Many people pick up souvenirs when they visit new places. Souvenirs help us remember where we have gone and to start a collection. The process of finding new objects, and having a range and variety of different objects can be a lot of fun.
My family are frequent travelers. On our family trips growing up, each of us had our favorite type of souvenir. I liked teddy bears. I would get small stuffed bears from gift shops and hoped to have one from each state. I expanded to other types of stuffed animals, such as an Alaska moose or a platypus from Australia. During a trip to Europe in 2006, I got a keychain from most cities. My mom always liked to get refrigerator magnets, my dad would get coffee mugs, and my sister liked to sometimes get snow globes.
These days, my mom reportedly buys pairs of earrings where she can. My dad often gets t-shirts. I like to send postcards. I started the postcard habit about two years ago on a whim when going to Japan and found I loved it so much that I’ve done it copiously at this point. I particularly like sending postcards because they’re often inexpensive, represent the country, include a message that is a piece of you, a postage stamp that is like its own work of art, and supports the local postal system. There’s something really fun about feeling like your mail travelled all the way around the world to reach you!
I decided to ask Facebook friends through a status what types of souvenirs they like to get. It was a casual post but I got many comments and responses. I’ve piled those responses in this list, with the number of responses for that specific type of souvenir. The rest listed without a number was one mention each. Christmas tree ornaments and refrigerator magnets were some of the most popular.
- Christmas tree ornaments (7)
- Refrigerator magnets (4)
- Flags (4)
- Coins and money (3) (Also something I did a lot!)
- Nature: rocks, shells, sticks, moss, pine cones (3)
- Stickers, patches, decals (2)
- Artworks (2)
- Coffee mugs (2)
- Earrings (2)
- Keychains (2)
- Spoons (decorative spoons were something my great-grandmother collected, my family says)
- Books
- Coin purses
- Lapel pins
- Local honey
- Maps
- Penny presses
- Postcards
- Ticket stubs
- Salad tongs
- Scarves
- Shot glasses
Do you have a unique souvenir not included on this list? Add it in the comments!