Holiday Gifts for UK Travelers - A Round-Up of Travel and UK-Themed Gifts

The British Museum is chock full of the kinds of things kids love. Egyptian mummies, Ancient Roman and Anglo Saxon masks and helmets, stories of Greek heroes and gods - even the magical Lewis Chessmen, featured in the Harry Potter films. The museum's wonderful shop is a great place to find inexpensive gifts for kids. And you don't even have to come to London to buy them - lots of kids gifts for under a tenner are available online.

People who travel often love travel gadgets with a payoff that far outweighs the precious luggage space they occupy. This selection of handy travel helpers all fit the bill. Lightweight, compact and very useful, none of them puts a weighty drag on anyone's luggage. And, at under $50, they aren't too heavy for most budgets either.

Why buy heavy and expensive converters and transformers that may never be used again. Travelers can use dual voltage products at home and abroad -- in the UK and throughout Europe. Add few cheap adaptor plugs and you're all set. Have a look at these useful dual voltage appliances.

MP3 devices and the new portable DVD and music players that are small enough to fit in a carry-on bag are great boons for travelers. They help pass the time waiting out delays at airports, help soothe cranky children and turn cold, strange hotel rooms into hip or homey retreats. Portable music and DVD devices - plus the tiniest video cam we've ever seen - are travel gadgets that make very special presents for your traveling friends and family.

If you pay as you go, the cost of entry to UK visitor attractions can really add up. Discount passes for overseas visitors are a great solution, offering free, unlimited entry to hundreds of UK landmarks. Besides saving money, prepaid passes usually allow you to jump the queue at busy sites. Most also include a few extras - like useful guidebooks and maps. And you don't have to keep up with changing exchange rates - you know what you've spent before you go. These are the best passes I've found. They make terrific gifts for friends and family heading for the UK.

Gardeners at some of the greatest gardens in Europe are proud to show off what they call their "English" gardens. Usually they are natural looking woodland gardens, the created landscape looking artfully natural. Or they might be impressionist English cottage gardens, great clouds of colored blossoms and variegated foliage blending together like a painting. The English, of all ages, do love a bit of gardening or nosing around someone else's gorgeous gardens. If your traveling gardener friends have been inspired by England's gardens, these gifts may help them recreate the look at home.

The classic English Rose is a game girl or a sporty woman who loves the outdoors (and has all the right, rugged outdoorsy clothes to enjoy it) but who also likes fresh and classic, natural scents and toiletries. Sound like anyone you know? Like her, these gifts are English classics. They're bound to please any woman on your gift list who appreciates quality and recognizes a classic when she sees one.

Fashions come and go but English country style is classic. The rugged tweeds, lanolin rich woolens and traditional English country waterproofs are made for outdoor activities and changeable weather. Classic English country clothes never date. They make great holiday gifts for men on your list who like the outdoor life.

Christmas carols and holiday choral music, sung by the best English Cathedral and Chapel Choirs, make grand gifts for music lovers and are great for updating your own seasonal music collection. Travelers who have been to (or are heading for) England's historic cathedrals will also appreciate these gifts of Christmas music from England's Top Cathedral Choirs.

In-flight comfort, an extra pair of hands or delicious British chocolates. You don't have to wait for Mother's Day to be extra thoughtful for a traveling Mom.