Aside from things like a great backpack, sensible clothing, a good camera, various inoculation shots and a pile of paperwork, one of the most important things a traveler can have at the ready is the ability to speak the local language. At the very least, you owe it to the countries you visit to know how to ask where the restroom is, or perhaps where the beer is (though usually it’s in the reverse order). It’s rewarding when you get it right, no matter how bad your accent is, and people genuinely appreciate the effort.
With that in mind, the world traveler in your life would likely be pleased with the gift of Rosetta Stone software. Immersion is the word, with the software helping you learn a language the way you learned your own: naturally, without the crutch of translation.
Granted, for a while that world traveler may still have to reach for the phrasebook when discussing, say, quantum physics. But why not put them on the path to--at the very least--catching the right train, plane, bus, moped, cab or camel? Help get ‘em home in one piece.
