It can be hard to admit this to your family, but spending Christmas abroad is – surprisingly often – a tremendous relief to a lot of backpackers. But how do you explain that to your family?
How to handle Christmas when travelling
It’s no secret that many of us, travellers or not, would happily bypass the supermarkets back home ahead of the festive season (since when was Christmas all about endless chocolate, anyway?). But there’s also the more subtle stress of living up to family expectations, hauling ass through a fractious public-transport system with awkward bags full of squashable presents, and making sure you post everything in time. Not to mention your mother-in-law’s peculiar obsession with everything Santa, and her insistence that everyone must stop doing what they actually enjoy in order to participate in really long quizzes.
Maybe that last one is just our family. But we’ve spoken to so many travellers who are quietly relieved to be spending Christmas and even birthdays a very long way from home.
But forgetting your family completely at Christmas-time just isn’t on, and posting gifts from abroad can frequently prove expensive and sometimes unreliable. Flowers feel like a cop-out, so we’ve been thinking about great Christmas gifts that can be ordered abroad and delivered by companies within the recipient’s own country.
Photo Printing
Photo printing is particularly versatile, and really easy to do online from pretty much anywhere. You can get favourite photos printed on anything from a coffee cup to a huge canvas to hang on the wall; alternatively, choose a selection of shots to compile your own photobook. Perhaps you’ll choose pictures of yourself on your travels, as a way to show your face on the big day without flying all the way home. Or maybe you have access to old family snaps and pictures of you with your loved ones. Whatever you choose, remember that you won’t get the chance to check the gift yourself before it’s delivered, so make sure the pics fulfil the photo printer’s quality guidelines.
Food hampers
Food hampers like the ones you can order from Marks and Spencer, Selfridges or Fortnum & Mason are a fantastic option for parents, grandparents and young families who might appreciate a box full of Christmas-made-easy. All these shops offer international delivery, and there’s a huge range, from chocolate and wine to full on Christmas feasts with all the trimmings. If you prefer unbranded options and know of a fancy independent grocery or department store near to the recipient’s home, it’s always worth getting in touch to find out if they offer foodie gifts and, crucially, an affordable delivery service.
Beauty baskets
Beauty baskets are ideal for anyone who’d rather pamper themselves than pig out. Lush do especially lovely gift boxes and bundles that can be delivered in many countries, Liberty of London delivery luxury beauty gifts across the world, and Marks and Spencers have nicely presented pamper packs that are also available for international delivery.
Alcoholic gifts
Alcohol is always popular at Christmas and many breweries and wine merchants offer delivery by the case. For a really special gift, though, order a few bottles of good quality craft beer (BeerAdvocate has a good user-reviewed rating system if you’re unsure what’s good and what isn’t) or a decent vintage wine.
Top tip – before you spend time browsing a particular online shop, make sure it 1) offers delivery to the country you need and 2) will gift-wrap or at least put a bow on your gift.