Forget the postcards and keychains; some tourists bring home the most bizarre souvenirs imaginable. Yup, they’re enough to be museum exhibits on their own, as we’re talking about taxidermied animals to canned air. Here are the 8 weird souvenirs that tourists actually spend their money on.
8. Voodoo Dolls from New Orleans
What makes New Orleans voodoo dolls attractive to tourists is that they’re handmade. Some of them even come with tiny spells or instructions that blend with the place’s mystical reputation. Collectors actually appreciate them as authentic pieces of New Orleans’ culture and folk tradition.
7. Pieces of the Berlin Wall
Yup, that’s right, it’s the same Berlin Wall that stood from 1961 to 1989. Berliners collect some pieces that they sell to tourists as souvenirs. A chunk of them will cost you around $20. While paying a high price for crumbled concrete may seem excessive, you’re actually paying for its historical significance.
6. Scorpion Lollipops and Chocolate-Covered Insects from Thailand
These lollipops resemble your typical candy, featuring bright colors. But the inside? A real scorpion that’s been frozen, cooked, and made safe to eat. Tourists buy them as quirky souvenirs rather than eating them. There are also chocolate-covered scorpions, which feature roasted pieces that are dipped in chocolate.
5. Three-Dollar Bills from the Cook Islands
Yup, the Cook Islands issues three-dollar bills as their official currency. This makes them one of the few places on Earth where it exists. The bills even come in pink and blue, which feature an image of their local legend: a woman riding a shark. Bills like these are also found outside the Cook Islands, where tourists often keep them as souvenirs.
4. Alligator Heads from Savannah, Georgia
In Savannah, Georgia, you can get a real alligator head from a furnishing boutique called 24e. They work with the state’s only certified trapper for these cast-plastered alligator heads. Yup, tourists who developed a fascination with these crocodiles can decide to buy a head as a souvenir.
3. Kopi Luwak Coffee Made from Southeast Asia
The palm civet is a small mongoose-like mammal that’s native to Southeast Asia. They actually produce coffee, which is not your typical kind. How? They eat coffee plant seeds, but they can’t digest them. Their dung is collected, and the seeds get removed, washed, pounded, and then roasted. They’re sold as premium to connoisseurs, so tourists can even buy them to bring home to friends and family.
2. Stuffed Cane Toads from Australia
In 1935, around 101 cane toads were imported into Queensland to control sugar-cane pests. Since there are no predators, they multiplied. By the 1970s, locals decided to stuff them so that you’ll find cane toad taxidermy around Queensland. They’re sold for around $25 each as displays. These cane toads also come as backscratchers and bottle openers.
1. Canned Air from Tourist Destinations
Yup, companies actually bottle air from places like Mount Fuji and the Swiss Alps. They sell it to tourists for $10 per can. Yup, the process is that simple; they produce the cans and fill them with local air naturally due to pressure differences. They seal them and produce them at tourist spots. They’re often criticized for shipping the cans, which creates pollution.
