Travelers stick family and friends with untold zillions of worthless or gratuitous gifts each year, but almost nothing good ever gets done at the last minute. The first rule of souvenir shopping? No buying gifts at the airport. Ever.
Hong Kong (CNN) -- It's an essential part of any trip, an activity we all take part in.
Yet almost none of us are any good at it.
Souvenir buying -- instead of being an enjoyable part of the travel experience, it too often becomes an obligatory slog.
The global economy for ill-conceived souvenir purchases is staggering.
In 2012 alone, travelers spent a total of US$2.3 billion on souvenirs that were subsequently ignored, unused, unappreciated, unworn, discarded, disliked, ridiculed and/or stuffed in bottom drawers and backs of closets never to be seen again.
Worse, travelers wasted 427 million aggregated hours fretting over the purchases of pointless doodads, knickknacks, tchotchkes, gewgaws and dust gatherers.
OK, we made all those figures up, but given all the "Singapore is a Fine City" T-shirts, Chairman Mao cigarette lighters, plush koalas and inflatable jumbo airplanes cluttering the CNN Travel office, we're pretty sure people spend a lot of money and time on desperation purchases that unfairly burden recipients with the obligation of hanging on to these dubious prizes for years to come.
The good news is that it's easy to improve your souvenir-buying savvy.
Avoid the common shopping mistakes above and your family, friends and coworkers might actually start looking forward to your return home for a change.
Got a favorite souvenir do or don't? Ever received a terrible souvenir? A great one? Share your souvenir experiences in the comments section.
Deliciously kitschy and 'Crap Souvenirs'
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No plush or inflatable gifts for anyone over three years old. You're better than that.
No leftover foreign coins as "souvenirs" or collectibles. This is worse than giving nothing, because it shows how lazy you are.
No athletic jerseys, caps or visors. Especially visors. And Beckham. And Messi.
No exotic alcohol. Funky label or not, that local rotgut is a hoot when you're in country, undrinkable everywhere else.
No Eiffel Towers, Statues of Liberties, Mt. Rushmores, Taj Mahals, Aussie koalas, Chairman Maos or anything that would fit perfectly in the back of a closet or bottom of a drawer.
No key chains, coasters, mugs or plates. And, whatever you do, no double-whammy Eiffel Tower key chains.
No more little bags of rock, black, sea or flavored salt. The whole designer salt thing is done.
No bottles filled with sand, coral bits, shells or pebbles.
No items that require assembly, watering, sunlight, maintenance, lubrication or refrigeration. Or excessive explanation.
No "I (heart)" anything. Even if you do.
No books. We believe you, it was an amaaaaaazing art exhibit. We just don't have 37 hours to spend reading about it.
No traditional ethnic clothing for non-ethnics.
No items you wouldn't want to get or wouldn't proudly display in your own home.
No plastic leis.
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