Graduation gift time! If your favorite graduate is planning travel after graduation, finding a graduation gift becomes truly fun. Traveling high school and college graduates need some basics as graduation gifts, and a few premium graduation gifts for travelers will really make your graduate's world go 'round. Read on for graduation gift ideas for travelers -- tuck everything into a great travel bag (below) for a complete graduation gift.
Having just been in Australia, we noticed how the Aussies love the phrase “purpose built” – one Australian company gives meaning to those words with laptop backpacks built by Bondi Beach hangers who needed a camo laptop backpack of their own that was protective, comfy, stylish enough, and very sturdy. Enter STM laptop luggage, purpose built for backpacker travel. Why do we love STM’s Loop laptop backpacks? They’re ergonomic, air conditioned, well padded, well made, water resistant, and they’ve got laptop compartments, sound ports and practical pockets aplenty without featuring excess stuff... (read more)
Purifying water abroad is way cheaper than buying bottled water -- check out a pretty cheap (but works!) water bottle with purifier that makes drinking sketchy tap water possible. A replaceable cartridge (25 gallons per cartridge) helps travelers avoid gut-wrenching encounters with the developing world's water. Tuck in a few add-water freeze dried food packets, too -- Backpacker's Pantry "Southwestern Smoked Salmon Pasta" is a hostel-cooking relief from ramen noodles.
A cell phone that does everything everywhere: the cool Eten Glofiish and music-ready T-Mobile Dash (also called the Excalibur). BACKPACKERS need a GSM mobile phone to talk 'round the world -- look for tri-band (900/1800/1900) or quad-band (850/900/1800/1900). Try a global Motorola Razr. Get international cell phones "unlocked" so travelers can hook up to their existing cell service.
Give the gift of adventurous group travel: Bus tour company Green Tortoise Adventure Travel bills itself as offering "Affordable Adventures With Extraordinary People." Sightseeing trips around the US (including Alaska) and Mexico are mostly inclusive (may need some food money) and travelers camp or sleep in beds on the bus. Most travelers are young or young-at-heart; some are international. Trips range from $150 for a weekend Yosemite getaway to $2150 for a 28-day Alaska tour.
This gizmo is awesome. Although it's main function is a language translator, it also functions as a currency converter - two cool tools in one. From the manufacturer: "It...translates over 200,000 words and 23,000 phrases...both orally and in writing in (ten languages). Includes a currency and metric converter, calculator, databank, and even gives the time in 200 cities." Earphones, carrying pouch, batteries (2 AAA), and excellent instructions included... See currency calculators.
Everybody buys graduates luggage as a gift, and travelers would largely rather pick out their own backpack or the current cool messenger bag, which varies by minute. For a luggage gift your traveling graduate will really like, think small and give the best shoulder bag out there -- Red Oxx's Gator, which can be tossed off chicken bus roofs or taken to class. Under $100.
A Rail Europe youth pass is still the neccesity today that it was for backpackers in your own college days. Buy one for your graduating student traveler and know he or she will have safe, reliable transportation in Europe or the UK. Just choose the countries and choose a train pass -- spend from less than $100 for a single country pass up to several hundred for Eurail passes covering 17 European countries.
It may go without saying that students and backpackers are traveling on a budget. Give your graduating traveler some planning help with a few budget-oriented guides to travel on a hiking boot string with a book or two from this list of the top budget travel guidebooks, or check out "MTV - Frommers Guides" or "Party Europe Guidebook" -- packed with practical travel info and they're fun; these are not your guidebooks. Just for women: women's travel books like "The Thong Also Rises" and "Rough Guide Women Travel."
Chances are good that someone in your area is planning a group trip with a student travel company this summer -- your graduate can grab a few friends and join up, or you can set up a trip yourself; it's remarkably easy and inexpensive (often under $2K). Trips usually cover the highlights of a country and come with guides, food and beds. Send your graduate on the trip of a lifetime with a company like EF Tours.
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