Souvenirs from Trips

I’ve been looking at our tree and trying to guesstimate how many of our ornaments are from our European travels over the last 35 years. I estimate between 75-80%. My most recent purchases have been multiple large felt ornaments and birch sewn stars—added bonus that they are flat and travel well. It was also satisfying to set up our nativity sets, pyramids and nutcrackers since we didn’t travel this year after March and think about where we were when we bought these special holiday decorations.

I had a gap of about 18 years without a Christmas tree--thought my then-kitten would wreak havoc with it, years later I realize he's either utterly terrified of it or possibly just non-plussed so I am kicking myself for not buying ornaments when I travel until a couple of years ago. I have a woven bead Hungarian flag, ceramic angel from my favorite shop on Castle Hill, a wooden stork, and then some fabric & beaded ones from the Tower of London--a raven, Beefeater and the White Tower with a teeny raven on the roof. They fit in nicely with my big collection of charming wood Steinbach ornaments, and there's plenty of room for more once I get to travel again..

We tend to bring back one thing - like a butter dish from Florence and a table cloth from Provence- that we use "everyday". We brought back winter scarfs from Norway, tea towels from New Zealand and "olive" picks from Amsterdam. They serve as daily reminders of how fortunate we have been to travel.

I still use the stainless flatware I bought in Denmark in 1969. It’s now missing 2 forks, but brings back memories every day. For some weird reason I bought souvenir spoons in every country.

I used the reins I had made in Ireland until I changed from hunter (brown leather) to dressage (black), but they are still in my tack trunk. From that trip I have two ornaments one a Waterford sock that was not imported to the US and a crystal candle holder from AmbassadorCrystal who are no longer in business.

Last year SIL and I bought Christmas ornaments in every town we visited. She had so many that she shipped them home. I was able to carry mine.

I bring back things from grocery stores, such as cheeses, ( for Canada, we are allowed to bring in 20 kgs !! of cheese per person as long as it is vacuum packed and dry, not in brine).
Spices such as hot red pepper from Italy and Spain.
Vin Santo from Italy.
Scarves!
Calendars to remind me of trips all the next year.
Unframed watercolours if I see one I like being done by a street artist.
Earrings ,especially Venetian glass.
Just small stuff really.

Like others I treasure souvenirs because they bring back special memories. Most prized is a copper wine vessel from Bottega del Rame, Montepulciano. Olive Oil, scarves, & leather items form Italy. Pumpkin Seed Oil from Ljubljana. Unframed prints and jewelry from various countries. Magnets, bags and bookmarks from various museum gift shops. Tablecloth & towels from France. We also brought back a bottle of Vin Santo that we shared with our tour group at our reunion a few months later.

We try to bring back art. Nothing super expensive but something we find at a craft fair or similar. I love looking around the house and remembering the stories and trips associated with everything.

We enjoy finding second hand clothing shops and making purchases to bring home to wear. Numerous times my wife has been asked where did she find the beautiful ________ (scarf, blouse, shoes) and she has enjoyed saying, "This old thing? Madrid (Split, Barcelona, London, etc).

Coffee mugs let you relive your travels every morning. Not light weight though. Some are trash, some are done with thought and style and reflect the experience.

We have always bought Christmas ornaments (or things that we can use as ornaments- like chandelier 'fobs') as souvenirs on our travels. Since we traveled twice a year for more than 20 years before we had to stop, we have LOTS of European (and Australian) ornaments. We now have to decide which ones we will hang any particular year. I always insist on our Austrian straw and red string 'stars', our blown glass angel from Lucerne, the green 'fob' from Amsterdam, and the blue drops and glass stars from Edinburgh, and the Irish 'harp' ball, and our very first- a large hand-blown glass ball from Swarovski! Lots of others, too that we at least look at each year. We have a rather large tree (almost 8 ft.) so we do get to enjoy a great many. We usually put up the tree on Thanksgiving evening, or no later than the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This year, we felt the need for a little extra Christmas spirit, so it went up the first Saturday in November! OH- and we have to set up the hand-carved nativity we bought on our very first European trip. It had to fly home on my lap! LOL!

I love reading about everyone’s souvenirs. We purchase all kinds of odd items when we travel - whatever catches our eye. Mostly my eye, my husband just usually goes along with me. I have tote bags, woodwork, Christmas ornaments, art work, embroidery, crosses, ceramics, coffee mugs, clothing, small dishes for trinkets, you get the picture. I love looking around our house seeing items from our trips. But my most prized possession is my charm bracelet. It is Full of charms from so many of my trips. In fact, we are going next week to purchase a second bracelet because I have 2 charms and no room left on my first bracelet. I love wearing it and It is a great conversation starter. Also, a recent gift is a digital photo Frame. Besides pictures of our family, we have pictures and video from trips scrolling through all day long. When my husband was working evenings, I would Watch it during dinner and be reminded of our good fortune.

The oddest souvenir I bought was two WW1 Italian newspapers at a patio sale in Matera. I can’t read a word of them but they are special in their own way.

Now that I travel mostly solo and live in a tiny home I only shop for small gifts for family- but do look for items I can incorporate into daily life- the incredibly light cashmere blend sweater I wear constantly found in the Copenhagen airport shop and my beloved kuksa coffee mug purchased in a Sami museum gift shop in northern Finland. It is really small and I keep it on the window sill and use it every morning for my coffee- especially a reminder in these Covid times of my past fortune to travel and future hopes we can travel again.

The things we tend to buy are small watercolors from the artist, which are framed and hung on a gallery wall together, and Starbucks mugs from International cities. I use these mugs daily and think about my time in whichever city I’m drinking from. Today is Salzburg. I also like something that’s useful in the house and scarves.

I have enjoyed a variety of souvenirs from our trips to Europe - a key chain from Venice, tea towels from Positano and Sorrento, Italy, as well as Cornwall, England, a tea cup from London, a plate from Florence and several Christmas ornaments. Some of my favorite Christmas ornaments include a small Swiss cowbell, a blue domed white church from Santorini, a ceramic mask from Venice, and a globe ornament from Sorrento showing Mt. Vesuvius. My grandchildren love the Pinocchio marionette ornament from Rome. I have a collection of about a dozen cookie tins that I have gotten over time from Amsterdam, Vienna, France, and England. I also have tote bags, from the Cinque Terre and a handmade tote from Athens. Small dipping bowls are easy to pack and I now have some from Eze, France; Marbella, Spain; Capri, Italy; and Santorini, Greece. Bookmarks are great also. Whenever I use one of these souvenirs it is a bright spot in my day.

I might be a little weird but the second stage of trip planning for me is deciding what I am going to try and bring back from my destination. For me, I prefer functional objects that I can use regularly. Consequently, I have more sommelier tools and picnic knives than I could ever use regularly.😂

For our upcoming trip to Spain, I will search for a set of damascus steel steak/table knives in Toledo or, as the song says, boots of Spanish leather.

My two preteen daughters have enjoyed finding art from street artists in Paris and are already looking forward to this search in Madrid. I will actually take along a roller tube to facilitate this.

My first trip abroad was during the Nixon years.

Not a big shopper but while in Paris bought a cute hand painted soap dish. Used it this morning while in the kitchen. A bit chipped and faded but serves its purpose.

On other trips primarily in the Fall or early winter months my practical shopping is dedicated to purchasing Christmas Cards. Very easy to pack, and practical. An occasional Christmas ornament as a gift might also be bought if not too fragile.

As noted in other posts I also love getting tea tins especially in London. Red phone booths and Elizabeth’s Tower are greatly appreciated as they become coin holders after the tea bags are used up.
The same with buying key chains with black cabs, crowns, red phone booths, Yoeman Warders, and the Queens Guard.

Yep, practical.

I don't shop too much. When I traveled with my daughter, when she was a teenager, we brought back key rings from various places. They were hung on our tree every year. Traveling with my husband, we might buy a food product, particularly if we are in Olive Oil country. By myself, I might buy one pair of earrings, a scarf or fabric. Small items that will fit in my bag and get used.

@jasonindenver, I also preplan what to purchase on my travels. I want to have something local - but also authentic. When researching Spain 3 years ago, there was only one or two local steelmakers in Toledo. RS includes this in his book - but check as he is getting on. I know I 'pre-shopped' on line to see what was available. In the end, I found them too ornate, and my family wasn't that interested in them. Keep in mind, you cannot bring them back in carry on only luggage.
A number of years ago on a cruise, I knew my kids would want underwater photos, so checked a local photographer's site, kids picked their preference, and they were delivered to me at the cruise port with a personal visit with the photographer. Similar in another port, but I wandered out of the hectic port area and picked them up myself. Got to see some other out of the way places as well.

I've enjoyed all the stories about souvenirs brought back from trips. It seems we're on the same page.

Your posts about practical items reminded me of a sweater I bought in the Barrows in Glasgow. I knew I'd need something warm and decided to wait and buy a traditional wool sweater. I found one at a great price, but once I bought it, I noticed there were flecks of color in the threads. As we continued our trip, I noticed dyes on the sheep in the field. I found out that rams wear a chest pad with colored dye. During mating, the color is transferred to the back of the ewe. This way, the shepherds can trace genealogy. I now regard the flecks of color in my sweater not as imperfections but as a visible reminder of good times!

DougMac that is so interesting, I hadn’t thought about those colorful bits in a natural wool sweater but now I won’t be able to see them without thinking of your story 😉

Fabric is my go to souvenir. Our home and cabin have pillows, wall hangings, seat covers, valances and napkins made from fabrics from all over the world. Even have a shower curtains made from a Hawaii print. It packs well and won’t break. My other trip take- home is all the colored sketches I draw from sitting down and taking time to record an experience in time.

We too like to bring back an unframed piece of art, preferably from a street artist. However, we are running out of wall space, and have a backlog. Mostly we bring back food items now.

I buy hatpins - decorative pins from countries, cities, and attractions. I probably have 300-400 at this point. I wear a distinctive hat. It says to everyone - "This chucklehead is a tourist". I also carry a large camera, so there's no disguising my tourist status. The pins are light, but they are easy to lose. I do have a great fear that my hat will fall off in an inconvenient place and I would lose hundreds of pins. Well, life is short.

Oh, Paul-of-the-frozen-North, I hope you have a picture or two of that hat and its pins, in case you would lose it. It gave me a chuckle to think that the very purpose of a hat pin used to be to keep it on your head!

I like to buy Christmas ornaments, magnets, jewelry, ceramics like mugs or plates or platters. I suck it up and take the “it’ll fit” approach. 😂😂😂 I have also bought shirts, food/candy, and utensils. I love putting up my tree with small ornaments from trips past or looking at my Swiss flag magnet while getting something out of the fridge on a random Tuesday. I’m just now starting to dream about a trip again. Can’t wait to travel again.

I, like Rick, collect coins. I have a lot of Indian coins worth about $10 as well as Canadian dollars and loon coins. I also have shilling notes from a former friend's dad and more British and EU coins. I originally had decided to use them in my next trip to the EU but that keeps getting pushed back.

Understand that the UK has decommissioned some of the coins I hold. Are they still legal tender or just like buffalo nickels?

Shillings (1/20th of an old pound) went out on 15 February 1971 when Pounds-Shillings-Pence (LSD from the symbols) were Decimalised and no longer accepted for payment (yes, there was a conversion). A Shilling was worth 5 New Pence. All the coins and all the notes have been replaced. New Pence are now Pence.

The concept of Legal Tender doesn't exist south of Hadrian's Wall.

I'm not a big shopper when I travel. One thing I look at, however, is the spice section in grocery stores. I like to buy locally produced spices (but in grocery store packaging CBP doesn't look twice at). They're lightweight and inexpensive. They're also a great memory as I cook with them at home.

After they are empty, the tins could make really good ornaments. I haven't done that yet but I have saved a few of my favorite tins.