Christmas gifts for travellers?

Maps, for sure... Also, how about recordings of music from where you're going?

I have done something similar. Items you might get: fun luggage tags, rolling carry-ons (since we do not check our luggage), day packs (as you mentioned), money belt/passport holder (as I expect the older ones to carry their own), packable rain jackets (for London), neck pillows for the plane, decent headphones for the plane, Kindles (we found them for less than $40 each), decent shoes (usually sneakers) for all the walking, apps for the Kindle that entertain and/or inform about where we are going, small bottles for toiletries or travel size toiletries, etc.

I realize boys might not be super excited about these things. I guess it is all how you present them. Happy planning!

Let's see:

• Portable binoculars
• Battery charger case for their mobile phones
• Ultra compact portable USB charger
• Baseball cap!

I recommend inflatable neck pillows. I can't imagine carrying around the non-inflatable kind, though I've seen other people doing it.

Following - we are surprising our boys (15 and 10) for Christmas with a spring break trip to Munich & Salzburg. I've already gotten a guidebook for each (DK for the younger one and Rick's pocket guide for the older) but would love other ideas!

For the ten year old, there are books for children about traveling to London and Paris.
A Monster plug that you charge four devices at once, using one wall plug and one plug adapter. Love mine.
A trip diary for them each to write in about their trip.
Christmas ornaments featuring London and Paris.

What about a gift certificate for a special tour or activity. One year, I was gifted a gift certificate for a cooking class in Paris. I’ve also received one for a food tour in Amsterdam which I very much enjoyed. There are all kinds of fun and interesting day or small group tours/activities available.

Another idea is to gift them some foreign currency. This way they some of their own currency and can get excited about how they may want to spend it. What about small easy to carry cameras?

How about a different type of guide such as DK Eyewitness. These guides are loaded with color photos. I don't bring them on trips, way too heavy and bulky. But, they're a great way to wet the appetite and also a nice way to reminisce about a trip once you're back.

https://www.amazon.com/DK-Eyewitness-Travel-Guide-London/dp/1465460446/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1511461835&sr=8-2&keywords=dk+eyewitness+books+london

Packing cubes? Maybe color coded for each child? Great organizational tool for travelers.

Brilliant suggestions so far! My 10 year old has been asking for a neck pillow for road trips in the car - had no idea there was an inflatable kind.

Great ideas, love them all!

Books and movies that take place in London and Paris.

Books and movies that take place in London and Paris.

• A tale of two cities. 1958 film if you can get a copy. The book (which is probably too heavy for modern tastes) has some good descriptions of the journey between the cities by horse-drawn coach.
• Dunkirk The new 2017 film. I haven't seen it yet, it is due out on video 12 December 2017.
• Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007 film)
• The original Inspector Clouseau film

• packing cubes for sure... complete game changer!
• inflatable neck pillow
• sleeping mask
• travel journal
• electricity adapter
• some pounds and euros for spending money
• I got these two for my kids this past summer ( 12 and 9) and they had fun with ithttps://www.amazon.ca/Mission-Paris-Scavenger-Hunt-Adventure/dp/0989226743/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511477842&sr=8-1&keywords=mission+paris https://www.amazon.ca/Mission-London-Scavenger-Hunt-Adventure/dp/0989226727/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511477898&sr=1-1&keywords=mission+london

Take a look at the travel pieces and accessories at the RS Store (sale going on now). You might be able to get a daybag each and stuff it with some other useful items (city guidebooks, adapter plugs, packing cubes, pillows, etc.).

I also like the idea of some films shot in the locations you will visit.

Novels and movies that take place where you are going.

If I'm not mistaken, I think RS Guide Sarah Murdoch had a post with suggestions about this time last year at her blog, adventureswithsarah dot net.

Edit to add: in fact, she has a whole page devoted to these posts!

http://adventureswithsarah.net/category/gifts-for-travelers/

Oh wow, I just ordered the Mission: Paris and Mission: London scavenger hunt books - those look amazing! My guys are beachcombers and geocachers, so this is right up their alley - thanks for that!

Though frowned upon as a general rule, I'd order a bit of each currency for each of them - most kids love cold hard cash (with a bonus that it looks cool) and they can start planning how they want to spend it. Since you mentioned they like geocaching, be sure to have them pick out some caches to find ahead of time. I found some cool ones in Dublin that got me to places a bit off the beaten path. I second the packing cube idea - one color for each kid, eBags makes decent ones in fun colors. Lastly, though it is most certainly low brow, since you have boys they might find the humor in the movie National Lampoon's European Vacation. The scene with the round-about is an oft-quoted phrase in my family ("Look kids, Big Ben!")

I don't know any details or how much it might cost, but there might be an opportunity to walk along the banks of the Thames, looking for bits of history--sort of urban beachcombing. I believe the activity is called "mudlarking". I don't think you can just show up and do this, so Google for information.

Dani,
Don't know if it would thrill your guys, but it would fall into the "build excitement" category.

Consider Christmas tree ornaments (such as the Eiffel, Big Ben, etc.) for your tree that your team could unwrap on Christmas Eve and put on the tree....then in future years, they would bring back the memories of a fun trip shared. If you use Ebay, search for "Old World Christmas ornaments" with Paris or London themes, although I am sure there are lots of other brands that would offer good choices, too.

The greatest gift you are giving your boys is the gift of travel....lucky young men!!!!

EDIT: If your guys like to wear ballcaps, there are also some tasteful, subtle ballcaps with Paris and London on them via a Google search.

I am with some others that some reading would be good. Will you visit the British Museum? The Rosetta stone is there - that's the key artifact which unlocked some middle-eastern languages. A bit of history would be good. Also, as many know, all the good stuff from Greece was "taken" for "safekeeping" by British diplomats and officers - the Elgin marbles (the former frieze at the top of the Parthenon in Athens). A bit of historical reading on this would prepare them to appreciate the British Museum.

In Paris, Hopital les Invalides is a wonderful museum. It has the tomb of Napoleon in the basement. In the 4th floor, there are models of cities of France from the 1600s. When Peter the Great, later Czar of all the Russias, was going about as a common seaman in France, he visited these same models, and they taught him a lot about city construction. The story of Napoleon, the French Revolution, Peter the Great in France - all a rich broth of history, which would appeal to boys of that age, and their sometimes warlike nature. I know that my son was quite interested in history, especially military history.

Day packs are a great idea.

I like the idea of getting each kid some Euros - they can follow the exchange rate for dollars to Euros while they wait for the trip. I try to give kids of those ages "adult" gifts whenever possible - adapters, luggage if they don't already have it, personalized luggage tags, a down vest.

Another vote for cold, hard cash they can anticipate spending on something(s) of their own choosing: various denominations, a variety of coins if you can find them (ask family and friends who may have some from previous trips). The paper and coins are different depending on the different countries in Europe. Historical, colorful, interesting to study a bit.

Thank you all! These are such wonderful ideas, and I find myself even more excited about our trip (didn't think that was possible!) just reading this post.

You've also inspired me to look into packing cubes, after seeing and ignoring many previous references to them. :)

Maps. Full sized old fashioned ones that you can spread out on the table. Get the ones that have the attractions featured well. Like a picture of Big Ben or the Tower of London. These are not good for navigating when you're there, but they're good for getting a grasp of the city's geography before the trip.

About money: before ATMs, I used to take currency for each country in a separate envelope (never liked traveler's checks). You could put pounds and euro in different envelopes with a small map of each country or city.

I saw that Eagle Creek is having a sale on their packing cubes right now . . .

That sounds awesome! We have two toddlers and cant wait to take them to Europe as well. Im always aware of sun protection, especially in the Mediterranean sun that creeps up you. I would recommend a UV travel umbrella(keeps you cooler and the sun off your neck especially when sightseeing and they are relatively light and compact). Sungrubbies has an awesome one as well
https://www.sungrubbies.com/products/uv-travel-umbrella

as packable sun hats for you and the kids. There is a compact hat I always fold and throw in my purse:

https://www.sungrubbies.com/search?type=product&q=casual+traveler

Pretty awesome hat and it fits my big head!

Dani, I like the idea of pounds and euros, both some bills and some coins. Also, how about a few family French lessons, for between Christmas and summer?

More wonderful ideas - thank you all so much! I'll definitely be ordering a little bit of currency for each kid, although I'm willing to bet even odds that it gets lost between Christmas and July. At a craft show this weekend, I picked up beautiful handmade lithos of the London and Paris city plans. I think they'll look wonderful with a family photo in the middle as a triptych.

@Larry - like good Canadian boys, my kids are in French immersion programs at school. Despite the fact that I've had 20 years of workplace language training, their French is far better than mine! ;)

I love the currency idea....maybe a neck/waist belt which are inexpensive but you could have the currency inside the belt when you wrap it.

More Travel accessories : Hidden Wallet (for sale at Rick Steves' business at this website). Travel Alarm Clock (small, light weight, powered by small batteries).