Gift giving ideas

It is natural for hosts to want to give their guests gifts upon arrival, just as is usually the case that guests will have gifts for their host family.

Of course, guests will be happy with anything they receive but after many years of hearing the positives and negatives of various gifts, we have compiled a few thoughts into this post that we hope will be of benefit to those who may be pondering what to buy for their guests.

Food

When it comes to food there are so many options that we can feel overwhelmed, and we tend to reach for the traditionally well-known items such as TimTams or vegemite. However, we would like to steer you in a slightly different direction.

While well-known to Australians Uncle Tobys and other such products can also be just as appealing. Products that your Homestay can enjoy while they are here, such as muesli bars or small individual packets of chips, are great as not only are they not overwhelmed by the size of the product, but they can also sample a few and take the rest back with them.

It is important to note that many families have a snack drawer/area that they offer their Homestay to raid whenever they want to. In many cases, it is doubtful the Homestay will help themselves to the snacks as they may feel embarrassed. Giving them snacks they can eat in their room is a great gift idea, as they can snack in private. And, if you see that they have eaten a good majority, if not all of the snack(s), you can buy them more as a going-away gift.

Buying Australian-made vs buying Australian-inspired products.

Many Australians believe that the ultimate gift is to buy something Australian-made. This is a great idea but can also be quite costly. Our thoughts on this are to buy Australian-themed items for your younger, school-aged Homestays and include a few Australian-made products for your older Homestays. This is to not only help save costs but also because your younger Homestay will be less concerned about where something is made and more concerned with the practicality and cuteness aspect.

A great place to by Australian-made products is to visit your local farmers markets and handmade craft fairs. Visiting with your Homestay is a great activity for them as well, and they may also be able to pick up some souvenirs for home.

What should I buy????

Still undecided about what to buy for your Homestay guest? Well, to help make things a little easier, or to give you some extra ideas, we have compiled a list below of the most common gifts from our own experiences. We would love to hear your ideas as well so make sure to leave a comment and let us know.

Food	Points to note
Chocolate – any variety made in OZ Muesli Bars Samboy Chips Grain waves Twisties Honey Cheezels Burger Rings	If you can get your hands on variety packs these make great gifts.
Clothing
T’shirt Baseball Cap Socks Belt – kangaroo leather Slippers Thongs	You would be surprised how many Australian themed items are found in your everyday store like Kmart. Don’t worry too much about sizing. If the item is too big for everyday wear it can be used as a coverup at the beach or even as pajamas.
Household Items
Tea towel Pillowcase Bath towel Beach towel Candles	Can’t find Australian themed items? How about buying a blank item and having it embroidered with an emblem. Add your guests name for that extra wow factor. Pillowcases also work great to hold everything, and they will be used often.
Other
Magnets Sunscreen	Most visitors will bring sunscreen with them, but you will notice that their bottles are rather small. We like to give them a tube and tell them to use theirs on their face and ours on their body.

Lastly, a gift that we have found to be great for taking back to their family is coffee. Make sure to ask first if their family drinks coffee. If in doubt about whether to buy beans or ground coffee we suggest buying ground. If your Homestay happens to mention that they have a good coffee machine then beans should be fine.