It would be near impossible to have enough space in your backpack to souvenir all the wonderful handcrafted treasures of Jordan. The intricately decorated sand bottles, rugs woven by Bedouin women or kefiyas to keep out the red Wadi Rum sands. Fortunately for Intrepid’s Tina Gerets, her weakness when it comes to shopping only takes up a little room…
“I had a most unexpected souvenir shopping opportunity in Jordan. We were spending two full days at Petra and I planned to make the most of our time there by hiking around the place. As soon as I got there, I realised hiking was not the only possible activity at the beautiful carved city. There were souvenir stalls scattered around the grounds. Usually I avoid those ‘tourist traps’, but when one of my fellow travellers showed me a gorgeous necklace she bought there, I gave in.
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For many people, Russia is synonymous with Russian dolls (matryoshki), fur hats (shuba), samovars and Soviet memorabilia. So it’s not surprising that these are the most sought after souvenirs on visits to Mother Russia. And luckily Intrepid’s Tania George knows just the place to shop in Moscow…
“Located close to metro stop Partizanskaya and the Izmailovo Hotel complex, the Izmailovo markets seem to go on forever. Open daily from 10am till 6pm, you can buy literally everything here. Locals shop for clothes, shoes, household utensils, tools, fabric, illegally copied CD’s and DVD’s, etc. If you get hungry, you can enjoy cheap local snacks and drinks at one of the many food stalls.
All this is great, but for the souvenir shoppers among us, there is an even more interesting part… Vernisazh.
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How exciting to experience the colourful mayhem of Chichicastenango markets. It took Intrepid’s Rachel Harvey a little time to get her tongue around the name, but in no time she was enjoying haggling to her hearts content in Guatemala…
“The incredible colours and smells hit me before I found my way off the bus and I knew I was in for an interesting day. I’m not really a shopper and was only a few months into a year-long trip, so I wasn’t expecting to buy up big, but it was oh so tempting! The concentration of colours brightened this little market town to give it a larger-than-life personality.
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A word of warning to the savvy shopper, if you are coming to Spain after visiting other counties in Europe, make sure you leave room in your backpack! Though the outstanding handcrafted wooden furniture of Valencia is not so easy to transport home, fortunately that’s not such a problem for the divine leather goods of Andalucia, the clever toys made in Alicante, the internationally-famous textiles of Catalonia and the delicious sherries, wines and spirits found throughout Spain! High quality items at fair prices are always appealing, so Intrepid’s Monica Alvarez gives us some tips on shopping in Spain…
“For many shoppers, Spain is paradise. Prices are generally much lower than in the rest of Europe and fashion is one of the main exports of the country, from cheap and chic Zara and Mango to trendy designers such as Loewe, Custo, Camper or Manolo Blahnik, plus you can shop under the sun year round. Actually during the warm months of summer, particularly in hot cities such as Seville, the shopping areas are sheltered to allow customers to wander around in the comfort of the shade.
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Europe has so many stand-out destinations when it comes to buying a traditional gift: Germany for cuckoo clocks and beer steins, Italy for leather, Belgium for chocolates and Switzerland for army knives (and chocolate!). But here’s a tip from Intrepid’s resident Europe expert, Cassandra Wallace, about where else to buy that special something…
“My favourite place to go souvenir shopping and to stock up on gifts for Mum and Dad is Venice. Venetian masks are everywhere. Shops are filled with exquisitely decorated masks with feathers, fine paintings or glitter and there is bound to be one that suits you. (more…)
Is there somewhere you’ve travelled that, given the chance, you would go back to again and again? Intrepid’s Rachel Wasser can normally be found leading Intrepid travellers through China and Russia and loving every minute of her Trans-Siberian adventures, but she admits to having a weakness when it comes to La Dolce Vita, splurging on the good life in Italy…
“For me, Italy will always be my guilty pleasure destination. Roundtrip airfare from the US in high season is almost enough to put me off my visit but, in the end, it is totally worth the splurge!
There are countless ways to spend your time (and money!) wandering the cobblestoned streets of this enchanting country. If shopping is your travel treat then you can’t go past the gold stores on the Ponte Vecchio or the leather markets of Florence, in Venice the allure is unique blown Murano glass and in Rome street after street is lined with boutiques of big name designers.
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