GirlGI Holiday Gift Guide
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Girl Gone International
FIND YOURSELF ASKING YOUR FRIEND WHERE SHE IS? NOT HOW SHE IS?
Happy International Living
Issue 2
LOVE GONE INTERNATIONAL How to find it, how to keep it and what to do if it all goes wrong
THAILAND 2013
Secret Address Book
How to be a Digital Nomad
10
Ways to Make Money Online
THE ANTI JETLAG DIET
SEX Across
The Globe
Germany
JULY 2013 GIRL GONE INTERNATIONAL
CULTURE SHOCK RUSSIA Work Hard Play Hard in Moscow
Expat Restart
Can you start your career again?
Confessions of a girl gone world wild
MY FIRST BABY ABROAD
NEW CITY NEW YOU!
New global fashion & beauty trends to try
GIRL GONE INTERNATIONAL
travel survive thrive body mind passion fashion culture
Then a subcription to GirlGI is the perfect gift. A unique paperless, wireless online mobile lifestyle magazine, readable from anywhere anytime
No matter
where in the world you are, the holiday season will find you. Whether you are sweltering on a beach in the Southern hemisphere or wrapped up in a chunky knitted sweater in the North, we hope you are embracing the local holiday culture, sharing old traditions and creating new ones. At Girl Gone International we are coming to the end of our first year as a global non-profit organisation. In 12 months we have opened 30 hubs all over the world, welcomed 10,000 new girls gone international, held 100’s of fun meetups and events and published 3 issues of our quarterly digital online magazine GirlGI. The next issue is out on the 8th of January and we have a special free supplement to celebrate International Women’s Day being published on the 8th of March 2014. All subscriptions go straight back into Girl Gone International so not only do you get a huge online lifestyle mag covering all your favourite topics with an international twist, accessible anywhere anytime via an app, you are also funding Girl Gone International, allowing us to support, empower and connect the new generation of globally mobile women – how much more seasonal goodwill could you ask for?! It is also the season of giving, showing family and friends near and far how much you love them. We have scoured high streets, boutiques and online stores the world over and quizzed our Community Managers to bring you the best gift ideas of 2013 which you can purchase and have delivered internationally. We have carefully matched each gift idea to a Girl Gone International personality and lifestyle so whether you are searching for the perfect present for a Long Distance Friend, a Digital Nomad or even a Boy Gone International you will find must-haves and inspiration here. But of course, the holiday season is not necessarily all gifts, mistletoe and wine. As a Girl Gone International either far from home or back ‘home’ for the first time in a year, the holiday season can be far from jolly. Read our 2 part Survival Guide to make sure you have a happy holiday season no matter where you are!
Girl Gone International xx
Chief Editor Anne Scott | Creative Director Meghan Klein | Copy Editor Michelle Ibarra, Tina Jones All prices, exchange rates and hyperlinks are correct at time of publishing. We recommend checking international delivery costs, delivery dates and deadlines for Christmas delivery. Ensure that you are purchasing from a reliable source. Girl Gone International cannot accept any responsibility for product descriptions, pricing and availability of products. Copyright Girl Gone International 2013.
At Home In The World Handmade world map wall sticker Made in Valencia, this vintage decal injects the international into any interior. â‚Ź60 | $81
Solar Power Charger and Lamp A powerful and practical eco must-have for the new generation of traveller. Buying WakaWaka products helps to make them available to off-grid communities around the world. â‚Ź69 | $93
The Altruist
The Globetrotter Wireless Roaming Perfect for digital savvy wanderers, this pre-paid wireless USB enables you to surf the web in 135 countries. Simply plug it in and get online in split second. €94 | $127
The On The Go M uso iFly Sound Amplifier The clever internal design of this speaker amplifies the sound coming out of your iPhone without the need for batteries or an external power source. High quality sound, ultra portable and green. €13 | €18
Hailley Griffis
Community Manager, Ottawa Started off in | Small-town Canada This year I will be gifting my GirlGI friends USB key jewellery. You can keep all of your passport and travel information on this stick and if you lose your luggage you can have backup copies. Practical and pretty!
Sonia Kennebeck
Community Manager, New York Started off in | Hamburg, Germany
Joanne Melzer
Community Manager, Los Angeles Started off in | Enniskillen, Ireland
All I want for Christmas is to have a fun time with my family who are flying from Hamburg to New York to spend the holidays with me
All I want for Christmas is heaps of snow which is gone the next day.
Laura Mooney
Community Manager, D端sseldorf Started off in | Glasgow, Scotland All I want for Christmas is to be in the same city as my Boy Gone International. Any city, anywhere.
B.Y.O Device Global Adaptor with 2 USB Points
Bringing-Your-Own-Device is very 2014 and this hand luggage essential will be your tablet’s soul mate. Suitable for Europe, the USA, Japan, Australia, China and the UK. €26 | $35
The Duty Free Devotee
Bottle Armour Bye bye flightmares! Bottle Armour will protect your Pinot as you hurtle towards your gate. €2 | $3
The Packing Geek Grid-It Organizer An ingenious system of interwoven elasticised bands holding devices, cords, sunglasses and tickets securely, giving precision packers guaranteed travelgasms. €14 | $20
The Packing-Phobe Compression Sacs
Say adios to capsule wardrobes and old fashioned vacuumsucked bags with these easy to use compressor sacs. €20 | $28
The Urban Gardener Sky Planter Head-turning botanical design for green fingered friends living in small spaces. Available in 3 sizes. From €20 | $27
The Hobbiest
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Online Photo Course BONNIE ROSE An ‘in person’ online photography course that helps you switch from auto shooting to manual. Learn how to get your SLR or point & shoot camera to help you capture the best travel photos you’ve always wanted. Unleash your creative vision within!
The Digital Nomad Laser Keyboard
For the location independent freelancer, cyberloafer, blogger, writer or gadget geek. $150 | €112
The Quirky Traveller Urban Crafts MARISA SILVA
The ‘Outsize[d] World’ collection is about living abroad and the travelling experience. Sometimes the world feels small – you could run into a friend on the other side of the globe – and at other times due to its sheer size, it feels overwhelmingly like an ‘Outsize[d] World’.
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The Long Distance Friend Skype Credit Gift Voucher Give the gift of a good chat with your sweet self any place, any time! Skype credit can be used to call landlines and mobiles. From €8 | $10
The Chic Cycler Turn Signal Reflective Gloves Keep your friends safe and warm while they dash about the city. €19 | $26
The Frenemy Suitcase Stickers
Banned in Canada and likely to cause offence to airport staff the world over, these insane stickers (and the resulting cavity search) are the perfect revenge gift. €5 | $7
Anne Scott
Founder, Global Community Manager Started off in | Glasgow, Scotland This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends portable wine glasses because we should all have one on us for emergencies!
Merret Thomsen
Community Manager, Hamburg Started off in | Kiel, Germany This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone Internationals prints from my project, ‘Art Victims’. It is a project about being international and exploring the world. Loads of GGIs in Hamburg took part in the photo shoot. The photos will hopefully serve as a reminder of how great it is to be part of GGI’s international community of amazing women.
Tina Jones
GirlGI Managing Editor Started off in | Wyoming, USA This year I will be gifting my GGI friends Minimergency kits as it is compact, full of the essentials and can be easily squeezed into fully packed suitcases.
The Time Traveller Mr. Jones Watch
The perfect hero accessory for time zone hoppers. This handy traveller’s timepiece shows the time from all around the world at a glance – if you are a building landmark buff! €145 | $195
The Travel Vlogger Polaroid’s XS80 Action Camera
Water, wind, shock and shaky-hand proof, this camera is perfect for recording even the wildest of adrenaline fueled adventures. €95 | $128
The Monsoon Madame One Umbrella Survives winds of up to 100km/h and doubles up as a beach umbrella so you are covered, come rain or shine. €29 | $40
Follow your Art ! Personalised Destination Stamp Print As close to a traveller’s wall certificate as you could hope for! €30 | $40
The Pen Pal Box of Postcards
Guilt your buddy into keeping in touch more often with these DIY postcards. €2.50 | $4
Sherrydayne Edwards
Community Manager, Rio de Janeiro Started off in | Melbourne, Australia This year I’ll be gifting my GGI friends with a Bud laughing bag. I was given one of these as a gift a while ago because I was told that the laugh reminded them of me and I’ve taken it with me everywhere. It has brought me all kinds of random happiness!
Sarah Henvey
Community Manager, Glasgow Started off in | Glasgow, Scotland This year I will be gifting my GGI friends with the usual crimbo festivities of tapas and cocktails at Henvey HQ so I will be investing in a cocktail shaker.
Olive Aguas
Community Manager, Amsterdam, Started off in | Portland, Oregon This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends a fruit-infusing water bottle to keep them hydrated while on the go!
The Picnicker
Reusable Food Storage Fabric Abeego is reusable food storage, handcrafted with a blend of beeswax, tree resin and jojoba oil infused into fabric made of hemp and cotton. The result? Smart food storage that keeps food fresh and tasting delicious. From â‚Ź10 | $14
The Repat
Grandparents Journal Returning home after a long stint overseas can be a tough adjustment. Help yourself through it by spending time with much-missed relatives and distracting yourself with a project. Spend cosy afternoons with your grandparents, working your way through this question-packed journal, recording their lives for future generations. â‚Ź23 | $31
The TELF Teacher Like | Dislike Stamps Make boring exam grading and essay marking a little bit more fun. €8 | $11
The City Newbie Moleskin City Notebook Write your own guidebook. Each notebook combines a journal and city map into a travel planner. Use it to organise a trip or preserve your experiences during those first few mad weeks in a new city. €13 | $17
The Doodler One Sketch A Day | A Visual Journal Artists, those at a loss for words or girls on a digital detox will love creating a visual journal to keep a lasting record of a year in their life gone international. €10
Event Networker
Portable Handbag Hook BRITTA PICHLER Hang that bag anywhere to keep hands free for all that business card swapping and deal sealing. SUPPORT -AGIRLGI
Spiritual Journey
Crystals ASHA DEVI
Asha travels far and wide to SUPPORT -Ahandpick crystals for her shop. Crystals are said to give energy GIRLGI and strength wherever you are, no matter what life has in store.
Baby Gone International Sock Softies JESSICA MANCUSO
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Every Gus & Ollie softy is a one-of-a-kind friend, handmade with love and posted from Hamburg. GGI Jess can take Christmas orders up to December 1st.
The Book Worm Personalised Classic Novel Make your friend the star of a classic novel so she can experience her own adventures in Wonderland. €20 | $27
The Wild Dreamer Lucid Dreams Sleep Mask
This high tech bit of sleep kit by Remee promises that a wannabe lucid dreamer can be put behind the steering wheel of their own dreams. €69 | $95
The Socialista Wine Garden Stakes Pop the cork whenever the mood grabs you. Perfect to keep in your picnic basket...or handbag – no judgements here! €4 | $6
Isabell Ojner
Community Manager, Mallorca Started off in | Karlstad, Sweden All I want for Christmas is a handmade Sami bracelet to support sustainable fashion in style and wear a piece of the north with me wherever I am in the world.
Laila Lala
Community Manager, Munich Started off in | Berlin, Germany This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends fashionable camera straps there’s a colour for everyone.
Meghan Klein
GGI Creative Director and Manager Started off in | Columbus, Ohio This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends a book on how to swear in all different languages around the globe. Essential learning.
The Party Girl Wine Handbag A camouflaged booze handbag crafted from sturdy, high gloss cardboard. Classier than drinking out a brown paper bag. €35 | $47
The Festival Go-er
Female Portable Urinating Device Pee like a man. Hygenically. No more squatting, dangerously hovering over dirty portaloos, or stripping off layers to do the deed. €12 | $16
The Perfectionist Mini Hair Straighteners Help the perfectly coiffed fight the frizz. From €6 | $8
The On the Go Gal FoodSkin Flexible Lunchbox The hottest lunch box on the block! Elasticated silicon skin keeps the shape of whatever is inside. Slips flat into purses and rucksack pockets when empty and keeps your food zip-lock fresh. €24 | $32
The iPhoneographer Smartphone Camera Remote The perfect selfie solution is here with a 3 metres wireless range to easily fit you and all your friends in the frame. €13 | $18
Off The Grid 100% Global Coverage DeLorme Satellite Communicator Text message at the ends of the earth and everywhere in between. Even when you are out of cell phone range, you can quickly and easily share your journey with family and friends. €211 | $285
Baby Accessories ARSHO YETERIAN Adorable hair accessories, baby shoe gift sets, tutu skirts and bags inspired and handmade by girl gone international stay-at-home mothers travelling the world.
Hummingbird Earrings ALEJANDRA CANALES “A Girl Gone International is like a hummingbird, capable of travelling great distances despite being so small.” Ethereal is a modern jewelry line with an urban and edgy twist. Each piece is handmade with 14k gold plating. Discount Coupon | 15GGI
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Free as a Bird SUPPORT -AGIRLGI
2 Part Survival Guide to the Holidays 20 ways to make it a happy holiday season no matter where you are!
Written by Birgit O’Sheedy, a Clinical Psychologist, born in Austria and now living in Sydney. She founded Waves of Life Psychology www.wavesoflife.com.au and works in private practice where a lot of people share their problems with her about living in another country and the associated challenges.
PART 1
10 tips to survive the holiday season abroad
As
a Girl Gone International, we are often faced with challenging times over the holiday season, whether we are celebrating away from our loved ones or have travelled to be with friends and family. To be honest, my first holiday season away from Austria and my family was very difficult. Because weAustrians take Christmas very seriously and are spoiled with a white Christmas every year, my expectations are particularly hard to please. So I was struggling when I found myself on Christmas day in northern Queensland, Australia, in a 45C, sticky garage, sitting on a plastic chair, looking at a hot pink Christmas tree and eating sausages off the BBQ. Although I was surrounded by absolutely lovely people, I nearly missed out on a very unique experience because of my fixed ideas on how Christmas should look like. I know I am not the only one, so here is our Girl Gone International Survival Guide to having a happy holiday anywhere! Birgit O’Sheedy, Clinical Psychologist
Survival guide for celebrating the holidays abroad 1. Organise cards and gifts early and really enjoy the preparation that goes into it. 2. Share your overseas experience with your loved ones back home. Send them a typical recipe for Christmas dinner or rituals from your abroad experience. 3. Connect with other people who are also away from home. Use and explore the Girl Gone International network to connect with like-minded friends. 4. Schedule a Skype session or Google Hangout with your family on the holiday that you celebrate. 5. If some family traditions are very important to you, find a way to implement them while abroad. 6. Research and embrace the local traditions abroad and submerge yourself in them. 7. Don’t get caught up in your own thoughts and expectations on how the festive season should be. 8. If you are getting fused with negative thoughts, remember that thoughts are just thoughts, nothing else. Take each of your thoughts, visualise putting it on a cloud on the sky and watch it drift off. 9. If you are feeling overwhelmed with intense emotions, lay a hand on the part of your body where you feel them most intensely. Imagine this is the hand of person you are very close to. Send some warmth into this area. Don’t try to get rid of the feeling but try to open up around it, make room for it and hold it gently. 10. Be compassionate towards yourself. It is totally okay to struggle with intense feelings and miss your family and friends back home.
PART 2
10 tips to celebrate back home while living abroad
One
year, I went home home for the festive season and this posed its own set of challenges. One of the main problems was managing to catch up with everyone. In order to avoid stress, I soon learnt that I had to prioritise who I wanted to see. Another challenge was the intense contact with people I hadn’t seen in a long time. It took me several days to settle in again and to adjust. I also found it hard to get my head around the fact that people had moved on with their lives. Over the years and with help from my clients who come and see me in private practice, the following strategies seemed to have helped to deal with these tricky situations.
Survival guide for going back home for Christmas while still living abroad 1. Try not to overcommit to social events. Leave yourself time to be spontaneous. If you decide that you really want to catch up with a lot of friends, organise a simple social gathering where lots of people can join you. 2. Put together a little scrapbook or photo album to share some of your experiences. 3. Try to spend quality time with the people that really matter to you. This is important to sustain relationships. 4. Don’t be afraid to be assertive and address your needs during the holidays. If you are jetlagged and you need an early night, have it. 5. Be mindful and notice what your mind is telling you after an ‘awkward’ encounter with another person. Be aware of over-generalisations, assumptions, catastrophising in your thoughts and try to take things at face value. 6. If you feel like you need to address some things with people you care for, organise a catch up and clarify things instead of stewing on them for days or leaving things unresolved. 7. Be aware of your personal stress triggers and avoid them if you can.
If you would like to learn more about psychological skills for difficult situations, go to www.wavesoflife.com.aufirstaid.html where you can download a very helpful “Psychology First Aid Kit” for such tricky situations. Join in on Facebook, where I also post useful everyday life coping skills: www.facebook.com/wavesoflifepsychology
Happy holidays to all you, wonderful and courageous Girls Gone International!
8. If you feel stressed, use relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or meditation. Pay attention to each breath in and out as they follow rhythmically one after the other. 9. Use the Girl Gone International platform to connect with other girls who are going through the same experience. 10. Make sure that visiting family and friends is still a holiday for you. Try to take care of your self and enjoy it.
The Tech - Fitness Junkie
The Latest Smart Tracker
Stalks every breath and step 24/7, perfect for the GGI who doesn’t sit still or the sofaliser who needs some motivation to move. €75 | $100 Pet Activity Tracker
A Girl’s Best Friend
Gift some tech-life balance for dogs gone international and their owners with this on-collar device that measures their dog’s activities. Monitor day-to-day behaviour and long-term health trends from iPhones and share memorable moments with family and friends. $100 | €75
The Girl Gone International GirlGI Online Magazine Gift your GGI friend 4 issues which she can access anywhere in the world. All proceeds go back into funding Girl Gone International. €12 | $15
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In Your Thoughts Tea on Christmas Cards JANISSA WALTERS Cute handmade cards come complete with a ‘Dutch Blended Orange Pekoe’ tea bag inside. Janissa will post the card direct to your loved ones from the Netherlands so you don’t have to worry about treking to the post office.
Souvenir Collector iPhone Case JULIA WILLARD
Stunning city scenes that mesmerize and charm visitors and locals alike. Julia’s photography makes even practical things like iPhone cases come alive and inspire you to keep travelling and experiencing the beauty around you. *Promo code for 10% off this and any other Falling of Bicycles product purchased via Twenty20: TRYIC7
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Genevieve Merrin
Community Manager, Cape Town Started off in | Dublin, Ireland All I want for Christmas is to soak up the glorious South African sun while at a lekker braai surrounded by friends. Happiness is simple!
Michele Fernanda
Community Manager, Houston Started off in | Votuporanga, Brazil All I want for Christmas is to be settled in my new city and have a nice place to call home.
Dani Robinson
Community Manager, London, Started off in | Trinidad & Tobago This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone Internationals TeaPigs Tea because they all need some English calm in their lives.
Tamara Bonilla
Community Manager, Madrid Started off in | Spain All I want for Christmas is the Nikon P520 so I can capture my adventures.
The Water Baby Underwater Speedo Aquabeat 2.0 MP3 Waterproofed and floatable tunes 4 GB of internal memory with LED screen. Submersible up to 10 feet. €89 | $119
The International Executive
Portable WIFI Wand Scanner
Business travel just got lighter. Not an international alphanista? This is still a snazzy gadget for anyone sick of carting boxes of paperwork, newspaper cuttings and old love letters from country to country. €89 | $120
The Language Lover Michel Thomas Method
One of Girl Gone International’s favourite language series due to its book free, zero memorisation technique. It’s the least painful method out there aside from torturing the locals with your lingo in the pub. Price varies. Also available on iTunes.
for your boy-gi Hoodie BackPack For his next mancation €75 | $100
iPhone Controlled Helicopter The big daddy of boy toy gifts. You will never have to buy him anything else ever again. €78 | $105
Whisky Advent Calendar
These hand-picked whiskies are a brilliant way to embrace the Holiday spirit while saying ‘BahHumbug!’ to cheapo supermarket chocolate advent calendars. €179 | $240
Michelle Ibarra
Community Manager, Seoul, S. Korea Started off in | California, USA This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends cute Korean-style hair ties, head bands, ribbons and other hair accessories. Gotta spread the Korean cuteness.
Beti Gathegi
Community Manager, Brisbane, Australia Started off in | California, USA This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends Aboriginal artwork prints because they are simply gorgeous.
Barbara Santibanez
Community Manager, Paris Started off in | Valparaiso, Chile This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends Parisian macaroons.
The House Sitter
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Global Housesitting How-to Book JESSICA AINLAY & DANI HEINRICH A Kindle must-have for travellers or wanderlusters looking for a unique low cost way to see the world. Written by an intrepid housesitting bi-national GGI couple, Break Free divulges the secrets to finding housesitting opportunities, even with no experience.
The Story Teller Shy Feet: Short Stories Inspired by Travel FRANCES M. THOMPSON
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An incredible collection of short fiction inspired by different types of travel; vacations, beach holidays, business travel, journeys of self-discovery and road trips across foreign lands. While travel is the underlying theme, each tale also reads like a love story proving that travel can really change us, often when we least expect it....
Maya B
Community Manager| Berlin Started off in | Ashgabat, Turkmenistan This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends purse organisers, because we all know what it’s like to search for something in your bag only to realise you left it in another one.
Ekaterina Zenevich
Community Manager, Dresden Started off in | Tallinn, Estonia This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends Estonian chocolate - because no matter where you are and no matter how happy or sad you are, chocolate never fails to brighten your mood.
Nathalie Rogers
Community Manager, Vienna Started off in | Mauritius and Greece This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends these gorgeous leopard makeup train cases, useful for travelling, and because I love animal print, it will remind them of me!
The Explorer
SteriPEN Ultra Portable Water Purifier Keep expeditionists safe and hydrated with sterilised water. Sticking the SteriPEN in agua destroys 99.99% of protozoa, bacteria and even viruses in less than a minute. It can be used up to 8,000 times, so it is the gift that keeps giving! €44 | $60
Overseas Student Personalised Photo Notebook
Personalise a notebook with cheeky photos from back home to cheer up your favourite Erasmus student during those long cramming sessions. €6 | $8
The Glamper
Coleman Sun Shower This 5 gallon container holds enough water for several showers and uses solar energy to warm the water. Campers have never smelled so good. €22 | $30
Tracey Provan
Community Manager, Stockholm Started off in | Glasgow, Scotland This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends little handmade dream pillows. I love making these and thinking about the person as I make them.
Catharine Fulton
Community Manager, ReykjavĂk Started off in | Toronto, Canada This year I will be gifting my Girl Gone International friends Gorillapods.
Bisi Reid
Community Manager, Innsbruck Started off in | London, UK All I want for Christmas is to eat lots of good food, spend time with my loved ones and enjoy my first Christmas in Innsbruck.
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