Why you should thrift while traveling
Some of you may know the thrill of finding that perfect, unique piece of clothing when you’re going through the racks of a thrift store. Taking your time to go through the racks one by one, or just scanning to find that perfect vintage sweater you’ve been wanting. Thrifting has something special and also brings a lot of benefits with it! Thrifting while traveling can be even more fun and I’m going to tell you why.
Why you should thrift instead of buying new
First off, a couple of reasons why you should thrift in the first place. Thrifting has a lot of positive effects on not only you but also for the world! If you immediately want to know why you should thrift especially while traveling, click here
- Thrifting is good for the environment.
By thrifting you are recycling. When choosing pre used items over newly produced pieces, you’re shrinking your carbon footprint. Carbon footprint i hear you thinking, how can clothes influence emissions? Well, you’re limiting the amount of natural resources it takes to create new fabric, make the clothing, and ship it to the store. Less shipping means less emission of harmful gasses.
Stores like Forever 21, H&M, Urban Outfitters, and basically any other big clothing retailer you can think of are all part of the fast fashion industry, which is the rapid mass production of super cheap clothing. Although the price tags may be low, the environmental costs are extremely high, and people who make the clothes are most of the time in very bad work circumstances. Very low income, bad hygiene, workdays that are way too long.
In this society it has become a habit that we throw away stuff when they are still in good condition. We don’t want to miss out on new trends and we buy more and more. This habit of consuming more means that our garbage dump is getting bigger and bigger with substances that cannot or can hardly be recycled. If you buy pre used clothes you prevent them from going straight to the trash, you give them a new life. Yay!
When you buy second hand you also probably will buy clothes that are qualitatively better because they already ‘survived’ a previous owner, and are still strong enough to be used again.
- Thrifting is way cheaper than new made pieces.
There’s no feeling that’s more rewarding than scoring an awesome secondhand jewel for a fraction of its original cost. Prices in thrift stores are a lot lower than regular stores. It depends on which country the store is located but in any case, your wallet likes!
Why you should thrift while traveling
- You’re getting a souvenir from the city.
Most of the time all the pieces that you find in a specific thrift store are used by people living in the area, so it’s a perfect way to get a unique piece of the place you visit. You are going to find pieces who have a story to them, from the place you visit. A gentle suggestion of a previous owner – a whisper that they were worn and loved before in another place, at another time.
And when you buy something on your trip you will always be reminded of the memories you made on that trip when you see that piece hanging in your closet.
- Reduces your time packing for travel
Some people see it as a challenge to only bring the clothes you wear the day of travel, and everything else you thrift while traveling. This way you don’t have to spend time worrying about what outfits to bring. Nobody loves the stress of having to pack while simultaneously finishing up work and other responsibilities in those last days before travel. But if you but if you think that is too much risk and you are afraid that you cannot find anything, just packing less, or bringing an extra bag is also an option.
- Stirs up more travel adventures.
It gives you an excuse to get on a subway, bus or taxi to explore various city neighborhoods while you search for your perfect thrift find. You can meet and talk to people about what you are doing along the way. If you travel by yourself or you just find it hard to wander around and get out of your chill hotel, this is a perfect way to explore. You can maybe even make it a day (s) filling program if you have a number of second hand stores in a row that you want to visit. Look around, take in your surroundings, enjoy.
- The prices might even be cheaper
There probably won’t be very drastic changes in the prices of thrift stores, but if you visit places where the taxes are lower, you can buy the second hand pieces for even cheaper! (Especially when you travel, you already spend money on other things such as your stay. Then it’s very nice to be able to save on something.)
- Discover your new style
Thrifting in a totally different city or even country will probably bring you different vibes as well. Maybe you’re shopping in a city that has a younger community with a distinct style. Maybe it’s more of an old, rich community and you’ll find more vintage, grampa style clothing. Thrift stores are filled with what the community brings.
While traveling you meet so many different people that is the perfect time to experiment with your own style. You can try something wildly different and then go home with a new discovered personal style. The big advantage is that you also get the space to make a bad buy because of the price!
I hope this has inspired you to go thrift shopping, and that it let you see that it’s much more than dirty, used clothes from other people. You can really enjoy secondhand shopping also while traveling. Go out, explore while you search for that unique piece that you want. Save money and do good for the world.
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