What's a good present for a coworker backpacking through Europe?
February 12, 2016 10:04 AM   Subscribe

Our receptionist/admin assistant is leaving us next month. Her plan is to backpack across Europe for three months. She deserves a great going-away present, but I don't want to give her stuff she can't travel with/will only end up going in storage. Help!

I know nothing about backpacking and have a very vague idea of what might make a good present for someone backpacking. I'm open to suggestions that are not associated with backpacking, too, as long as they fit with the "no room to store stuff" scenario.
posted by quincunx to Grab Bag (25 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Moleskin, REI gift card, or a headlamp?
posted by stillmoving at 10:13 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


How big is your budget? Does she have a Eurail pass yet? If the answers are "a few hundred dollars" and "no", getting her one for some or all of her trip would be an amazing gift - it's a must-have for backpackers.
posted by Itaxpica at 10:18 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


Best answer: From experience: A gift certificate for a night at a upscale hotel in one of the cities she will be travelling in. After weeks in hostels of varying quality, it was a relaxing break. Or if you know that she's into food, a gift certificate to a nice restaurant.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:24 AM on February 12, 2016 [17 favorites]


If she is not technically inclined, research details and get her set up with a cel phone (SIM card) in Europe. Make it as easy for her as possible to get this done. So useful.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:24 AM on February 12, 2016


Small and useful book for anyone who has travel plans across several countries and languages!
posted by Omniscience Fatigue at 10:32 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


Actual Euros. Most major banks will have a branch that will sell you foreign currency and Euros is one of the most common, so you probably don't even have to call ahead. Even just 50 Euros would be useful and prevent her from having to find an ATM right away after landing.
posted by soelo at 10:34 AM on February 12, 2016 [8 favorites]


Seconding Mr.Know-it-some, but get a certificate for one of the hotel chains. It's nice to be able to splurge when you're budget traveling.
posted by dripdripdrop at 10:36 AM on February 12, 2016 [4 favorites]


Does she have a power adapter? If not, that's a great gift.
posted by kevinbelt at 10:49 AM on February 12, 2016


If she's going to be away from cities and in places where toilet facilities are unpredictable, she might appreciate one of these, which turns a plastic water bottle into a personal bidet.
posted by essexjan at 10:49 AM on February 12, 2016


A bidet is very practical but would be awkward as a coworker gift. My vote is for an REI gift certificate.
posted by JenMarie at 11:31 AM on February 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


I don't know your admin and whether she's a planner or not. If this was my trip, one month before takeoff I'd have my itinerary (and most major transportation) sorted. Also I'd probably have most of my critical gear which doesn't go on sale purchased (e.g. power adapter, water boiling wand, etc.) So, I'd probably try to find out what she has, what she needs, so she doesn't end up with double.

That said, there are things where having doubles isn't bad. Like, say, getting her a handful of 4GB-8GB SD cards, assuming she'll have a digital camera. I always find I don't pack enough cards when we travel, and they always seem to fill up at the most inconvenient time. If you do this, get multiple smaller cards vs. one large card (in case it fails or gets lost there's a limited impact to pictures lost).

Alternatively, I think soelo has perfectly useful idea. Enough Euros (in small denominations) to cover her first day in a new country would be thoughtful and useful and be one less thing for her to think about on day one.
posted by dismitree at 11:32 AM on February 12, 2016


I just got back from a year of traveling and here's what I found useful:
-a quick drying travel towel
-Kindle
-ExOfficio underwear (this would be weird to give, so maybe a gift card to ExOfficio or REI as suggested above?)
-Packing Cubes! They make such a difference in terms of not having to repack your bag every night after rooting around for something. I like the ones that Rick Steves sells.
-good carry on sized luggage (probably hard to gift, though)
posted by Maeve at 11:32 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


I went backpacking for seven months last year. If you aren't willing to ask her for specific requests, then I'd recommend a gift voucher - lots of these things are good, but I had them all organized for myself. Euros (or pounds, if she's flying into England) is a great idea. A chain hotel gift certificate is nice but expensive. I absolutely do not recommend buying someone else a Eurail pass, they have a lot of options to configure and often turn out to be a bad deal for long term travel anyway.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 12:16 PM on February 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


A gift card to a store with backpacking gear like MEC - if she needs anything like new shoes, quick-dry towels/clothing, a money belt, etc. then she can pick up what necessities she still needs.

Honestly though, if you want to buy her an actual gift, so long as you give a gift receipt with whatever you get her, then it should be fine.
posted by lizbunny at 1:06 PM on February 12, 2016


2nding a Kindle or other e-reader. They hardly take up any room (especially compared to the hundreds of books you can store on them) and have great battery life. If she's a reader and doesn't yet have one I think it would be great - it's so easy to plow through books when traveling.

I also like this undercover money stash that clips on to your bra (if that's not too weird to give to a co-worker) and is actually really comfortable.
posted by Shadow Boxer at 1:22 PM on February 12, 2016


Streetwise laminated city maps are just the best things to have. If you know a few of the cities she's going to, you can order these on Amazon.
posted by humboldt32 at 1:28 PM on February 12, 2016


A superduper small, light and durable umbrella. The weather is soggy and miserable now. Or a cute beanie. Or a swiss army knife?
posted by speakeasy at 2:45 PM on February 12, 2016


Pack able daypack
posted by calgirl at 3:21 PM on February 12, 2016


A small compass? Helpful when you get turned around in large cities.

A cotton bandana is more than a scarf, it can be a wash cloth, a napkin, a swipe cloth before you sit down and oh god I can't believe I'm admitting this toilet paper.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 3:23 PM on February 12, 2016


A large, thin silk scarf like this or this is a surprisingly useful thing to have when you travel. I always travel with one and I end up using it almost every day of the trip. They're feather-light and fold up very very tiny; they provide a nice bit of warmth without bulk or weight, if you are somewhere a bit chilly (like on the airplane or on a train); they're an easy way to cover your shoulders if you visit cathedrals that require it. Plus they can dress up your outfit a little if you want to feel spruced up. You can even turn a scarf into a bag in a pinch.

Obviously choosing a colour/pattern will require knowledge of her preferences, but if one of your group is closer friends with her, they might be able to provide input.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:49 PM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


When our coworker did a cycle tour we got her a solar charger that could bungy on her bag, open to the sun. She never needed a plug to recharge her phone at the end of the day.
posted by chapps at 8:49 PM on February 12, 2016


this travel towel.

i'd recommend a darker color so it's not see-through when wet.
posted by nanhey at 9:54 PM on February 12, 2016


A travel clothesline.
posted by Tunierikson at 1:29 AM on February 13, 2016


I've really enjoyed what I've read of Patrick Leigh Fermor's books about walking across Europe in the early 30's. He goes deep into the history, architecture, culture, etc., benefiting from an old-school classical British education. It's pretty compelling stuff if it's up your alley. It would be a good addition to a Kindle or similar collection.
posted by sapere aude at 8:12 PM on February 15, 2016


Response by poster: Thanks guys!!!!! I would never, ever have thought of these things on my own. I went with Mr.Know-it-some's suggestion and got her a gift certificate to a hotel group in Amsterdam.

I also got her nice bar soap, which she said she wanted, and she seems pretty happy with both presents! So sad to lose her but I hope she has fun on her journey.
posted by quincunx at 4:33 PM on March 11, 2016


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