Buying presents in South America for friends and family is great. They are cheap, they look great and usually of decent quality.
Thus, when you come around the first major shop or souvenir market, you are probably inclined to buy a bunch of them, but wait, here you will learn why.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy Souvenirs on the First Occasion
There is one simple reason, the souvenirs are basically all the same across Peru, Bolivia and some parts of Argentina. At first I was amazed and a bit confused.
Later on, in my travels I got the answer from a French NGO “volunteer”. She worked previously spend a gap year in Africa and told me how the souvenir industry works. Basically, the produce all the souvenirs in the country with the lowest wages in the area.
From that country the ship to all major cities around and provide their products. Thus, you can buy almost the same souvenirs in Arequipa, Sucre, Salta, Cusco and other popular tourism destinations in Peru and neighbouring countries.
There are usually slight variations, but after visiting two or three markets/shops in different areas you will spot those. Also check out the Lonely Planet or other tourist guides if a local market offers unique items. In my experience carpets and other woven products are usually locally produced.
Also don’t buy right away as you will have to carry the items for the whole trip!
How to Get the Best Prices
Although the prices are quite cheap (at least for US/European standards) there can be major price differences for the same product at the same market.
Also some countries are much cheaper than others, for example Bolivia is really affordable whilst Chile and Brazil can be super expensive.
Take your time and ask prices for certain products you are interested in. Usually every product is available in most stores or at several traders at a market.
I noticed major price differences every time. Also try haggling, in my experience it worked best buying several items and once with a discount.
Be sure to learn some basic Spanish travel phrases, or Portuguese for Brazil, this will really help as a lot of local people especially in the markets don’t speak English.
Remember to always barter for the cheapest prices. And don’t forget nearly nothing is unique there, thus you can always walk away and try again in another area.
If you are unsure how much money you will need view this guide to how much money in South America for 3 months as a rough guide.
What to Buy
There are literally hundreds of things you could buy, but some great examples of what you can get include:
Alpaca Scarves
I don’t use scarves, but most people do. So I got a bunch of them. They are of great quality. Make great presents and you can easily put them anywhere in your backpack. They are also great to protect some of your more fragile items.
The famous Inca vs. Spaniard Chess
These chessboards with their little figurines are great. They look amazing, are usually built to be portable (fold em and put the figurines inside). And even non-chess players think they look great or at least cute. I got a few of those too.
Art/Photos
From a photo of Copacabana beach in one of the coolest cities in South America, to postcards or art from local markets, wherever you go you will be able to buy momentums of your trip whilst supporting local people.
I hope you enjoyed this article and if you liked it, consider sharing it or leaving at comment. If you are dreaming of a backpacking adventure check out these South America gap year ideas.