How Much For This Sloppy Joe’s T-Shirt?

It’s Sunday in Boca Raton.

I’m out front my place, with a cold beer in my favorite Cabela’s coozie (from Hamburg, PA). I’m joined by my fiancé, Jen, in a South of the Border t-shirt, and my best friend Bailey, who is drinking out of a dog dish from my Honolulu trip. It is 82° out, it’s sunny, and there’s a nice breeze in the shade. We’re having a yard sale, and have been pretty busy unloading our junk over the last few hours.

“How much is this shirt?” a young girl, with sandy blonde hair, asked. I looked over at Jen, who wouldn’t look me in the eyes. She put my Sloppy Joe’s Key West T-shirt out on the table, right under my nose. This is one of my favorites for a reason …

It’s a four hour drive to Key West, and we go down every so often. If you don’t watch out though, you can come home with a trunk full of souvenir garbage (like I always do). Duval Street is crawling with places to buy this stuff. Painted seashells, exotic cigars, coffee mugs, and shirts with obscene messages — all bought at overinflated prices. Nothing you really need!

It would be wiser to spend your money on a high SPF suntan lotion, comfortable flip-flops, and hangover medicine. Still, bringing home a tacky keepsake can serve as a reminder to everyone that you made it down, got drunk, and remember nothing else. This t-shirt is my reminder.

If you must buy souvenirs, at least do it right:

Don’t limit your souvenir-hunt to specialty shops. Check department stores and supermarkets — odds are you’ll find something cheaper (and just as authentic).

Save souvenir shopping until the end of the journey. You will have a better sense for the price and quality of your souvenirs once you’ve traveled and made some comparisons.

The experience is more important than the keepsake. Don’t let the hunt for souvenirs get in the way of amazing travel experiences.

“Fifty cent,” I answered. Sold.

As I watched my old shirt get thrown into the trunk of this bargain shopper’s station wagon, I yelled out to her, “You should visit Key West sometimes!”

“Oh, I go all the time … I just don’t buy anything.”