Need Some Advice

roxy13019 wrote:
One time before a trip the neighbor left us a gift bag of different munchies and a couple bottles of water. Also something I didn't think we would use until we got one was a journal that we could keep track of everyplace we had gone.

Will have to remember that one for sure ... nice gift even for a birthday or anniversary ... but especially nice to start retirement with ..

sljkansas wrote:
A truckers road atlas, spiral bound with laminated pages lots of road information. Then have them pickup the free paper official state maps from each state they can.

A binder for the maps

Even with OnStar we have used our Truckers road atlas when traveling in Midwest .... nice to look at the evening before departure ...

Crowe wrote:
National Park Pass.

Would be my choice.

The retirement gift we liked most was a "clock," with the days of the week on it. Liked it so much that we bought another one for the retirement S&B, and yes, we actually use it in S&B and in the RV.

One time before a trip the neighbor left us a gift bag of different munchies and a couple bottles of water. Also something I didn't think we would use until we got one was a journal that we could keep track of everyplace we had gone.

There are very few WalMarts where I live that have gas. In fact, the nearest one that I know of is 6 hours away. I like the Amazon gift card idea.

noplace2 wrote:
And I maintain that there is no gift that screams "I didn't put any thought into this" more than a card.

I disagree under this type of circumstance.

I have chairs, another chair is not thoughtful - it's just one more thing I have to find space for or get rid of. And now I feel guilty because my friend spent money on something I don't need, don't want, and/or can't use, and I'm immediately looking to eliminate it. And unlike my house, I don't have so much stuff and room that I can eliminate something given 5-10 years ago to make room for this (knowing that 5-10 years from now, I'll eliminate this for something else).

"Some folks on the internet like personalized signs, I'll buy one for them" - to me, that's not anymore thoughtful than "they are going to need to buy things on the road, I'll get them a gift card".

In this situation, if you don't want to give them a gift card, then I would go with something "disposable". A nice bottle of wine for their first dinner in the RV; a box of candies for the long drive, etc. Even a small candle that they could light in the evenings. These will take up limited room in the RV for a limited time.

And I maintain that there is no gift that screams "I didn't put any thought into this" more than a card.

I think the problem with actual gifts is that you really have to know the people and what they like and want.

Not everyone with an RV wants a personalized sign with their name on it.

Not everyone wants a zero gravity chair (I had one and hated it because I'm left handed and the lock was only on the right hand side - I had to struggle to get it unlocked so I could get out).

Even with gift cards, you have to be somewhat knowledgeable about the people. Some folks don't shop at Walmart; some folks don't shop at Camping World; some folks don't use Shell gas; and so on.

When you add in the travel aspect, this makes it even more difficult because they could be sitting on a gift card for years waiting for a time when they will actually be in a location with that store, restaurant, etc.

Unless you know the people well enough to KNOW they would like a personalized sign, etc., stay away from "stuff". Unless you KNOW they shop at a store or like a specific restaurant, stay away from company-specific gift cards.

If you don't know them well enough to KNOW one of the above will be appreciated, get them a Visa gift card, etc. that can be used anywhere to buy a sign, chair, plant, gas, or whatever they want.

We prefer restaurant gift cards.

A personalized sign is a nice idea, if they don't already have one, and you know what their taste in such items is.

My wife loves plants, but we found they are not 'wanted' if we visit national parks, etc. They need to be kept inside at all times. For folks who travel a lot there can be restrictions on plants. Our friends currently on an Alaska caravan were told to not have any plants in their rig when they cross into Canada. We gave them a plastic plant.

While there are all kinds of great gifts, make sure it is something they don't have and would like. Otherwise, stick to gift cards.