As much as I hate to admit it, I am no different than other family travelers. I spend a significant portion of my family holiday shopping. I love touring local markets and visiting craft shops. And no matter where I travel to, I check out the local supermarket too. While the premise may be curiosity, I’m secretly hoping to spot a great find.
Select a souvenir that reminds you of your trip
While it may be pointless to buy ten sarong on trip to Bali simply because they are 50 cents cheaper than in the stores at home, you don’t have to buy something big or expensive for it to be a meaningful souvenir. Wind chimes may be small but their sound may take you back to the Indonesian countryside. Leather sandals with tire treads soles, purses made from bottle tops and baskets weaved out of recycled telephone wire are unique and functional African souvenirs. But before you purchase that brightly colored canvas from a street vendor in Rio de Janeiro ask yourself, truthfully, if you will actually hang the painting on your living room or bedroom wall.
A souvenir need not be avant-garde to be original. Size or shape may be enough to make your German cut glass vase unique. Yet if you intend to make a specific purchase on holiday it is wise to begin your search at home. Check the availability and price (don’t forget to factor in the cost of shipping) at virtual stores and neighborhood shops ahead of time. There’s nothing worse than returning from a trip to find that you paid significantly more for your coveted momento or that your neighbor just purchased the same online.
When and where to buy
My husband prefers to purchase souvenirs on the first shopping trip. While further searching may uncover better deals, for him, after a hundred shops the novelty has slipped away and the souvenir has lost all appeal. For me, there’s nothing worse than returning home empty handed. So we compromise. We buy ‘conventional’ souvenirs such as beaded sandals and leather belts on the first or second day but keep an eye out for unique mementos throughout the trip.
Families intent on making a significant purchase on holiday, be it a leather jacket or work of art, should begin their search in a licensed shop. Once you’ve learned to distinguish quality, hand painted and machine printed batik are not the same, take your search to the street. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself returning to the store. Goods hawked at local markets are rarely for the intending eye.
Consider how you will get your mementos home
The hand painted dishes characteristic of Vietri, Italy may prove hard to pass up. But let’s face it shipping a place setting for twelve halfway round the world may radically change the economics of a new set of tableware. What’s more recent hand luggage restrictions have reduced the amount each passenger can carry on board. Odd shaped souvenirs may be relegated to the hold. So before you purchase a bulky yet fragile souvenir consider how you will get it home.
