ↗A wrist strap
A wrist strap keeps the camera in her hand in crowded markets and stops drops as well as grabs. A neat choice if she already has a shoulder strap she likes.
Shop wrist straps ↗Film, plus the developing
For a film photographer, a few rolls of her favourite film are always welcome. Pair them with prepaid developing and scanning at a local film lab, which is the part people often forget.
Shop 35 mm film ↗Spare batteries and filters make great gifts too, but they have to match her camera and lens exactly. Buy the camera maker's own battery or a well-reviewed brand: cheap no-name lithium batteries aren't worth the risk, especially on a plane.
Travel tech
Practical, but every one of these gets used on every trip.
A 20,000 mAh power bank
Enough to recharge a phone several times and top up a camera that charges by USB-C. A typical 20,000 mAh power bank is around 74 Wh, under the 100 Wh limit most airlines allow in the cabin without approval.
Shop power banks ↗A portable SSD
A small solid-state drive for backing up photos each evening. A camera can be replaced; a trip's photos can't. 1 TB is plenty for most trips. Read my SSD guide.
Shop portable SSDs ↗A universal travel adapter
One adapter for every country, ideally with USB-C ports so she can charge her camera, phone and power bank from a single socket.
Shop travel adapters ↗Packing cubes
They keep a carry-on tidy and make room for the camera bag. A set in a colour she loves turns a practical gift into a pretty one.
Shop packing cubes ↗Splurges
Cameras are personal, so these work best when you know exactly what she wants, or as a gift you choose together. Both are cameras I travel with; you can read why on my gear page.
Canon G7 X Mark III
A pocket camera with a 1-inch sensor and a bright zoom, light enough for evenings out and handy for travel video. Mine was a competition prize I meant to sell, and I ended up keeping it because it's so much fun.
Shop the G7 X Mark III ↗Insta360 Luna Ultra
A small gimbal camera for smooth travel video, just over 200 g. It's a good gift for a photographer who wants to film her trips without switching her main camera between stills and video.
Shop the Luna Ultra ↗Experiences and keepsakes
- A printed photo book of her last trip. Most of us leave our travel photos on a hard drive. Help her choose the best ones, or ask her to, and have them printed.
- A framed print of a favourite photo she's taken, from a local print lab.
- A film developing voucher from a lab near her, for the rolls sitting in the fridge.
What I'd skip
- A big black camera backpack, unless she's asked for one. Most women I know would rather carry something that looks like a bag.
- A drone, unless she's asked. Many countries restrict them, and in some, including Morocco, they can be held at customs.
- Gear for a camera you've guessed at. A lens or battery for the wrong camera is a gift she'll have to return.
Buying for Christmas? Order by late November, especially from overseas sellers, and check each retailer's Christmas delivery dates.
A free gift idea: plan her next trip with her. The packing list builder suggests a bag, checks the carry-on weight and makes a list you can copy into a card.