Merch Tourism: Why Cult Souvenirs Are Becoming Part of the Trip

A grocery tote has become the kind of thing people photograph, hunt down on vacation and carefully squeeze into an already-full suitcase.

That sounds a little ridiculous until you look at the numbers.

TikTok views for #TraderJoesTote jumped 1,928% between April 2025 and April 2026, according to Skyscanner’s newly released 2027 Travel Trends report. More than 435,000 videos had already been posted across #TraderJoesTote, #RitzParis and #Merch.

Travelers are doing more than watching.

Skyscanner found that 43% of travelers surveyed had taken a trip in the previous 12 months for something they could not simply buy online.

The company has a name for the behavior: Merch Tourism.

It covers everything from limited grocery totes and hotel caps to local fashion, café mugs, records, sports merchandise and products only available in one city.

The souvenir is no longer always something you happen to find during the trip.

Sometimes people know exactly what they want before the plane takes off.

A Tote Bag Can Now Carry Serious Social Currency

The appeal makes more sense when you think about how shopping has changed.

Almost anything can now be ordered from a phone and delivered within days. Convenience is normal. Finding something that requires actually being somewhere feels different.

That is part of what makes a $20 hotel cap or grocery tote interesting.

Skyscanner found that 27% of Gen Z travelers surveyed said they were most proud to bring home a limited-run grocery tote unavailable elsewhere. Among Millennials, 26% chose branded products such as robes or caps from historic luxury hotels.

These are not necessarily expensive purchases.

What makes them desirable is the story attached to them.

You had to find the shop. You had to visit the hotel. Maybe you stood in line. Maybe the item was sold out twice before you finally got it.

That process gives an ordinary object a little more meaning than something delivered in an Amazon box.

TikTok Has Turned Souvenir Hunting Into Trip Planning

There was a time when souvenir shopping happened near the end of a vacation.

You wandered past a shop, saw something interesting and bought it.

Now the discovery often happens weeks before departure.

Someone sees a particular tote or hotel teddy bear on TikTok. They save the video. The shop goes into Google Maps. Suddenly, stopping there becomes part of the itinerary.

Skyscanner reports that video views featuring Trader Joe’s tote content rose 167% year over year from 2024 to 2025. Looking specifically at the #TraderJoesTote hashtag between April 2025 and April 2026, the increase was 1,928%.

That is an extraordinary amount of attention for something designed to carry groceries.

Ritz Paris merchandise has generated similar interest. What used to be a hotel gift shop purchase now circulates online as fashion, travel content and proof that someone actually went there.

It also explains why smaller businesses can benefit from the trend.

A neighbourhood bakery does not need a luxury fashion collaboration. A clever tote, mug, T-shirt or tin that people associate with that particular place can travel far beyond the shop itself.

Shorter Trips Make the Trend Even More Interesting

Merch tourism is developing alongside another change in travel: people are taking more short trips.

KAYAK’s 2026 travel research found that nearly 63% of surveyed Gen Z and Millennial travelers planned to take several shorter trips during the year. Its data also showed that the share of hotel searches for stays of one to three nights increased 13%.

A weekend trip creates a different itinerary from a two-week vacation.

There may be one concert, one restaurant reservation, a neighbourhood worth exploring and a shop the traveler has been following online for months.

Expedia’s 2026 Air Hacks data points in the same direction. It found that 48% of U.S. travelers now fly carry-on only, while 26% intentionally choose longer layovers so they can see another city.

Those habits make highly specific little travel missions much easier.

Flying somewhere for 48 hours to see a show, try a restaurant and pick up something unavailable at home no longer feels particularly unusual.

The Return Trip Is Where Things Get Complicated

There is one detail TikTok videos tend to skip.

You have to get the purchases home.

Anyone who has opened their suitcase on the last night of a trip and wondered how it somehow became half the size understands the problem.

Shopping-heavy trips need a little empty space from the beginning.

Shoes are usually one of the biggest space thieves. Stuffing socks or smaller accessories inside them uses otherwise wasted space, while wrapping the soles keeps dirt away from clothing. Learning how to pack shoes efficiently can free up a surprising amount of suitcase room before the shopping even starts.

Packing everything tightly on the outbound flight leaves nowhere for the hotel robe, local fashion find or oddly shaped ceramic piece you did not know you wanted three days earlier.

Expandable Luggage Makes More Sense on the Way Home

This is also one of the travel situations where expandable luggage has a clear purpose.

A suitcase can remain compact on the outbound journey and create additional space when purchases begin accumulating.

For example, NOBL’s All-in-One Expandable Carry-On adds up to 20% additional packing room and uses an internal compression system to help control the contents.

The useful part for a shopping trip is the flexibility between the two directions.

There is a catch worth knowing with any expandable carry-on.

Expansion changes the exterior dimensions.

A suitcase that falls within an airline’s cabin allowance when closed may no longer qualify when fully expanded. Check the airline’s current size limits before reaching the airport.

Depending on how successful the shopping trip was, checking the suitcase on the way home may be the easier option.

Some Souvenirs Are Surprisingly Difficult to Fly With

A sweatshirt is easy.

A bottle of olive oil, local perfume or jar of sauce requires more planning.

For U.S. airport security, liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes in carry-on luggage generally have to be in containers of 3.4 ounces, or 100 milliliters, or less and comply with TSA’s 3-1-1 liquids rule.

That full-size perfume bought downtown may therefore need to go into checked luggage.

Food creates another set of rules.

Travelers entering the United States must declare agricultural products. CBP says this includes food, plants and items made from animal or plant materials. Meat, fresh fruit, vegetables, plants and seeds can be restricted depending on where they came from.

Packaged chocolate may be simple.

The interesting cured meat discovered at a market may be considerably less simple.

If food shopping is part of the trip, checking the rules before buying can save an uncomfortable conversation at customs.

Fragile Purchases Need More Than Spare Space

Ceramics, bottles, glassware and artwork should not simply be placed into the empty half of a suitcase.

Keep the original packaging when it provides proper protection.

For smaller fragile items, clothing can create a useful buffer. Place the item closer to the center of the suitcase rather than directly against the outer wall and fill surrounding gaps so it cannot move.

Photograph valuable purchases before packing them and keep the receipt.

That record may be useful for customs, travel insurance or a claim if luggage is lost or damaged.

If something is genuinely irreplaceable and airline rules allow it in the cabin, keeping it with you is usually the safer choice.

Fashion Souvenirs Create Their Own Packing Problem

Merch tourism does not stop with mugs and tote bags.

Local designers, vintage shops, sneakers and destination-specific fashion are increasingly part of travel shopping.

Clothing is easier to transport than pottery, but it creates another problem: wrinkles.

Do not crush a new dress or jacket into the final gap beside your shoes just because the suitcase technically closes.

Leave structured or delicate clothing nearer the top of the case. Separate it from shoes and toiletries, and unpack it as soon as you arrive home.

The last few centimeters of suitcase space are rarely worth ruining something you specifically traveled to buy.

The Best Souvenirs Still Have a Story

There is an easy way for merch tourism to become slightly absurd.

You can spend so much time trying to find the viral product that you barely experience the place it is supposed to represent.

The more enjoyable version happens naturally.

Have breakfast at the café, then buy the mug.

Go to the concert, then pick up the shirt.

Stay at or visit the historic hotel before browsing its shop.

Find the local designer while walking through the neighbourhood.

The object becomes useful later because it reminds you of something that actually happened.

That may explain why this trend has more staying power than another viral travel hack.

Skyscanner’s broader 2027 survey found that 32% of U.S. travelers already plan to bring home a souvenir next year.

Online shopping has spent years removing location from shopping.

Merch tourism puts location back into it.

A tote, cap, record or coffee mug can suddenly carry something an online order cannot: the memory of where you had to go to get it.