Most souvenirs from Thailand go straight into the trash
Do you take a souvenir with you after your visit to Thailand for the home front? A nice gesture, but does it make sense? Many carefully selected and brought souvenirs are given a special destination: the trash can. This is according to a survey by Skyscanner.
Buying a souvenir for the home front may seem like a nice idea on vacation, but the effort and money could be better spent on other things. More than two thirds (69%) of people indicate that they do not appreciate souvenirs and 15% immediately throw them away.
The survey, which was conducted among 2000 people, found figurines (14%) to be number 1 in the top ten most unwanted souvenirs to receive, followed by funny T-shirts (9%) and cheap jewelry (9% ). The classic souvenirs such as key chains and magnets for the fridge (7%) are also no longer appreciated. Foods, snow globes and fake DVDs all turn out to be equally disliked at 4%.
5,9 billion in souvenirs
Still, these unwanted gifts don't come cheap. More than 8 out of 10 holidaymakers (82%) in Europe spend €5,9 billion* on souvenirs each year. Of the average €39 spent on souvenirs, €27 is lost on unwanted gifts. 14% say they spend more than €45 on souvenirs for the home front and 9% more than €60, of which about €40 is thrown away.
The results reveal that only 4% find their gift useful. 18% of the souvenirs are tucked away in cupboards and 10% are donated directly to charity.
Auction site
A cheeky 6% admit to using the souvenir as a gift for someone else and 3% sell it online (often for a profit) on sites like eBay. Just under 2% have gone so far as to 'accidentally' break it and 1% simply refused to accept the gift.
The survey, which surveyed 2.000 people, also reveals that friends (24%) and parents (19%) are the most likely to bring unwanted souvenirs despite knowing the recipients best.
Top 10 Most Unwanted Souvenirs:
- figurine
- Funny T Shirt
- Cheap jewelry
- Key wallet
- Magnet
- Nutrient
- Snow globe
- Fake DVD
- Local drink
- Souvenir from plane
Striking result!
I think it is rather a lack of respect for the gesture of the giver! It shows that it has thought of you.
You could also easily make someone else happy if a souvenir turns out to be unwanted?
Fortunately, my choices are popular with family and friends. But then I often come back with fake watches for friends, while my parents really appreciate woodcarving…
I can certainly appreciate the local handicrafts. Last year I looked at a glassblower for a while and bought some of his work. I hung them in my colored glass pendant lamp. Looks super nice. For example, I have “hidden” nice souvenirs everywhere in my house, it often reminds me of a great holiday. visitors sniff through my entire living room and ask about the story behind it.
I, meanwhile, have made the habit of not bringing anything; I don't even bring video footage and photos with me. There's no interest in it. This means that I no longer take videos or photos. What I have seen I store in my memory. No longer for family friends or acquaintances. I also hear that people mainly have an image of Thailand as the country where people only know sex. I always have an answer ready. “That Thailand is more than just Pattaya or Phuket”. One only knows the bad side, and then only hearsay.
The problem is that cheap often predominates with souvenirs. The stalls of P to nam , chap tu chak and so on, so Rommel. But if you bring me something with added value, it will be used and accepted with appreciation. For example, what I have brought with me now (I'm in the Netherlands for a while) is heavy stainless steel condiment sets, not 100, but 1200 baht, Real silk shawls, A grade copy watch, 2000 baht, Digitenne replacements, the beautiful Thai porcelain, the gold glazed mug's around 600 baht, etc.
I always try to put myself in the shoes of the person I am taking something for.
If you make a little effort to know what the other person likes, it is not that difficult to bring something suitable.
For ourselves, I bring something with a story every year. This way I can hold onto the good memories even longer and I always have something to talk about.
it is true that the time of taking souvenirs is a bit outdated. Most people decorate their home according to their own taste and do not want mismatched objects in their own interior. Personally, I also hated the fact that on certain occasions family or friends trotted in with all kinds of gifts. It is also the case that you no longer have to convince people or show them by means of photos or souvenirs that you have been on holiday in a faraway country. If you still want to give someone a souvenir, don't come running with some worthless cheap knick-knacks
left and not finished.
but at least give something authentic from the country, a handmade kinaree or a wood carving for example.
Lung addie
Fortunately, my family and friends have been very honest about "useless knick-knacks" long ago. We haven't taken anything for each other for years. Even with birthdays we have not done anything with gifts for years. It is usually useless stuff anyway or people already have it.
Just a waste of money and time to find out.
You can also let people know that you are thinking of someone and appreciate that person without giving any knick-knacks.
A very nice souvenir that we have already brought for family and friends - and also use ourselves - are the sets of placemats and coasters.
Everywhere I go and especially in Thailand I buy beautiful things. ( No souvenirs ) I know what my family, friends and acquaintances value. I have a gift box at home so I never have to suddenly buy something. Stock enough.
Local things that people buy in tourist centers have no added value, sometimes only emotionally.
This applies in every country, including Europe, so certainly not only in Thailand. These are mostly useless things. Take your time and find something functional that you can really use at home.
I always bring souvenirs from Thailand for family, friends, work colleagues and myself of course. And it is always received with joy. Since I follow fashion closely, they are very happy with the t-shirts with the inscriptions of where I've been, a sister with a Buddha (unfortunately, she didn't survive the year), nice scented candles with the place names on them and of course different tunics/dresses for them to choose from. And for myself a pair of shoes, a dress/tunic, something for the house and a jewel. No, Thailand is always a party for me, not to mention my son, bag full of 2nd hand books and new English books. The books are always cheaper than ordering from the USA. For that alone we like to go to THAILAND and the friendly and lovely people where we come. In the hotels, the shops/markets and of course the weather with visiting the nightlife.
Some items are also for sale in the Netherlands, see for example garden centres, Xenos and sometimes even Blokker.
The "added value" is therefore gone.
I regularly buy something abroad for myself. I think that the Dutch shops and especially the large chains almost all sell the same thing. And I don't like that at all. I often buy something nice for my old mother, such as a nice tablecloth, and the rest can take care of their own things. Many visitors to my cottage look for a Buddha statue. No, I don't have one because such an image makes me restless rather than calm.
It is usually not much soup. Except for the things I bought for myself. Beautiful wood carvings, for example. All slightly more expensive, of course, but not expensive. I think a lot of that work comes from Myanmar. Transport to the Netherlands has never really caused any problems, although at one point I could see that the wood had been slightly cut. Possible to see if it was not an antique? Or wood type?
The rest, the trinkets for family and acquaintances? Indeed, bring them something good or nothing at all.
Eg: Have you ever bought trinkets of so-called wood carvings at an official support point + store for hill tribe cultures. Neat shop. Once such a thing fell to the ground and it cracked and turned out to be cast of some resin. Lots of kit for sale. I don't get along with most people. But look at us. The Buddha statues? Most casting. To make them look old, they go into the ground with acid for a few weeks, a shopkeeper once told me. The tourists love that. The Thais prefer a gold color. I bought the most beautiful specimens in the Netherlands. You pay a little more for it of course. Oddly enough, the Thais think our rubbish is beautiful. Porcelain clogs, windmills, etc. They are happy with it.
And those porcelain clogs, windmills and so on are made in Thailand or China….
just tell your family and friends, while enjoying a snack and a drink, what you have experienced. you have something to say and that says more than those crazy souvenirs.
We are leaving for Thailand in January 2017 on holiday, and I haven't thought about what souvenirs I will buy yet, but it is almost certain that I will buy some bling-bling for our spirit house. For others we have not brought anything with us for a long time: after all, they all go on holiday elsewhere themselves, and everyone has their own taste…