Vacation is what we are waiting for a whole year with bated breath. We are saving a lot of money to buy a dream card of admission, and also set aside a certain amount for purchases during the trip. Then we return home with a suitcase full of all sorts of nonsense and look with horror at the meager remaining budget.
Some absolutely pointless travel purchases eat up the budget a lot. And we are ready to warn you about them! Although this is unlikely to affect the situation as a whole because with a probability of 90% you will still make them.
Souvenirs
Let’s be honest, souvenirs are one of the most useless wastes of money. On the one hand, they do preserve your memories but don’t carry any practical function. In addition, souvenir shops located close to tourist hotspots offer incredibly high prices and low-quality products (this is logical, travelers are just too lazy to go somewhere further, they are ready to pay a lot for the poor quality).
Fun fact: according to statistics, 62% of people are not very happy with souvenir gifts brought by friends or relatives, because they simply do not fit the interior of the rooms.
Airplane shopping
Airplane shopping is also usually pretty useless. And if snacks and drinks can be justified by basic needs, then buying earplugs, pillows or magazines is an unnecessary expense. Unfortunately, even low-cost flights of regular airlines offer such products at shockingly expensive prices – whether rather generic jewelry or those branded little airplane toys. If you cannot do without such things, better buy them in advance at your home supermarket.
Travel gadgets and accessories
Forget travel irons, packing cubes, neck wallets, tripods (unless you are a photographer), wrist wallets, wearable luggage (that’s a hands-down winner in the “most uncomfortable” category – imagine how light and stylish you’d feel wearing 20 pounds of luggage). All of these things are never as necessary as the marketers make them sound. Unless you are traveling into some true wilderness, you’re unlikely to need things that you don’t actually use in your everyday life.
Clothing
Buying clothes in popular tourist destinations can cost you a pretty penny. Marketers are well aware that people will still buy something expensive for lack of an alternative, so do not expect to buy something nice and budget on vacation. Buy all the necessary things in advance and do not waste money on pointless shopping.
In general, buying clothes abroad should be a last resort. For example, you may have torn your only pair of flip-flops, or your cap has been blown away by the wind. Or, you just saw an incredible thing of excellent quality, which would be impossible to find in stores at home. Or, of course, you’re in Milan during sales season specifically to shop!
Photo and video materials
Animators on the beaches in funny costumes entertain people, and often offer to take a photo of you with various animals. Do you think it’s fun and the exorbitant price for a one not very successful photo is fully justified? No, obviously no — such a purchase is even more irrational than souvenirs that will gather dust on the shelves.
In addition, local amusement parks often offer videos of you passing all the rooms in the House of Horrors or screaming funny on the roller coaster. Believe me, you will watch this video once and then forget about it forever, so don’t waste your money on them.
Travel pillows
It does sound like a good idea at first, but it really isn’t. Bulky and not necessarily comfortable, they’ll have to be dragged around the airport, and may not bring the needed comfort when you are finally in your seat. Inflatable pillows are generally even less comfortable, so we’d opt for the pillows that the airline provides.
Phrasebooks and maps
Previously, a mandatory attribute of a trip to another country was a dictionary or phrasebook. They could be bought at the airport, on the plane, at the hotel, or in regular tourist shops. They are still offered, along with maps. However, remember, your smartphone connected to the Internet is a storehouse of free information. Download maps and a dictionary in advance so as not to throw money away.