Shirt.Woot

Of course. My Guinea-Bissau t-shirt was designed in the US, woven in Chinese textile factories by people working for pennies, screen-printed in Lesotho by 13-year olds, QC tested in South Africa and finally shipped to Guinea-Bissau where I picked it up on a street corner for $3 US dollars.

I use to get them all the time, but soon found that I had no time to wear them as my woot shirt collection pretty much had conquered my wardrobe.

The last time I looked at souvenir tees they were ones designed to appeal to drunk frat boys. Made me wonder if those little grandmas selling them ever had anyone translate them (Spanish speakers only).

What is this "vacation" of which you speak? I do not understand.

My favorite souvenir t-shirt:

New Mexico: Not really new and not really Mexico.

goldenthorn wrote:Absolutely not. It's completely irrational and shallowly snobbish, but I utterly despise souvenir t-shirts. Just thinking about them right now is getting me all lip-sneeringly riled up. I cannot understand wasting money on a touristic shirt when I could be buying something unique, local, and meaningful instead. Art, jewelry, tapestry, carpet, pottery, shoes, spices, non-touristic original clothing, etc--that's what's for bringing home.

Agreed. I'm more about taking pictures, seeing sites unique to a location, and getting something local. I never realized this was something I did until I took my wife to Hollywood for her first visit. The cheap, useless garbage there doesn't say anything unique or local; it says "some person in a sweatshop made a cheap shirt."

I get other souvenirs instead. Especially at foreign locations.
I DO get the kiddos "ride" T-shirts when they successfully survive "The Excruciator!" or somesuch.

I used to, but now I feel horribly ashamed and am going to burn them, revisit each location, and find something indigenous to buy instead.





Not really. I can't recall the last time I bought a souvenir of any sort. I tend to take tons of pictures instead, since they're easier to store than a pile of knick knacks.

I'll only buy a t-shirt if it is on the same level as my woot shirt collection. I don't get to wear them very often, so if I'm going to spend money on a shirt, I want it to be good! My wife, however, always seems to get the city name shirts for her and the kids and friends and...

I HIKED out of my car and took a picture of THE GORGE (Watkins Glen)

If I'm traveling internationally, I get tattoos. If I'm going to Branson, Missouri, I don't get anything.

cdrewlow wrote:If I'm traveling internationally, I get tattoos. If I'm going to Branson, Missouri, I don't get anything.

What did you get in Folsom?

j5 wrote:What did you get in Folsom?

Traumatized.

LOL, vacation? I can't even afford to buy t-shirts of the places that I would like to go to - someday! Maybe I can pull off the gas money to get over to the travel agent's office and waste her time about vacations I will never take...

I get my husband the National Forest type old tymie shirts...I never get one myself because I don't care, I have enough shirts already. The kids sometimes get one, but more because they need clean clothes after eating...what a mess.

I like to try to find the unique, small token to display...but they always seem to be made in china...and I haven't been to china.

If not a tee, I might pick up something snarky that catches my eye, such as the 'bite me' apron I got whilst in Maine...depicting, of course, a lobster in a pot. Even if I never use these things, they have immense potential for gag/white elephant gifts somewhere down the road.

I grew up in a tourist town. I even sold souvenir T-Shirts. I don't own any. I don't need my wardrobe to be an affidavit of my former whereabouts.