Top Christmas Gifts for Travelers

Got a student abroad who you need to buy for this holiday season?  Most travelers will tell you that much as gifts from home are appreciated, it is never too early to consider the luggage weight and size limits imposed by airlines for the return journey!  (In other words, although you'd love to give your friend studying in Switzerland a pair of skis for Christmas, perhaps you should think of a slightly smaller gift...)

Below is a list of gifts that every student contemplating (or already embarked upon) an overseas adventure would appreciate, both for their necessity and their portability.  With Christmas only a week away, these gifts are also excellent choices for their speedy delivery options.

1.  Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2011:  My favorite of all the guidebook series out there for their informal and friendly writing style, Lonely Planet's annual "Best in Travel" will be a great resource for students planning an upcoming adventure.  Touching on destinations worldwide, this book offers tips for unmissable sights and activities in 2011.  It lists the best regions, countries, and cities to explore, including such off-the-beaten-path places as Albania as well as more well-traveled countries like Italy.  The list-based format makes finding a potential day trip easy, while the calendar of events (specific to 2011) can help students organize their travels.  Finally, although this reference guide will endure with only minor updates, its time-sensitive material ensures that at the end of the year it can be safely left behind if there is no more room in the suitcase.

Eurail Tickets: From $49

 2.  Eurail tickets:  Perhaps a European traveler's most coveted item, the Eurail pass offers students the opportunity to travel for a select number of days by train without spending a fortune on rail tickets.  The website offers a daunting array of possibilities, from single-country passes to see more of one country to a global pass that allows travel through 21 countries for up to three months.  Students who will be under 25 on the first day of travel qualify for the reduced "youth" rates for the pass, saving gift-givers extra money.  With this pass in hand, all your student abroad will need to do is register the pass prior to travel and make any necessary reservations before enjoying one of the most reliable and pleasant journeys around Europe.

3.  Brookstone's 7-piece converter kit: Electronics can easily be a student's worst nightmare when traveling.  The pop, hiss, and slightly burnt smell can indicate the end of some portable speakers, or your hundred-dollar Chi straightener.  Knowing which plug is needed for which country can be daunting, as well -- students spending the year in Britain who want to take the two-hour train ride to France rarely think that they will need to bring an entirely different plug adapter with them.  In this 7-piece converter kit for appliances, Brookstone provides not only the power converter (the crucial piece that will prevent your expensive appliances from the power surge of non-American sockets) but plugs for a variety of outlets, conveniently color-coded with the continents and countries they are designed for.  This kit will be greatly appreciated for taking the guesswork out of the necessary electronic conversions, and will leave your student more time to figure out other conversions -- like kilometers to miles, for example!

Lonely Planet Digital Chapters: Only $4.95!

4.  Lonely Planet Digital Chapters:   Although I already mentioned Lonely Planet once in this list, their digital chapters make an excellent gift for the weighted-down student on the go.  Instead of offering an entire guidebook, which typically numbers almost 1,000 pages and can be one of the heaviest single items a student brings overseas, make a gift of several digital chapters.  Have a student planning a journey through London, Paris, and Rome?  Send them those chapters from the "Europe on a Shoestring" book for Christmas!  Not only will they appreciate the portability of a PDF guidebook, they will be treated to the best money-saving tips and must-see spots in their chosen cities.  And at only $4.95 per chapter, this makes the cheapest gift on the list!

5.  A good backpacker's pack: No student traveler is complete without a heavy-duty backpack like the one shown here.  Lightweight and convenient, they easily carry several weeks' worth of clothes and supplies for those long holidays spent traveling around the country or region.  The weight of your possessions is distributed evenly across your shoulders and extra support comes from a strap across your stomach, which makes carrying such a bag much easier than hauling a suitcase or duffel bag up and down the many flights of stairs in train stations, hostels, and so on.  Many of these packs have special compartments and straps to attach a sleeping bag, which can come in handy when stranded in a questionable hostel.  Search your local outdoors store for a pack that feels comfortable -- it will make your student abroad's adventure much easier!