Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and the signs are that it may take some time for things to settle down. As you're planning
some months ahead of your trip it may be sensible to add a little extra for potential inflation
when you're working out your minimum and maximum spend per day. The trick then is to
stick to it. Here are some tips:
Shopping:
you're bound to find a zillion things that will make good souvenirs/gifts - best
advice, though, is to wait. You'll see lots more wherever you are and the prices for the same
goods in popular tourist and backpacker destinations will be much higher - and possibly of
lower quality - than they will be in smaller towns and villages.
Do your buying just before you move on to the next destination, or return home, so you
won't have spent too much money at the start of your trip, won't have to carry it all around
with you and also by then you'll have an idea of what's worth buying and for how much.
Another advantage of buying locally is that more of what you pay is likely to benefit the
local community, and craftspeople, rather than the middle links in the chain.
If you buy souvenirs/gifts mid-trip, you could consider posting them home to save carrying
them around with you but don't risk sending anything too valuable, and make sure you
know what's permitted to send (and what's not) since you'll almost certainly have to fill in
a customs declaration slip, which will be stuck to the outside of the parcel.
Bargaining:
make sure it's the custom before you do, and try to find out roughly what
it should cost before you start. Also try to look at yourself through local eyes - if you're
wearing expensive jewellery and clothes and carrying a camera or the latest mobile phone
you'll find it much harder to get a real bargain.
Whatever you do, smile and be courteous. The trader has to make a living, usually in pretty
harsh economic conditions, and you're a guest in their country. Not only that, but if you're
a responsible traveller then ethically you should be offering a fair price, not going all-out
to grab a bargain you can boast about later.
Don't give the impression you really, really want whatever it is. Don't pick it up - leave
that to the market trader, then let them try to sell it to you. They will tell how much they
want and it's likely to be inflated, so you offer a price the equivalent amount below the
figure it should be and that you're willing to pay. If they start the process by asking you
how much you're willing to offer then mention that you've asked around local people so
you know roughly what it should cost, before you name a price a little below what you're
prepared to pay. From this point on it's a bit like a game of chess and it can be very enter-
taining - so don't be surprised if you collect an audience!
You might be told a heart-rending story about family circumstances or the trader's own
costs, but you can counter that by saying that however much you like the item, you're sorry
but it's outside your budget. Gradually you'll exchange figures until you reach an agree-
