Buying souvenirs
Part of the fun of travelling is picking up curious items and
gifts to show people back home, but there are a couple of
things to keep in mind. Make sure that you have room in your
backpack and are willing to carry all the odds and ends you
pick up along the way. If you go on a spending spree, consider
mailing your extra goodies home in a package rather than tote
them around for the entire duration of your trip.
Be careful when buying skins, furs, animal-by-products and
knives. It is hard to tell what is endangered and what is not.
Each country has different rules for what they will and will not
allow you to bring across the border. It is generally not worth
the trouble, and in some cases, you can face a hefty fine or
even put you in jail.
There may be ample opportunity to purchase pirated or
imitation goods overseas. Doing this and sending them back
home via the post is frowned upon by any local government.
When you are sending items back home, you have to declare
what the contents are. If you are suspected of sending illegal
goods, it is a possibility that your package back home could be
confiscated, be fined or serve a jail term.
Each country has different export laws. It is best to enquire at
the local post office about what is allowed. In some cases, if
you can not send something from one country, just wait until
you are in your next country and send it from there.
Staying healthy
Note: One time, my travelling buddy was going to send a cook
book home. The employee at the post office said that they are
going to have to charge him per page to read this cook book to
make sure that he is not sending any “governmental secrets”
home. He just put the cookbook back in backpack and sent it
home when he arrived in our next country.