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Looking for the perfect gift for your friend or family member that wants to become a YouTuber, but also wants to travel the world? 

If you are not a photographer and you have no clue where to start? Don’t worry I’ve got you covered all you have to do is just scroll down to get ideas that will work for any budget!

 Ok, well now that Thanksgiving is now over for both Americans and Canadians, ( oh I betcha didn’t know Canadians also celebrate Thanksgiving, they do, but on a different date of course.) We are now fully embracing the holiday season and what better way to get ready than to go over a few of those must-have items for your youtuber. 

 This is not a blog post that will tell you to buy your traveling friend another money belt or passport cover, nor will I give you 50 suggestions on what travel pillow to buy.

This post is going to be gift ideas for that individual that really wants to be you a youtube star and wants to travel the world at the same time.

I’m going to tell you why I believe these products make the most sense, I’ll let you know which items I currently own and why we really need these items to achieve our dreams and trust me if you buy any of these items and they don’t like them, then you can always donate them to me!

And away we go!

If your special someone doesn’t have a camera, you could really make their entire year and get them this item first.

The Canon 6D Mark II is the camera that I use and what really makes this one of the best cameras for YouTubers & vloggers is for the fact that it has a full frame sensor at 26.2 Megapixels and features a 3-inch flip out touchscreen.

This camera is really the go-to camera and is seriously one of the best for both photography and video. I could go on and on about this camera and its features, but we have 14 more items in this gift guide, so if you don’t want to take my word for it, then I suggest research it more or perhaps they already have a different camera in mind.

Now for something that doesn’t cost more than one month’s rent, let’s explore some other options. 

They got the camera, cool. Now you might say, well they already have a strap that came with the camera. Well, the thing is, that strap just straight up sucks.

Here is the description to Peak Design’s strap  “The most versatile, lightweight and quick-connecting camera strap in the world, This camera strap adapts to any camera and any shooting situation. Configurable as a sling strap, neck strap, safety tether, video stabilizer and more. When you don’t need a strap, Leash quickly disconnects and stores in your pocket or bag.” 

Now, this strap I bought last year and holy moly it has made a big impact on my life with hauling my camera around. Not only is it a million times easier to carry my camera and quickly shoot with the strap around the neck or shoulder, but the quick disconnects make placing my camera onto my gorilla pod 1,000 times faster & easier, what is the most important is that I don’t have the strap getting tangled up in my gorilla pod.

What in the hell is a gorilla pod? Is it a tide pod for gorillas?

Have you ever seen how a youtuber holds their camera so that they can film themselves with their huge ass camera?

Well that little weird bendy thing is called a gorilla pod and it usually has a ball head on it and if it doesn’t have the “ball head” then you are doing it wrong, This ball head allows your camera to rotate 360 degrees. I own one of these and trust me when I say I bring this thing everywhere I go and when my camera is not on the peak design strap, it’s on this gorilla pod.

The important thing to know is that there is many, many lookalikes and impostures and there are even other versions of gorillapods, but you get what you pay for and if you buy a cheaper one you run the risk of the pod breaking or folding under the weight of your camera.

Just being honest with you on this one as I know my parents would have opted for the cheaper version and I probably would have just used 3 sticks from the tree in my backyard instead.

Moral of the story is: Just go with Joby on this one.

Now if they don’t have a lens yet or maybe they have one lens, but maybe they don’t have a great lens for vlogging.

Well, I have a recommendation for you and that is to buy them this holiday season the Sigma 18-35mm. The Sigma 18-35 is one of the best all-around lenses that can create both stunning photos and videos, whether if you are right infront of the camera or if you are trying to capture the entire landscape of the beautiful waterfalls in New Zealand, you can’t go wrong with this spectacular lens.

Now if there is one thing we YouTubers and vloggers love to do, its talk. We love talking to our audience and building a community of people that share our same interests, dreams and life aspirations.

If we want those people to really hear us, then we have to have a damn good microphone and my solution for this is none other than the industry standard of the rode mic. This mic is great for its compact size for the traveler and its super lightweight, which is perfect for travel.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to get the little fuzzy thing ( Windjammer ) to knock out that wind for when they are hiking up the mountains in New Zealand, Scope out this video and note that I am not talking in it because I did not own this mic yet. I do now though and I haven’t looked back since.

Alright, I know this might not be the most “travel-friendly item”, but it’s worth mentioning.

A teleprompter is the number one item to have for someone that is either just beginning or someone that isn’t yet quite comfortable talking to a camera. When I was first starting out, I always either stuttered or fumbled over my words and I just felt like I wasn’t remembering what I wanted to say. A teleprompter helps you remember what you wanted to say, helps you to talk at a good pace and stay on topic. I highly recommend this if you are just starting out and this one even includes a carry case. Read below for even more info. 

For use with Android and IOS Teleprompter apps / Accommodates any smartphone or tablet up to 10.5 x 9.5 Inches No assembly required / Collapsible teleprompter for small footprint and easy transport / Tripod and Camera NOT included Your camera will not photograph the text in the video. We recommend using the App Teleprompter Premium/ Pro with your tablet or smartphone Protective carry case included

ALERT: THE NEXT 2 ITEMS APPEAR TO LOOK THE SAME, BUT THEY ARE INDEED 2 VERY DIFFERENT ITEMS.

Pictures can take up a ton of space on a laptop and videos take up a 1,000X more space on a laptop. I think my computer actually melted because of the number of videos and photos I was trying to save onto it. Do you want to help out a traveling youtuber out? Get them the gift of space! No, I’m not talking about eating floating pudding, let’s go moonwalk on the moon, space. I’m talking about one of the very best external hard drives known to man!

I own one of these and I’ve gone through many hard drives and this one has stood the test of time and is still going strong. When they say military drop test, I believe it, as I have dropped this thing more times than I can count and it’s still going strong and saves all of my photos and videos like a pro. Here is a little bit more about it.

• Military-grade shock resistance
• SuperSpeed USB 3.0 compliant and backwards compatible with USB 2.0
• Advanced 3-stage shock protection system with durable anti-shock rubber outer case
• An advanced internal hard drive suspension system
• Quick Reconnect Button – re-enable safely removed USB hard drive without unplugging and reinserting
• One Touch Auto-Backup button 256-bit AES file & folder encryption
• Exclusive Transcend Elite data management software

THIS IS NOT AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE.

Instead of saving photos and videos, this item saves power. Is your loved planning to travel across Vietnam on a junk boat as we did here? I hate to break it to you, but there isn’t always a good spot to just plug in your devices to charge them and that is when the Easy Acc Power Bank comes in handy. Not to mention this has saved my life as a backup flashlight for when I really needed to see where the bathroom was or where the edge of the boat was.

Even if you don’t click on this affiliate link to buy this one, just know the important thing to look at when you buy this is that you want to pay attention to the number + mAh, so, for example, this one is 2,0000mAh and keep in mind how long it takes to charge. I had a power bank take 6 hours to charge and it would only last 1 hour before I had to charge it again.  Read more about it below.

• Fastest Recharge: Dual inputs design. One port supports Quick Charge 3.0 technology. Charges the power bank full in up to 5 hours 一 about 60% of time saved as compared to a standard 20000mAh power bank.
• Quick Charge: Four USB outputs. Quick Charge 3.0 technology applied on one port, charges compatible devices to 80% in 35 minutes, about 4X faster than with conventional charging.
• Universal Compatibility: Featuring both the Quick Charge 3.0 and Smart Charge technologies, the charger is compatible with most USB devices. No matter for iOS devices, or android devices (including Samsung, HTC, LG and more brands).
• Quality Cells & Safe Use: Quality li-ion battery cells. 20000mAh capacity charges an iPhone 7 for over 6 times, or an iPad mini 3 twice. Premium integrated circuits effectively prevent overcharge, overcurrent and short circuit. CE, RoHS and FCC certifications.
• Bright Flashlight: Supported by the huge capacity, the flashlight can last for over 100 hours than standard flashlights do. Handy and bright enough to get you through darkness.

Alert: The next 2 items also appear to be the same thing, but they are not!

The SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB is what they need to save photos when they take pictures with their DSLR camera. 64GB means they can save a lot of photos or videos and Extreme Pro means the memory card can save the information fast and securely. This is my basic understanding of it and I only use this brand, period.

The Micro San Disk Extreme is what they will use to save photos onto a GoPro camera or their smart phone and also tablets. Again 64GB means they can save a lot and extreme means they can save fast and secure. When you are capturing video, it’s important that your memory card can keep up with you and this brand and type does just that.

• Ideal for Android-based smartphones and tablets
• Read speeds of up to 90MB/s; write speeds of up to 60MB/s
• Recommended by GoPro for use with HERO, HERO3, HERO3+, HERO4, HERO5, and HERO+ LCD
• UHS speed Class 3 (U3), video speed Class 30 (V30) and Class 10 for 4K UHD and full HD video
• Lifetime Warrant

You know I couldn’t go without making mention of the latest and greatest gopro. I know, GoPro has not been the greatest lately, but holy cow I believe this is the story of the comeback kid on this one. I know plenty of YouTubers out there that have expressed their disappointments with GoPro over the last few years, but every one of them has pointed out that GoPro has really raised the bar with this release and this is the one item that is at the top of my Christmas list this year. *Hint Hint*

 The number one feature I am looking forward to is the hyper silky smooth video that these little guys are producing.  Also, don’t waste your time with the silver and please for the love of tuna, don’t be tempted to just go for the GoPro 6 just because it’s cheaper. There is just way too many improvements on the 7 to even compare.

Now a big deal for us is that we have silky smooth video and none of that Blair Witch Project shaky vomit-inducing video and now the Zhiyun is not for the DSLR camera, but it works great with the smartphone and also for a GoPro. If you want to go for a stabilization for the DSLR camera then I’d hit up the DJI Ronin, but if you want to go a little bit more low key and capture smooth video with your smaller devices this is the gift to grab.

Now that you bought that entire wish list for your loved one, they are going need something to put all of that gear into.

My best recommendation is the Lowepro protactic 450 and I know what you are saying, you are probably saying, but Dan, this bag is kind of expensive and you know what I agree.

What you have to understand is the features of this bag, the size of it and just the overall badassery of it. Do you want to know the one thing that most YouTubers and photographers waste money on the most? Camera bags. Simply because we buy too small, we buy bags that the zipper breaks, we buy bags that get soaked and thus destroys all of our gear and the list goes on and on. It’s the one thing that we tend to overlook the most, but it’s secretly one of the most important items on this entire list.

In our bags, we have all of this big heavy gear, but you can’t even imagine all of the smaller things we carry around. Most of us carry clips, tape, and oh gawd not to mention all of the wires and chargers! The Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter Cube Set has saved my life when it comes to keeping it all organized and not looking like a drunk squirrel ransacked my photography gear.

Any good videographer that really wants to learn how to be a pro and look like a pro, they have to learn how to color correct their footage and my suggestion is to get these cinematic color grades and your friend/loved one will be forever grateful! Don’t worry if you think they don’t know how to use them quite yet, that is why we have the school of youtube to learn from. These color grades come from one of the best YouTubers in the industry right now and no I am not getting paid to say that nor will I make any money by recommending this to you.

That about wraps it up for my recommendations for the 2018 and well into the 2019 holiday season. Whether if you celebrate Christmas, Birthdays, or Hanukkah, Kwansa, festivus or a maybe you’re getting ready to start your own youtube travel journey all of these items would be a great addition to any aspiring youtuber, travel blogger/vlogger or beginner filmmaker! 

I own most of these items, not all of them, but most and I can assure you that I use them all every day!

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Have any questions about these youtuber gifts? Do you have other suggestions for travelers? Leave me a message in the comments below!