Grand gift ideas for a Grand Tour

September 23, 2023 11:43 AM

A U.S. family member is taking a trip to Europe next year (France and Italy, ending in a cruise). What are some good birthday gift ideas to help prepare?

My brother already has the airplane comfort angle covered (pillow, sleep mask, etc).

I was thinking some of those universal power adapters, but I'm having a hard time finding one that's Type E/L compatible with grounding for 3-prong devices. Plus something about voltage converting? Or is this something that most tourist-focused hotels already provide?

Apart from that, I was also considering solid guide books -- Lonely Planet? Rick Steves? Either something entertaining/educational to read beforehand and on the plane or something useful on the ground once there. Stops include Paris, Florence, Venice, Rome, and the Mediterranean cruise is going by Cinque Terre.

They're pretty deeply into planning things out already, so I want to avoid tickets or passes to any particular attraction unless it is 1,000% can't-miss, gotta see it, rearrange their itinerary to make it happen (i.e., probably not).

Any other good ideas? Merci/Grazie

posted by Rhaomi to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total)

The obvious thing would be a book. Not a guide book but either a novel or a non-fiction that gives them a perspective on their travels.

For some reason I can't explain, my first thought was The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman. On second thoughts, it may be because we are in a similar transitional period, where we know change is inevitable but we have no idea where that change may take us.

Another idea might be food books explaining the concepts of French and Italian food.

Art books are obvious, but you need to be more specific about where they are going.
posted by mumimor at 12:16 PM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

Maybe a book like Brunelleschi's Dome (about the history of the design and construction of the Duomo in Florence), that will give him a deeper appreciation of something he'll see on his trip.
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 12:58 PM on September 23, 2023 [3 favorites]

Cash in Euros is an option. Many places take cards, of course, but cash is a nice thing to have as a backup.
posted by soelo at 1:39 PM on September 23, 2023

I hugely endorse Rick Steves, unless they are particularly well-educated on history and art (or snobby). I'd avoid following his particular restaurant/hotel/neighborhood recommendations, because they tend to be overrun with tourists, but the history and art guides are excellent. Perhaps the Best of Europe or Europe 101.

Don't get a voltage adapter unless you know they will need it; most electronics don't need voltage adapters.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:46 PM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

If they are flying within Europe, they may find themselves having to take out their toiletries bag over and over again (though I know some liquids restrictions are changing in the future). I really like this one quart sized, clear toiletries bag and also these refillable toiletries containers. It was much easier to pck my preferred face wash/conditioner/shampoo and I like that the containers get smaller as the trip continues.

I also like these RFID blocking credit card sleeves

This is a less fun and more controversial item, but after finding out the next morning that I was staying in a place with bedbugs, I was incredibly thankful I had pretreated my bag with permethrin.
posted by raccoon409 at 2:04 PM on September 23, 2023

The trip isn’t until next year so reading Fiction with a European setting over the winter is a good choice. It gives you a sense of a place without being too literal. I have trouble envisioning a new place when reading guidebooks, they’re too overwhelming with Must See This and Best That. You probably have an idea if they like to read genre fiction but you can find well-written detective/mysteries set in each of those cities. Or popular novels or historical novels. (The number of travelers I met lugging around Michener’s Hawaii in Hawaii, you wouldn’t believe) If they’re not great readers, then movies set in those locations are also good.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 2:34 PM on September 23, 2023 [3 favorites]

I got my parents compression socks for both the long flights and the long days of walking, my dad was skeptical but they wound up being a hit.

Would they like A Room with a View? 1908 book about a young woman on a grand tour, 1985 Merchant-Ivory adaptation.
posted by momus_window at 7:00 PM on September 23, 2023

My favorite travel gift of late is a portable battery pack. I’m assuming they will be using their phones a lot on the trip and having one tucked into your bag is so useful.
posted by inevitability at 8:34 PM on September 23, 2023

Response by poster: Thanks, all -- I went with a (non-voltage!) power adapter for now (practical, can be exchanged if they've got one already) and will save one of the guidebook/novel recommendations for the holidays.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:44 PM on September 23, 2023