Vacations are supposed to be about making memories, exploring new places, and taking a break from tedious daily life. But let’s be honest, how much of that time is actually spent standing in line at some overpriced gift shop, agonizing over which T-shirt or keychain best encapsulates your trip? Souvenirs are hyped up as “must-have” tokens of travel, but really, after you return from vacation, they collect dust on your shelves or in your drawers. It’s time to rethink what makes a vacation truly special- and it is not the magnet you bought to commemorate your trip.

First of all, the sheer pressure to buy souvenirs can turn a relaxing getaway into a stressful shopping spree. We’ve all been there: scrolling through a mental list of people we “have to” get something for. By the time you’re done, you’ve spent lots of money on things you didn’t even plan to buy, and your suitcase is crammed with items that definitely don’t spark joy.

On top of wasting precious vacation time and money, these souvenirs aren’t all that unique. Most of the time if you go from store to store, or even country to country, you can find similar if not the same souvenirs. I’ve seen it many times. How many “handmade” trinkets sold in tourist hotspots are actually churned out in factories halfway around the world? It’s like buying into an illusion. The truth is, the souvenir industry thrives on sentimentality and FOMO (fear of missing out)—making us believe we need an object to remember a place. Memories don’t need to be material.

Instead of dropping money on things, we should focus on experiences. Hike the trail with the beautiful view of the mountains. Eat the local street food, get a little sick, but enjoy the experience fully, engage in your travels with your entire being. Get lost in a side street and stumble upon a bookstore or cafe you’d never find in a guidebook. These are the moments that will stay with you—not a magnet with a cartoon palm tree hastily painted on it.

If you bring something home, why not make it personal? A photo of you, your friends or family, or even a new recipe you learned from a local, are far more meaningful than mass-produced, touristy junk. And let’s not forget that some of the best souvenirs are the stories you come back with—the kind that make you look back at the trip, reminisce and wonder how the “good ol’ days” went by so fast. 

At the end of the day, vacations are about connecting with places and people, not collecting material things. So next time you’re on a trip, skip the souvenir shop. Take a mental picture, live in the moment, and focus on the experiences that truly matter, not material things. Because years from now, you won’t remember the snow globe, you will likely lose it. Instead, you’ll remember how you felt when you swam in the Amazon river or rode bicycles in the sky. And isn’t that what travel is truly about? 

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Riva Jain at [email protected].