The Most Underrated Souvenir Shop

Every time I visit a new country, I end up in the same place within the first day or two.

Not a museum.

Not a landmark.

The grocery store.

I wander the aisles slowly, picking things up, reading labels I half understand, comparing packaging, noticing what’s cheap, what’s expensive, and what seems to exist only here. In a way, it tells you more about daily life than most attractions ever could.

This is where most of my souvenirs come from. Olive oil that tastes nothing like the one at home. Cookies I’ve never seen before. Candy bars with unfamiliar flavors. Tea, spices, jars of things I can’t pronounce but absolutely needed to try.

None of it looks impressive in a photo. All of it makes sense later.

These are the souvenirs I actually use. The chocolate gets shared. The olive oil ends up in weeknight dinners. The tea becomes part of my routine. Long after the trip is over, I’m still reminded of where I was — not by something fragile on a shelf, but by something ordinary that quietly stuck around.

Grocery stores show you how people really live. What they eat. What’s seasonal. What’s considered a treat. What’s everyday. It’s culture without the velvet rope.

It might not sound glamorous, but it’s consistently one of my favorite things to do when traveling — and the one place I never feel rushed.

If you’ve never treated a grocery store like a cultural experience, consider this your sign.