When I first started traveling I would bring back gifts for everybody: my family, friends, co-workers, neighbors. Very quickly I soon realized I wasn't getting that many gifts back in return! (Yes, it's better to give than receive, but everybody likes to receive every now and then!) So IF you decide to buy gifts, only buy for a select group of people. The guy at work that you barely talk to isn't going to be jealous when he sees you giving a souvenir to someone else.
So the souvenir is only a couple of dollars. But when you buy about 15 of them, that adds up quickly. This is your vacation! Don't spend all of your money on souvenirs. Set a budget on how much you want to spend on gifts. Make a list of people that you want to buy something for. Make sure you have enough room in your bag to carry what you purchased back home. Recently a friend of mine was bringing me something I requested back from Canada. Upon weighing his bag at the airport, he realized that the bag was overweight. What got discarded?? My gift!! Try to buy things that don't take up too much space and are not too heavy.
Buy original items, not a Starbucks mug with the name of the city. Buy something that'straditional of the area. Buy something that you or your friend might actually use or need. Unless you have lots of room at home, don't buy a lot of junk for yourself. It will only end up collecting dust and eventually you might give or throw it away.
