Present ideas made easy
The Presents in the Box
by Rachel D
This article was written by Chloe Hibbert, published on 22nd March 2010 and has been read 5084 times.
So, your son/daughter is about to go off for a year - what better way to say good luck than investing in a couple of leaving presents? With all the choice out there, it's difficult to know where to start... Are you a sensible parent who is always on hand with plasters and suncream? Perhaps you love buying the latest gadgets and use your child as an excuse to splurge? Maybe you are eager for them put their language skills to the best possible use when they are abroad. Or maybe you just want to buy something silly which you can have a chuckle over. Never fear, we here at ThirdYearAbroad have trawled the internet to find you the best presents to invest in before D-Day!
If you're always fretting and fussing over your offspring, your main worry is probably going to be with their health. If you want to make sure your child stays plastered and burn-free on their year abroad, why not buy them a First Aid Kit
just in case of emergencies? (You could always add Travel Wash for a laugh if you are sceptical about their hygiene habits!). An ironic buy for all overprotective parents that will be sure to make your child chuckle is a Survival Board Game. Whilst your son/daughter may not encounter volcanoes, sharks and terrorists on their time abroad, it's always better to be safe than sorry, even it is just for a little tongue-in-cheek humour! Besides, who else in your circle of friends could say that their child can defuse a bomb or wrestle a bear?Electronic gadgets range from cheap to expensive, but will always be appreciated by a penniless student. If you want to stay at the lower end of the price range, how about investing in a Electronic Language Translator
? This handy little device speaks 15 languages and phrases, so if you are worried your child won't know how to, say, open a bank account, this could be a perfect present. For the more sentimental of you, why not buy your son/ daughter a Digital Photo Frame, and fill it with family snaps before they leave (guaranteeing you will not be forgotten!). And for those Skype dates, you'll most probably want to invest in a Webcam and microphone. A USB Stickis really handy, for keeping those all important documents on. Long roadtrips are guaranteed to warrant an iPodto get some company. Feeling a bit more extravagant? How about splashing out £200 on an eBook Readerif your child is a bit of a bookworm. They are well worth the price tag in space saving alone, allowing the storage of up to 160 ebooks. Buy one of these and I bet the washing up will be done for weeks afterwards...Good for a laugh? How about investing in The Little Book of Essential Foreign Insults
, mainly in French, Spanish German and Italian (be warned: your son/daughter may not thank you for it after using them!) For the more liberal of you why not pair it with The Little Book of Essential Foreign Chat-up Lines(ooh la la!) and have a giggle finding the cheesiest. Books always make a good present, why not go for an English classic, if you're not quite sure what are the best reads in foreign literature. If you want to make your child feel a little more at home, why not invest in something homely and language related: a Magnetic Poetry Kit, which can be found in a variety of different languages.Travelling: you either love it or hate it. Whether your child relishes or dreads long journeys, why not invest in some fun games to keep them amused whilst they jet set around the country. Travel Scrabble has a built in playing surface to keep the tiles in place, and is great for long train or plane rides. An old favourite, Jenga, has also been scaled down to (miniature) size, to fit neatly into a suitcase. Or why not buy your son/ daughter Bop It Extreme, to teach the locals some more unusual English words!Perhaps your son/daughter is a budding travel writer and you want to encourage their creativity. Why not buy a Travel Writing How to Guide
to help them hone those skills whilst they are abroad. For all those stationery freaks or budding artists out there, or even future language assistants, you can't go wrong with buying them a good pack of Felt Tip Pens to encourage them to get scribbling away. Give them space for their ideas with a Moleskine Notebook, coming in a range of either blank, country, or city specific. Upon signing up to ThirdYearAbroad, we've got an exclusive deal with the brand, entitling you to 20% off their notebook collection, so why not join the TYA community, take advantage of our offers and get more information all about coping with the year abroad!
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