Long Distance Gifting Guide | Best Gifts to Send to Friends and Family Abroad

So a special someone lives halfway around the globe and you can't be there to capture their special milestone - a birthday, graduation, new job, new baby, new house - but you wanna find a special and creative way to let them know you are there with them.

Custom mugs can be a simple, yet super special way to mark an important milestone even if you can't be there in person to celebrate.

photo mug same day

You can also sending a custom mug as a pick-me-up gift if you know someone is away from home and feeling homesick or has had a tough time. 

International shipping can be an uncertain business, but shopping online with businesses close to your special person's home could be a better bet. You want to watch for conversion to make sure you aren't overpaying, but if the gift is small and simple and can be shipped for a small fee, you may find better success. 

Custom mugs with images from home often make lists of best gifts to send to friends and family abroad. 

canada mug gift idea

A custom mug is an inexpensive gift, but because you can personalize it easily online with images just taken from your phone or with a message that means something to you, the mug can actually become a bigger deal that something more impersonal with a higher price tag. 

Things to Consider When Ordering Gifts from A Distance

1. Conversion Rates for Local Currency

Before you order you may just want to make sure you consider looking into things like conversion costs - so you don't end up paying more than expected for the mug.

2. Shipping Costs and Methods

You will also want to look at shipping costs, delivery times and delivery methods, especially if this is a country you don't know that well. Will couriers leave the parcel at the house if no one is home or do they have to travel far to pick it up?

The best way to figure this all out is to talk to a real person at the company you are ordering from, either by phone or email. (And if it is hard to talk to someone at the company, keep moving until you find a company with someone to talk to! You don't want to send your money into a dark hole!)

3. Production Times

Again, talk to someone before you order if you can just to make sure what you are ordering will arrive on time. Not everyone has the same expectations for how long it should take to make something.

We can make a mug and have it shipped out the door in the same day, but some companies work with a longer production window so it may take 7-14 business days (or longer) to just have the item made and processed. Then you have to add shipping time onto that. Most companies are not Amazon and will not have stuff ready to ship the same day you order it!

Create a One Of A Kind Gift For Someone Living Overseas

Once the logistics are out of the way, just get creating that special one-of-a-kind mug! You will see that a little effort can go a long way to make someone's day, even if you are miles or oceans apart! 

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