How to Deal with Accumulating Souvenirs as I Travel Europe?

If your day bag/purse isn’t too big it can be carried inside a slightly bigger tote bag when in transit. The tote carries your day bag full of its normal contents, plus extra purchases. If you buy anything fragile then that item gets padded with clothes in the suitcase and extra clothes go in the tote (I bought a small mirror in Spain and stored it this way once). On the return you can use the tote as your underseat bag, or check your main bag and have a slightly bigger tote. With 3 hotels you have 2 travel days in Europe and the return flight day. Should be reasonable.

Or just leave enough room in your bag to fit items purchased (buy less or take less to begin with).

We like to save our old clothes for our trip and not bring them back, which gives us plenty of room in our suitcase.

"Should I pack another collapsible bag and just try to bring it home on my flight?"

That's what I'd recommend. Just plan on checking a bag on the way home. That's far cheaper than trying to ship things, and easier as well.

I always bring a duffel that zips into its own little case. Mine is Eagle Creek, and it's lasted at least 5-6 trips so far. It unfolds to a decent size and I like the double shoulder straps. I start out buying small items that can squish into shoes or random corners, but my trips are usually 3-4 weeks. About 2/3 of the way through I transfer purchases and clean clothes to the duffel and it becomes my carry-on. I then check the dirty laundry carry-on on the way home- also useful for cushioning bottles or breakables!

I don't buy too many souvenirs. I limit myself to something small enough to be used as a Christmas tree ornament. I can always fit this in my bag, and it is fun to enjoy the memories as I decorate the tree each year.

Yes, we pack one small collapsible duffle bag for the things we accumulate. On the return flight, we check this bag (or one of the carryons) packed with our dirty clothes, books and other expendables (plus any liquid souvenirs). This leaves the carryons lighter and more manageable. Sometimes, I've bought a cheap sports bag or duffle over there during the trip for the same purpose.

The disadvantage, of course, is that you have another bag to manage during the trip, but its doable.

I'm not much of a shopper and unless we are buying wine, we don't accumulate much. We did once purchase a case of wine which the winery mailed home for me. I always bring an additional bag that folds into a pocket. I check the carry on luggage on the way home and carry on the foldable bag instead. I tend to buy what my husband calls "small trinkets". I bring a cheap largish plastic water bottle, the type that comes with the collapsible straw, my kids used to get them free at various camps. For the trip to Europe, I fill one with nuts and dried fruit and my souvenirs go into it when the food is gone and I'm collecting small things, typically wrapped in tissue paper. Sometimes I do pick up the photo books from some of the attractions and we did buy a couple pair of Birks in Cologe.

I alway stash one of these Sea-To-Summit duffels in my backpack:

https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Summit-Ultra-Sil-Duffle-40-Liter/dp/B006CG2ZEA

It's expensive, but very light and durable. I don't leave home without it.

All the posts have great suggestions. I try not to buy too many sourvenirs, but each trip is different. Like many of the other posters, I pack a collapsible small duffle and plan on checking one piece of luggage back to the U..S. If I purchase something fragile and/or large, I have it shipped. This past month in Italy, I bought some Murano glass and the shipping was about equal to VAT and therefore having the shop do it wasn’t expensive and it arrived in beautiful condition. Other times, I will find a local DHS and have it shipped. I have also shipped items from a post office. If you want a local experience, try to pack and ship a package from the local post office. In France it iwas one of my greatest memories. I wanted to ship the package priority, the postal worker did not—too expensive. Really had no choice but to ship it the way the postal worker wanted—arrived before all my other packages.

Have a great trip.
Sandy

I usually buy a refrigerator magnet for each city that I visit and perhaps a scarf or a light piece of clothing as souvenirs.

I also bring along either an Eddie Bauer Stowaway Packable Duffel (on sale now for $24.99) or their Stowaway Packable Backpack (also on sale for $24.99). They are super lightweight and surprisingly durable. I've taken them on two trips to Europe, Australia and numerous trips in the U.S. The backpack is great to use for day trips. And, I can throw them in the washing machine on a cold, gentle cycle when I get home and let them air dry and they are as good as new.

I like to shop when I'm in Europe and thus plan my packed items and luggage carefully--especially if I'm hitting up the flea markets where I find old things I know I probably won't ever find again. I have never shipped anything home, and if I did it would be shoes or clothes, not special items I couldn't replace. I usually take a 28" suitcase that is checked and Rick's flight bag, but can also do a 21" that goes in the cabin heading over and is checked on return and I have a sturdy LeSportsac zipped tote that becomes my carry-on for goodies. I think your idea of bringing a collapsible bag is perfect.

That said, I choose souvenirs carefully and aside from a couple of little things for my aunt and mom I don't bring back stuff for other people. Small things can be tucked almost anywhere in your bag, even in spare shoes. I bring bubble wrap and also wrap breakables in my clothes inside the packing cubes. I was overloaded last trip by 7 bags of cookies from Vienna and 6 marzipan pretzel and sausage trays from Munich plus new emergency sneakers and 5 fabulous pieces of vintage Hungarian pottery and a couple of Steiff animals from Giengen...

I usually end up going to the post office and posting items back.

Photos and memories are my favorite souvenirs. I’ve been to Europe several times and try to really think about what would be meaningful vs. picking up several impulse buy items or stuff at each city which I did on the first trip. Several years ago I decided that I would pick up a ceramic pitcher or similar from a few of the countries to display in a kitchen glass shelf.

I pack light, so when I was bringing home a ceramic piece, it went in my small backpack wrapped in a clothing item. Everything else was in my roller carry on suitcase. If we were taking a bus instead of a train, I always had my backpack sitting on my lap. For your trip, some Christmas theme piece might be very nice.

I don't do as much shopping as I used to, limiting myself mostly to handmade crafts and inexpensive art. I try very hard not to buy things available at home. There's enough extra room in my 23" suitcase and carry-on foldable tote to hold anything I buy, but I have to be careful about weight since my trips are long and the luggage gets moved to a lot of different cities. The little glass jars of flavored mustard got heavier as last year's trip progressed.

On a 12-day trop I would not be making a trip to tne post offoce or a commercial shipper. Aside from the cost, it will be time-consuming. Having the merchant ship for you at least saves time (and may not cost anything on expensive items because of the VAT waiver), but you must be careful to work with a reliable merchant. There are some crooks out there.

I do what many of those posting upthread do - carry a small, collapsable duffle with me, I unfold it near the end of the trip and start filling it up, then check a bag (or two) on the way home. Checked bags on the flights home are pretty much worry-free - no crisis if it's sent to the wrong city, it'll get to my house eventually. I do tend to save up much of our shopping for the later parts of the trip, but it depends how we're getting around.

We travel with checked luggage... I aim for one of the checked cases to be nearly empty when we leave home so I have space for souvenirs. I then spread our clothes etc evenly across the 2 cases when we leave home. I love buying quality and unique reminders of special places.

Thank you so much everyone for your great ideas, and for taking the time to reply. This forum is great.

I limit packing to a 21 inch carry on and my travel purse. I carry a smaller lightweight duffle from Walmart (about 15 years old). This carry my food needs during vacation as I use short let apartments and need to carry GF alternatives.
For thank you gifts, I often wait until the airport coming home. Price doesn't vary much and I don't have to carry it all over my travel. I love Schipel airport for its grocery store. Dutch cheeses and the caramel waffle cookies are always a big hit. For personal purchases, it is the occasional scarf, or postcard for work bulletin board or something that can adapt to a Christmas tree ornament. I am downsizing so don't need any more stuff to have to find a home for. I will often design a photo book for my memories.

I agree with Maria (Atlanta) above post, the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil duffel bag has worked very well for us over the last 4 years of travel in Europe. This bag is made of parachute material and is tough but collapses into a bag that fits in your palm! I toss one of these in my backpack and as we accumulate things to bring back fill up the duffel bag, then I still carry on the plane with my backpack and the duffel as my two carry-on allowed luggage.

Txtwinmama--we sound like twins indeed! I contemplated some chair cushions in Budapest that I sadly had to leave behind, and thought for years I would buy a cuckoo clock if I ever got to Germany; I finally did this year but the urge had passed and I was happy with a refrigerator magnet of one instead. I love being able to say "Thanks! I got this in Paris!" when someone compliments the funky screenprinted sweater that I found at a pop-up shop in the Marais, and my morning coffee is that much better in a hand-crafted mug from Budapest.

I buy a tote or small suitcase in the last city we are in and put my dirty laundry in there and check that bag in, and use that space in my carry on for souvenirs. I have a great collection of totes and bags from all over and I use each one. I would never pass buying something just because I may not have room for it...I make room for what is important to me.

I have a rule for my kids. It has to fit in our suitcase.

I like buying country-specific home decor items. I am planning a home renovation and want to decorate my new living room with souvenirs from all over Europe.

If you plan on checking bags on the way back, then buy a suitcase in Europe. They are actually slightly cheaper than in the US after tax refunds. The quality is also higher. It's refreshing to see that at least some suitcases are made in Europe.

I bought this one: "Samsonite S Cure Spinner 4-roller trolley 75 cm". This model is not sold in the US. It's light for a hardsided case, and it opens 70-30. Most cases in the US open 50-50, and thus packing is not easy. I bought mine from the internet. The vendor is helpful (English ok) and provides a full tax refund. Bear in mind that many retailers don't give you the full refund. In fact, usually they pocket more than half of it as "handling fees".

markenkoffer.de

In order to get your Customs stamp before you depart, make sure your suitcase doesn't look beaten up. Hope this helps.

Use the mail. No hauling it around, no buying another suitcase (which you'll get charged for), and Christmas when you get home. I've mailed stuff from almost ever country in Europe. German takes 5-10 days, Italy a month, everybody else is different. I've never had anything broken or stolen, from crystal wineglasses (Vienna), hand painted eggs (Prague), or custom glass balls (Bavaria). Pocket knives, clothes, books, etc. I mail it all.

For our last two trips to Europe, we've used the extra bag, then mail it routine. We had an extra bag in our suitcase that we would use mostly for souvenirs. When it was full, we'd mail it home. We've done that from Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, and Norway. One item got broken out of all the boxes we sent and it was something that wasn't very valuable. For valuable or heavy items, we usually have the store we bought it in ship it to the US if they do shipping. It places the liability of something getting broken on them. And they usually will insure the package. One bonus of having them ship it is that they will often not charge you VAT (or reduce the VAT), which balances out the shipping costs. Depending on how long you are gone, you may want to ask a neighbor or friend if you can send the packages to them and pick them up when you get home. That avoids the risk of having packages sitting on your porch before you get back. If you plan on packing things to ship home yourself, you might want to see if you can fit some bubble wrap in your suitcase. On a couple of occasions, I've found that "bubble wrap" doesn't translate well and I've had some trouble finding it at some post offices.

I really enjoy buying souvenirs for friends and family, but after many mishaps (broken stuff) I changed my "strategy": for our last overseas trip (not Europe, but Japan) my husband and I packed a collapsible backpack (each) that I got at TJ Maxx for around $16. It weights very little, folds very compact and it looks like it won't rip apart very easily (I still wouldn't pack anything pointy on there) and we were able to put in there coffee mugs, tea cups, key chains, hand held fans, t shirts, several bags of kit kats...

On the flight back home, we brought the souvenirs backpacks with us in the cabin and checked our carry-on backpacks, that way all the fragile things were intact. What I do when visiting several cities is to buy small souvenirs at the beginning of our trip and get bigger/heavier towards the end, so I'm not carrying a lot of weight while moving from city to city.

People that bring snacks to Europe got some grief recently when it was pointed out that all can be purchased at the destination. Well, I like to have some snacks for convenience or when when we have an early start. I don't bring a lot of snacks, and I typically don't buy much in the way of souvenirs, but typically I can fit in the souvenirs as we eat the snacks. I also bring a collapsible bag that I can use as a carry on when I need to check a bag. Last time I was in Germany, we picked up a couple pairs of birks at a far better price than we can get them even at Nordstrom Rack or similar. The collapsible bag was handy for that as well as handy to carry a picnic lunch during our travels.

As I've gotten older, I've bought far less items. Mostly a magnet, one of a kind jewelry or some clothing or something small, like bookends. I've found you can buy wine from Europe easier here than putting it your luggage-had a disaster with that one vacation. Photos, blogs and trip reports are much easier and a better reminder.

Confessions of an Unabashed Shopper: If it's very fragile, large or expensive, I generally have it shipped home. My only loss was poorly packed crystal from Prague; I received a refund. Most, if not all, of what I purchase involves meeting the crafter/artist - crystal from Ireland, water colors in Italy, Carnevale Masks in Venice, glass from Murano, hand made/painted pottery from Italy, Poland, Greece, Spain, Portugal, England, wood sculptures and hand painted/dyed cloth from Africa, hand carved wooden Christmas items from Germany. Hand made lace from Italy and England. Leather goods in Italy. Turkish carpets. Hand made clothes from Greece and Italy. I also have purchased kitchen tools not available in the US. I usually bring a sturdy collapsible bag with luggage tag. On 2 trips, when I had not planned on making the purchases that I made, I bought inexpensive luggage, stuffed my dirty clothes inside and checked it and carried my goodies in my hand bag sized carry-on & other checked sturdy bag. I've hand carried pottery plates, pitchers, statues - but expect extra scrutiny at security -- apparently they are favorite items for smugglers to hide stuff/drugs inside. After a leather briefcase and purse was stolen out of my checked luggage at an airport, I learned TSA locks are invaluable. Also, pile your dirty laundry on top of goodies - airport thieves often look quickly and aren't so thrilled to dig through your dirty knickers and smelly socks to find your treasures.... I have an airline credit card that allows me (and anyone booked on my card) to check two bags with no charge. Also, I have a plastic bungee attachment so I can conveniently attach the collapsible bag to my 21" luggage in transport. I use the internet to verify that I can't find what I want back in the USA.

We rarely buy souvenirs, but when we do it's usually a food item that we can't find in the U.S. For example, pasta shapes that area not readily available here, such as trofie or pici. On our last trip we visited Modica and bought chocolate from Antica Dolceria Bonajuto. We have never packed additional bags for this purpose, and, since we pack light, always have some space to fill. Generally, our photos and memories suffice.

My cousin and I are shopaholics. Our last two trips together, Amsterdam/British Isles and Poland were great shopping experiences. Our hubbies are very patient as we have to peek in practically every store or go to every art show. She shops more then me and had to buy a piece of luggage on each trip. For the trip back home, I have an extra large foldable tote like so many others. I check my bag and my original carry on tote is lighter without all the items I have in there for the flight over, such as a change of clothing, snacks, toiletry refresher 311 bag, cozy socks, switch sweater out for scarf, extra tote (now in use), paperback (read it and leave it) and a few odds and ends.

My (our) rule is that a purchase on the travel must: 1. be meaningfully connected to the trip 2. It has to be small, 3. There has to be room in the luggage.

We have a display cabinet that contains many of our travel momentos. A 3€ Tin figurine of the Eiffel Tower (among our faves), a 4”-5” statue of the Giralda in Seville, a handmade porceline tile from Spain, a small London Telephone cabin bank, a tiny handmade glass frog from Coast Rica, etc. Our view is that a small item is just as much of a fond memory as a large item. Plus, small costs less and we can travel longer by purchasing less. We also display photographs which we have framed eventually.

We buy "souvenirs"at home -- small things that other people have trucked home and then sent to the charity shop (possibly during downsizing) -- that's how we have a foot-tall Eiffel Tower on the coffee table.
Glühwein cups -- now those can build up after multiple Christmas markets! That's where the extra duffle comes in.
We also plan out our toiletries purchases so we pick up the 6+ jars of German-produced Nivea cream at a drugstore on our last stop, pack them into the checked bag wrapped in socks, and don't worry about delayed bags on the trip home.

Since we’ve downsized we try to limit our purchases on our travels. We don’t buy anything just for display purposes... unless you count photographs. We have a wall in our house dedicated to travel pictures and create a 12x12 photo book after each big trip.

Other than that we buy jewelry, interesting foodstuffs to share, and the obligatory Christmas ornament.

We don’t buy gifts for anyone except the grandchildren* (which I have been known to order from Amazon for home delivery after seeing an object overseas) Years ago my in-laws traveled extensively and always brought us a souvenir from their destination. Honestly, the souvenir didn’t mean anything to us as we had not been on the trip.

But, to address the OP question, we do like most of you - carry a packable duffel to check on the way home. Because no matter how few purchases we make, our bags contents seem to expand as we travel.

*unless we see something that would be meaningful to the recipient.

My folks bought those little city spoons for a couple of years. Then they started buying hiking staff decals, little metal emblems. Then they realized neither they nor anyone else really wanted spoons or staff emblems because they all had their own supplies of travel trinkets so they stopped shopping and just enjoyed their travels.

@bogiesan, sounds like your folks found the Golden Way .... Now that our kids are all 30+, they get no gifties. Maybe a little something for the dog-sitter (in addition to the substantial check.)

Excellent and thought-provoking advice and I appreciate what everyone has posted to date. My travels too rarely have accumulated any souvenir larger than an ornament or magnet and the occasional T-Shirt or polo. One item that wasn't mentioned as a souvenir that I really enjoy is a coin or two or maybe a bill from each country visited. Each contains a mini-history lesson about the culture of that country via the person or figure that graces the coin or bill and while I like magnets and ornaments my frig is covered and my Christmas tree isn't big enough to hold the ornaments my wife and I have. So when I have "leftover"money from a trip I don't fret over what I am going to spend it on before I leave instead I now have a cool little reminder of our trip.

Like Marie above, we take the "Sea to Summit" duffel bag, it's made of parachute material and fits in the palm of your hand yet unfolds to ~20-25 liter bag. If we buy several things to take home then I check my backpack and carry the duffel bag on the plane with me.