Ethical Holiday Souvenirs – What To Buy While Travelling This Year

Buy Less Choose Well. How many times have you brought a souvenir home from holiday and unpacked it only to wonder why on earth you bought it? Whether you are on an epic backpacking tour or a family package holiday, it can be tempting to buy all everything in sight. Often the majority of the souvenirs on sale are not made in the place they are sold. Cheap useless objects are shipped in just to provide tourists with something to buy – only for it to be discarded as soon as they get home. Memories are probably the best thing you can take home from an amazing trip. If you still want something extra, try some of these ideas!

Ethical Holiday Souvenirs

• Goods made by locals. In every area of the world where there is a population, there are people who make things. Whether it is art, clothing, books by local writers or homeware. If you are lucky, you might actually meet the person who made it. It will be much more memorable to think back on years later if you actually had a conversation with the artist.
• Something you truly love. If you come across a piece of clothing or object that you immediately love, take a few moments to think about it first. I like to put it back and continue to wander around the shop, or even leave the shop. If I’m still thinking about it, I’ll go back and buy. The point is to buy things that you will continue to love for a long time.

• A vintage find. It can be fun to shop at local vintage markets and shops. They often have different clothes, homeware etc to the usual things at home. And the chances are it will be a one-off.
• Stamps and postcards. They are available in most holiday destinations, unique to each country and often in lots of cool designs.
• An item that can easily be used at home. Soaps, bath salts and food can all be bought as souvenirs and also used at home if they start to clutter the house. I’m always on the lookout for soap, good olive oil, and local wine. Remember and check if you can take food back into your country. On holiday recently I saw a jar filled with ingredients to make a traditional Maltese soup. It not only looked pretty, but was also functional.

• Following on from the soup jar…local recipes from the country or region you visited are a great souvenir. Often local recipes can be difficult to find when you leave the region, even with exceptional Google skills.
• Photographs. Whether they are your own or by a local photographer. Images mean so much more when you have visited the location and have memories associated with it.
• Something that you were going to buy anyway. If you have been pondering to buy something at home, why not just buy it when you are away and it can double up as a souvenir.

• Reusables. Even if you are not trying to be zero waste, reusable coffee cups, shopping bags, and water bottles are much nicer to use than their single plastic alternative. I personally would love to visit a Moroccan market for a reusable market bag.

I hope these are some helpful tips for shopping for ethical holiday souvenirs while on holiday. The main point is if you want to shop sustainably – take a minute to decide if you really love something before you buy. If you have any more tips, share them below! 

For info about what to buy in Dubai, check here. A guide of Lisbon are the surrounding areas, check here. For vintage shopping in Edinburgh, check here.

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