Souvenirs are they worth the hassle?

My wife and I are planning on a Baltic Cruise in August. She and I would like to buy some souvenirs while there, my only question is the duty you need to pay plus packing it in your luggage for the trip home worth it?

Can't you find the same items on e-bay for a lot less? We may just take a lot of photos, and buy any souvenirs that are a MUST have from e-bay once we return

any thoughts please reply:)

Do you collect anything, like refrigerator magnets, shot glasses, etc., from around the world? If not, then you probably don't need souvenirs. I collect turtles and my husband collections t-shirts. They fit fine in the suitcases because they're aren't big. Plus, you have to reach a huge limit, maybe $10,000, before you need to pay duty on anything you buy.

I don't "collect" anything (except money...as much as I can!!!). I figure if I need to have something physical to remind me of my good time, it probably wasn't that memorable after all! I don't do "souvenirs"....

Now, if there was something I NEEDED and couldn't get here in the States, sure, I'd buy it....

Check with the State Department website for your duty-free allowance limits -- it can vary, depending on where you go. We've never come near exceeding our per-person limit, and we've brought back things from every cruise we've taken. If you are thinking about something fragile, be sure to pack a little bubble wrap and tape -- in case you need it. You'll also need to make sure that you leave a little room in your luggage. And yes, it's a little bit of hassle, but worth it -- if you find something special for yourself (or someone else)!:cool:

Small, light and some of the hand made/painted are actually little pieces of art. All ship walls are metal so put them up as you collect them. Like the French and Italian ones best.

My wife and I are planning on a Baltic Cruise in August. She and I would like to buy some souvenirs while there, my only question is the duty you need to pay plus packing it in your luggage for the trip home worth it?

 

Can't you find the same items on e-bay for a lot less? We may just take a lot of photos, and buy any souvenirs that are a MUST have from e-bay once we return

 

any thoughts please reply:)

We've never had to pay duty because the souvenirs we buy do not total anywhere near $600.

We buy small items so they are easy to pack. We try to buy practical items but ones that have name of the place: spoon rest, pot holders, dish towels, playing cards. We have a postcard "been there" collection.

We no longer buy magnets, shot glasses, or spoons because we already have too many. But those do make good souvenirs, are inexpensive and easily packed.

We have gotten souvenir beach towels and caps for friends who can use them.

Small mementos are fine - but I recall looking at wonder at a family of five boarding a plane at Cancun - each carrying a three-foot wide sombrero plus bulky serape, carrying all on their laps back to New York.

We do odd kitchen gadgets, pot holders, towels, aprons, etc.

Some will send post cards to themselves.

We usually don't buy souvenirs, consider our pictures to be better than stuff.

We have occasionally bought something we considered special, such as a Lapis Lazuli penguin in Chile.

In Adelaide we bought two pieces of Aboriginal art and they shipped it for us.

Mostly our pictures and memories are enough.

My wife and I are planning on a Baltic Cruise in August. She and I would like to buy some souvenirs while there, my only question is the duty you need to pay plus packing it in your luggage for the trip home worth it?

 

Can't you find the same items on e-bay for a lot less? We may just take a lot of photos, and buy any souvenirs that are a MUST have from e-bay once we return

 

any thoughts please reply:)

I guess it depends on what you consider souvenirs. Some people have mentioned key rings and fridge magnets and that sort of thing. I'd think that if you bought those on ebay, the shipping might exceed the cost to purchase while you were in the Baltics.

I infrequently buy a piece of jewelry while traveling, and that is about the only souvenir(s) we buy. The few pieces I have remind me of specific places and people. For example, I have an inexpensive ring that I bought on Stone Island in Mexico. Every time I wear it, I remember the day and the fellow we bought it from. And his comment "I can stamp it 925 if you want" :D The big grin I get on my face every time I think about that comment could never be purchased on ebay :)

I have come very, very close to my duty-free limit on many trips. When you travel solo, you're the only one on the hook for purchases - when you travel with another or more, you can "spread out" the purchases ;)

I don't bother with the little trinkets - the key rings, magnets, shot glasses, spoons, etc. I will buy something that I will use (jewelry, scarves, ceramics) or a nice piece of art. Each time I use one of these, I remember where I got it and, most likely, smile. I research what things are best from an area that I will travel. If it is something big, like nice leather goods (in Florence), I will be sure that I have space and weight for it WHEN I INITIALLY PACK of a trip. Or, in the case of some ceramics and crystal I've purchased, had it shipped and factored in that cost when making a purchase.

A fridge magnet that says "Señor Frog" from Cozumel (and most likely made in China) just doesn't do it for me ;)

The best thing I bought while away was a hand-made Chinese rug. I watched it being made, they shipped it home and it hangs on the wall in our bedroom. I signed the back when I bought to be sure I got the right one at home. Now that's a souvenir!

I have two beautiful Amber pendants that I purchased in Lithuania that were much less expensive than purchasing in the U.S. Some very nice linens in the Baltics, too.

One souvenir which takes a bit of pre-planning is artwork.

In my previous (working) life as a picture framer I frequently had people bring in souvenir pictures, some of them very nice originals, which had been crumpled by careless handling. Conservators can sometimes work something close to miracles but, of course, that costs so a bit of prevention is best.

For relatively inexpensive art on thin paper a mailing tube is o.k. - the larger the diameter the better and take the artwork out and lay it flat as soon as you get it safely home. Leave it rolled up for months and you have a disaster on your hands.

For heavy watercolour paper rolling can produce kinks or a permanent "set" which can only be removed by lengthy treatment. The same goes for speciality items like thick and sometimes brittle hand-made paper pieces. These are best packed flat and shipped by someone who knows what they are doing. If they are small enough they can ride flat in a suitcase sandwiched between two pieces of heavy cardboard.

One alternative I have used successfully to ship expensive artwork is a length of 6" polypipe which is as cheap as chips and super-strong. Roll the artwork up inside a piece of brown paper longer than the artwork, slip it in then let it expand to fill the tube then tape the brown paper to the inside of the tube to stop it bumping against the ends. That will withstand anything short of someone running a truck over it.

My wife and I are planning on a Baltic Cruise in August. She and I would like to buy some souvenirs while there, my only question is the duty you need to pay plus packing it in your luggage for the trip home worth it?

 

Can't you find the same items on e-bay for a lot less? We may just take a lot of photos, and buy any souvenirs that are a MUST have from e-bay once we return

 

any thoughts please reply:)

We have been traveling for many years, 30+. luggage limits have gotten a lot tighter... if I can find something on Amazon. or elsewhere near home, before I leave home I do. No one knows the difference... they are just happy, to have something and I have saved money and did not have to carry home.

I can relate to the framing. I bought a beautiful painting in Chunking China, but the matting and framing was over $100!

We buy stuff we can use. As an example. we bought a beautiful olive oil cruet in Ravello, and we still use it

I usually try to bring back small souvenirs. I always buy T-shirts for the grandkids, magnets for me, and when I find something special (a small wooden tuk-tuk from Sri Lanka, a small hand carved wooden bowl from Latvia, a matryoshka from Russia, a sand sculpture from Jordan) I get it. Every time I look at them they remind me of a great cruise and the day I bought it.

I can relate to the framing. I bought a beautiful painting in Chunking China, but the matting and framing was over $100!

We buy stuff we can use. As an example. we bought a beautiful olive oil cruet in Ravello, and we still use it

HaHa welcome to the world of framing.:p If I had a couple of dollars for every time I heard a customer say "....but I only paid $X for the painting...." I would have retired years before I did.

Seriously, though, that professionally framed painting will probably look great on your wall for years. If you had jammed it into a cheapie from Ikea (washing typing fingers with soap:rolleyes:) it would look cheap and nasty and the poor quality (acidic) matting and backs would eventually cause yellowing and other deterioration. Plus, of course, your framer isn't using Chinese materials and certainly won't be paying his people Chinese wages.

No hassle at all, as far as I'm concerned. Souvenirs to me are part of my trip, I usually put in a small duffle type bag just to bring them home. I have a thimble collection, so that's fun to try and find different ones from all the places I've traveled. I have a silver thimble with an actual flake of gold on top from the Yukon, a seal skin one from Alaska, a Delft porcelain one from Holland, and too many others to mention (300).

I also splurged and spent $50 for a Murano blown glass horse about 3" tall on Murano in Venice after watching the blown glass demonstration. I have a hand made table runner from Budapest. A hand carved Black Forest Cuckoo Clock from Germany (my husband took a photo of the carver & me), a small

2" piece of Belgian Lace in a round frame, a wooden shoe from Holland, and again too many to mention.

I also like jewelry and that doesn't take up much space. I have a Jade pendant from Sirince Turkey, lots of silver with the Greek logo, a gold wedding band with my name in enamel from Hawaii, etc.

OP, If you will be happy buying things from eBay, then by all means do so. It will probably be cheaper in the long run. But they won't hold the memories that something you bought from the actual place will. My home is filled with mementos of our travels, and now that we can no longer travel, they bring back memories. Are they essential, NO, but important to me, YES. JMHO

PS - I have never exceeded duty free.

We make an album using the photos we take on our trips once we get home. We use shutterfly but there are many other online album making sites. We look at those albums now and then and reminisce.

I'm not into tchotchkes and dust collectors but locally made jewlery from a number if ports, hand made leather sandals from Greece and beautiful leather belts from Italy make me smile and remember the trip.

Added bonus: I never have never seen anyone wearing the identical item.

I usually buy something unique to the part of the world I am visiting. I bought some tiny carved lapis and onyx penquins in Ushuaia, Argentina and some beautiful black pearl jewelry in French Polynesia. The penquins were inexpensive and easy to pack and the pearls....Well, I could not have afforded to buy them in the States!!

My wife and I are planning on a Baltic Cruise in August. She and I would like to buy some souvenirs while there, my only question is the duty you need to pay plus packing it in your luggage for the trip home worth it?

 

Can't you find the same items on e-bay for a lot less? We may just take a lot of photos, and buy any souvenirs that are a MUST have from e-bay once we return

 

any thoughts please reply:)

We buy decks of playing cards that has the port's name and photo printed on them. They are inexpensive and light weight.

I'm not into tchotchkes and dust collectors but locally made jewlery from a number if ports, hand made leather sandals from Greece and beautiful leather belts from Italy make me smile and remember the trip.

 

Added bonus: I never have never seen anyone wearing the identical item.

And don't forget: one of a kind fragrances from Lili Bermuda! Although, I was glad that I brought some bubble wrap and tape, to get my wonderful perfume home safely! :cool:

My mother once carried home a clock shelf that she bought at an antique store in Trondheim. Thank goodness it fit under the seat on the plane. It was a gift for her sister. I used to buy t-shirts and magnets, but I'm over that. Now I just buy some little thing for my granddaughter.