Vacations, Travel and Gift Giving to Family and Friends

How many business travelers have arrived home from a trip to hear, “what did you bring me” from a daughter or son?

Perhaps a friend or family member taking a vacation opened their suitcase shortly after arriving at your home and pulled out gifts for you as their way of saying “thank you” for your hospitality and opening your home to me.

Or, after you and your family arrived home from your wonderful vacation visiting with friends out of state or in another country you logged onto your home computer and ordered a special thank you gift to have shipped to them.

Vacations and summertime holiday trips often mean a time of meeting with new and old friends, family that you have not seen in a long time and the exchanging of gifts to show love or appreciation between on another.

It’s not just the thought that counts.

In some cultures, the giving of gifts can get rather complicated especially when it involves business dealings. A gift that is acceptable in one area of the world may not be appropriate to give in another area.

If you are traveling to another country and plan to give a gift to your host or business associate, you need to spend a little time doing research on gift giving in that culture. As Americans we often have very different ideas about what others might think is a good gift. In some cultures that you might travel to, how you present your gift is very important. In Japan for instance, you should always present your gift to a person with both hands. In addition, when you receive a gift there, you must accept in with both hands.

You need to think about the possible message that the giving of a gift might convey to someone in another culture. Giving the wrong gift at the wrong time, especially in a business setting, can become awkward or even offensive to the recipient. A good way to ensure that your gift is appropriate in the setting and for the person you intend to give it to is to check with others living in or acquainted with that culture. Ask the salesperson at the shop you are buying from, check with an associate that knows the area or read a book written about the local customs for that culture.

Gift giving to family and friends even in other parts of the world is not going to be as complicated, hopefully, as it is when gifts are given in a business setting. However, you might want to check and make sure that you still are not doing something that could be culturally inappropriate or offensive. Below is a short list of gift ideas to watch out for.

Giving of wine or alcohol may be OK with close friends and family but, if that friend is an observant Muslim don’t do it. Muslims do not drink alcohol. Giving of flowers is often a good gift idea but be careful that they are not the variety that traditionally are used at funerals or gravesides. In some countries like Germany, you should always unwrap the flowers before you give them to someone. Sometimes it is a numbers game when giving gifts such as flowers. In Europe you should give an odd number of flowers and be careful that the number translated in another language is not offensive or taken as bad luck.

Taking time to think about your gift giving, and how it relates to the culture and the setting that you are giving it in can make the act of giving a pleasant one. Everyone likes to receive gifts and some are better received than others are. Giving gifts when you travel or visit others can be a wonderful experience for everyone. You can find many gift ideas at a new website, My Travel Gifts www.mytravelgifts.com along with travel news and information about events, tours and attractions.

Henry Griner is the owner of Mission Springs LLC located in Minnesota, USA. Henry has been involved with computers and the Internet for over 12 years. He has created dozens of websites for clients and himself. Henry is currently employed as the Information Technology Manager for the 5th largest furniture company in the United States. In the past he has been an instructor a local community colleges teaching Internet and computer courses. He has recently launched a new website with travel information, news and gift giving ideas for travelers. http://www.mytravelgifts.com

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