India, March 29 -- There was a time when the ultimate travel trophy was a miniature Eiffel Tower or a slogan T-shirt. In 2026, that logic feels dated. Today, travellers are packing flavour instead of clutter. The real prize is a bottle of olive oil from a grove you walked through, or a jar of chilli paste picked up from a neighbourhood store you almost missed. The shift is simple. People want memories they can taste. A magnet proves you were somewhere, but a spoonful of pistachio cream or a drizzle of local honey takes you back in a way few objects can. And even according to Expedia Unpack '25, this shift is clear, with 39% of travellers visiting supermarkets and 44% seeking local products they can't find at home, treating these trips as cultural experiences and buying edible souvenirs. "I opened a jar of Sicilian pesto months after my trip to Palermo, and it instantly felt like I was back on that terrace," says Ayesha Gupta, a marketing consultant from Mumbai. What's changed is not just what we buy, but how we assign meaning to it. Food sits at the intersection of culture, memory and routine. You don't just look at it once and move on. You use it, cook with it, share it, and the trip lingers longer. Part of the appeal is visual. Packaging has stepped up: ceramic olive oil bottles, illustrated chocolate bars, embossed tins, neatly wrapped tea boxes. They sit on shelves, double as decor, and quietly tell stories of where you've been. Some travellers go further, keeping chocolate wrappers, tea labels, or even bills from a final meal, turning them into journals. "It's like scrapbooking, but more sensory," says Delhi-based travel creator Vansh Gaur." There's also a shift in value. Experiences don't end when the trip does. Cooking with ingredients picked up abroad turns a regular dinner into something layered. "I brought back a spice mix from Manali and every time I cook with it, I feel I am transported back in the mountains," Gaur adds....