Consider these among the best gifts for expats

Not sure what to get your far-flung friends and family for the holidays? Seven surprising presents that might fit the bill.

What do you get for your favourite expat who’s halfway across the globe? From a wearable stress reducer to help cope with a new high-powered job, to a fashionable air pollution mask to combat haze in sprawling cities, there are plenty of stylish, yet practical, gifts to bestow on your expat friends and relatives who have little room in their suitcase. Here are seven.

A world of snacks

Want to send a subtle reminder of home or just delicious hard-to-find snacks? Sign up your loved one to receive monthly snack boxes from MunchPak. The company ships globally and recipients receive a box filled with snacks from around the world, including halva bars from Israel, stroopwafels from Holland and rice candy from Japan. Snack boxes come in various sizes and range from 5 to 20 items per box. (munchpak.com; $9.95 to $39.95 per month)

Crowdfunding a trip home

Even with a generous expat package, it can be tough to finance multiple trips back home — especially with a family in tow. Plumfund allows users to create a campaign of their choice — anything from funding a trip back home or saving up for a holiday. For each campaign, friends and family can contribute money via the platform to help finance the trip over a certain period of time. Users can contribute via check or cash for free, or make a gift via PayPal for a 2.8% service fee. (plumfund.com)

In the mail

Not everyone wants to Snapchat or WhatsApp to communicate from afar. The Tiny Mail Kit allows the littlest expats to prepare miniature versions of old-school letters and packages to keep in touch with friends or family back home. It comes with mini stamps, envelope seals, stationery sheets, preassembled boxes, twine, a fine-tipped pen and a magnifying glass to help you assemble a short message. Sometimes you just want to keep in touch the old fashioned way. (uncommongoods.com; $28.95)

Breathing made easy

Woke up to haze and poor air quality? With dozens of prints and designs available, Cambridge Masks help make commuting in the smog easier. The look is more stylish than surgical scrubs and a textile filter keeps out more than 99% of bacteria and viruses. Sizes range from XS to XL. The company, with offices in the UK and China, was founded two years ago by a Beijing-based education consultant and Cambridge University alumni who himself was dealing with the Chinese city’s pollution. (cambridgemask.com; £22/$33)

Preserving your memories

Rather than packing away photo albums, video and other memorabilia before moving abroad, the start-up LegacyBox helps digitise your memories. Send the company a box filled with anything from VHS tapes to photos to audio and they'll send back the memories on a DVD (along with your originals). For better safekeeping and easier sharing, upload the discs to a cloud storage service such as Dropbox. (legacybox.com; $75 to $500)

The perfect deck

Whether you’re planning a poker night with new colleagues or playing Old Maid with the kids, these nearly impossible to break playing cards are made from birch plywood. Plus, the mid-century modern design makes the card set a stylish living room staple — although they’re a bit tricky to shuffle.(areaware.com; $36)

Digital Zen

The latest trend in wearable tech isn’t just about counting your steps. The Spire, a pebble-shaped clip that hooks onto your belt or bra strap and syncs with your smartphone, is designed to help you relax. The device tracks your breathing patterns and sends mindful reminders, for example to take a deep breath if the device detects your breathing is shallow (usually a sign of anxiety). Spire also tracks your activity level — including whether you’re moving or lying down — to help pinpoint more accurately when you most need stress relief. (spire.io; $149.99)

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