12 Holiday Gift Ideas For Someone Living Abroad

As Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season closes in, figuring out what to buy for everyone on your list can feel overwhelming.  It becomes especially hard when it’s a gift that can’t be delivered in person, and even more challenging if you’re trying to buy gifts for someone living abroad.  After all, what could an expat want who gets to see the world?

From an expat in their second year living abroad, I know what it’s like trying to find the perfect gift that’s personal but never in person.  A bit of an oxymoron, huh?  Family and friend birthdays, anniversaries and holidays are important occasions I don’t want to miss despite the long distance between us.  I don’t always know what to buy or when to mail without it arriving awkwardly too soon or too late.  Needless to say, I understand the overseas gift struggle.

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12 Holiday Gift Ideas For Someone Living Abroad

Whether you know someone right now about to move or already living abroad, there are things you can do to let them know you’re thinking of them this holiday season.  A mix of personal, useful, and just for fun, here are 12 gifts for someone living abroad.

1 – Send A Christmas Card

It’s so simple yet so meaningful.  We only received a handful (like maybe 5) our first Christmas abroad and it was quite sad.  It’s hard going from 80 to 5.  Not going to lie. 

I guess I knew it was going to happen because I didn’t even bother to attempt to hang up my Christmas card display.  Deep down I knew people wouldn’t make the extra trip to the post office to mail a card internationally.  The season is busy enough so I understand the extra postage nuisance.

But when you know someone living abroad, that little 4×6 or 5×7 parchment means so much.  It’s a, “Hi, we haven’t forgotten about you.”  Or “We’re still friends despite the distance”.  I could go on but you get the picture.

If you have time for just one thing this Christmas, then send the gift of a card to that special someone who lives abroad. 📬

2 – Food

A taste of home is always a great gift.  Literally. 

Sure, food doesn’t sound like it’s all that special but when you can’t eat Hershey Kisses at Christmas time or bake those Peanut Butter kiss cookies for your new neighbors, it can make all the difference. 

There are plenty of American things you can’t buy in the UK, so I’m fully aware of how fun it is to receive a package of Cheez-Its or Guacamole seasoning mix. 

But when shipping food overseas isn’t possible, a cookbook or magazine to whip up favorites is a second best.

3 – Subscription Music

Our Texas neighbors added us to their Spotify family account as our Christmas gift.  Even though we lived next door at the time, little did they know that they gifted us a travelers’ dream. 

That music subscription became my solace when I was homesick after moving abroad.  It helped me through my first 6 months of getting settled in the UK.  And it is my faithful gym partner whenever I motivate myself to workout.

Satellite radio isn’t a thing everywhere.  Honestly!  Both my husband and I were confused when we tried to figure out satellite radio in our Mini Cooper.  Then alas we discovered there is no such thing in the UK. 

And if you travel a lot, a music subscription is amazing because it goes with you everywhere as long as you have data.  Best gift ever!

4 – Experiences

Though living in Europe affords you endless opportunities to travel, it can be quite expensive to do so.  Living in the UK and Europe is far more expensive than in the US. 

For most expats, there is a bucket list to be conquered in a short period of time.  So much to see and do!

Gifting an experience is a great gift for someone living abroad.  After all, it’s the experience of living abroad that most likely motivated an overseas move in the first place. 

Experiences like afternoon tea to stadium tours to a horse race, are all possible to purchase online.  Google search terms that include “experience gifts”. 

Companies like Virgin Experience or buyagift in the UK offer experience packages, but Tinggly goes the extra gifting distance by combining an experience value proposition with sustainability in mind. 

Tinggly also offers experience gifts for FREE which is a brilliant gift idea for someone living abroad.  It is a great tool to help with gifting bucket list travel all around the world – whether you can afford nothing or anything.

Adventure gift for friend overseas

5 – Something Local From Their Old Home Town

When asked by a friend in Texas what she can send to the UK as Christmas gifts for the kids, my immediate reaction was “something local”. 

Receiving goodies from a previous home location is special because they are in fact personal.  For kids, local gifts might make all the difference when feeling a little homesick because traditions are off, people are missing, and Christmas routines are out of whack.

Ideas of something local:  a sports team item, an ornament, a map or picture that can be framed, a city ring, or something symbolic of where they moved from, like a Homesick Candle.  

For Kid Specific Ideas Read 👉11 Awesome Gifts For Expat Kids

6 – Something Local From Their New Home Town

While receiving gifts from a prior home can be nostalgic, it can also be a little risky.  It can take quite a while to adjust to living abroad.  So even though familiarity is comfortable, trying out new things can help with getting settled. And nothing helps more than actually living as the locals do.

There are a number of practical gifts to consider for their first Christmas living abroad, and then there are the really unique local ones.  For example, milk delivery service in old-fashioned glass bottles dropped off right at their doorstep, or a club membership, like the English Heritage in the UK.

For Local Gift Ideas Read  👉11 Housewarming Gifts She’ll Love

7 – Gift Cards That Can Be Used Internationally

I know that gift cards can seem lame, but there are a few companies that simply do it right and are super helpful gifts for overseas friends.  And when I say get it right, I’m referring to a great user experience for worldly people, accepting international credit cards, recognizing your membership details despite the country you initially registered in and that sort of thing.  It doesn’t sound like much but after moving abroad, these little things go a long way.

• Starbucks – The engineers behind the Starbucks app are genius.  The app flawlessly converts currency regardless of country.  Although Starbucks might seem like a ridiculous spot for coffee while in Europe, it’s trustworthy, a friendly face, is reliable, and always has free WiFi.  So whether it’s a gift card with US currency, British Pounds, Euro etc, the app simply doesn’t care.  The company totally understands expat living! 🙌
• Amazon – Although you have to create a new membership for local Amazon Prime, they have nearly everything you need and don’t require a local payment card or local billing address to place an order.  This is huge for someone just moving abroad.
• Apple – The most resourceful tool for living abroad is your technology: phone, laptop, etc.  Without these devices working, it can be your worst nightmare.  Can you imagine?  Honestly, I would be so lost without a phone and Google Maps.  Between Apple iTunes and Apple store gift cards, these are very useful gifts for someone living abroad.
• Nike – Perhaps I’m a little bit biased, but Nike has got the international thing right.  It’s similar to Amazon in customer experience but remembers your former country details so you can log in as you always did before and checkout.  And if that someone you’re buying for lives in Europe, then walking is their new form of #1 exercise.  With all the cobblestone street walking or kids to outfit, Nike is a sure winner.

8 – Send a Gift From A Store Not Accessible From Their Local Country

On the flip side to the above-mentioned retailers, there are other companies that are simply off the radar and cannot be accessed at all abroad.  The General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, went into effect in 2018. 

In a nutshell, GDPR means that if you are in Europe and can access a website, that website has to follow the GDPR regulation…which is a whole slew of data privacy laws, settings, double opt-ins, and a bunch of other legalese.  As an American living in the EU, I can’t access certain online websites anymore (for help on this read these VPN instructions).  Rather than adhere to the new regulation, some American-based companies simply closed their website doors to people who live outside the country.  😡

It’s in the best interest of the consumer, but it can really mess up gift-giving.  In fact, my own personal Christmas shopping for friends and family in the USA has been seriously impacted.  My annual gift-giving tradition of Williams Sonoma peppermint bark, holiday gift baskets, and other Pottery Barn favorites won’t be sent to anyone this year because, well, I live in the UK. 👎🏻

So, if you know their favorite shop is blocked by GDPR and they aren’t particularly tech-savvy, a gift from one of these US-only stores might be just what they want or need.  You can check by changing your Google settings to the country in which they live and then search for the website in question to see if it can be shopped or not.  Or simply ask them.  😉

9 – Hard Covered Books For Home

Books that reflect where they are from or where they moved to make great coffee table books.  As an expat, travel books are helpful to get the whole family excited about bucket list adventures. 

I particularly love Pretty City London, which highlights where to go for the pretty views, mews, and most photographed locations in London.  This hardcovered beauty is a perfect addition to any coffee table.

Or consider a journal.  Both allow them to research and document travel experiences that make nice gifts for someone living abroad – particularly for expats in London.

For Specific British Ideas Read 👉 11 British Gifts For Americans

10 – Digital Content For Away

An Amazon Kindle is a slim and smart way to travel more lightly with loads of reading material to select from. 

While the Amazon Firestick lets you take your tv with you.  And personally speaking, it’s hard going through weekdays without HGTV, weeknights without Jimmy Fallon, and Saturdays without SNL. 

The Amazon Firestick is one step towards providing access to all that American television not available in the UK.  Just be sure to only purchase electronics from the resident country or it’s likely to not work.

11 – Bluetooth Adapter for Long Flights

A Bluetooth audio adapter like Twelve South Airfly Pro lets you use your wireless headphones or earbuds with devices that don’t have Bluetooth capability. It’s compact and easy to use, making it particularly popular for travelers who want to use Bluetooth headphones in situations where a wired connection is typically required (airplanes!!).

12 – Meta Smart Glasses To Easily Translate A Foreign Language

For someone who moved to a new country where not only the relocation is hard but the language is too, these Meta Smart Glasses do the translation for you!

Reading a foreign menu will never be more simpler for your family member or friend who moved overseas.  All they have to do is say “Hey Meta, look and translate this menu to English for me.”

What about international shipping?

For online shopping make sure that the company accepts international payments and billing addresses.  For example, can you ship to someone in the UK but have your billing be from the US?  Make sure you confirm that first so that you don’t waste your time.

If you ship anything direct yourself, don’t go overboard.  Shipping abroad is insanely expensive and if an invoice is accidentally left in the box the items are sent in, the recipient might have to pay customs tax or VAT.  The best option is to always buy and ship online, but if you’re determined, beware. 

Final Tips On Gifts To Send Overseas

Gifting something American that is hard to purchase or too expensive to buy overseas always makes a great gift for someone living abroad.  For inspiration on a gift idea uniquely American read: 10 Iconic American Gifts For British Friends.

And that’s it!  I hope these gift ideas for someone living abroad have helped you with your holiday shopping list, whether you are shopping from home or braving the lines.  And remember, if you want and have time to do just one thing, a simple holiday card makes the perfect gift. 😉📬

And for help moving and living abroad with kids, be sure to join the aBroad purpose list 👇to receive an in-depth moving checklist, meal plan with a shopping list for the first week living in the UK, and more.

Looking for more gift ideas?

• 6 Practical Christmas Gifts For Neighbors
• 11 Awesome Gifts For Expat Kids
• My Top 6 British Hampers That Ship To The USA