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Holiday shopping or really any kind of shopping can look a little bit differently when you’re living in another country. Some of your favorite shops from back home may not be available to you or may not offer you all the items.
If you’re looking for gift ideas for what to buy your favorite expat or to buy for yourself before moving abroad, make sure to read this guide!
Top 10 gifts for expats
1. VPN Subscription
If they don’t already pay for a VPN service, gifting someone a 12/6/1 monthly subscription is a fantastic idea. We use Express VPN and love it. The paid service is much better than the free service, but of course it can get pricey. Your expat will thank you when they can watch their favorite shows again!!
2. Universal surge protectors
These universal surge protectors are great to have in places where you have multiple things to plug in like the living room or office. They eliminate the need to have individual adapters everywhere and allow you to plug in different types of outlets in one strip.
3. Insulated Bags
Outside the US most stores will charge for grocery bags, so it’s common to bring tote bags and backpacks shopping. In the summertime bringing an insulated tote bag (like the one from Trader Joes) is super helpful. If sending a care package is possible, sending your expat a TJ insulated bag filled with their favorite Trader Joes products is a dream come true.
Tip: make sure nothing contains meat as there are different rules for exporting meat.
4. Comfortable Sneakers
Or trainers as they’re called in other parts of the world! Comfort is key as outside of the US people tend to walk much more. A great pair of super comfortable walking shoes can make all the difference.
Here are a few of our recommendations at a different price points:
- All Birds- These are popular for a reason. Not only are they made for comfort but they are also machine washable. These will cost around $100.
- On Running – While this brand focuses on running shoes, their walking shoes are extremely popular and comfortable. We both switched to this brand recently and absolutely love them for all activities. These are definitely more on the “sportier” side and cost around $130.
- APL – Athletic Propulsion Labs makes some of the lightest shoes out there. Many of their shoes are machine washable and loved by celebrities for being a comfortable but sleek looking gym shoe. These are on the more expensive side running at around $160.
5. Ninja Foodi
Counter space can be super limited especially for those of us living in small European sized places. Appliances that serve multi-purposes are better to minimize storage space such as the Ninja Foodi. When my friend told me she bought an air fryer/crockpot/pressure cooker all in one I knew I had to get one! I immediately put this at the top of my Christmas list!
6. Camera bag
Camera bags can be super outdated. When we replaced Nate’s fanny pack looking camera bag it was seriously life changing. Before I got my own camera bag. I would throw mine just at the bottom of my backpack and hope it wouldn’t break.
We both love our camera bags and always recommend them to other people!
Kristie’s Choice: Gatta bag
Nate’s Choice: Lowepro backpack
7. Slippers
There’s nothing like having a nice pair of slippers for home! Especially if the person lives in a city, wearing shoes indoors can be less than appealing (so many gross things on the ground!!). UGG slippers are our go-to. They can be on the pricer side, which is why they make such a great gift. It can be hard to justify buying yourself fancy slippers.
8. Amazon Favorites
Amazon always has tons of gift giving guides as well as daily deals. If you find something that your expat would love, make sure to order through THEIR amazon country. You can use your regular amazon account, but you’ll need to shop on the country’s amazon site, for example amazon.pl (Poland) or amazon.de (Germany). This allows you as the gift giver to avoid the import fees and long shipping times. Some of the amazon sites are not in English so it helps to use google chrome as the browser and translate the site.
Tip: Make sure you put in their cell phone number for delivery details as some delivery people will actually call.
Tip: Deliver to a nearby package container instead. These are really popular in other countries. You won’t have to coordinate with them on being home to receive the package and they can pick up on their own time, possibly just next door!
9. Gift Cards
Gift Cards get a bad reputation for being a “cop out” gift. People don’t like to give gift cards, but people LOVE to receive gift cards. Getting gift cards for expats is easy, but has a little bit of a twist to it.
Here are gift card suggestions:
- Card to their favorite store: For example, if you know they love Sephora and want to get them a Sephora gift card this is totally possible, but it needs to be from the right country. You’ll need to go online to that country’s Sephora (https://www.sephora.pl/) and purchase it from there. Otherwise, if you purchase it from your home country, they won’t be able to use it until they go back.
- Airline gift cards: I haven’t met an Expat that doesn’t love to travel. Getting them a gift card to help them pay for their flight home or for local travel is sure to be appreciated!
10. Ask them what they want!
This is another one of those unpopular gift ideas (like gift cards), gifts don’t have to be a surprise! Is there something they really need or maybe just want that you can get them? For example, do they find themselves printing a lot of documents and could benefit from just having their own printer? Could they use a monitor so they’re not living off a laptop screen? I’m all about getting useful things for people that they will actually use!
Shopping Tips
- Before doing any kind of shopping make sure you’re using the proper credit card. Check your credit card offers, as these change constantly. Perhaps by using AMEX you’ll get extra points for shopping at Sephora, or by using Chase to send flowers you could get cash back on your statement.
- Shop through a shopping portal. Get those extra airline points by going through the portal instead of directly to the store. Not all stores are available on the portals so it helps to browse first.
- Use Rakuten! Especially if you’re doing any kind of online shopping, take advantage of the cash back offers on here. You can either get cashback in the form of cash or AMEX reward points instead. We opt for earning the AMEX points. If you don’t have an account yet sign up here.
