There are few things more exciting than traveling abroad, but one of them might be all the exciting goodies you get to bring back to your friends and family when you return. It can be an art form, selecting the perfect gift for your closest pals and immediate family members when you take a truly awesome trip. Bringing back the best bauble gives your friends more than just a gift -- the right present tells a story, starts a conversation.

Understandably enough, one of the very first things you'll want to consider when picking out gifts is the friend for whom you're buying. Take stock of all the people you think should get souvenirs, and make yourself a mental list. Most vacation destinations don't make their gift selections cheap, so keeping the list short can be a good thing. If you find yourself facing the need to commit your list to paper, you might want to rethink it unless you're working with a nearly-unlimited travel fund.

By creating yourself a mental list and thinking briefly about each person's preferences, you can save yourself a lot of gift-buying hassle. Consider each person who will be getting a gift from your trip, and think about their favorite things. No need to go overboard -- just keep your friends in mind as you begin your trip. This way, you can pick up their souvenirs as you go. There's no need to go on a dedicated trip, and spend a bunch of money in a market taking advantage of tourists willing to spend a ton on overpriced trinkets.

When you do your gift-buying as you continue along your vacation, not only do you (typically) wind up saving money, but you get to give gifts with experiences attached. The best gifts come with a story, and when you buy your souvenirs as they present themselves throughout your vacation, you get to let your friends' presents come to you -- and then tell the story of exactly how that happened.

The best gift is a gift that tells a story, and you want to make sure the story your gift tells closely involves the location of your vacation. Get things that are local, and even integral to local culture or customs. And they should always be things that aren't available in the US -- or at least not in the areas where your friends and family are from. If they can get your gift in the shop around the corner, then there's not much significance solely in the fact that you got it from somewhere far away.

Handmade goods are always a fantastic option for a vacation gift. Not only does this support local artisanship, but it
adds a personal touch that the recipient will just love. A well-thought-out gift shows that it doesn't take elaborate gift bags to show a friend or family member that you care when you return from a trip. All it takes is a little bit of thinking ahead.

Jamie Lewis is a contributing writer for RetailPackaging.com Gift Bags, where you can find the best packaging options for the gifts you purchase on vacation.