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Famous Birthdays on 12th November

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Welcome to the second day of RAND’s birthday blog, dedicated to celebrating famous birthdays on this day as a tribute to all the birthday gifts sent around the world every day. Every day this week we will be posting about the biggest names in the fame world to be born on this day in history, whether that was 1,000 years ago or just last year.

Today we’re starting off with American R&B musician Omarion, who was born in 1984, meaning he’ll be 29 today. Some of the other big North American names to be celebrating birthdays today include film heartthrob Ryan Gosling, who hails from Canada, and actress Anne Hathaway from America. For competitive rates on parcels to Canada and parcels to the US, be sure to use RAND’s quote finder.

If you prefer science to the glittering world of Hollywood, perhaps you’ll be more impress by the UK’s very own John W Rayleigh who discovered argon and was born all the way back in 1841. Another British name you might recognise is Mariella Frostrup, who will be 51 today. Mariella was born in Norway, so if you have relatives overseas, remember to note down their birthdays so you can send them a gift.

Famous Birthdays on 11th November

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Many of the parcels being couriered around the world every single day will be birthday gifts, which is why this week we our dedicating our blog to famous birthdays of people all around the world. If you have a friend or relative overseas who is celebrating a birthday soon, why not think about sending them a parcel with RAND?

Film fans with 11th November birthdays will be delighted to know that they share their birthday with the wonderful American actor Leonardo di Caprio. If you’re thinking of sending him a gift, you’d better get in quick before he gets inundated with presents! Another American star of the screen celebrating her birthday on this day is Calista Flockhart, so be sure to use our parcel quote finder to get a quote on all your birthday gifts to the US!

If we go way back in history, we find an emperor and an empress of the Roman empire born on 11th November in 995 and 1050: Gisela of Swabia and Henry IV of Kaiserpfalz. Or, if you prefer your historical figures a little more royal, how about King Sancho I of Portugal in 1154? If you’re sending a gift to Portugal, make sure it’s with RAND for the best rates!

Christmas Gift Inspiration: DAY #5

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We are rounding off our week of gift ideas with what to get the person who has everything. We all have that one friend or relative who has been fortunate enough to find themselves in a position where they can buy everything they want. However, many of us still feel obliged to buy them something for Christmas. So, what do you do?

Theatre

Our tip is to go for an experience rather than a tangible object. While they could buy their own crockery set or scarf, they may not have thought to book tickets to an event you know they would love. Look for events in their city and buy them a couple of tickets to a concert or play they would enjoy, or check out an experience day website to select a rally driving experience, horse riding or a spa or anything else that looks fun.

If you can’t afford the entire experience, how about a gift voucher towards a meal at their favourite restaurant, a hotel gift voucher or a gift certificate towards travel, whether this goes towards plane tickets or train tickets if they enjoy weekends away.

A personalised gift may also go down well if you know their taste well, but opt for something classic such as a nice pen or something in leather.

If you are sending your gifts abroad, be sure to check the price of delivery with RAND’s parcel checker in advance.

Christmas Gift Inspiration: DAY #4

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On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… well, they’re probably not your true love, as today we’re thinking about your office Secret Santa. There is usually a strict spending limit on these, so we’ve split this post into sections for the most common budgets for this game.

£1: £1 might not seem like a lot of money, but the great thing is that you can get really creative. Get your craft head on and scour the house for odds and ends to make something Christmas-themed. Or, if you’re not the most creative person, head to the local pound shop. Here you will find chocolate, mini toiletry sets and novelty gifts.

£5: Here you get a little more leeway. You could get a small box of good quality chocolate, a half price bottle of wine, some nice stationery or even a little gift set for this price. Or how about a couple of miniatures of their favourite spirit?

£10: The higher the spending limit for Secret Santa for people you don’t know well, the trickier it gets to buy something good. With the extra leeway, you need to come up with something great. For this price limit, we say play it safe and go for a bottle of nice wine or a little food selection. Anything too personal is a minefield, and a novelty gift will make them feel cheated out of a good gift at this price.

Remember to use RAND’s parcel quote tool before you send your gifts this Christmas!

Christmas Gift Inspiration: DAY #3

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It’s the middle of our week of Christmas gift information, and today we’re focusing on the kids. Many would say that Christmas is all about the children, which is why it’s so much fun looking for gifts. However, once you’ve secured this year’s big trend gift, what should be next on the list?

Jigsaw puzzle

Most children aren’t interested in clothes when they are young and would rather receive toys and games. Why not take it back to tradition and track down a jigsaw puzzle based on their favourite hobby? There are lots of sites now selling traditional wooden toys, many of which make lovely keepsakes long after your children have grown up.

Another fantastic idea is to get them a soft, cuddly version of their favourite animal. If trips to the zoo or the farm inspire a lot of enthusiasm, you could even adopt them their very own animal or buy them a season ticket to the nearest zoo so they can get their animal fix.

Chocolate is all well and good, but that sugar rush can make children hyperactive. Instead, why not get them their own gardening set complete with seeds so they can see where their food comes from? Start easy with cress and herbs and move onto fruit and vegetables when their skills develop.

Remember to send your Christmas gifts with RAND this year!

Christmas Gift Inspiration: DAY #2

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Welcome to the second day of our Christmas gift inspiration posts, and today we’re focusing on the men in your life. Remember to use RAND’s parcel quote checker before you send your Christmas gifts this year for the best rates.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of buying novelty Christmas gear for men. Christmas cufflinks, ties and socks are generally relegated to the back of the wardrobe, never to see the light of day again, so as funny as it might be on Christmas Day, it’s a waste of money. Think instead about something that will actually be used.

You can’t go wrong with practical clothing for a man, and when in doubt play it safe with a good quality shirt or jumper in a colour you know he likes. The same applies to socks: go for something functional and wearable but good quality.

A bottle of his favourite wine or a selection of ales would most likely go down well, and this could be accompanied with a variety of snacks to keep him munching through the next few days.

Or of course, for a little peace and quiet, there’s always a DVD boxset or a shiny new videogame…

Christmas Gift Inspiration: DAY #1

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Now we’re safely in November, the clocks have gone back and we’re all feeling the chill, it is safe for us to start talking about the C-word: Christmas! You have most probably noticed all the gifts arriving in shops over the past few weeks, and while it may seem overwhelming, we’re here to help, and we’re starting this week with the ladies.

Perfume

As a general rule, we recommend steering clear of anything too practical for the lady in your life. That means no new kettles, vacuum cleaners or blenders unless she has specifically requested it. Instead, why not make an effort and take inspiration from the things she chooses for herself? Check her perfume collection. Could you get her a matching body lotion for her favourite scent? Or the cardigan she loves in a new colour?

Chocolate can make a nice gift, but might look a little unimaginative. Instead, why not put together a little hamper of her favourite sweet treats? She’ll appreciate the effort and thought, and you can tailor it to her tastes. As a general rule, if you don’t know her size, don’t guess and get it offensively wrong – but do remember that bags and accessories are generally one size fits all, and you can never go wrong with a sparkly piece of jewellery!

Use RAND’s parcel comparison tool to send all your Christmas gifts this year.

Parcel Tips: Day 5

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We have reached the end of our parcel delivery tips week, and we’re rounding off with tips to ensure your parcel actually makes it to its destination. Following all our previous tips should put you in a good position when it comes to helping your parcel get to its destination in one piece, but there are a couple more things you should do to help it on its way.

Firstly, make sure you opt for a courier you can trust. RAND only works with the best couriers so that you know your parcels will always arrive on time. If you are using a signed for service, let the recipient know in advance so that they can make sure they are in or have enough time to make alternative arrangements with their local post office.

Another feature you should use is a tracking service. RAND offers parcel tracking for all parcels sent through our system, and it can help you follow the journey of your items around the world for your own reassurance and so that you can let the recipients know where they have got to.

Next time you decide to send a parcel overseas, make sure you do it with RAND for competitive rates and a service you can trust.

Parcel Tips: Day 4

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We are now on the penultimate day of our parcel packaging guide, and today the focus is on packing materials. Whenever you send a parcel internationally, whether it’s fragile or not, you should get into the habit of filling the rest of the box with quality packing materials to stop the item from sliding around and getting damaged or broken.

The key is to choose lightweight materials to avoid bumping up the weight, and therefore the price, of sending a parcel abroad. Bubble wrap is a favourite, especially if you’re using it to wrap fragile items individually, or less fragile items could be packed with scrunched up newspaper to act as a buffer against the sides of the box.

Small plastic airbags are ideal for very fragile items which need to be kept well away from the sides of the box, or even small empty boxes can be used to reinforce the structure. Polystyrene beads or shapes can be used to fit into unusual spaces, and could be placed inside fragile items such as vases.

It might seem a little odd, but plain popcorn can also work really well! It is light and filled with air, meaning it acts as great protection for your items. Just make sure you mention that it won’t be edible after that long journey!

Parcel Tips: Day 3

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We’ve now reached the middle of our week about parcel packaging, and today we’re going to be looking at the addressing and labelling process to ensure the postal service in each country knows where the parcel is going when you post internationally. It’s all very well having a beautifully packaged parcel, but it’s no good if it never makes it to its destination.

Unless you have beautifully clear handwriting, you might want to steer clear of writing the address by hand. If one letter or number is read wrong, it could end up in the wrong place. Instead, it is better to print the address in a large font and clear typeface (such as Arial). You may even want to do this in English and in the local language to make it easier for the local postal service.

If you are sending something fragile or need the box to remain a certain way up whenever possible, write this clearly on each side of the box in English and the language of the destination country so that the instructions are carried throughout the journey.

If you are going to write the address, use a waterproof, smudge-proof pen (such as a biro) rather than  something like a felt tip which can run when it gets wet, making it impossible to read. In any case, using sticky back plastic or something similar can help keep the address intact even if it travels in wet conditions to protect your parcel on its international journey.