After a delightful holiday, it is very common to bring something authentic or unique as a souvenir. Usually the reason people buy a souvenir after holiday is for a memento or as a gift for others. The souvenir which they bring back after a trip could be a reminder of the holiday or the path they’ve taken in the past when they’re looking at it in the future. Hence, it’s not a surprise that people report spending almost 1/3 of their travel expenses on shopping. If you often find yourself unsure of what to get as your souvenirs then check out these tips below.
- Photographs and postcards
Photographs and postcards hold the highest rate of popularity for men and women as travel souvenirs. This is because postcards are so closely linked to the place or city, usually featuring an image of the location. Additionally they can be sent to people whilst you are still on the trip and furthermore they are relatively inexpensive to purchase. Let’s say you went to Melbourne and bought a postcard of koalas or kangaroo from a local store. This gift could recall all your memories you had upon your visit to that city when you look at it sometime in the future. Likewise, postcards usually only cost around $2, hence, you could buy it in a bulk – for many people!
- Authentic specialty art
If you have set aside a budget for souvenirs, then you will be able to go for the authentic ones – like regional specialty art pieces. It is especially incredible to be able to own an authentic, handmade item from the location you are visiting, it increases the specialness tenfold. Sometimes these types of souvenirs can be more expensive due to the amount of genuine effort and artistry that goes into them. However, afterall the whole idea is to get something authentic and representative of places you have been so something made in that regionality is always best. For example, Australian made productslike an aboriginal artist patterned silk scarf or a decorated traditional boomerang are perfect authentic souvenirs from Australia.
- Food
The easiest gift to bring back for people from your travels is to buy souvenir food. This is because everyone loves food, or at least, everyone eats! Also, food items are easy to carry back, cheaper to purchase and usually attached to the culture of the city or country you visited such as Vietnamese coffee or New Zealand chocolate. The best option is any kind of chocolates or lollies as these are loved by all and are often sold in a big amount, so you can buy one huge package for many people which is very convenient and cost effective. There are however, a couple of things to be aware of when taking food between countries, one is to make sure that it doesn’t go off, melt or mould during the transit, you don’t want to make anybody sick or grossed out with a foul gift. The other concern to be aware of are biosecurity laws, particularly countries that are islands with unique inhabitants such as Australia and New Zealand tend to have very strict biosecurity laws. This is to protect their unique environments and you can face large fines, confiscation of your goods and in some cases even jail time if you do not declare food when bringing it into these countries.
Whether it is as a memoir for yourself, or to be given to your family, friends or colleagues, a souvenir is a great choice to bring back in celebration of your trip. Souvenirs serve to remind someone of a place or a thing. Getting them from your holiday is a way to preserve the journey you’ve taken – both for yourself & others you care about.