Any suggestions for a gift to give a 12 year old boy planning to go to Europe with his parents this summer? He as books, camera, cd player and gameboy - what would be a travel related gift he could enjoy on his trip. thanks

A travel diary and a glue stick. He can create a scrapbook of his experiences as he travels, writing notes and pasting in photos and museum stubs and menus and such.

A lightweight, fabric Frisbee. (I think it's called the Whoosh) Packs flat, weighs nothing, great icebreaker!

If you are going anywhere with swimming, try a disposable waterproof camera. A day pack to put all the cd's etc in that is soft sided for pins or patches from places they visit.

Yesterday I saw a new backpack mentioned on a travel segment on my local news station. It showed how it conveniently holds all of the various items such as camera, cd player, video camera, etc in separate velcroed compartments. I thought that they said that Walmart would be carrying it in the near future.

(I don't have a better idea but) would hesitate buying a backpack for a kid/teenager. There seems to be some very specific fashionability of what is cool and what is not. If you decide to buy one, I'd consult another 12 year old first!<BR>

How about a guidebook to cybercafe's?<BR>Many 12 yr olds would love to Email their buddies, rather than send postcards.

Saw the same travel back pack on the news. Looked like a good choice for a teenage boy. Holds everything that a kid would want to drag through Europe. <BR><BR>Give him the back pack and have it filled with some snacks. A 12 year old often isn't all that game to try new foods in a foreign place.

Here are some useful small items that our kids use on trips: small flashlight; travel-sized checkers set; deck of cards; coins from the country(ies) he'll be visiting.

A language translator! There are small ones that combine a translator with 4 to 6 languages, a calculator, a personal diary, and games. Even if he only knows English, it's great fun to choose or type in an English word or phrase and get the translation. Handy and lots of fun!

A cool backpack with specialized compartments to hold all of his stuff. I gave my son a leather journal, gluestick and pen, and he liked and used that.