Let’s Be Real: 12 Travel Souvenirs We All Regret Buying

It is almost customary to purchase a souvenir or two whenever we are out on the road. Whether it is for us, or for friends & family, these little tokens of appreciation simply seem to be essential must-haves.

Try to imagine yourself soaking up the sun on a Bali beach. Wouldn’t you like to buy a nice seashell necklace for your sister or some cool keychains for your little brother? However once we return to our homes, many of us start second-guessing those purchases. Did we really need that? Was it worth the price?

Let’s look at 12 travel souvenirs we usually end up regretting.

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Tacky T-shirts

Assorted T-shirts
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Tacky T-shirts with loud prints and cheesy phrases might catch your eye and look so cute at the moment. But when you get home, their low quality combined with the cheesy messaging will make them unwearable. Additionally, these t-shirts often lose color or shrink after just a few washes – making them look even less attractive.

Shot Glasses

Shot Glass
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Shot Glasses — sometimes we grab these as they are easy to find and don’t take up too much space in our luggage. For most people, they eventually wind up on a shelf to collect dust. How often do you use these glasses? They lose their charm quickly and pretty soon, you will be cleaning these glasses instead of using them – unless you drink a lot or host a lot of parties.

Keychains

Keychains
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Keychains are very cheap, small and seem like an easy last-minute pick-up. But you can only have so many of these keychains. Once used for some time, they become clutter — you will likely throw them in a drawer.

Magnets

Magnets
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You go on a couple of trips and your fridge door is covered with magnets that you never even look at. In no time, you have a mishmash of novelty eyesores that take over your kitchen. Most of them don’t even stick well & fall off easily.

Local Snacks and Sweets

Turkish delight
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At the time, those exotic snacks and treats might seem like cool souvenirs to bring back from your trip. However, on your return, they rarely taste anything like the flavor you remember. Many of them might even expire before you get to them, and then all you’d have is a bag full of stale treats.

Handmade Jewelry

Handmade Jewelry
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Handmade jewelry made with beautiful beads, pearls, threads, and metal seems to be a rare find while you are out for local shopping in town centers. But when you get home, those pieces may seem too loud or might not be in line with your daily style. They could also be poorly manufactured, break easily, or tarnish within a few years.

Cultural Replicas

Buddha Statues
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If you are into buying replicas of cultural artifacts or statues as souvenirs, keep in mind that most of them may look odd or too big when you bring them home. They will take up so much space on your shelves and, with time, lose their meaning. They also can be heavy- so you may find it difficult to carry them anywhere to display or to show your friends.

Cheap Sunglasses

Sunglasses
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When you’re on holiday, you will definitely buy a pair of cheap sunglasses (especially if you’ve left your own behind). These cheap sunglasses have no UV protection at all. Then the plastic screws fall off or the lens comes out or the paint starts chipping off – and into the trash they go. All guaranteed to happen before your plane lands back in your hometown.

Decorative Plates

Decorative Plates
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Decorative plates are something of a tourist trap — yep, you buy that as a collectible souvenir and then… what? It’s not like you can eat off them. They are space wasters and without the correct setup, they make your home look like a mess. Eventually they become more of a storage problem than anything else.

Postcards

Post cards
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Postcards are a nice way of remembering the places we visit as they have really nice pictures to show! But how many times do you give those photos a second look? And then most postcards just end up in a drawer, forgotten, or even thrown away when you declutter.

Local Alcohol

Bottles of Alcohol in a Shop
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It may seem like a great idea to buy a bottle of wine or local hangover drink to bring home, but how many expired bottles of these do you already have at home? It never quite tastes like it did on vacation – or you save it for that certain occasion that really never comes.

Oversized Hats

Beach hats
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Traveling in tropical lands – you will always buy large, sun-blocking hats. These hats are big, and difficult to carry. Walking around carrying them is often not the most pleasant experience. Additionally, when you get back from the trip, they hardly ever go with your day-to-day wear.

Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.

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