I was wondering why it is that some of us feel that we need to bring gifts back to our friends, family and co-workers when we come back from a trip. In the past I needed an extra bag to carry all of the gifts which I am sure ended up at a garage sale. This perplexes me as my MIL who comes over to the US once a year from Italy, starts her wild shopping for gifts within the first three days of getting here and it continues for the entire month. The amount of time, gasoline and energy I spend carting her around for key chains, tee shirts, coffee mugs and bigger items is insane. She always has to buy another bag and then pay an excess bagage fee. What is all of this insanity about anyway?

we need our friends, family and coworkers to be jealous of where we've gone, and to be reminded of it often.
;-)

I forgot to mention how the entire family in Italy and some friends often EXPECT her to bring back gifts from me upon her return to Italy.

Calamari, I agree with you. And I haven't brought gifts home from my trips for a very long time. Too much time was being spent trying to buy the "perfect gift" and then having to deal with all the purchases the rest of the trip and getting them home without damage etc.

But guess the economy would hurt if all travellers stopped shopping for souveniers? LOL.

I've pretty much given this up. I usually will buy something very nice for my mother. There have been times when I stumbled on something that I truly felt a friend or co-worker would get a kick out of and bought it for them. But these are usually small and inexpensive and more fun than serious. When I go to Spain this year, I will be buying a gift for a co-worker of mine this time. Why? Because she was the one who heard my name on the radio and called me to tell me so I could call the radio station and get the free airfare for the trip! I think that is deserving of some little nice thing. I'm just not into the keychain, coffee mug thing, though. So, if I were to buy something for everyone I know, I'd spend all my money on that!

LOOOOL ChinaCat, this is the best explanation ever

I just like to bring small souveniers, usually edible for friends and family and anything I like for myself.

I would not go out of my way (except for children) to bring something from a trip. After all, it's vacation.

Why would vary from person to person. Some good reasons described above.

Other people do not really feel love or friendship for others and try to cover this through the constant presentation of material evidence of their "love."

Others are just natural givers.

Others feed off of the reaction of other people who get that brief, emotional high from the possession of a new toy.

Etc.

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Fortunately I don't have friends & family who expects to receive stuff.

I do however take the opportunity of any foreign trip to begin my Christmas shopping, that has worked out VERY nicely for me.

I've pretty much stopped it too. Unless I find something "just right" for someone's birthday or Christmas present, I don't buy any gifts.

I did bring back some French soaps and lavendar sachets for myself...and then found the same items in the same packaging at TJ Maxx! I'm glad I didn't schlep these things back to give as gifts!

Early in our travels we (read my wife) spent a lot of time shopping for other people when we traveled. Eventually we just stopped and nobody has disowned us. It was very liberating.

At our wedding reception last June, DH's aunt DEMANDED (no please) that we buy her a lapel pin in every city we visited on our honeymoon (Italy).

I was disgusted, though the woman has repeatedly displayed an utter lack of manners including showing up at our formal wedding in the equivalent of sweat pants. The demand came after I listened to her complain for over 10 minutes about our choice of wedding venue because she didn't know she would need to walk up stairs (she has since had weight loss surgery which has helped some).

We did buy her several pins out of guilt, but we certainly enjoyed getting small gifts (wine, soap) for the other members of the family who did not demand nor expect anything!

I used to bring back so much for gifts that it got to be a burden. Now I buy one or two things for housebound friends and magazines for family. I get some chocolate at the airport for my dogsitter and some extra for me!

That is so true about Marshalls and TJMaxx, I find the same soaps, etc. there. I could just stock up and pretend I brought the gifts back "just for you" at Christmas, etc.

P.S. We sent the gifts with thank you notes for the wedding gifts upon our return.

We only get something for immediate family on our trips now, unless we run across something too perfect not to get for a dear friend or extended family member.

We are planning to buy some things for our families because no one in our family has ever visited Europe(except a very dear aunt who has been to Germany and Austria.) At first I didn't want to buy things, but I think it makes people feel special if you bring them something unique from another country. If we are traveling in the US we don't normally buy anything unless it is a special request.

We found the Italian chocolate "Baccio" at TJ Maxx last December. We had searched EVERYWHERE here after becoming addicted in Italy, and of all places we found it there!

I guess I just have the opposite mind set of most of the other posters on this topic. When I've traveled to the U.K. I have really enjoyed shopping for gifts for my family and a few very close friends. Nothing terribly expensive or bulky, and always somethng unique to where I'm visiting, and the gifts I bring home are appreciated. Now that I'm a grandmother I've had tremendouse fun shopping for the grandbaby, and have definitely taken advantage of the fact that books and toys are exempt from customs duty.

Of course I shop for "gifts" for myself too! ;-)

I agree with Daisy! I actually enjoy shopping for my closest friends, sister, and daughter while on vactaion. I'm a shopper anyway, and take special delight in finding some souvenir that I think those dearest to me would get a kick out of. It's all just part of the experience - kind of a way to share it with loved ones who aren't along on the trip.

I have given up trying to buy something for everyone. If I see a little something that screams of a person I will get it. I may get the very few people that are the very closest to me.

I was worried about getting something for everyone, and I was going broke.

No one has ever said anything since I stopped. They just always tell me to drop them post cards of everywhere I go.

Plus, most people who know me aren't coming back with souvenirs for me either. I think we are all having to watch funds.

I am one of those people who is not an occasion gift giver anyway. I may see something for someone that just fits them perfectly, and buy it and give it to them for no reason.

One of my coworkers brings something back for everyone in the office everytime she goes anywhere. It's generous of her, but there comes a point where no one needs more coffee mugs, key chains, or plastic replicas of the Transamerica Pyramid.

If I can see something very inexpensive and fun such as fridge magnets with the Mona Lisa on 'em, I buy a bunch and hand them out. But I don't do intensive gift searches--my time is usually too limited. Sometimes a gift jumps out at me as being a perfect birthday gift or remembrance, and if I can easily get it home, I will buy it and save it for a future occasion--it's kind of neat to be able to say 'I got that for you in Paris last winter'.

I always bring my nieces and nephew (ages 6,5, and 2) things because I want them to want to travel when they are old enough to do so. My niece already wants to go to Venice and Hawaii, so she says, and she's only in Kindergarten!!