judyjp52

My neighbor just graduated from college and is going to Paris for a month's stay. What could I get her for a graduation present that would help her in Paris? I gave her several guide books and books on Paris for christmas.

Thanks

nbujic

I don't know if you can get it on the Net, but how about a museum pass, or tickets to some event she might be interested in?

highflyer

A pop-up map of Paris. These are cute and useful.
Add as many euros as you would have otherwise spent on a 'gift' and voila the perfect present!

judyjp52

Thank you for your ideas. I have been surfing for the best place to buy museum tickets. I seem to find the best ones in French and unfortunately I have only studied Latin. Wasn't that dumb!

monet77

Before my first trip to Europe I was given a leather passport case monogrammed with my initials and the year. Many years later I am still using it and have since given them to nieces, nephews, etc. with money, tickets, etc. tucked inside. For only about $20 it adds to the presentation and is a reminder of the beginning of your travels.

judyjp52

Thanks, but this child is already a world traveler spending last summer in Tawain and the summer before in Ireland. She has a lot of the travel gadget already. I just wondering if subway and museum tickets were a good idea and the best place to find them.

djkbooks

You will pay a huge mark-up for transit passes and the museum pass online.

You could see what's on at FNAC and prepay tickets for her to pick up upon arrival.

When my nephew went to Ireland for a month last summer, I gave him cash He had his own checking account with ATM/debit card.

Though I never used to like cash as a gift, these days it's very much appreciated. Prices have escalated and the exchange rate is so dismal right now.

When my niece was headed to Spain, I gave her a beautiful raincoat (with exchange/return instructions if she wished). She exchanged that for a bathing suit and travel bag. So, now I just send cash.

SuzieCII

Euros. My favorite gift.

yk

How about a French language CD for her to learn some French before her trip?

Or, does she like Art? There's a DVD series on "Masterpieces at the Louvre" by the Teaching Company.
http://tinyurl.com/34g6t2

On a more economical scale, the Streetwise Paris Map is great.
http://www.streetwisemaps.com/city-map/paris-map.html

Kate_W

We have collected about 18 guidebooks for Paris now (usually purchased and left behind by our houseguests). Our favourite is Fodors' Paris 25 Best. It's lightweight, has some off-the-beaten path suggestions and enough detail to keep her busy for a month.

If she speaks a little French (but is not fluent), the Rough Guide French Dictionary and Phrasebook is great. I think Rough Guide has the best phrasebook available (and it's relatively cheap and easy to find). I've used these for a variety of trips to countries where I don't speak the language. They're very compact, easy to navigate and have a very helpful summary of basic grammar and a pronunciation guide (also incorporated into the dictionary). If she is reasonably fluent in French and is going to study French, a better gift (but more expensive) might be a Franklin electronic translator. (Don't waste your money on the multi-language ones because you don't get enough words for each language.) Get a French-English one.

Alternatively, she might like to read a book written by a foreigner coming to terms with living in France. My favourite is Sarah Turnbull's memoir, Almost French. (She's an Australian who met (in her twenties), moved in with and eventually married a French man.)

AisleSeat

I don't know what your budget is but a digital camera will come in very handy.

judyjp52

Thank all of you for your wonderful suggestions. I have thought about the Euros idea and the language book sounds good as well. Thanks for telling me about the upcharge on the museum and metro passes. I thought that it was beginning to look like they might not be a good idea.

Please send any other ideas that you might have. She will be there for a month in a study program. She is a graduate in industrial design so the architecture, art, and designs of everyday items are intriguing to her. This trip is one last trip to travel on her father's money. Since she hooked some school into it he was game.

Please forgive my earlier typo's. My last post was riddled with them.

Kate_W

I can't offer any further gift suggestions, but if your neighbour is interested in architecture and design, you should encourage her to make a trip, a little off the beaten path, to Boulogne-Billancourt at some point during her visit. This is a suburb just outside central Paris, adjacent to the 16th arrondissement and easily accessible on the metro (line 10, for example). In Boulogne-Billancourt, she will find La Musée des Années 30, which is a treasure trove of Art Deco design (fashion, furniture, etc). There is a library associated with the museum. There are also Art Deco walking tours in the neighbhourhood, organised by the Mairie. (I don't have a website reference handy but I'm sure if she asked her instructors, they'd be able to point her in the right direction.)

She also might like the Musée des Arts et Metiers, which is not so much a museum of science but a museum of inventions used primarily for commercial purposes. Lots of fascinating bits of history and some very interesting objects to look at.

Padraig

I would support the euros suggestion. Generally I prefer to offer gifts that are better targeted on the recipient's circumstances, but sometimes one is stuck, and you seem to be stumped on this one. To give the gift a bit of style, you might enclose them with a card or note that describes them as French universal exchange vouchers.

Lawchick

Cell phone plus pay and go french sim