Things you should not buy when traveling

Although they are typical souvenirs, Swiss watches or Mexican straw hats... are advised by locals that tourists should not buy them.

When traveling, we often have the habit of buying typical items of the destination as souvenirs or gifts. However, not all of them are worth buying. Below is a list of items that tourists should not "take out their wallets" when traveling in some countries around the world.

Not all souvenirs are worth buying. Photo: News.

Swiss watches

In Switzerland, there are many shops selling expensive branded watches in tourist areas. These shops are often decorated eye-catchingly and staffed by staff dressed in elaborate uniforms as if they were entertaining Queen Elizabeth.

However, Mr. Davide Mirabella, a Swiss, said that branded items are always widely sold in many places around the world. Therefore, tourists do not need to go to Switzerland just to buy watches because they can completely buy them in Hong Kong, Tokyo (Japan) or Sao Paulo (Brazil)...

Mexican sombrero in Spain

Mexicans and Spaniards speak the same language, so many tourists get confused when buying hats. Although Mexican sombreros (wide-brimmed straw hats) are widely available in Spain, they are not a traditional Spanish product. So buy a torero (bullfighter’s hat) in Spain instead of a Mexican sombrero.

Holy water in Israel

The Jordan River flows through Israel and Jordan is considered one of the most sacred and mysterious rivers in the world. This is where Jesus was baptized and is recorded in the Bible. Therefore, water from the Jordan River is considered holy water, with the effect of purifying, sanctifying and protecting people from temptations, bad thoughts and diseases.

In Israel, there are many small plastic or glass bottles of “holy water” for sale for about $10, advertised as water from the Holy Land. This is one of the most sought-after items by tourists in Israel.

Visitors to Israel can make their own holy water very easily, so there is no need to waste money on bottles of unknown origin that are widely sold. Photo: Traditional Catholic Priest.

However, locals say that very few of these bottles are actually taken from the Jordan River, the rest are just ordinary tap water. In addition, when coming to Israel, you can also make your own holy water simply by using an empty bottle and taking water from the Jordan River. Therefore, visitors when coming here should not waste money buying bottles of water that are said to be holy water but of unknown origin.

Coconut bra and grass skirt

Beautiful, sexy girls wearing coconut bras and short grass skirts, passionately dancing to fiery dances are the "specialties" that attract tourists to Hawaii. Although not popular among locals, these two items are very "hot" among tourists. At Waikiki beach, many people are willing to spend their money to buy anything here, even useless items such as coconut bras and grass skirts.

According to VNE