How to thrift at travel destinations and why you should do it

Apr 30, 2021
6 min read

Updated: May 18, 2021

I'm a bit obsessed with old things. I would follow this up with "but not in a weird way", but it does tend to err on the very weird side. I'm also a bit of a dreamer with a vivid imagination. I visualize what kind of life the person who possessed this thing lived, what they ate, who they met when they wore that dress. I especially love the smell and look of antique and thrift shops. I told you it does get weird.

As the term's original definition would imply, thrifting is all about minimizing waste through using money sparingly and consciously buying pre-owned items. The practice has become more fashionable especially among lifestyle social media influencers and DIY bloggers. But thrifting is much closer to most of us. Whoever has lived as a younger sibling knows the "hand-me-down". And whoever has lived in Kampala Uganda (and probably most other African countries), will probably be familiar with "downtown shopping". This will probably be the topic of a blog post in the future about fast-fashion-slow-fashion, sustainable fashion, and how second-hand dumping has economically stunted developing countries' ability to self-innovate and industrialize, but I digress. The short end of that story is that dumping has definitely up-ended the sustainability narrative in fashion consumerism and the negative implications of waste, not just on the environment but on the daily lives of people in the poorest countries.

As most of my traveling was done as an on-the-budget student, thrifting was a way of survival. I would feel especially guilty buying new expensive furniture or utensils if I was not planning to take it home with me anyway. I had no guilt whatsoever donating thrifted items when I moved later on. If these items were small enough and treasured enough, I could always take them home as souvenirs. For me, thrifting offers up a great opportunity to find items selectively that will carry both a sentimental and utilitarian aspect. Travel thrifting should be an experience I highly recommend you try out. For some dedicated thrifting retailers and buyers, thrifting means giving pre-owned and loved items a new chance at a second life.

How you should do it

Good old street markets

The street market (flea market) is the hallmark of any summer travel destination. Whether it be a weekend farmer's market, a yard sale, the pavements at a festival, you will always find a thrifty stall with every manner of item at insanely discounted prices. In Kampala, street markets are everywhere you go and in every nook and cranny, at any time of day, every day. In Stellenbosch, Western Cape, they tend to be much more regulated, popping up every Sunday on Dorp street. In China, they were in street alleys, in shops only accessible if you knew someone who knew someone.

Antique shops

If life were a movie, antique shops would be the treasure hunt trope for me. Maps, legends, ghost stories, dust-coated stuff at the back shelves where you find that one-of-a-kind thing. Mismatched sets of things, some relatively new, some relatively old, some so old you could picture Napolean Bonaparte drinking from it. In the Western Cape, the Antique shops are littered in every tourist town from Cape Town to Muizenburg, Franschoek, and all the way down in Strand.

Thrift shops

Or second-hand shops. I learned to tailor on altering second-hand clothes and fabrics I found at shops in Wandegeya, the town attached to Makerere University, where I did my bachelor's degree. I still do when I return home for breaks. Those shops offer some unique patterned fabrics and old-timey clothes, that I won't feel too bothered about experimenting on. For a DIYer, thrift shops are a holy place y" all. It is always satisfying to see what I do with things someone else threw away.

Online

In my opinion, e-commerce has probably built the world Millenials live in. Maybe it's the other way round? And shouldn't it be so? Establishing physical business locations is expensive and has been rendered irrelevant and obsolete by the covid 19-era. When so much of a generation is struggling to keep up with the employment drought that existed long before the pandemic, self-made online entrepreneurs are killing it armed with nothing but a camera phone, a social media account, and a closet full of clothes. My time studying abroad in China was spent on online thrift stores because I could not for the life of me ever purchase a winter coat with the sleeve length just right.

Direct thrift

There is no reason why you have to hang on to stuff or abandon it to the weather and time, in a garage when someone out there can easily make it their problem. Earn a little extra money, ask around in a Whatsapp group, on Facebook or Instagram. Take out a box and fill it with all the things you definitely think you won't be needing, and donate to a second-hand shop if you can. It is honestly as simple as that. Growing up in a middle-income family, letting go of things was especially hard for me. I wore everything to death and if I stopped needing it, I held onto it until I thought I would need it later. I've learned that this mentality is damaging, especially when I can afford to replace these items with things that not only serve a purpose but also bring me joy. I'm forced to scale down to what I absolutely need and rather than spend aimlessly, I look at the gaps in my closet and match everything with an item before I buy anything new. This also encourages you to look after every single item that you own, so when you get to sell it you can get a good price for how well it was maintained.

Why you should do it.

It's cost-effective, especially for expensive items like furniture, winter gear, books, and kitchen utensils. I have expensive hobbies too. Almost all the cookbooks I've bought are thrifted. New cookbooks are super expensive.
Sustainability. You are helping save the planet by reducing waste and recycling.
Thrifted items make amazing souvenirs and gifts and tell a story about where you've been.
DIY your thrifted items to fit your style and breathe new life into them. Additionally, thrift shops make for amazing cheap craft materials, especially for tailors and materials for kid's toys.
Thrift shops offer unique items that you will have difficulty finding anywhere else. Those standout pieces will get people looking at you and asking questions, good questions hopefully. Thrifting is an expression of one's personal style because it forces you to look through the pile and take that one thing that calls out to you the most.
If you are selling or donating, you can earn a little extra cash while doing a little decluttering of your space and in turn your mind, to allow space for new ideas and creativity.
If you are buying, there is always the pleasure of turning thrift into gold with some soft care and DIY, and selling!

A few tips

Always ask the shopkeeper what an item could have been used for in its past life. This is especially true in an antique shop. It's a sure way to get an interesting backstory about the culture of the destination, hence value the item more. Also, you don't want to use the item the wrong way. Case in point, using a night chamber pot in the kitchen(I have lived a life). The shopkeeper will also be sure to give you tips on wear and care.
Always double-check the item you are buying for any irreversible damage before you even approach the counter to pay. Sweat stains, bleached patches, awkward tears in cleverly concealed places, cracks in ceramics, etc. Double-check if that is actual leather, copper, or a poor imitation of. Most thrift shops have a no-return policy and flea markets are sometimes spontaneous and will be extra hard to hunt down and return items. Consider whether you want to keep the damage for aesthetic purposes, whether you can fix it, how much it will cost you to do so and whether it's worth it to buy anyway.
Wear and care! Always do your research on how to look after your items especially if they are of the antique type. You may end up having to dry clean some or use extra care for the wood or leather pieces.
There is a certain temptation to go wild when faced with stuff so cheap. So practice restraint! Spoken like a true hoarder myself. When you pick anything up, truly picture what you will use it for and where it will go and ask yourself, will it be in a pile in another yard sale next year or stuffed away under a bed like a bad mistake? If the answer is yes, put it down, my dear, and walk away.