8 souvenirs lower-middle-class tourists buy that locals find embarrassing

I've spent enough time wandering around tourist districts in different cities to notice a pattern. There's always that one stall, that one corner shop, absolutely packed with items that scream "I was here!" in the most aggressive way possible.

And look, I get it. You want something to remember your trip. Maybe something for your coworker who watered your plants. But here's the thing: some of these souvenirs make locals cringe so hard they can spot a tourist from three blocks away.

After years of travel and countless conversations with people who actually live in these places, I've compiled a list of the souvenirs that make locals shake their heads. Not because they're judging your budget, but because these items often miss the mark entirely.

1) Mass-produced "local" artwork that's made in another country

Walk into any tourist shop in Southeast Asia and you'll find paintings of temples. In Italy, prints of the Colosseum. In Paris, miniature Eiffel Towers with "Made in China" stamped on the bottom.

The irony isn't lost on locals.

I remember talking to a street vendor in Bangkok who pointed out that the "Thai silk" scarves in the shop behind us were actually polyester from a factory nowhere near Thailand. He wasn't bitter about it, just matter-of-fact.

The real artwork, the stuff locals actually value, is usually in smaller galleries or workshops where you can watch artisans work. It costs more, sure, but there's a reason for that.

If you're going to buy art, at least make sure it's from the place you're visiting.

2) Clothing with clichéd phrases in the local language

"I love [city name]" shirts. Hats with butchered translations. Hoodies featuring phrases that don't quite mean what you think they mean.

These items are everywhere, and locals can spot them instantly.

The problem isn't the sentiment. It's that these mass-produced items often feature outdated slang, grammatical errors, or phrases that actual residents would never use. Sometimes they're unintentionally hilarious. Other times, they're just cringe-inducing.

A friend who lives in Tokyo once told me about a tourist wearing a shirt with Japanese characters that translated to something completely nonsensical. Everyone was too polite to say anything, but the secondhand embarrassment was real.

If you want clothing from your trip, look for items that locals actually wear. You'll blend in better and have something that actually reflects the culture.

3) Miniature landmarks that serve no purpose

Tiny Statues of Liberty. Small Big Bens. Pocket-sized pyramids.

These dust collectors end up on shelves back home, serving absolutely no function except to announce "I went somewhere once."

The thing is, locals don't have these in their homes. They live near these landmarks. The novelty wore off decades ago for most of them.

I've made this mistake myself. Years ago, I bought a miniature Golden Gate Bridge during a trip to San Francisco. It sat on my bookshelf for exactly three months before I donated it. My Sacramento upbringing should have taught me better, but I got caught up in the tourist moment.

If you want to remember a landmark, take photos. They take up less space and actually capture your experience.

4) Shot glasses from every destination

This one's interesting because it starts with good intentions. Collect a shot glass from every place you visit, create a display, boom, you've got a conversation starter.

Except locals find it a bit tacky.

The issue isn't the collection itself. It's that these shot glasses are almost always the cheapest possible version, featuring clip-art-style images and text that looks like it was designed in five minutes.

They're not representative of local drinking culture, local craftsmanship, or really anything meaningful about the place. They're just another mass-produced item that happens to have a location name printed on it.

If you're going to collect something from your travels, make it something that actually reflects the culture or has some unique quality beyond a place name.

5) Keychains with generic tourist imagery

Keychains are practical, portable, and affordable. That makes them tempting souvenirs.

But walk through any local's neighborhood and you won't see residents using keychains featuring cartoonish versions of their city's landmarks. Those are purely for the tourist market.

The photography alone should be a red flag. Most of these keychains feature images that look nothing like the actual place, colors cranked up to unnatural levels, sometimes with added elements that don't even exist in reality.

I've noticed this especially in beach destinations. The keychains show pristine, impossibly blue water and palm trees at angles that defy physics. Meanwhile, the actual beach is lovely but looks nothing like the keychain version.

Locals prefer keychains that are either completely practical or genuinely meaningful. The tourist versions fall into neither category.

6) Oversized, bedazzled accessories

Huge sombreros in Mexico. Giant foam cowboy hats in Texas. Oversized flower leis in Hawaii that no local would actually wear to anything except maybe the most touristy luau.

These items are designed to be photogenic, not authentic.

Real cultural accessories exist, and they're usually more subtle, more carefully made, and actually worn by people who live there for specific occasions. The tourist versions are caricatures, blown up to absurd proportions and covered in glitter or rhinestones for good measure.

A local in Cancun once explained it to me this way: traditional Mexican clothing is beautiful, intricate, and meaningful. The giant sombrero with "Mexico" written across it in sequins? That's not for Mexicans. That's for people who want a quick photo op.

There's nothing wrong with wanting a fun photo. Just don't confuse the prop with actual cultural representation.

7) "Authentic" spices and food items from tourist shops

This one hits close to home for me as someone who takes food seriously.

Tourist shops sell "local" spices, teas, and specialty food items at marked-up prices, often in packaging designed more for shelf appeal than quality. Meanwhile, locals buy the same products (or better versions) at regular grocery stores or markets for a fraction of the cost.

I learned this lesson during a trip to India. I almost bought an expensive "authentic masala blend" from a shop near a major tourist site. Then a local friend took me to a regular market where residents actually shop. The variety was better, the prices were reasonable, and the quality was noticeably higher.

The tourist-shop version wasn't necessarily fake. It just wasn't what locals would buy for themselves.

If you want food items from your trip, ask locals where they shop. You'll get better products and a more authentic experience.

8) Postcards that immediately go into a drawer

Do you know what locals don't do? Buy postcards of the place where they live.

These cards, featuring overly saturated photos and clichéd compositions, are created purely for tourists. And most of them never even get sent. They end up in drawers, forgotten until the next time you're decluttering.

The whole postcard tradition made more sense before smartphones and social media. Now, you can instantly share your experience with anyone you want, with your own photos, in real time.

Postcards persist because of nostalgia and habit, not because they're particularly meaningful souvenirs. Locals recognize them for what they are: outdated relics of tourism past.

If you want to share your travel experience, send a text with your photos. If you want a visual memory, print your best shots and frame them. Skip the generic postcards.

The bottom line

Here's the thing about souvenirs: they should remind you of your actual experience, not just the fact that you went somewhere.

The best mementos from my travels have been things I stumbled upon in regular neighborhoods, not tourist districts. A vintage vinyl record from a local shop in Portland. A handmade ceramic mug from a market vendor who explained her process. Even just a really good photo I took myself.

None of these items scream "tourist." They reflect genuine experiences and real interactions.

You don't need to buy something from every trip. And when you do buy something, make it count. Talk to locals about what they value. Shop where residents shop. Look for quality over novelty.

Your shelves will thank you. And locals won't immediately peg you as someone who fell for the tourist trap.