Souvenir Regrets

I loved the island of Capri and was overcome by its beauty, and at the time felt a purse with "Capri" written all over it would somehow make the memory last longer. Well the purse is still in it's plastic bag, and I rely on my photos to reminisce :D Thankfully it was inexpensive!

I like getting leather bookmarks from places that I visit. I read a lot so use them a lot.

For me, the best "souvenirs" are memories. So a photograph, a post card, and a well thought out journal entry is all I need.

I have a few of those souvenir books, too! I actually do pull them out on rainy days from time to time, when I am really wishing I could be somewhere else. The best souvenirs for me are 2 things I have collected for years, kitschy as they are, tea towels (you know the ones like grandma always seemed to have with recipes or calendars printed on them) and souvenier spoons. Both are inexpensive and take up little space in my suitcase. I love my photos, but I don't look at them every day. My towels are used daily in my kitchen and each time I pull out a fresh one a flood of memories comes back. My little spoons, I think there are over 50 from all over the world, hang in a pretty display case and have been a great source of stories and conversations at parties. I also have a few interesting things picked up at rummage sales and flea markets that I happened upon in my travels. One of the best is a hand painted talavera sink I found at a flea market in Mexico that I lugged around for the rest of my trip. It now holds pride of place in my guest bath, which is decorated with things I collected in the Caribbean and south of the border. Penny, that's also a great place for those books you have collected - in a basket or rack in the bathroom ;-)

I used to buy souvenirs when I started travelling, but I don't anymore as they just end up as clutter that I never look at. I do find myself attracted to kitsch so I have some really tacky souvenirs which make me worry about my mental state when I bought them! I now just buy the sort of things I normally buy (craft supplies, clothes, jewellery, cooking utensils), but try and buy something that I could not get in the UK. Wearing a piece of jewellery to work or sewing something out of fabric I bought on holiday gives me far more pleasure than a souvenir.

I try my best to pick up things that are tasteful and serve a purpose. So against all better judgement I bought a dinosaur mask in the Liverpool world museum. How many times has someone thrown a theme party and it would just be so totally awesome to have a silly mask handy? (And I don't like taking my Carnivale mask from Venice out into the world, because it was wicked expensive.)

So now I have this awesome/ridiculous 50-pence dinosaur face. At least it is flat and soft foam so it won't get ruined in my luggage!

I also have far more trivets/hot plates from more countries than anyone would ever need. They travel well when you're backpacking, you know? My souvenirs tend to be flat. Or wine. But I wouldn't regret any of that :D

I started a collection of the CHEAPEST junky thing I could find that cost less than 5E as a reminder of my vacations. I have the molded version of the David, a Roman temple, wooden clogs, a beer stein, the skyline of Florence, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. You know what I'm talking about!

I have these all on a shelf in my office, so when I'm working on my computer, I can daydream by looking at that junk, and remember my vacations. I can almost remember exactly where I was when I bought each one!

Other than that, the only think I really regret is a stupid baseball hat I bought in Sorrento. We were hiking, and I didn't bring any headwear, so I bought an ITALIA hat....It's at Goodwill now, and probably on someone else's head.

My prized reminders of my holidays are linens from Italy, ceramics from Italy....items I use almost every day. Expensive, but worth it!

This is not Europe-related, but I really wanted a set of bagpipes, and actually found a bagpiper in front of a bagpipe store in New Orleans. He found a set that he said would be great for me, spent about $200 for 'em, and I've never been able to get them to work. I am a musician, so I've got some knowledge of instruments, and I've taken it to some people, who have just told me to give up on the pipes.

Regrets usually come when I cheaped out on something. It does pay in the long run to spend a little more on a quality souvenir item than getting a cheaper thingy.

After our last trip to Berlin I had a different kind of regret. We went shopping in the boutiques of Prenzlauer Berg. A lot of really great and affordable stuff around. I fell in love with THE best trenchcoat I've ever seen - only to find out they didn't have my size anymore. I was so disappointed and ended up buying a dress as a stop-gap. And have never worn it nor will I ever put it on. It's just not my style :-(

I am the world's worst and I'm embarrassed to even think about it. I do it every trip and two months after I'm home I think about what got into me. Some of my fondest items are small items used in decorating my home--framed wall art, a teapot, a whiskey crock, a bath soap dish from Bath. I have enough bandanas and scarves to start a shop!

I love to get a coffee/tea mug everywhere I go. I use them on a daily basis, even though some have gotten broken. Each time I pull one out of the cupboard I remember the trip.

I have also purchased street art that we frame, sometimes from the artist but sometimes mass produced tourist crap. It still looks nice framed up and hung in our "travels corner" which is the walls leading up the stairs. Sometimes we frame some of our own photos too. Every day I come down in the morning and see the pictures!

My stupidest souvenir was a really ugly picture purchased from a man in Barcelona after drinking too much sangria. There was a woman selling some expensive beauties nearby and I wouldn't part with the euros she was demanding and settled on the ugly thing. When I got it home I realized what a mistake I had made.

Oh yes, I bought two cheesy plastic dolls in London! What was I thinking! I'm thinking on my next trip that will be Spain this year, I'll plan to by one very nice item rather than buying many cheap souvenirs. Easier to fly home with only one souvenir too!

If I have time, I like to find vintage shops and get something authentic from the region. Typically, it's been a piece of jewelry. I wear all my pieces, and remember exactly where I got each one. I also love maps, so have collected a few of them, but don't look at them all that much.

I like to buy art from a place we are visiting. Obviously it would be difficult to do this in each city. We bought a drawing in Rothenberg that shows the hotel we stayed in. We bought a watercolor in Paris of the Pont Neuf bridge, where we were at midnight on New Years Eve. Those are just our Europe pictures. None of our art is expensive and it is easy to transport. I frame it at home. I wanted to get something in Dingle (where my maternal ancestors came from a very long time ago) but I didn't see anything I liked. I guess I will just have to go back! Next European stop is Italy. I hope to find just the right thing there.

I get a funny magnet in each city/town whenever I can, just as a little memento. Some of the ones i've gotten are particularly amusing, at least to me! I can't say I've regretted anything I've bought though I, too, bought a couple of the souvenir guide books and have yet to open them. I'm actually quite a careful shopper. The fact that I usually stay in a place at least overnight tends to help for bigger purchases so I can sleep on something and if I still want it the next day, then I know I want it. but I know myself, too, and I am the type who sometimes just HAS TO HAVE SOMETHING and then I will splurge. But those are the ones I funnily enough never regret - in fact more often than not the regret comes from not buying even more, LOL!

I recently gave some souvenirs (coasters, spoons) to a charity shop. I bought them and then never looked at them again. At least not till I gave them away. In the case of books and postcards I am usually (but not always) glad I bought them.

I started a postcard collection for our first Granddaughter...thinking that it would be an easy, inexpensive way for her to have a souvenir from all the fab places Grandpa and I went (and a cancelled stamp) Now we have 7 Grandchildren and another on the way and it is less expensive than other options, but it is very time consuming and mind numbing trying to say just the right thing on the card and finding postcards, stamps and post boxes is not as easy as it once was thanks to technology. It is at least easy for their parents to store and I think they love getting them in the mail. I collect magnets for myself...my fridge is covered.

I love reading your responses, it's just like opening presents on Christmas morning!

I dont have anything I regret. I use all my stuff at home.
Even the silly handbag that says "I Love London" all over it I do use when shopping. Yes, the big red heart is silly and the entire thing is cheesy but I love it. It always catches the eye of someone who also loves London and we usually stand and chat for a few near the grapefruits or jewelry rack, wherever I am at the time!

I also love buying the fold up tote grocery bags. They usually only cost 75p ($1.25). They are my most useful and cheapest souvenirs. I have my M&S(125th anniversary!), Sainsburys and Tesco bags I bring to the grocery store. I use them all the time and always have the great memories of being in London buying food for a picnic.

Plus I usually buy a cheap necklace/earring set which I wear regularly. I love being reminded of my trips.

I bought this Egyptian statue in California at Universal Studies, it was real cheesy. Our favorite souvenir are those wonderful museum guides, we love to read them when we are reminiscing. Jewelry and bookmarks are other things I look forward to finding. My necklace and earrings I bought in London always get a comment and my Cameo from Florence is my favorite piece. This is a fun post.

When I was 10 years old my mother started a silver charm bracelet for me. Adding to it through years of travel has been the best souvenir I could purchase. A tiny charm takes up perhaps one inch of space in a suitcase. I won't say how many years I've been collecting, but I will say I now have six bracelets that are put together for a magnificent necklace. (Yes, it is heavy to wear) I love it and can remember every place a tiny charm was purchased. It is quite a conversation piece when worn. I can truthfully say a god part of my life is represented on this necklace. I have also started charm bracelets for each granddaughter when they reach their 13th birthday. I contribute charms meaningful to them until they graduate from high school. Then they are on their own! Christmas and birthday gifts are easy!!

Like the OP, I too have purchased many museum guides and rarely take the time to look at them. Those are probably my only regret purchase.

One thing I love to do is to purchase a tins...on our last trip I bought a tin of tea in London, cocoa in the Netherlands, cookies in Italy, candy in France. We ended up with a snack/drink and something to display in our kitchen. The only drawback is that they can be bulky, I just try to mail a package home from each country.

My other weaknesses are magnets, paintings/sketches (we frame them at home for our travel wall), Christmas ornaments, and anything else that captures my heart! Some of the ideas presented here are making me believe I need to double my souvenier budget!

Hi Penny!

We bought a bottle of Sour Cherry Wine in the village of Sirince in Turkey last May. We carried it all over the country for the rest of the trip, had to check luggage to get it home, and still haven't opened it! Your posted question reminded me of it--maybe we'll open it on the one-year anniversary of our trip to Turkey!

I love most of the things I've bought in Europe all these years. My walls are full but I still buy an occasional print and frame it nicely. Because we have enough big items (pottery, glass etc) I try to get useful household items (kitchen towels,cheese grater, oven mitts etc). We have gotten about 12 laminated placemats of places in France, and it's fun to use those when entertaining. Having grandchildren gives you an excuse to shop for kids' things like puzzles, books, dolls,and unique toys. Our furniture is Danish modern and most of the things in our house are from Europe and I love it! I agree with others about the museum books and other books as you don't look at them very often.

No, I can't think of anything I wish I hadn't purchased. I have crucifix from the Vatican, a linen scarf from Bayeux, pottery spoon rest and small leather purse from Tuscany, two watercolors from Paris, a shopping tote with little black taxi print from Harrod's that I use both for shopping and as my school day tote, a couple small pieces of jewelry from Venice, and a few silver charms from here and there for my bracelet. The one book I have purchased was at the Omaha Beach museum with first person accounts, and I re-read bits from time to time. Oh, and a clicker from the museum that I show my students. My photo collection and my memories are my most significant souvenirs.

I agree that photos are probably the best tangible souvenirs. But anything that reminds you of your travel adventures is a treasure, even if it might seem silly to someone else. Even if it's cheesy or poor quality, it can still be something to make you laugh. I only regret my impulse museum guide purchases because the money could have gone to one good quality book or something else meaningful...or at least more gelato!!! Sounds like many of you have already figured that out:)

Thanks for all the input!

I am blessed with the ability to bypass most shopping. Even my first really long trip around Europe I came home after 3 months with only one set of coasters, one pair of candlesticks,and one necklace, still have them,, and its been over 25 years.

Since then I have purchased a few items of clothing, and a fridge magnet in last ten years. Thats it. I like my fridge magnet,, but the clothes are long gone,, all except for one jacket.

Oh yes,, I still have one of those ET keychains,, although its just in a junk drawer somewhere,, LOL

My wife collects spoons from each country and in some cases of each city or area we visit and keeps them in a shadow box. She also buys a T-shirt on occasion. Mine are photos. No big regrets although we over did the souviner thing on our first trip. Now, we buy one thing for the grandchildren which is a weakness my wife has. She declares for herself an unlimited budget for the G-children.......and seemingly exceeds that :).

My biggest regret was a cheesy Mayan calendar plaque I bought years ago. Still have it. If you look at it beside the ceramic coffee service I got in Orvieto, it shows growth- in travel AND taste. I pick up tea towels, too, as well as silver charms and water colors. I also get the museum books on my first visit but get the smallest one and look at them from time to time.Scarves are also a good buy and easy to carry. I bought a plague doctor's mask in Venice, I don't regret having it but I sure regreted having to carry it all over Italy since Venice was our first stop. Unless it's something really special (usually something I regreted not buying on a previous trip) it has to be lightweight and easily carried.

I'm surprised that so many people regret buying museum guides. I have quite a few and am glad I have them. I'm enjoying reading all the comments.

When I was in Venice many years ago, I bought a supposedly silk blouse from a shop and wore it out to dinner. When walking across St Mark's Square, I was hit in the shoulder by pigeon droppings. Ugh! They came out in the wash and I still like the blouse but will never forget the first time I wore it.

Like Frank, I look for postcards. I also will get an extra scorecard from the golf courses I've played.

I love earrings, so I buy usually buy a pair (at least) as a souvenir. In fact, at this very moment, I'm wearing a pair I bought in Cornwall! I can't think of anything truly regrettable, probably because I'm too thrifty (OK, cheap) to blow much money on any one thing. :)

only regret is that you cant bring enough fun stuff home in the luggage. we like collecting books. i now try to bring home a piece of jewelry, a tablecloth or other textile item and a piece of dishware from each place we go. we have them displayed in our family room and are happily running out of shelves :D now we also try to acquire a piece of art. we have a lovely carving from bangkok and an original painting on an antique shutter from santorini. the stories of packing them home are fun memories as well. the handmade cuckoo clock from the black forest had to be shipped as there were 4 of us in an audi A3. ;)

Great topic Penny. It's good to see a fellow Okie on the forum.

In each city we visit, I always pick up an ugly magnet to put on the fridge and an ornament for the Christmas tree. We put our tree up this year for the first time in five years and it was great fun to see all the ornaments we had purchased. It took forever to get the tree decorated because each ornament would cause us to stop and talk about past journeys.

I wrote a post about the experience on my blog. Take a look if you're interested. Here's a link: http://bit.ly/dxXAFF

I agree, This is a fun post to read. I don't have any regrets of things that I bought, usually I have regrets of things I decided to wait on and never had a chance to go back to get. I love the leather coat I had made in Florence~ It was fun to create the style and choose the color. I love the ceramics from Italy
I also tend to buy a lot of jewelry and I try to get something that is unique to where I am visiting if I can. I love my cameo from Ravello, glass ring from Murano, my evil eye bracelet from Santorini, my gold hoop earrings from a store on Ponte Vecchio, and my favorite is simply green sea glass I found on the beach in St. Kitts that I had made into a necklace. (it was a huge piece all tumbled, it really was unique and I receive compliments every time I wear it.)

Since I have quite a collection and with hopes of it to grow with even more trips, I bought a bead storage box that I put the pieces in and on the cover for each space...I label where I bought it and what year. (I have a fear I will forget one day and look at something and go.. where did I get this??)

Many years ago I studied abroad in college. As a joke I brought back (from Taiwan) a green, glow-in-the-dark plastic Buddha statue for my parents. I still laugh remembering the look on their faces...they though I was serious. But Buddha had an honored place in their home.

Seriously, now we bring back keychains that we use as Christmas ornaments. Inexpensive and small, and each year we happily remember our family travels as we decorate our tree. (though the naked David has caused some comment)

I buy Christmas ornaments. They take up little space are (generally) cheap and are only brought out once a year, so I'm not always looking at them, and that way when I hang them on my tree I can take the time to really look at each one and remember the good times.

Other than that I save receipts, ticket stubs, coasters from bars etc, I always just shove them in my purse and I have a small memory board hanging in my bedroom with my free mementos.

I have started to collect itmes to use as decorations on my Christmas tree. I have a key chain from Greece, blowen glass from Italy, a poker chip from Las Vegas. When I put my tree up every year I can remember my trip.

I buy a postcard from every city I visit, and also when I visit a new country, I buy a small flag.

I regret NOT buying Maple Syrup on my recent trip to Toronto... I thought the syrup would be cheaper at home, but I was wrong, so I should have just gotten it in duty free when I looking to spend my extra Canadian dollars!!

I just returned from a trip in the Caribbean and I had a custom bracelet made up in silver. We don't buy souvenirs anymore, and definitely nothing from museums. The kids got T-shirts, and sometimes they would buy sweatshirts from Universities in Europe.

I don't regret buying any of my trinkets but I did underestimate the pleasure of all the photos especially now when you can turn them into mugs, calendars, wall plaques, magnets etc.

I bought a snow globe once. I now know (and should have known before I bought it) you can't carry it on the plane (and I'm not about to check a bag for one souvenir that will probably break if checked anyway).

I have a lot of art that I fully intend to frame "someday". I'm not sure when that day will arrive but I still fully intend to frame it and hang it "somewhere".

Brad, I do have some "art" that I too plan to frame one day. Some of these were bought ages ago when we did not have children. I have learned to admire most things and walk A.W.A.Y! The photos we take mean more to me.

I have a 2 12ft high walls going up my staircase that are bare. I bought a couple of art posters last year at the Van Gogh and Albertina Museums - they have the Museum name on them like the Albertina one says Imprressionists amd the collection dates. I'll get a couple more my next trip and I'm going to create a gallery going up the stairs. The key is that any future adds will also have to have the museum name on them . So I'll have my memories on the walls. Well, that's my plan. I have to admit it wasn't that much fun carrying the poster tube around and on the train and plane back.

When I was in Fes (Morocco) in Fall 2008, I bought a Fez cap to bring home for a friend. I regret not getting one for myself.

I just have regrets about things I didn't buy- like the necklace I didn't buy in Venice, because it was the beginning of the trip, and I was trying to watch our money. Then, we ended up with left-over money (esp. after my grandfather gave us spending money for Christmas!), because I couldn't find myself something personal and special just for me to buy later on.

thanks for this thread!

I started collecting bookmarks (a few fancy ones, but mostly simple ones) because they were cheap, easy to carry and didn't need dusting when I got home. I now have more than 300 (figure average price of $1.5o - surely underestimate) and I use 2 or 3 of them. On the other hand, I love my fridge magnet collection, even though some that are photos that have faded badly. I look at them a lot, and they also impress all my visitors!

I have bought lots of souvenir photo books and museum guides over the years and regret none of them. Someday, I won't have the physical and/or the economic ability to travel, then I will sit at home and look at them, and remember how lucky I was to be able to visit so many wonderful places.

Another bookmark fan:) I have an elderly relative who collects those, so I'm always on the lookout. I've gotten pretty good at finding them. There's is a bookbinding shop in Venice (http://www.chartaonline.com/)that makes colorful handmade ones, they're beautiful. They have a large window display.

I have another kin who collects floating pens, between my finds and her travels, she's got hundreds of them from all over the world. Hopefully she leaves them to me in her will:)

@ Michael, forgive my ignorance, but what is a "floating pen?"

http://www.floatart.com/misc/history.html

They also go by the names float or floaty pens.

Got it, thanks. When I saw floating pen I guess I was picturing a pen that floats, not things that float in the pen.

Many souvenirs I regret, so to stop that, we started buying Christmas ornaments from each trip. Our tree is a wonderful collection of our favorite memories together. They range from German woodcuttings to a little Austrian Mozart to a Mexican iguana to a blown glass lemon slice from Sorrento and on and on... Much easier to carry in a bag, normally.

I can't believe this thread is still around. Oh well, my turn, I guess...

The hole I put in my left hand when I missed the chisel at the Berlin Wall in the fall of '89. OK, I had a few too many and it didn't hurt that much at the time, but it certainly "left a mark" by the next morning. I did come home with some very memorable souvenirs and got my picture in National Geographic (April 1990, pg.106), but it's that scar on my left hand that I get to see every day.

Ed,

you're right, those pieces of the Berlin Wall definitely do not belong into the category of souvenir regrets. I gave one away as a gift and kept a few around the house. The smallest one I've taken out to different show-and-tell occasions but the rest are not allowed to leave their shelf.

My wife and I usually look for one or at the most two nice things to buy that we would consider art that we can put on the wall. Other than that, I collect magnets. Some are on the refrigerator, but most are on the board in my classroom at school. The kids get a kick out of looking at them. I even have a separate board full of magnets the kids have brought me when they travel places.

My only regret was the $15 magnet we bought in Puerto Rico. It was a hand-painted ceramic cast of one of the "doors of San Juan". It was on the refrigerator for about a month before crashing to several pieces on the floor. Thankfully, we also spent the money to buy a larger version for the wall, which is still intact.

I have many, many souvenir books that I have bought (and lugged around) in the past, and while I don't regret them, I don't plan to buy any more. I usually buy postcards now when I go to a museum of a few works I especially like. I think I'm going to take them all and create a collage on my office wall this fall--maybe my students will be inspired!

I usually have the problem of not finding anything I want to buy (is that weird?) except for books, so a few years ago I decided that I would buy owl objects for my souvenirs. This has turned out to be a fun decision--I've found great ones in Tijuana (it's a skeletal Dia de los Muertos owl!), Bulgaria, and New Mexico. But the best one is a folk art one made of recycled materials (I think the eyes are thumbtacks, and the wings are cut from galvanized steel) that I bought in a gas station in the Netherlands. I think it was $7. The best part is that when I see one, I know what to buy! Usually, they are small and easily packed too. I also like jewelry for this reason.

Penny, great thread. I don't regret my souvenirs but I have clothing regrets, boyfriend regrets, etc!

On my backpacking, poor student trip, I collected drink coasters. Free and flat.

I've collected silver charms and silver spoons. Sterling spoons are difficult to find these days - I find silver plate or pewter now.

One thing our family collects is characatures. They are usually inexpensive (although the framing can be expensive) and are personalized. We find artists near the major sites. We collect prints, some expensive, some cheap.

I also have some pieces of the Berlin wall - but haven't decided how to display them.

We've just returned from a trip to Germany. This time, I could afford the cuckoo clock!

We're not great about journaling during our trip - but we do write down our memories upon our return. Memories and photos are the best!

Thanks Eli for reviving the thread! It's been great fun reading everyone's posts. You are all much wiser with your purchases than I have been.(Except maybe for Brad, but who can resist the siren song of the snow globe?:))
Just thought of another regret: a gondolier-style t shirt from Venice. It was a last minute impulse, I hadn't bought anything else for myself on that trip besides those museum guides. But horizontal stripes on my frame? Not good!!!

Hey Ed, ouch! A hard-won souvenir, but great conversation starter.

My big leap was just learning not to buy those same little books you are talking about. No matter how interested I am, it's a pretty good bet that the same or better info & pictures can be viewed for free on the Internet. There may ecven be some much larger book with better pictures that Amazon.com would be happy to send to my home, thereby saving me from lugging it another 2,000 miles. Truth be told I usually read the information and then the book takes up space somewhere becasuse no one else cares. It would have been better for both wallet and environment to just read it online.

It was fun reading everyone's stories of souvenir treasures and regrets. We rarely, if ever, purchase anything for ourselves on the trips, so not much regrets on my end. We do, however, always purchase a piggy bank for my nephew and always purchase a Christmas ornament for my mother-in-law. The purchases reflect the places we've been.

I did once observe another individual purchasing a sourvenir and I felt regret on his behalf. We were at Heathrow for our return flight and just passing through shops to kill time. I observed a gentelman purchase a baseball cap with London written on it. The hat was 30 pounds, and with the exchange rate at the time, it came out to $60. I just could not imagine buying a $60 baseball cap. I hope he got lots of use out of it.

Luckily for me I use the Rick Steves one bag carry on so I don't have room for souvenirs. I download my camera put all the pics from a trip in one file and use it as a screen saver.