Gift Ideas for an Exchange Student or Someone Studying Abroad
A semester abroad goes by fast. It also changes people. They leave with one suitcase and a long list of things to figure out, and they come back with a second city that feels a little bit like home.
Whether you're sending someone off, missing them while they're away, or welcoming an exchange student into your own home for the year, this is a specific kind of distance: temporary, exciting, and more disorienting than anyone expects. Here are gifts that actually get used, and a couple that get kept long after the flight home.
1. A custom artwork of home and their host city
The Two-City Skyline Canvas blends the city they grew up in with the city they're studying in. On a dorm wall, it's a piece of home. Back home afterwards, it's a reminder that this year was part of their story, not a pause in it. You choose the cities, see a free digital preview before it's printed, and can ask for changes until it feels right. Two cities is the default, and a third or fourth costs nothing extra. Create Your Artwork
2. A poster set for a dorm or host-family room
The Two City Poster Set (from €69) is two separate prints, one per city. Easier to fit on a small dorm wall than one large canvas. It also splits nicely: one print goes with them, and one stays with the people waiting at home. See Personalised Poster Sets
New: A Two City Landscape Canvas
A softer alternative to the two options above. Instead of a skyline, their home city and host city are blended into one flowing landscape, connected by the rivers and waterways that run through them. Same process: choose the two cities, get a free digital preview, and request changes before it's printed. See the Two City Landscape Canvas
3. A care package with snacks from home
Food is often the first thing people miss. A box of the snacks, sweets or tea they can't find where they've landed costs little and means a lot. Send it a few weeks in, once the first excitement has worn off and home starts to feel far away.
4. A journal for the year
Not a generic diary. A notebook that's clearly for this semester or this year abroad, to write in while it's happening instead of trying to remember it all later. Add a few printed photos from home to stick in the first pages.
5. A first-week survival kit
A universal travel adapter, a power bank, a small padlock for shared housing, maybe a local SIM or eSIM. Unglamorous, but it's exactly what they'll need before they've figured out how anything works in a new country.
6. A welcome gift from the host family
If you're the one hosting, small and local goes a long way: a transit card with some credit on it, a map of the neighbourhood with your favourite spots circled, a handwritten note about how the house works. The first few days are the most overwhelming. Anything that makes them feel expected, not just accommodated, helps.
7. A thank-you gift for the host family
At the end of the stay, it's the student's turn. A custom artwork of their home city and the host family's city is a thank-you that stays on the wall. It says: you're part of where I'm from now, too.
When they're back home, our guide to gifts for someone who just got home from studying abroad covers the return. If the move is longer-term or permanent, see meaningful gifts for someone moving abroad. And if they've left a partner behind for the semester, our long-distance relationship tips might help you both.
FAQ
Is a custom artwork too much for someone who's only abroad for a semester?
Not really. A semester or a year abroad is short, but it's often a chapter people remember for a long time. A piece that shows both cities gives that chapter a place on the wall, long after the trip is over.
Should I buy it for the student or as a host-family gift?
Either works. It can be a going-away gift from home, or a thank-you from the student to their host family at the end of the stay, showing the student's home city next to the host family's city.
What if they're doing more than one exchange, in different countries?
The Two-City Skyline Canvas is made for two cities by default, but a third or fourth city costs nothing extra, so every place they studied can be part of the same piece. The Poster Set is two separate prints, one per city, so a third city is a case-by-case request.
When should I order it?
If you want them to take it with them, order well before they leave. Every piece gets a free digital preview and any changes you ask for before it's printed, so leave some room for that rather than ordering the week before the flight.
Is there a cheaper option than the canvas?
Yes. The Two City Poster Set starts at €69 and works well on a small dorm wall with limited space.
