5 Ways To Be A Great Travel Shopper
Posted under: You’ve had the experience. Your buddy comes home from some trip, hands you a gift and you just KNOW he got it at the airport. All gift givers mean well, but sometimes they just don’t know where or how to shop in a foreign place. Want to be known as the traveler who brings back the coolest gifts? Consider this.
Patronize the arts
In your own town, you pass by the artist selling his paintings on the street because he’s there every weekend, and because you don’t need another image of the town you’re in each and every day. But, when you’re visiting a foreign place, those street artists could create breathtaking images of the culture, food and landscape there, that to you and your friends at home are totally unique. And in all likelihood cheap!
Follow the other shoppers
If you notice someone that’s clearly just wrapped up a shopping trip, go ask them where they did their shopping! Also ask them what their absolute must-have’s are, for their particular location. Maybe shoes for particular sports, kitchen utensils for particular dishes etc.
Shop the unexpected
Sometimes the coolest gift can just be found in a drug store or pharmacy. To the locals, the items are common, however for you they could be totally novel! When I was in Peru, I stopped into a pharmacy and saw a medicine meant to instantly kill a soar throat that I’d never seen in the states before. I instantly thought of my friend that’s a voice coach in Los Angeles (city of pollution) , and gets soar throats often is forced to sometimes cancel her singing lessons. She couldn’t have been more grateful for that gift. Now, whenever she is teaching someone how to sing and she feels a soar throat developing, she takes this product straight away and she’s all better!
Never shop at a souvenir store
Anyone can smell a souvenir store gift from a mile away. Try this: get into a souvenir store, and if one of the little shot glasses or key rings portrays an image of a super cool place, ask where that place is, visit it and pick up something at the source.
Print photos
This is one of the coolest gifts! There’s nothing more original or authentic than a photo you snapped yourself. Not to mention, since nobody really prints their photographs anymore, that little effort to print them will make the gift feel extra special.
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