How can you shower your traveling loved ones with affection when they won’t hold still? Shipping is a problem, and finding something worthy of room in their luggage is almost impossible.
Luckily, there are some great solutions for gifting nomads, backpackers, gap year travelers, and overseas students. Here are some favorites.
Give some entertainment via Amazon
An Amazon.com Gift Card by E-mail is a great option if you want to drop $10 or $20 as a welcome surprise. A little Amazon top-up is always welcome, even in small denominations. Travelers get bored, and Amazon funds will let them download books, movies and music to their laptop or mobile devices. Curling up in front of a favorite movie is a welcome bit of home, and anyone who spends lots of time in airports and train stations will appreciate a steady stream of good books and films.
Travelers crave experiences
Get Your Guide gift cards let you treat your wandering friend to travel experiences she might not have splurged on for herself. Options include everything from bike tours to wine-tastings, cooking classes to extended jaunts around the countryside. This option lets you give your traveling friend more of what you know they love!
Spoil them with a hotel night
Lots of travelers prefer to bunk in hostels, or rent rooms on Airbnb, to get a genuine local experience. But after weeks of travel, a night at the Mariott can be a lovely break. Even if your giftee has already has a place to stay, they won’t mind leaving for a night to soak in a bathtub, swim in a sparkling pool, and sleep on fluffy pillows and crisp sheets. If you want to give a super-indulgent treat, spring for a massage and a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant, too. Hotels.com and Booking.com are great sites to book international hotels, or give a gift card.
When in doubt, Paypal
A cash gift is always welcome, especially if the paypal funds are earmarked for a treat. Instantly send $50 with a note that says “Take yourself out for a nice dinner” or $60 with a suggestion to book a massage. If your traveler is in a third world country, $50 could be lunch money for the month!
Giftwrap some security
Airbnb* offers gift cards in denominations of $25 to $500, so you can give the gift of lodging — or a lodging upgrade. Even a traveler who is rooted in one place, like a student or ex-pat, can use the gift toward a getaway weekend. You’ll find the “Gift Cards” link at the bottom of the page.
* This link will give you $$ off your first booking if youre a new member
A gift that keeps on giving
If you want to offer a larger gift, consider a year of Amazon Prime or a monthly Kindle Unlimited subscription. Amazon Prime isn’t just about saving on shipping; a subscription gives access to lots of movies and music, plus unlimited backup storage for all those travel photos, plus a free monthly Kindle book loan. (Note that your friend might need a proxy server like ProxyDNS to view movies outside the US). If your friend is more of a reader, or already has Amazon Prime, then Kindle Unlimited will give them access to hundreds of Kindle book titles — to read on their Kindle, tablet, phone or laptop — for free.
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