What is a good gift for a woman backpacking around Europe?
Asked by
tinyfaery (
44087
)
April 29th, 2015
from iPhone
Around the $50 range. What would be useful? I want to get her something she would never think about getting herself. Something small that she can take with her everywhere.
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30 Answers
Small, leather journal?
I have no idea what your relationship with this woman is or her age, but I would fully appreciate a silicone menstrual cup if I was planning on traveling for a long time.
When I went to Israel, my mom gave me a small purse with a passport holder and lots of little pockets that was great to hold tickets, money, ID, etc.
The best thing I brought to Europe was a money-belt. I kept a copy of all my important documents like airplane ticket/passport/State ID/Train tickets and some cash. These things are a hell of a lot easier to replace if you have photocopies. And a money-belt is incredibly hard to steal. I kept a pouch around my neck tucked under my shirt for the real documents. It is insanity to just keep your documents in a purse or wallet.
I was sleeping on a train from Venice to Nice and woke up to someone sneaking into my car and trying to steal my backpack. Luckily I had a chain and lock on the backpack and it was hooked to the supports of the seat in the train.
A battery backup for phones might be good. I was looking at Monoprice.com (a aite I can heartily recommended) and they have a 8000mAh battery for less than $20. That will charge a typical phone three times.
Love monoprice too. And that is a good suggestion.
A 1,000,000 volt stungun flashlight.
Kindle versions of the Fodor’s guides to a couple of the places she is going? They weigh literally nothing and may reveal some “hidden” treasures or help out in a bind.
As I love my Scratch Map, I think this travel-version might be fun. It’s a journal, with scratch-off maps to mark your progress through the world. It’s available on Amazon and costs about $20.
A Lonely Planet guide book.
I would get a bunch of useful little knick-knacks. I spent a year on the road, living in a tent, and here’s a few things I found really useful, and which most people would never think to get for themselves:
- a small compass
– carabiners (I have a carabiner with a built-in compass I use as a key fob)
– plastic Kinder eggs containing matches, small sewing kit, tiny pencil, post-its, bandages, shoelaces, etc. (the eggs keep stuff dry and in an emergency can be comfortably shoved into vagina or anus to keep money or passport safe)
– international postage certificates (small papers which can be exchanged anywhere on Earth for a single first-class international stamp)
– rape/emergency whistle
– folded emergency blanket
– folded emergency poncho
– pocket edition of the SAS Survival Guide
– glass de-fogger (a tiny crayon-like piece of waxy stuff you can use on sunglasses to keep them from fogging up – works great)
– Krazy Glue
– iodine pills (they’re tiny and come in a miniscule container; it guarantees you’ll have access to clean, safe water no matter where you are)
– sticky orange reflectors (for applying to backpacks, bags, jackets, rented bikes, etc.)
– a small magnifying mirror
– lip balm
– tea bags
You can probably get everything on this list for under $50.
A tracking device. Something like this.
My cousin was backpacking over the summer in Europe with a friend, all of their stuff was stolen 2 weeks before the end of their trip. Camera, clothes, phones, everything.
pepper spray
GPS
someway to keep stuff under their clothes
spare Euros.
Sim cards for different countries. You can get them country specific, and they are prepaid for phone calls and you don’t have to pay country charges. I had one for Italy when I went there, probably saved at least $100 on phone charges.
Make sure you get ones for a phone that will work in Europe.
Pepper Spray is illegal in most EU countries.
You don’t need a sim card for each country in your phone. She should make sure her provider has reciprocal agreements for coverage in the areas she is travelling and check the charges. If she is staying long, it may be cost effective for her to actually buy a European cell phone to use when she is here. My boyfriend’s US phone works here and he has free Wifi calling and that works well, but he did buy a phone to use here in Norway so it didn’t cost other people a lot to phone him.
A few additional ideas:
- assorted ditty sacks (3 different colors)
– mini-roll duct tape
– roll of nuun tablets
– small inflatable pillow
– small led headlamp
@Lawn Nuun tablets have the electrolytes plants crave!
Sun shower, if she’s camping out much.
No one should stick a Kinder egg up their ass; it violates the flared base rule.
@wildpotato People who hoop contraband into prison often use Kinder eggs.
Thanks. Now I’m not sure what to get.
@SmashTheState Haha – I would have suggested Brawndo, but it’s not portable. Seriously, though, it masks the iodine flavor and kinda helps with traveler’s diarrhea…
a good swiss army knife. I recommend the tinker although, the spartan may be a good choice also. It has a corkscrew.
If you fly and want to bring a swiss army knife, you have to check it in your baggage. Check with her to see if she is going to have a check through bag. Many back packers don’t. Thus, a swiss army knife would be pointless. They will take it off her at the airport if she tries to bring it in her carry on.
It’s sad but I made it through 4 airports on my way to the Caribbean with a butane (torch) lighter and a 3in pocket knife in my carry-on bag. Then on my very last flight home from AZ to CA, fucking security makes me throw away my lighter (at this point is was completely empty and needed to be refilled), I was so fucking pissed, I loved that lighter and I had made it so far with it : (
I hadn’t even realized I had the knife in my purse until I was unpacking and decided to swap out handbags. I was really shocked that no one ever mentioned it.
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