Incorporate shopping into your budget ahead of time. Remember, it is more important for you to eat during those last days than to get Dad that funny T-shirt.
Also, make a list. Think of everyone you want to buy for, and what they might like as a gift. Having a strategy will save you some stress and money.
Be really choosy. Don’t impulse buy because you’re afraid of dropping the bauble ball. A lame, last-minute airport gift isn’t much better than no gift at all.
If you want to go to a gift shop, visit one in a museum or other cultural institution that you like. It might be pricey but museum gift shops often have a selection of beautiful, local items, and the proceeds go back to the artists.
You should always try to buy locally made, artisan goods. When in Colombia I bought my mother stationary made from recycled paper and natural fibers by a small business run by women. It was inexpensive, elegant, and I was supporting a positive cause. Stationary in general is a great gift because it’s light, relatively inexpensive, and is often a simple representation of regional art.
Shop where locals do. Avoid touristy stores and markets, and instead hunt for gems in more low-key commercial areas.
Think outside the box. Variations on basic items can be fun because of unique packaging and cultural twists.There are free gifts too. Wave-smoothed pebbles along a beach can be an elegant display in a glass as a present.
Try not to buy anything fragile but if you do, put anything breakable in your carry on. If that is not an option, wrap it up in your clothes for cushioning.
Be really choosy. Don’t impulse buy because you’re afraid of dropping the bauble ball. A lame, last-minute airport gift isn’t much better than no gift at all.
If you want to go to a gift shop, visit one in a museum or other cultural institution that you like. It might be pricey but museum gift shops often have a selection of beautiful, local items, and the proceeds go back to the artists.
You should always try to buy locally made, artisan goods. When in Colombia I bought my mother stationary made from recycled paper and natural fibers by a small business run by women. It was inexpensive, elegant, and I was supporting a positive cause. Stationary in general is a great gift because it’s light, relatively inexpensive, and is often a simple representation of regional art.
Shop where locals do. Avoid touristy stores and markets, and instead hunt for gems in more low-key commercial areas.
Think outside the box. Variations on basic items can be fun because of unique packaging and cultural twists.There are free gifts too. Wave-smoothed pebbles along a beach can be an elegant display in a glass as a present.
Try not to buy anything fragile but if you do, put anything breakable in your carry on. If that is not an option, wrap it up in your clothes for cushioning.
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