The unique holiday souvenirs travellers regret not buying | The Canberra Times
We’ve all been there: standing in a sun-soaked market in a foreign country staring at a beautiful handmade item, only to walk away and spend the next 10 years regretting it.
It’s the memory slipping away, and it happens so often that travelers take to the internet to lament their missed opportunities.
Insurance company to find out what bothers us the most Clear All It analyzed more than 700 confessionals on online global forum Reddit to reveal the memories tourists most regret leaving behind.
The biggest culprits? Unique, unforgettable pieces of clothing and jewelry. More than 54 percent of holiday shopping regrets stem from moving away from these quality wardrobe additions.
While leaving Florence without a leather jacket or Edinburgh without a cashmere sweater tops the list, it’s often the missed sales and rare market finds that bother travelers the most.
To talk To discoverMelbourne-based traveler Stephen Maiolo said he was still thinking about a pair of shoes he left behind in Japan.
“It was my first day in Tokyo and I found a pair of black Prada loafers for $120. They were a size too big, so I figured I’d find something exactly my size for a similar price in the next few weeks,” she said.
“I’ve never done it. I’m still thinking about them and the insoles I could buy.”
Another Australian traveler Myles Stedman said: To discover about a unique find she wishes she had in her wardrobe.
“I wanted to buy a wonderful cottage [shirt jacket] “I bought it at a boutique in Colorado but I talked myself out of it and now all I have is a photo of me wearing it in the dressing room.”
Beyond our wardrobes, buyers’ remorse extends to arts and crafts; 37 percent of travelers wish they had purchased paintings and handmade objects when they had the opportunity.
While one tourist regretted leaving behind a hand-painted mural in Medellin, another was still thinking about a miniature painting he should have bought in Uzbekistan.
Even culinary souvenirs were overlooked, with some travelers wishing they had returned home with more pisco from Chile or biltong from South Africa.
AllClear’s Letitia Smith said travel regrets don’t have to be a bad thing, they’re often a good reason to return to a place you love.
“But these often occur when we forget to live in the moment and focus on concerns about prices or logistics,” he said.
“While budget and circumstances are certainly important on holiday, the traveler’s sentiment is clear: Don’t give up on an experience or purchase you really care about, especially for a small amount of money.”
