Overpriced tchotchkes in tourist shops and airports may beckon, but resist. What are souvenirs but a reminder to friends and family that you were thinking of them while you were far from home? You do not need a $6 key-chain from a Hawaiian gift shop to tell them this. It’s generally safe to avoid buying any gift at an airport, hotel lobby, or any place that bears the words "gift shop."
Instead, turn moments of your travels into gifts, whether giving your coin-collecting niece a few of the foreign coins from your pocket, or recording a video of street performers in the piazza for your music-loving dad. In the event that you do buy a present, choose an item that is local or handmade such as stationery, a journal, or a small piece by a resident artist. Not only are these pieces more cost-effective, but they will endure much longer than a shot glass with a city's name on it.
