They are starting over in a new city. Their apartment is smaller than they thought. Their kitchen does not yet have a favourite mug. They are doing paperwork in a language they are still learning. They miss things they did not know they would miss.
So what do you actually send them?
This is a short guide, written from the other side of a move, on what makes a good gift for someone who has just relocated — and what to avoid, even with the best intentions.
The rule: lightweight, emotional, useful
Every gift for a new expat lives or dies on three questions. Will it fit in their new apartment? Will it survive international shipping? Will it make them feel, for five seconds, like someone who gets it sent them something?
The best gifts are small, beautiful, and carry memory. The worst gifts are heavy, bulky, or duplicate something they already own (and had to ship or replace).
What not to send
- Large homewares. They either already shipped theirs or bought new ones on arrival. A full coffee machine will cause logistics stress, not joy.
- Anything that needs customs paperwork. If it is over EUR 45 in value and not clearly a gift, customs in many countries will charge them to receive it. That is the opposite of a kind gesture.
- Generic relocation books. They already have the guide they need. A generic "moving abroad" paperback feels patronising, not thoughtful.
- Anything that shames the move. No "I hope you come back soon" mugs. That is a gift for you, not them.
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What to send instead
1. A hand-illustrated print of where they live now
This is the one. A framed or unframed print of their new city — Zurich, Bali, Mallorca, wherever the move took them — hung on their first real wall is the closest thing to a welcoming hug. It tells them: this place is yours now. This place is home. Every House of Summer print is hand-illustrated, printed on 200gsm archival paper, and shipped from the regional print partner nearest the recipient, which keeps shipping manageable.
2. A print of where they are from
A softer version of the same idea. If you know their hometown has a specific energy — a coastal Mediterranean village, a quiet lake, a particular street — a print of that place on their new wall tells them their past gets to come with them. Not a weight. A blessing.
3. Hand-printed cotton napkins for the first dinner they host
Four cotton napkins in warm tones take up almost no space in a suitcase or shipping box, but they transform the first dinner party in a new apartment. They are the small luxury most expats will not buy themselves in month one.
4. A very good candle
Smell is the fastest way home. A candle from their old city, or a scent that reminds them of you, is one of the most-used objects an expat will put in their new apartment. Choose one that will last more than a week.
5. A specialty food parcel, small
Not a hamper. One or two very specific things they cannot find locally. Good tea from home. Their childhood biscuit. The chocolate their grandmother sent. Specific beats abundant.
6. A voice note, hand-delivered
Not a gift in the commercial sense, but the most-remembered one. A three-minute recording telling them what they mean to you, attached to anything you send. Most people will not do this. The ones who do become legendary.
For the colleague or work-acquaintance expat
You want to be warm but not weird. A small framed print of the city they moved to, a good notebook, and a card. Under CHF 50 is appropriate. Over CHF 100 can feel heavy.
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For the partner or very close friend
You can go bigger here. A larger print of somewhere meaningful to both of you, a napkin-and-print gift pair, or a handwritten book of letters they only get to open when something specific happens ("open this when Sunday feels too quiet"). Sentimental beats expensive every time.
Packaging and timing
Gifts sent during their first three weeks tend to arrive during the paperwork chapter — which is exactly when they will need them most. Do not wait for their birthday. Send it in week two, when they are tired, and the parcel is the best thing that happens that day.
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What to write in the card
Short. Specific. No advice. "Thinking of you. Proud of this. Call me when you want to." That is already enough.
If you want the art piece of this, the full House of Summer collection is print-to-order, hand-illustrated, and shipped from the region closest to the recipient. Start with the Tropical Escapes, Riviera, or Zurich capsules depending on where they landed. Add a hand-printed napkin set from The Table if you want to level up the first dinner they host.
They will remember who sent them something in week two. Be that person.