We have all taken on the painstaking task of buying souvenirs for friends, family and colleagues from foreign travel. ‘Will they like scented candles? Should we just go with a box of chocolates that we can get almost everywhere or choose an expensive perfume?’ We have all been there.But a friend recently travelled abroad and I knew exactly what I wanted them to get. It wasn’t the recent range from Rhode or shoes in colours from Nike that you would not get in the country. I wanted them to scan that country’s convenience store and bring back basic, unique snacks that could give me a flavour of that country.Chips, crisps, whatever you call them in that country. KitKat flavours that one can possibly think of. Ramen that I have only seen on reels. Biscuits popular with the local population. These are now an accepted form of precious souvenirs from travels.There is actually a name for this growing interest in local supermarkets and convenience stores – convenience store tourism. It is a travel trend where visitors explore local convenience stores to learn more about the culture rather than just using them as pit stops. Skyscanner’s 2026 travel trends research found that nearly 8 in 10 Indian travellers say they most often visit local supermarkets when travelling abroad, while 73% stop at convenience stores to discover quick bites and local staples. And for the aficionados (60%), it’s more than just shopping, “it’s the ultimate cultural deep dive, a sensory adventure where every shelf tells a story and every flavour becomes a memory.”Be it the viral coffee and iced drinks from South Korea, viral strawberry sandwich from M&S in the UK, or picking up certain kinds of pretzels or brioche breads, expensive gifts are also finding their souvenirs in convenience store items.And it is not difficult to understand why. A convenience store gives you a glimpse into what people actually eat. You see the snacks people pick up on their way home, the drinks that are everywhere, the flavours that you may never find back home. It is not necessarily something made for tourists, which is perhaps what makes it a better souvenir.Tourists are also exploring these stores as a standalone visit rather than just a pit stop. It gives them the chance to experience local flavours and eating habits and gives them the opportunity to live like a local, even if they are there for just 7-10 days. You pick up a donut or a ramen or sushi on the go from a store and continue your outing. It becomes part of the travel experience rather than just something you do when you are hungry.So, next time when you are not sure what to get people as a souvenir from a country, bring them a chocolate or crisps in a flavour they cannot get in the country. It might just be a better souvenir than another candle.