What do you spend money on at the zoo?

A Zoos guide book is my souvenir from a zoo usually and that will suffice along with a half time brew and slice of cake. My two locals are Knowsley and Chester. At Chester the food and drink is pretty good and with a 20% members discount, decent value for money. If I can bothered with the palaver usually encountered having to go in and out of the main entrance to visit the souvenir shop and Elephant House (it’s a chronic design believe me). The souvenir shop is a handy place for me to buy my Nephews Birthday and Christmas presents and again a 20% discount is given. As for Knowsley they offer a 10% discount off food drink and souvenirs, but not as good as Chester’s in monetary terms or taste, as Knowsley is a safari park, parking up outside the baboons enclosure in the car and watching them break up those that choose to drive through as we eat a picnic is always fun. Also when a baboon sees me eating in the car he or she will nearly always walk up to the car by the fence, put on the pathetic ‘look at me they don’t feed me here face’ and sit there. I have noticed saying ‘No’ to them quite direct makes them turn and walk off pretty much straight away.
 
I really like zoo guidebooks actually. Im prepared to spend $20 AUD (which is about $20 USD) on a guidebook in a foreign zoo. They are easy and light to carry when travelling and you can read them while travelling too.

They are also a talking point with other travellers (and locals even) when you are reading them on the train or plane.

How much are people generally prepared to pay for a guidebook as a souvineer in a foreign zoo and in a zoo in ones own country or state?
 
I really like zoo guidebooks actually. Im prepared to spend $20 AUD (which is about $20 USD) on a guidebook in a foreign zoo. They are easy and light to carry when travelling and you can read them while travelling too.

They are also a talking point with other travellers (and locals even) when you are reading them on the train or plane.

How much are people generally prepared to pay for a guidebook as a souvineer in a foreign zoo and in a zoo in ones own country or state?

I would happily spend $20, or even more, for a guide book, or even a history book of a zoo, whether it was in English or not. I think they are definitely the best zoo souvineers. But I can't always afford that much when I visit a zoo, so sometimes I buy the books later, online.

And while they may individually be light, they are not cumulatively light! I sent 12kg of zoo maps, guides and books back from Europe when I visited, plus another couple of kilos that I took back in my baggage. Didn't leave much room for other souvineers!
 
I just pulled out my receipts from a trip to Hawaii last year and found I spent over $200 at Sea Life Park on books and small ornaments, and over $300 on books, a large glass seahorse and other little ornaments at the Waikiki Aquarium. Plus another $50 on books in bookshops and ABC Shops. Good thing I took two suitcases!

:p

Hix
 
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