We all love to take vacations, especially to exciting or exotic places. Many people want to bring something back to their friends and loved ones, to share the joy of their vacation. Often, people choose to do this buy bringing home souvenirs. Tourist hot-spots are full of gift shops and souvenir emporiums containing New York City key chains, Eiffel Tower scissors, or Niagara Falls t-shirts.
Choosing souvenirs can be a lot of fun, but it can also be stressful. Lots of people find themselves frantically searching gift shops on the last day of their trip, trying to find the perfect gift for each person on their list. Here are a few tips for wise souvenir shopping.
1. Set a realistic budget. We all spend money a little more carelessly than usual on vacation. Add this to the fact that gift shops (like other stores) encourage impulse buying, and you create a potential financial disaster. Avoid this by setting a budget and refusing to exceed it.
2. Personalize your gifts. Think of the personality and interests of each person on your list. Rather than buying them knick knacks that will just clutter up their houses, get things you know they will like or use. If you know someone who has a collection of snow globes or spoons, you can get them something to add. If you know a writer, bring them a journal and a pen. People will appreciate the extra thought behind these gifts.
3. Get creative. You do not have to bring everyone gifts that are overtly specific to the place you went. You could bring a candle, a nice bottle of wine, or some other non-souvenir item. Often, this kind of gift is appreciated more than a traditional souvenir. No one really wants to wear a t-shirt from a city they have never visited, but anyone can appreciate a nice candle or specialty food item.
4. Keep the items small. It can be very difficult to pack extra items into your luggage at the end of the trip. When you are flying, you have a limited number of bags you can bring. You may be able to sneak a shopping bag by without having it counted as a carry on, but there is no guarantee. Try to buy little things that are unbreakable, like key rings or pens.
5. Do not leave your shopping til the last minute. If you wait until the end to do your souvenir shopping, you are guaranteeing yourself a stressful, frenzied last day of vacation. In order to have a relaxing, enjoyable day, get most of your shopping done before hand. You can save a couple of items for the end, but you don't want to spend the final hours of your vacation sweating in lines at gift shops. Also, if you leave things until the end, you are more likely to overspend. This is especially true if you end up buying things from airport gift shops, which are notoriously more expensive.
It is a wonderful thing to share the fun of your vacation with other people, and to show them that you were thinking of them. Follow the tips above for wise souvenir shopping. Your friends and family will definitely appreciate the Eiffel Tower scissors, Niagara Falls photo books, or London snow globes that you bring back for them.
Choosing souvenirs can be a lot of fun, but it can also be stressful. Lots of people find themselves frantically searching gift shops on the last day of their trip, trying to find the perfect gift for each person on their list. Here are a few tips for wise souvenir shopping.
1. Set a realistic budget. We all spend money a little more carelessly than usual on vacation. Add this to the fact that gift shops (like other stores) encourage impulse buying, and you create a potential financial disaster. Avoid this by setting a budget and refusing to exceed it.
2. Personalize your gifts. Think of the personality and interests of each person on your list. Rather than buying them knick knacks that will just clutter up their houses, get things you know they will like or use. If you know someone who has a collection of snow globes or spoons, you can get them something to add. If you know a writer, bring them a journal and a pen. People will appreciate the extra thought behind these gifts.
3. Get creative. You do not have to bring everyone gifts that are overtly specific to the place you went. You could bring a candle, a nice bottle of wine, or some other non-souvenir item. Often, this kind of gift is appreciated more than a traditional souvenir. No one really wants to wear a t-shirt from a city they have never visited, but anyone can appreciate a nice candle or specialty food item.
4. Keep the items small. It can be very difficult to pack extra items into your luggage at the end of the trip. When you are flying, you have a limited number of bags you can bring. You may be able to sneak a shopping bag by without having it counted as a carry on, but there is no guarantee. Try to buy little things that are unbreakable, like key rings or pens.
5. Do not leave your shopping til the last minute. If you wait until the end to do your souvenir shopping, you are guaranteeing yourself a stressful, frenzied last day of vacation. In order to have a relaxing, enjoyable day, get most of your shopping done before hand. You can save a couple of items for the end, but you don't want to spend the final hours of your vacation sweating in lines at gift shops. Also, if you leave things until the end, you are more likely to overspend. This is especially true if you end up buying things from airport gift shops, which are notoriously more expensive.
It is a wonderful thing to share the fun of your vacation with other people, and to show them that you were thinking of them. Follow the tips above for wise souvenir shopping. Your friends and family will definitely appreciate the Eiffel Tower scissors, Niagara Falls photo books, or London snow globes that you bring back for them.
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