Go Back   Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB > All Miscellaneous questions > Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else
Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else This is an opportunity to ask any question, and post any notice you wish that doesn't fit into one of the other sections.
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Hendi Kaf,
in Cambodia



Like Tree4Likes

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 5 Jun 2005
beddhist's Avatar
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Whangarei, NZ
Posts: 2,214
Taking little presents

I remember reading a post by some Aussies here who took a number of small Koala teddy bears with them. They give them to people who were exceptionally friendly or helpful.

I was wandering what I could take. Something small, so I can take a sufficiently large number. For Africa I'd probably take a supply of pens. But for Asia?

------------------
Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise,

Peter.
__________________
Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 5 Jun 2005
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Paris, France
Posts: 655
everything that could be cultural, educational, health : pens, books, postcards, photos of you and your family, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, shampoo, etc ...

not presents but games : i was travelling with a kite and a freesbee / o-ring : very quiet and "peacefull" also, to play with the "locals" : i keep excellent souvenirs :-) sometimes, they hadn t seen one before. you make them happy, you create some interest. in some countries (pakistan, india), small kites or popular, but they only have one rope.

+ it s light and does not take a lot of weight in your luggage. a few times, some kids were taking plates to play with more "freesbees" and their parents had to say : "no no" :-)

i also had a little "fake" plastic camera : when you click on it, you can see the different views of paris : they loved it also. in mongolia, i remember one "local", when he saw the Eiffel Tower, telling me " tv antenna" and he was part right :-)

__________________
--
Vincent Danna

* www.va-project.com
Sept 2008 - dec 2009 : Voyage et art contemporain en Amérique du sud.

* http://vincent.danna.free.fr/
2002 - 2004 : Un tour du monde en moto.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 5 Jun 2005
Bill Holland's Avatar
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Stoke, UK
Posts: 210
I take balloons for the children, round ones and long ones to make animal shapes. My friend in a 4x4 takes an instant camera (Polaroid), and gives them their own photo, but they are expensive to use and bulky.

[This message has been edited by Bill Holland (edited 05 June 2005).]
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 5 Jun 2005
yoni's Avatar
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Tel-aviv Israel
Posts: 175
Hi
Coming from Israel, I took with me to Egypt some postcards of the holy mosque(El Akza) in Jerusalem. and gave them four times to people that were very kind to me, it was more than magic. one of them in Siwa oasis, insisted I will go to the local mosque with him to meet his kadi. Other presents were two pairs of reading glases , the cheap ones you buy in the pharmacy I carried with me.one was given to an old man that calld all his family to see the miracle. the second pair was handeld to a police officer leading us to a hospital we needed. And some ten lighters were given here and there.
Yoni
__________________
Dare!
My ride from Dead horse to Ushuaia 2009 is at
www.harpatka.com
It's in hebrew but lots of pics and some translation

Yoni
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 6 Jun 2005
beddhist's Avatar
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Whangarei, NZ
Posts: 2,214
Thanks, keep them coming...
__________________
Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 6 Jun 2005
Jac Jac is offline
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Wellington - NZ / London - UK
Posts: 39
Hi Peter...

We took a little bag of kiwiana... Plastic tiki's, NZ stickers, postcards and temporary tattoos! The postcards were probably most popular.

We've heard of other travellers taking small coins with them... The number of times we were asked for coins from our country, this would have been a great idea...

Cheers
Jacqui and Trent
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 6 Jun 2005
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 139
Hi Peter,

My wife and I are the Aussies that took the toy Koala's, they worked well as gifts for kids and even with adults as a thankyou (in a light harted friendly joke way). Pens and pencils are also good. We will be taking all these when we travel again.

I like the postcards, coins & stickers idea too - thanks for the idea. We had postcards to show what our country and city looked like, but didn't think to have spares to give away.

However, what I would really have liked many more of was "Stubby Coolers", the neoprene (wetsuit type material). Is Aus the only place that uses these? Doesn't anyone else need to keep their cold? We travelled mostly in eastern europe and spain with our own cooler each (and a spare each). We could have given away or sold these hundreds of times over! We did give the spares away.

We went to the 2003 Hungarian F1 GP as our holiday treat when in Budapest. If I had only posted a few boxes of stubby coolers to Budapest, I could have sold them at some vastly inflated price and payed for my tickets! or maybe the whole trip! Seriously, hundreds of people asked which stall sold them. Unfortunately they are a little bulky, or I would take a few dozen of these on the next trip.

John
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 6 Jun 2005
Bennett's Avatar
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: FORBES N.S.W. AUSTRALIA
Posts: 97
For France,perhaps err frogs
Ben
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 6 Jun 2005
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Salisbury UK
Posts: 155
I helped a Dutch couple once and they gave us little wooden goodluck charmes with silk threaded tassels. They still adorne our travelling bike keys now. They are very special to us because of the lovely people they remind us of.

Charlie
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 7 Jun 2005
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: London England
Posts: 50
i carry a a small bag of rainbow badges...and some union jack badges... just little ones ... Come on Grant?????? why can't we get Horizon ones ..... same as the stickers...Cheap!!!!
__________________
Ride safe
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 7 Jun 2005
beddhist's Avatar
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Whangarei, NZ
Posts: 2,214
Hi Jacqui and Trent! Still in Oz? Haven't had any news for a while.

Lots of good ideas here. I think I'll stock up on pens and postcards.

France isn't really known for its frogs, more for snails. :0

I've never heard of a stubby cooler, but I noticed that our local plumbing store sells neoprene tubes in various diameters by the metre. You probably get 6 coolers per metre. From the offcut you cut round bits to glue into the bottom. Just and idea... But yes, bulky to carry.
__________________
Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 21 Jun 2005
seanh's Avatar
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Posts: 301
No pens please. The last thing we want is to encourage the 'one pen! one pen!' brigade in every small village!
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 22 Jun 2005
Vaufi's Avatar
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Munich, the beer capital
Posts: 1,060
Seanh is right. In every village we passed in Nepal all the kids could say was "Namasté!" and "Pen please!". Though, actually they do need pens, since cash is rare in the remote villages and the do need them for school.

Postcards showing villages from southern France will be appreciated, just so pics from thge Dalai Lama in buddhist areas.

Hans
__________________
Only when we pause to wonder
do we go beyond the limits of our little lives.
(Rod McKuen)
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 22 Jun 2005
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 182
Unless someone has helped you/been very kind then I am very much against this habit of giving gifts.
It seems a lot of people do it and it creates such a problem for the next traveller and the next one etc etc. I think it must make people feel really good giving things to people a lot poorer than themselves and I can understand that but I think the consequences need to be considered more seriously. It creates a begging culture, it means travellers get seen as 'potential gifts' rather than just a person travelling through, if you don't give then you have to deal with the guilt knowing that others have. Just a personal opinion that I have based on my own travels.

------------------
Africa Trip web journal
__________________
Africa Trips web journal
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 22 Jun 2005
yoni's Avatar
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Tel-aviv Israel
Posts: 175
Hi gifts givers
I think that giving is something to do with being human. It can be sharing pita bread with a stranger on a trip stop, or helping other biker in need. or letting a (-can be a rich- kid to put my helmet on. it all has to do with nice things. I will be glad spreading pens all over the world. if that is the fee for getting kids happy, and my trip on.
__________________
Dare!
My ride from Dead horse to Ushuaia 2009 is at
www.harpatka.com
It's in hebrew but lots of pics and some translation

Yoni
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


 
 

Announcements

Thinking about traveling? Not sure about the whole thing? Watch the HU Achievable Dream Video Trailers and then get ALL the information you need to get inspired and learn how to travel anywhere in the world!

Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's the list of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now
, and add your information if we didn't find you.

Next HU Eventscalendar

25 years of HU Events
Be sure to join us for this huge milestone!

ALL Dates subject to change.

2025 Confirmed Events:

Virginia: April 24-27
Queensland is back! May 2-5
Ecuador June 13-15
Germany Summer: May 29-June 1
CanWest: July 10-13
Switzerland: Date TBC
Ecuador: Date TBC
Romania: Date TBC
Austria: Sept. 11-14
California: September 18-21
France: September 19-21
Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2

Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!

Questions about an event? Ask here

See all event details

 
World's most listened to Adventure Motorbike Show!
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...

Adventurous Bikers – We've got all your Hygiene & Protection needs SORTED! Powdered Hair & Body Wash, Moisturising Cream Insect Repellent, and Moisturising Cream Sunscreen SPF50. ESSENTIAL | CONVENIENT | FUNCTIONAL.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)



Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance.

Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.

Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.

Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!


 

What others say about HU...

"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia

"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK

"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia

"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA

"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada

"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa

"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia

"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany

Lots more comments here!



Five books by Graham Field!

Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook

"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.



Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!

New to Horizons Unlimited?

New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!

Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.

Susan and Grant Johnson Read more about Grant & Susan's story

Membership - help keep us going!

Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.

You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.




All times are GMT +1. The time now is 00:19.