Please Dont Get Me Anything When You Go Overseas

Whenever friends or family go overseas (be it a business trip or a vacation), they would ask me if I want anything? My standard reply is: Thanks for the thought, but please dont get me anything. Just enjoy yourself on the trip and take lots of pictures to show me.

The reason is: I HATE shopping for other people when I am overseas (be it a business trip or a vacation). Yes, the word is HATE. On an overseas trip, I have enough stuffs on hand to worry about (whether I can find my direction; whether I bring enough clothes; whether I can get food that will suit my palette, etc.). I really dont need to worry about someone else's shopping list!!! So I do not ask my friends and family to shop for me when they go overseas.

Two scenarios:

(a) People help people to buy specific items from the country they are visiting (because the items are not available in Singapore; because the items cost less from the other country).

This one drives me up the wall. Especially when the requests come from friends or colleagues... people who are not as important to me as my loved ones : ( I do not think it makes sense for me to spend my precious time hunting down items for other people, when I can be enjoying myself touring around or spending time with my family.

If I happen to come across the item while I am touring around or spending time with my family, then I dont mind just picking up the item. But when people give me a list (or even just one item request), the obligation is there and it makes me feel bad if I dont accomplish the mission, so I would make that part of my itinerary... and I would hate myself for acceding to that request in the first place : S

(b) People buy souvenirs from the country they are visiting to give to family, friends, colleagues, who did not go on the trip with them.

This one drives me up the wall and down the other side!!! I dont understand the rationale behind this exercise at all. So you didnt go on that trip with me, and you were working your butts off while I was on holiday... So I HAVE TO buy some presents back for you??? To share a piece of what you could not get??? To thank you for working while I was relaxing??? Call me "socially ill-mannered" or "selfish", but I do not think it makes sense to have to "justify" my well-deserved break from work, and "compensate" other people who did not go on that trip with me : S

Besides, if you have not visited that country with me, what good does a keychain or a photoframe or a mug bearing the name of that country provide you??? There is no meaningful connection, except as a sore reminder that I went away for a holiday while you were stuck here???

Besides, I also HATE the awkwardness and embarassment of missing out on gifts for a few persons... so I have to make sure I have something for everyone... I'd spent the whole trip taking stock of whether I have picked up a gift for my father, my mother, my brother, my sisters, my husband, my sons, my mother-in-law, my brother-in-law, my sister-in-law, my nephews, my niece, my good friends, my good friends' children, etc etc... what's the big deal???

Having said that, I would still shop around for gifts when I am overseas. If I come across something that I think so-and-so will adore, I will pick it up and just give it to her when I return... just because! Or I will save the gift for her for Christmas!

So please dont be upset if I didnt get a gift for you when I return from overseas. (Frankly I dont care if you are...)