Keep your head when bargain hunting in foreign countries

Last week on a flight from San Diego, I watched a man board with a lot of bull, literally. The man's face was completely hidden behind this huge metal cow thing. The item was covered with red fuzz that was supposed to look like fur, and it had plastic horns.

"It's a bank," the man said, pointing out a slot between the bull's shoulder blades. "I got it in Tijuana. It was a real bargain. My son will love it."

"His son may love it, but his wife will hate it," said my old flying partner, "People are suckers for souvenirs."

My flying partner is one to talk. She has a giant Panda bear made out of rubber that she purchased from a street vendor in China. She couldn't resist it because it said, "Made in China" in Chinese. But I digress.

It's easy for shopkeepers to take advantage of travelers in foreign countries. Tourists who don't understand the exchange rate sometimes look at foreign money as play money and throw themselves at the mercy of the salesperson.

I once saw a woman buy a doll in a store in London. The woman rummaged through her purse, pulled out a wad of bills, handed them to the saleswoman and said take what you need.

When Ginny Barnes visited Thailand, she couldn't resist a teak table. It was more expensive than she should have spent. But it was uniquely carved and inlaid with semiprecious stones. She thought she had a one-of-a-kind piece. She had it shipped. When it arrived it was a one-of-a-kind-all-to-pieces table. Apparently, the artisan hadn't dried the wood and it was so weak from the carving it collapsed. And the semiprecious stones were simply cut glass.

Sometimes you find such a great deal overseas, you lose perspective. Do you remember the days when Cabbage Patch Kids first hit the market? All the stores in the States sold out and finding one cost a bundle. But a clever marketer in Spain started making knock-offs of the dolls. Each one had a Spanish birth certificate and Spanish name. Two college students flying home after a semester abroad bought the store out. They planned to make a killing when they got home. Instead their idea was killed by Customs. It was illegal to bring the knock-offs into the country. The government confiscated the dolls and they learned the downside of free enterprise.

A similar thing happened to a tourist in Italy. She bought several Gucci look-alike bags from a street vendor in Rome. She thought she had her Christmas shopping done until she got to Customs. She wasn't left holding the bags. Designer knockoffs are big business in much of Europe. Street vendors in Paris and Rome hang out on corners and sell copies of Louis Vuitton luggage, Gucci bags and Cartier jewelry. The government usually lets you bring a couple of them back. But anything that looks like importing is forbidden.

Before you travel to an exotic location, get a copy of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection brochure, Know Before You Go. You can download a copy from the Web site www.cbp.gov. You may still buy your share of souvenir disasters, but you won't have to worry about Customs confiscating them. You'll get to live with them for a very long time. And that's no bull.

Gail Todd, a free-lance writer,worked as a flight attendant for more than 30years. She can be reached via e-mail at gailtodd@aol.com.