Shopping Tips

When people travel and go to places they’ve never been to before, it is normal that they purchase little trinkets, keepsakes, souvenirs that would remind them of the place and the time they had there. Most tourists’ fall into this category, and backpackers, since you too are considered tourists (only of a different kind) are not an exempt from this behaviour. Like any human being, you will also get excited about new places and would want to have visible and tangible mementos of their trip.

Unfortunately, though backpackers and tourists are the same, the rules of shopping do not apply to both. Tourists can buy whatever they please: the intricately carved Italian crystal goblet, the bronze replica of the Eiffel Tower, sausages and sauerkrauts from Germany, and the authentic Scottish kilt, and still not worry (significantly) about paying and bringing these back home. They have their credit cards, and if these souvenirs do not fit their suitcase, they have the option of having these sent out by courier or they can just hand carry some items (especially the fragile ones) on the plane. Backpackers, unfortunately, do not have these luxuries.

Backpackers normally carry a limited amount of money with them. You may have credit cards but try to refrain from using these unless it’s really necessary (besides, bringing plastic money somehow defeats the purpose of going backpacking, right?). You cannot afford to roam the streets and by-roads of Europe carrying breakable items in a brown paper bag. You also cannot buy too many items because; the accumulated weights of these seemingly insignificant pieces will eventually add up and make your bags heavier and more difficult to bring around.

Since buying souvenirs seem to be an innate past time even for backpackers, here are some helpful shopping tips for these unconventional tourists.

1. Always be mindful of your budget. If you have allocated $60.00 per day for all your daily expenses (including food, transportation and maybe even lodging), stick to that and don’t use up part of tomorrow’s budget for today’s impulse purchase. To stay within your limit, you can buy souvenirs at the end of the day, when all of the day’s expected costs have been settled.

2. Buy souvenirs from out of the way places and try to stay away from known tourist centers. Items sold at tourist spots are usually more expensive than those found elsewhere. They may also look very generic. Try to find something that would best represent your stay at that city and yet not cost you your little fortune.

3. Unless you are certain you can carry a backpack that gets heavier and heavier after each leg of your journey, refrain from purchasing heavy and bulky items. Not only will these make your bag weigh more, you may eventually lose space for your travel essentials. If this happens, you may have to leave some souvenirs behind just to make all your belongings fit in one container.

Remember that your main purpose for backpacking across Europe is not for you to accumulate memorabilia, but for you to know Europe more intimately. Focus on that and shop only when it is necessary. If you need to make purchases, buy only the essentials (food, extra clothes, medicine). Fight off the urge to splurge and leave the shopping binge to another date. If you really need souvenirs — take photographs! Not only are these inexpensive, they are also very personal and will, in time, be more memorable than regular mass-produced items that are hawked at every street corner in Europe.