BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi!

Short version: I'm trying to pick out a Christmas gift for my parents and I'd love some input.

Long version: My parents, both in their mid-fifties, were the ones who got me into travel in a big way. They've been taking my brother and me on family trips since we were toddlers- with them, we've been to six continents and over forty states. Now I'm nineteen and a sophomore in university. I'm planning my first solo backpacking trip to Argentina and Chile, scheduled for the spring, and I'd really like to get my parents an awesome Christmas gift to show my appreciation for getting me hooked

Problem is, I can't think of what that awesome gift might be. Backpacks and tents seem like the type of thing they'd rather pick out themselves (and I don't think they need new ones anyway); they don't have any big upcoming trips I know about, so I can't get them trip-specific stuff; they definitely already have all the travel alarm clocks and such they need, and so on.

Any thoughts? I'd love any kind of input you can give me! Have you gotten any great travel-related gifts? Given any? Seen anything cool lately which made you think, "Wow, I want one of those!"?

Thanks!

How about a book?

Life Books just put out "America the Beautiful" a photographic trip coast to coast.

Or National Geo. just published "Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips".

How computer savvy are your parents?

The nicest gift I could receive as a parent is the ability to contact my kids when they are far away. I assume your parents have a computer? Perhaps get them a video camera & microphone so you can skype/ msn them while you're gone?

Of course it depends on how much you want to spend, but an experience gift. Something like a day at the spa or dinner at an unique place. Something that they would not normally do, but think was fun (or at the very least different).