Utilitarian Tourist

Along with travel comes the inevitable tourist traps. The cultural events focused only for tourists in mind or the ‘special prices’ in the market are bad enough, but the tchotchkes can often be the demise of any travel budget. You know, the knick knacks needs for friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.

When I first started traveling I definitely had a lot to learn in the art of travel shopping. I recall being excited at 16 in the t-shirt shop in Paris with cheap shirts for friends and family. Looking back I now know that not everyone wants a t-shirt of a place they’ve never been. At times I’ve been very generous with thoughtfully picking out items for a variety of time. Over time I’ve had to set limits in this regard. When I travel for work I often have very little time to buy anything, but they are other practical reasons as well.

If you travel as much as I do you need to come up with some strategies for making mementos for self and family to be both meaningful and useful. Before you spend half your travel budget for your friends at home, here are some of the rules that I apply when shopping for items to bring back from my adventures:

• Only buy something for someone if it makes you think of them and you think it would be useful or meaningful to them. In my opinion the worst souvenir is one that is bought just to check something off your list. This often means that I might find something for my sister one time and my mom the next, but never do I travel with a list of people I’m required to buy for. It is much more meaningful to give a gift and say that it made you think of them and you thought they would really enjoy it. Sometimes this means I buy nothing at all.
• Buy utilitarian items whenever possible. This can mean buying things that you use and enjoy on a regular basis, such as the beautiful mugs and fruit bowl that I bought on a recent trip to Macedonia or the winter jacket I bought the last time I was in Ukraine. This method makes it so you will use and treasure the items, but they won’t go onto the knick knack shelf.
• Buy consumables if all else fails. I find that the best items to bring back are those that people will enjoy and experience a piece of your travels without having a tchotchke from a place they have never been. For instance on this trip I have bought fabulous Ukrainian tea, chocolate from the city I’m currently in (L’viv), and of course some vodka for good measure. On my trip to Macedonia I brought back a bunch of wine that is both cheap and fabulous.
• When in doubt, don’t buy it. Your visa bill will thank you.
• When you love it, buy it for yourself not someone else. You will likely appreciate it more than they will.

Of course James always wins out because at least he gets the souvenir of foreign money from my travels! Keep these tips in mind for your next adventures.

Happy Travels!

Miel