Meaningful Souvenir Ideas that Aren’t Lousy T-Shirts
Remember those funny t-shirts that said, “My friend went to Honolulu and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”? There were keychain versions too. Souvenirs maybe, but meaningful? Hmm. I did always got a kick out of those as a kid, although my tastes have evolved since then.
When I took my first international trip a couple of years after college, I took photos of everything—literally. Even books in bookstores in different countries, almost as if it was some other worldly place of the mystical and enchanted. “Little Women in French!” Of course the bookstore in Aix sold Little Women in French. Because Aix is in France and French is their national language.
Over several trips, I took less photos as I learned to absorb the world around me with my senses and rely on those sensory experiences to carry my memories. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like to take anything home with me—usually some small token of remembrance. Here are souvenir ideas for more meaningful trip memories:
Outerwear
Admittedly, I had to buy mittens out of necessity in Iceland, since the ones I brought weren’t cutting it. I figured that if an Icelander would wear these same mittens, then they must be reliable. Sure enough! They are hand knit from Icelandic wool with a traditional Scandinavian pattern. I still use them fours years later and think of my trip every time.
Textiles
Along the same wool line, my excellent travel partner and wonderful friend Cara was so drawn to these gorgeous wool blankets in Norway that she bought one and had it shipped home (we were backpack-only travelers). It looked so beautiful in her apartment and functionally speaking, was pretty warm and cozy.
Postcards from Art Museums
I find myself drawn to postcard displays in art museums to see if they sell prints of any of the pieces of art I was most drawn to, especially because postcard-size prints are an inexpensive, compact way to bring home a memory of a favorite work. Some that have ended up coming home with me: Rodin’s The Embrace and one of Monet’s Rouen Cathedral series.
Rings
I’m a ring person anyway, but I have found that unique rings plucked from random shops in faraway places travel really well and spark conversations upon my return home. (Although hopefully not to the point where someone regrets commenting on my newfound accessory. :-)) I like to stack my various finds too and find the combination of places on my finger to be a pleasant, albeit momentary, escape in my everyday.
A Video
I tried something different when I went to Stockholm. Instead of taking a million pictures (which I still ended up doing), I looked for little snippets of action—a coffee shop, street corners, public transportation, the windows of a bakery. I’m not a videographer, but I had a fantastic time editing and pairing the shots to music. Looking for action helped my perspective shift. Instead of seeing a building or a shop, I looked for what was happening in and around their contexts. I learned that people really care about their work, that cities are more than just the grids of walkways and roads, that nature is quietly powerful, and that I am truly never alone. Here’s the video: