What to buy a niece who is going travelling?

Want to buy my niece some kind of thing to take with her travelling – any suggestions as to what would be useful/meaningful?

I’ve never done any ‘travelling’ – just holidays.

So I’m wondering if any of you more adventurous types who have spent time travelling have any thoughts…

She’s going to Australia, if that makes any difference.

Cheers!

The traditional answer is a St David. The more useful one would be a Swiss Army knife or a head torch.

They all well them apparently.

One of these is very very handy if she’s going to be off the beaten trail or spending a lot of time in transit.

Good bag
Good hat (not that one^^)
Head torch
Map
Guide book
Snorkel kit
Rugged camera
Phone charging battery
Lightweight waterproof

Or vouchers to buy something they want
Or take them shopping

Just had another thought. Maybe offer to buy something for the trip. Rent a camper for a week, a flight over the barrier reef, surfing lessons at Byron bay. A little treat if she is travelling on a budget.

Condoms

First aid & sewing kits.
The former to include water sterilising tabs & imodium, Don’t buy anything heavy or large as 1st time travellers tend to take far too much with them.

I am currently in Australia travelling, got any pics of your neice? (sorry)

Serious answer, if she likes to read, maybe a kindle?

My work got me one as a leaving present and its very good indeed.

Or one of those phone USB chargers as others have said, use mine all the time.

Worth remembering that if she’s like the large majority of people who go travelling, she’ll do very little stuff away from the beaten track, she’ll likely be hostel hopping around cities with the odd organised trip out somewhere.

The first time I went I took so much survival type stuff, first aid kits, water purification gear, etc and used none of it at all.

+1 for a good headtorch.

I find the Alpkit ones to be good.

Also Buff scarf/headwear, ideal in hot countries as in cold, very useful for a number of purposes.

Hanging Washbag
Document Wallet
Buff
Titanium Spork
Good Bag
Insurance
Walking Sandals
Shorts
Headphones
Hat
Travel Pillow
Sunglasses
Money

Condoms

+1 they are so versatile and make an ideal travel accessory.

Use them to carry water in emergencies, keep tinder dry for lighting fires, the condom is also a good fire starter, use as a makeshift slingshot to hunt small game, use as a glove whilst administering first aid, blown up they can be used as a float for fishing, stuff with moss and you have a nice travel pillow, keep your rifle muzzle free from dirt and water.

And they can also be used to prevent STI’s and unwanted pregnancies whilst shagging.

Travel Journal.
RM.

depends what you mean by traveling…..

most folk go to oz “traveling” and end up on a happy bus tour of youth hostels getting drunk with all the other hostel guests on boxes of cheap wine most nights and hang overs most days.

(based on what i saw and see when im over there – saw the same in NZ tbh – we were cycling about using hostels for sleep and mostly they were full of happy bus crowds )

based on that i suggest a bag of asprins and an ID tag ;0

seriously though +1 for travel journal.

Condoms.

Late in with:

Ping-pong balls

Beer money

Ibuprofen

given some of the suggestions so far, a can of pepper spray

anagallis_arvensis – Member
Condoms

I was waiting for this comment. 😆

We have a Niece who went travelling, actually went off to work in the Galapagos Islands teaching, then traveled to teach etc. (now 5 years later having visited all of South Asia, and worked most of it, then a stint at the Falklands, then back to warmer climate and now resident in New Zealand)
She took most of the above but mainly cash in the country she was visiting. Being remote she needed hard cash and a reasonable amount too. So we budgeted about £500 in the resident currencies and that got her through the initial “where do I buy water” to “I need somewhere to sleep, urgently” to “I fancy an Ice Cream”
So, yes all the necessary bits as already mentioned and cash, a strong bumbag full of it where your passport is kept)

Once settled (after about 6-8 weeks) she often found a Bank that had security deposit boxes available to store Passports and other personal/cash.

All worked out well.

She, boringly, hasn’t got many words to say about travelling other than “yeah, been a bit stressful at times, finding work was a pain, proving you can do the job before actually getting paid has been easy, getting paid for the work a lot harder, finding somewhere to stay quite easy and you learn to steer clear of all too easy offers of accommodation from stangers….”

HTH’s

lol

Thanks for the all the suggestions.

My niece is very well organised, much more so than me – so I think all the useful items she’ll have thought about already. She’s not doing the happy bus thing; is working/driving her way around with her partner.

I think I’m leaning toward the buying/paying for an activity, or maybe picking up their hotel bill for their first weekend, something like that; or passing on the St.Christopher my grandmother gave me when I was 18 – which might be more meaningful (but less useful).

use as a glove whilst administering first aid

Great. Just what you want when you are lying there incapacitated, some stranger running up and putting their hand in a condom. You might feel like your day is about to get a lot worse.

picking up their hotel bill for their first weekend

Like it. Money will be tight so a treat like that would be good.

She-Wee?

My Grandfather gave me 3 gold sovereigns! Had me stitch them into different places! I was going off grid for a few months and he had done the same in the 50s driving to India in a landrover(with a dinner suit as he stayed in embassies where possible).
Nowadays I think buy a young person a decent travel pack, it will last them years.

She-Wee?

I presume she does but hardly see what thats got to do with?