Christmas Gifts From Travellers To Travellers, from Journals, Maps and Suitcase Covers, to Aprons, Chocolates, Key Rings, Umbrellas and More

My ebook on improve your English with alliteration is available for download from Amazon. 

English dictionaries of all sizes can be bought on line. 

If you are obsessed with Stonehenge or the Loch Ness Monster, or know somebody who is, then, failing a trip to visit the original and/or the museum, a key ring, poster or book is a cheaper alternative to stick inside a Christmas stocking for amusement. Or inside a Christmas cracker, the DIY sort.

I bought towelling bath mit from Primark with a Union Jack.

Gifts From England

Chocolate

Passing through Heathrow airport? We bought Terry's white chocolate  and orange bar. It tastes good. It's different.

Tesco Express in London often has cakes topped with Thornton chocolates.

Also look for Kendal Mint cake.

English Heritage

Union flag (union jack) golf umbrella, twenty five pounds (plus postage?) with navy outside and the Union Jack inside.

The cheapest union Jack tee-shirts are on ebay. Some of them have messy edges to the flag. You can buy tee-shirts with the flag large or small and the normal way up or sideways.

Stonehenge

Spinner key ring; oven glove. Socks. Bottle opener key ring. 

Book: I never knew that about England. Tells you where Wendy and Long John Silver are buried, and where King Alfred burned the cakes.

British food includes:

Bakewell tart, malt loaf. Cadbury's chocolates. Quality Street chocolates. Scones. Mrs Beeton recipe book. Fray Bentos tinned steak and kidney pudding. Marks & Spencers thick cut marmalade. Ginger in syrup in glass jars from supermarkets.

Harrods goods with their symbol. Toby jugs. Wedgwood crockery. (All cheaper in the January sales - which often start online as early as Boxing Day, Dec 26, or even Christmas Day, Dec 25.)

Diabetic and gluten free goods from pharmacies. 

Kosher and halal goods from supermarkets and speciality grocers.

Large numbers of Chinese and Indian (mainly Pakistani and North Indian) restaurants, some vegetarian restaurants. Indian sarees and items from areas such as Southall in London. Bit Chinese mall on the Edgware Road in London.

Numerous art galleries and museums and stately homes have shops. Sherlock Holmes items from their shop near baker street station.

UK flag mask

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/united-kingdom-union-jack-england-britain-flag-vintage-distressed-finish-design-turnpike.html?product=face-mask-flat

Winter Novelties

Paperweights which show falling snow when turned upside down.

Travel Novelties

You can buy a suitcase, a suitcase set, or suitcase cover with pictures of the UK, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, or the words New York.

I bought a cover to cover a scruffy suitcase. The cover prevented me from reaching into the outside pocket which was a nuisance. However, you might find it adds security by preventing things from falling out or to stop petty pilferage.

Gifts From Scotland

Loch Ness Monster

Scottish shortbread biscuits

Tartan hat or kilt, tee-shirt or teddy bear toys or key rings wearing tartan kilts and hats .

Whisky

Gifts From Wales

Welsh cakes

Welsh love spoons

Tee towels with words of Welsh or Welsh recipes

 

Gifts from Ireland

Aran sweaters

Items in green and with four leaf clover motifs

Personalize

Personalized with your surname in the middle, Monopoly, ordered from Selfridges.

Looking for a bargain?

Lidl, the low price German supermarket in London, England, before Xmas sells stollen bites from Germany.

Hanukah theme gifts will be reduced price after the end of hanukah, widely sold in London UK supermarkets, Jewish delis and shops, and the USA bargain stores.

After Christmas you can stock up on Christmas theme items for next year.

Soon to come, more ideas for you. 

Classic companies in the UK include department stores Hamleys, Selfridges, Harrods, Marks & Spencer, Tesco. 

Classic chocolates are Cadbury's, Thorntons, After Eight, Hotel Chocolat, Terry's.

Classic flags are the Union Jack, flags of Scotland, Wales, and Eire, the USA, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, England, Football teams.

Classic US authors include Dickens, the Brontes, Jane Austen.

Classic US authors include Edgar Allen Poe.

Classic Christian gifts are from churches and cathedrals.

Classic Jewish gifts are from synagogues and Jewish gift shops and Jewish museums.

Travel Diaries

Cheap Travel Diary For Children

If you cannot travel, you can cut out or print pictures for a wishlist. Or start collecting stamps. I remember as a child seeing pagodas and Ankor Wat. When I finally reached Ankor Wat, at retirement age, it exceeded my expectations, and it was not the only building in that style but one of many. Also, by then it was not remote and eerie, but surrounded by sellers of postcards and drinks and even restaurants in huts and one storey wooden buildings. 

Finally, there's the KrisFlyer shop.

Useful Websites

Child's union Jack cap

https://www.lazada.sg/products/union-jack-uk-england-flag-united-kingdom-united-kingdom-england-london-kids-baseball-hats-childrens-cap-hip-hop-caps-childrens-cap-hat-hats-for-children-childs-summer-cap-sun-hats-cap-for-boy-

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-10274603/Christmas-gift-ideas-traveller-life-luggage-tags-heated-jackets.html

https://www.english-heritageshop.org.uk/

https://www.english-heritageshop.org.uk/collections/exclusive-collections/stonehenge-medallion-collection

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/things-to-do/shop/

https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/board-games-monopoly-by-you-silver-tokens-personalised-board-game_R03866787/

https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/

https://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/

https://www.theirishstore.com/irish-gifts

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Traditional_foods_of_the_United_Kingdom

Tee shirts with Union Jacks on ebay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282830021956?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM

https://www.facebook.com/KrisShop/

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/united-kingdom-union-jack-england-britain-flag-vintage-distressed-finish-design-turnpike.html?product=face-mask-flat

About the Author

About the author of this blog

About the Author of this blog, Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books, including: Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

I  also have a blog on comic poems.

 Please share links to your favourite posts. 

What To Wear, Not Wear, And Carry On a Flight

Before you start packing, note the size and weight allowed for check-in and carry-on luggage. If you have multiple legs of your journey, pack for the most restrictive flight, unless you plan to mail items back home half way, or leave your heaviest suitcase with family at your first stopover, and carry on with a lighter bag.

DRESS FOR YOUR DESTINATION
The rule is, dress for your destination. However, you also need to think about your journey to the airport, going through security, and on the plane.

HOT DESTINATIONS
CLOTHES

UK flag. London - hot in summer, cold in winter.

Why dress for your destination? One year I wore heavy knee high boots and a long coat in London. I flew to India.

Indian flag.

India and Asia. Hot countries.

My luggage was delayed 24 hours. So I was left wearing my London clothes for snow in the heat of Delhi.

First, I was far too hot in Delhi. Second I had no spare underclothes. Third, I  looked daft and everybody stared at me.

If you are flying to a hot destination, you need a lightweight outfit either in your carry-on luggage or under your warmer second layer.

NOTE SEASONS
Australia has opposite seasons to the UK and Europe.

Flag of tropical Singapore which is hot all year.


Singapore
Singapore is hot all year.In Singapore, you need light single layer clothes for walking to and from the MRT train stations, or waiting in line outdoors for a taxi. You also need a jacket to wear indoors in the air-conditioned taxi, the restaurants and hotels and office meeting rooms.

Japan has four seasons.




















Korean flag.

Korea can be cold and snowing in winter. Minus fifteen at a ski resort I visited.

Thermals
I always take one thermal vest and a deerstalker hat which covers ears and a pair of gloves. They are light to pack. Even if you are perspiring in the heat at mid-day, if you take a trip on a boat, ferry or cruise ship at night, the sea breeze can be cold.

Vietnam


















Vietnam flag.

Vietnam's weather can change from hot to cold between Xmas and New Year. I arrived in light clothes in Christmas 2018. By Jan 1st 2019 I needed a warm hooded jacket to protect my head and neck from the winds when waiting at bus stops.

LAYERS
However, don't wear too many layers. On a couple of occasions I wore two jackets. This meant lighter packing.

JACKETS
Actually I grabbed the second jacket at the last minute when I opened the front door in London and felt the cold air at dawn. I remembered the dreadful cold draft which hits you as you trundle all your luggage from the place where the taxi to the airport drops you, from the outer building to the inner building.

 I had to remove both jackets at security. Undressing all the layers delayed me so I was well behind my husband, who was impatiently waiting.

On the first occasion, I remembered my second jacket and had to go back to collect it.This should have been a warning.

The second time, I went back and my jacket was gone.

PONCHOS AND SLEEVELESS JACKETS
Alternatives are a poncho or sleeveless jacket. Make sure you can wear your shoulder bag or cross-body bag easily under or over the poncho.

A poncho can double up as a warm cover if the airplane is cold.

LIPSTICKS
No Lipsticks Nor Medicines
On one trip I put my liquid medicine and my lipstick in a  lovely case in the little plastic bag in a separate container. I lost it. the lost property office was miles away.

When I went online, you had to describe your item. No room for three items, you could only list one.

Luckily I had a second lipstick in the same lovely case. But I never travelled with it again. One solution is to pack a lipstick. On board only carry a lipstick which is almost finished, with just less than one centimeter at the base. Use a lipstick brush to apply it.

Or pack your valuable lipstick. Take a cheap, current colour,  and easily replaceable one for the journey.

No Metals
Metals will set off the metal detector which you might need to walk through. This means:

CLOTHES
1 No shoes with metal tips or metal ended laces.
2 No boots nor shoes with metal eyelets for laces.
3 No belts with metal buckles.
4 No all metal belts. Not loose ones threaded through loops on jeans, nor holding up the waist of long dresses so you don't trip. No fixed sewn-on half belts on the back or sides of jackets.

5 No jackets with metal eyelets.
6 No shirts nor blouses with fixed or removable metal collar ends. (Old shirts used to have whalebone strips to keep collars flat. These were replaced by cheaper plastic strips. Then the fashion was fixed tips so the collar lay flat and did not fray. Then metal corners you could clip on became available.)

BAGS
7 No bags with metal chain shoulder straps nor reinforcing triangles where the strap meets the bag, nor stud patterns.

Lightweight bags are less weight on the shoulders as well as keeping within your allowance. 

A sturdier bag might protect a laptop or by pickpocket proof. A reversible bag gives you more colour options. If one side gets dirty, you can reverse it.

I pack a small bag inside a bigger one.

If I have space in my carry-on bag, I can put my heavier shoulder bag inside it and have a hand free at the airport. The smaller neck bag can carry a passport or ticket or boarding pass.

Another handy item is a neck pocket which can carry your spectacles when you are asleep, or your phone or toothbrush when you hop out to the toilet.

ACCESSORIES
8 No pendants or necklaces with heavy metal chains and heavy metal pendants. (You might find a fine gold choker necklace goes through without a problem.)
9 No metal brooches, rings or bracelets.
10 No hats nor baseball caps with metal shields or symbols on the front, nor buckles at the back.

HIGH HEELED SHOES
Don't wear high heeled shoes for longhaul. Or keep them separate to wear at the far end.
1 During those long walks at airports such as Heathrow and same transit airports in the USA, your feet will ache.
2 Also, if you have to evacuate an aircraft, you have to remove high heeled shoes because they would rip the slide fabric as you hurtle down the slide from the plane to the ground.

Small Items
If you do have to remove small items, try to put them inside something else, such as a zip up pocket or bag, so they don't roll out or get forgotten or take up extra trays.

Keep track of how many items you are collecting. Wear brightly coloured items you can identify and which others will not take by mistake.

If you are asked to step aside to open an item for inspection, try to watch out for your other items. Alternatively, list the number of items you need to collect and ask another member of your family or group to keep an  eye out.

Remember that items apparently left behind at security may be whisked away by the staff so that a moment later they have vanished.

Laptops and covers and accessories
You might keep all your accessories together so as not to lose anything and not to have to count, nor to get delayed. However, you might need to remove your laptop from your carry on bag. One solution is to have the laptop already outside the cover. Use the cover to protect one side of the bag.

Use another bag or a light item such as a jumper or neck pillow to cushion the other side of the laptop and its sides. Once you are through the security area, you can  place the laptop back in its secure cover for the rest of the journey.

Leftover Wine
When clearing out your fridge, you might give leftovers to a neighbour, send an email to yur family reminding them which foods are about to reach their expiry date.

Leftover wine in the fridge might be used in cooking or for cleaning, or dyeing clothes. You won't be allowed to take it with you in Platy Preserves. You might be allowed to take on board 100 ml. Stock up with a couple or more 100 ml bottles if that is the maximum allowed on your airline.

If two of you are travelling and your spouse does not drink, you might be able to give them a bottle to take some for you.

Food and drink
Don't take on board items which will get you into trouble.

I was told that I could take cut flowers, but not plants with roots and soil, into Singapore.
Check the latest regulations before you fly, in case rules have been tightened or relaxed.

Apples from your home or hotel breakfast table, into the USA.

No fruit and vegetables into Australia.

Meats are banned in some European and Asian destination.

Knives
Also watch out for knives, scissors, needles. If you have a small, padded envelope addressed to yourself, and stamped, you might be able to post back to your home any item that adults or children are found to be carrying at the airport before you check-in.

Some airports simply throw away confiscated items.That multi-function Swiss army knife with the bottle opener, in your backpack, is an expensive and useful item you might not want to lose, especially if it was a birthday present.

Sometimes airports will store them for you to collect on your return. Ask. Allow time for delays over such items.

Once, my husband had accidentally taken as far as security a banned item he could not afford to lose. to retrieve his carry-on luggage and retreat back to the check in desk. This took half an hour, because they needed a member of staff who was not busy checking in passengers. She had to go to the office on the other side of the terminal to collect a form and bring it back. The form had to be filled in. Then through passport checks and security again.

Don't swear at security or you might get locked  up. Not advisable!

My best journey was travelling light with only a carry-on bag.

Happy travelling.

Useful Websites
https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/baggage/baggage-allowance/
https://www.skyscanner.net/news/tips/7-ways-to-beat-ryanair-cabin-baggage-rules
https://topjourneymag.com/15-things-you-should-never-wear-during-a-flight
https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/baggage/baggage-restrictions/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Where can you put your holiday pictures? On your address card, mug or duvet cover and more

Problem
Where can you put your holiday pictures?

For Yourself:
1 As wallpaper on your phone or laptop.
2 In a picture book.
3 On the cover of a notebook, such as one used for your next travel trip. Use a single photo or a collage.

For Others To See
1 As the homepage of your website.
2 In Vistaprint on caps, tee-shirts, bags, notebook covers, your own business address cards, mouse pads, posters, calendars, magnets and wedding invitations.
3 Facebook - on a profile page or in updating regularly.
4 Twitter
5 LinkedIn

6 Instagram - divided by subjects or countries.
7 Pinterest - divided by subjects or countries.

8 Able-label - put family photos or holiday photos on mugs, tee-shirts and other items, for a birthday or Easter gift.
9 The cover of your novel or other self-published book.
10 The cover of a box file in which you store your holiday brochures for a particular country.

11 Mobile phone case covers personalised with your photo from Pixum.
12 Sell photos

13 Tesco supermarket greeting cards from your photo
14 Boots cards from your photos

15 Personalised duvet cover from your photo - half a dozen companies do this at various prices, from about £60, plus postage.

16 Pillows, playing cards, and many more items from Smart Photo company.
17 Getting Personal will make you a label from a photo on a bottle of Prosecco or Champagne, a diary, a slate photoframe, a magnetic photoframe, and many more gifts, personalised with a photo or a name. For all occasions, such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, 50th Birthday, Christening, baby photo, wedding gift,  and many more.

18 Personalised gifts using your photos or text include aprons, photo boxes and others from amazon.co.uk
19 Pillow cases, coasters, photo mugs and more from Amazon.com.

20 Personalised key rings from photos or with names or cutout in nymerous styles, or cushions and other goods from ebay.
21 Etsy artistic suppliers will make your cat photo key ring, or pencils and square pencil tumblers with children's names on them.

CAKES
22 Personalised cake with your photo, from a small cake at £12.50 in vanilla or chocolate, to a large cake, or a set of edible photos on rice paper to stick on cup cakes. The best and most impressive was the photo of my face on a big cake, although I was not impressed by the quality of the cake it looked impressive. I had it made once with a photo of my face and once with a photo of my book.

Then we went off cakes and onto dieting. So I economised and ordered the cupcake labels but they were so small that your name obscured the picture of your face. You have to look carefully how the name and face are positioned. It might be better to order two sets, one with faces, another with messages such as happy birthday or a name.  Cut up the message and stick it on the cake separately.

Useful Websites
https://www.able-labels.co.uk/photo-mugs/
https://www.vistaprint.co.uk/photo-gifts?txi=16602&xnid=TopNav_Photo+Gifts&xnav=TopNav
https://www.pixum.co.uk/cases/smartphone?search
https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/make-money/side-gigs/sell-your-photos-online/
https://www.tescophoto.com/photo_greeting_cards
https://www.bootsphoto.com/photo-gift/photo-cards
https://www.bagsoflove.co.uk/blankets/personalised-duvet-covers.
https://www.smartphoto.co.uk/photo-gifts
https://www.gettingpersonal.co.uk/gifts/sale?page=5
https://www.amazon.co.uk/slp/personalised-gifts-using-photos/
https://www.amazon.com/slp/personalized-photo-gifts/
http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/personalised-gifts-keyring
https://www.etsy.com/featured/personalised-gifts-
https://www.yumbles.com/the-boutique-cupcake-company/photo-logo-letterbox-cake.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

How to make an emergency swimming hat?

Problems
You arrive at a hotel or holiday home and need a swimming hat. You have forgotten yours, or it has split. Eventually in a hot country the plastery ones go sticky and stick together. The elastic edged ones go loose.

Your hair is long. It's dangerous to have loose long hair in a Jacuzzi (spa bath) because the underwater suction holes could reverse in the interval and drag your hair underwater.

A girl in the UK nearly drowned and was only saved because a handy life guard was able to give her under water berths until somebody came to the rescue with a knife or scissor.

For safety, and health many swimming pools require hats. Sometimes they say for everybody (females mostly). Sometimes they specify if your hair is longer than ear length. It's obviously easier for them to check everybody has a hat which you can see from a distance on a monitor. They don't have time and energy to get out a tape measure, measuring everybody's hair. Nor would they want to get into an argument about whose hair is longer, shorter, too long. Easier for them to see if somebody is wearing a swimming hat.

Why else are hats needed? To stop you losing your hair grips. To keep in your set.

To stop hair spray making grease on the water. To keep out nits (head lice) of schoolchildren and others.

To stop the chlorine or other substances cleansing the water from damaging your hair.

To keep hair dry so it looks better and does not wet your clothes. So you don't have to spend hours drying your hair keeping others waiting.

Sometimes in a big swimming pool there's a shop selling swimming hats. They might be the wrong size, feel plastic and uncomfortable.

Answers
Your options:
1 Buy Spares / Bulk
Stock up with two or three spare black hats which go with all costumes for all members of the family. (Stock up for a group of friends or school outing or club. Buy in bulk and get a discount.) Stock up with assorted colours so you have one to match every costume.

2 Take a hotel shower cap. Use it as a base. Cover it with spare material from:
An old swimming costume (one you never wear because it is las year's fashion or too small).
A cheap any size swimsuit sold off cheaply out of season in a charity shop.
Material bought from the fabric department of a major department store or craft store such as Spotlight in Singapore and Australasia.
Ideally you want waterproof material. But if you just want to fulfil requirements and not look like you are wearing a shower cap, any fabric covering will do if you are keeping your head out of the water.

3 Use the hotel shower cap as a template.

Repairing Swimhats
If your swim hat is the shower cap shape with elastic around the edge, when it goes loose, tighten it by folding it over into a small pleat at the back and sew with a few inconspicuous cotton stitches.

How To Find Sewing Implements
Use your hotel sewing kit. If they don't have one, ask the receptionist if you can borrow a needle and white cotton. In a five star hotel the staff can call housekeeping or valet service to sew on a button or do a small repair. They might make a charge or you might leave a tip, or even just a thank you and a good review on TripAdvisor which managements seem to value more.

In a large group, probably another member has a sewing kit. They might not want to part with a sewing kit. But they might wait while you sew, to reclaim their needle, even do the sewing for you.

Short of cotton? Pull a thread from another garment. Use your hair if you have long hair. Use a piece of dental floss. Ask hotel reception for a piece of cotton.

On one occasion when I needed cotton I had the chutzpah to ask a hotel reception for a sewing kit and I wasn't staying at that hotel, just visiting for lunch with a friend. If you have a friend staying at a hotel, they might have a sewing kit they don't need. It might be sitting undiscovered in the drawer.

At one hotel I went without sewing for several days and was considering complaint on the hotel feedback form and on TripAdvisor. I wondered whether people in the grander suites had sewing kits. (Sometimes you can see from the trolley of the people who make up the room which items are given to the expansive suites.)

When I went down to the reception desk, they told me that the room had a sewing kit. It was in the plastic box in the wardrobe (Americans call that a closet).

Bye, bye. I'm off to sew a swimming hat.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Author of How to get out of the mess you're in. Please share my posts.