ALT-3 Best Graduation Gifts for Grads with a Travel Bug
Your grad is finally free from the constraints of a classroom, studying and schedules and wants to take a little time off to travel. Can you blame them? To make their trip easier, safer and therefore more memorable, there are a multitude of gift ideas that will do just that. Gifts for the traveler can be as simple and inexpensive as a new toiletry kit or as complex and pricey as a GPS locater and laptop computer. The gifts you choose should depend on where the grad is traveling and how they will get there.
Let's say the graduate has decided to travel the roads of America and has no equipment that will assure a pleasant trip. There are the obvious gifts such as luggage, a cooler, and a travel clock but in today's world, with all of the current gadgetry, the list is much longer.
A good travel atlas is a must but you might also consider a much more modern version of the atlas, such as Microsoft's Streets and Trips, which is a software program that plugs into a laptop computer. Did I say laptop computer? Yes I did. Not only can a laptop combined with the right software program keep you on course, it can be used as a travel journal and is a good way to stay in touch with friends and family through e-mail.
A digital camera is also a great gift for the traveling grad. It saves film and printing costs but much more importantly, it is a fun way to share their trip with those left at home. Combined with a laptop computer, the pictures taken each day can be downloaded and e-mailed to family members or as a thank-you to everyone who sent a gift. Almost every hotel and motel in America has wireless internet service in their rooms or if that is not an option, there are internet cafes where, for the price of a cup of coffee, you can plug-in the laptop and access the internet.
The final gadget that is a must for any modern day traveler is a good cell phone with a reliable service provider. Combined with the right package of available minutes per month, which is another gift suggestion, it can connect the grad to emergency services or during a long day on a lonesome road, allows the person to beat the boredom with a call to a best friend.
All of the above named gadgets are pricey and may not fit into your gift budget. Don't fret since there are still many options for gifts that are necessary and less expensive. An emergency kit equipped with flares and a high powered flashlight and a sign that can be placed in a window telling whoever stops that, because of that good cellphone service, help is on the way. In todays world, it is never necessary to take a chance and accept a ride from a stranger.
In case of an unexpected vehicle emergency, a debit or credit card is a useful tool when having to replace a broken windshield or a blow-out. It is also wise to consider an updated car insurance package that includes tow service and a rider which guarantees a rental while the car is at the mechanics. Make sure you add in all of the necessary insurance information in order for the traveler to call the company from the road.
Any of the above mentioned gifts will allow the grad a sense of connection with home and provide better safety while traveling from location to location. Are they all an absolute necessity? Probably not. But, if price isn't an issue, these gifts will ensure a safer more pleasurable adventure and best of all, allow mom and dad to sleep better while their child is traveling the highways and byways of America.
