When traveling to a new place, most of us are bound to purchase souvenirs as a reminder of the special places we’ve been to. Unfortunately, not all souvenirs are created equal. I can attest to this since I’ve got a few laying around the house collecting dust. Here are some useful tips to purchasing souvenirs for both yourself, friends and family.
- Look for something you will use on a regular basis when purchasing a souvenir. Sounds simple right? This is actually harder said then done when you are surrounded by cheap key chains and refrigerator magnates. Before leaving home, try to think about what items you need. If it’s something you are going to purchase anyways, why not buy it during your travels? This way, your memory of the trip will stick around with you for years to come.
Traditional hand curved kitchen knife set bought in the Tsukiji Fish Market. It’s been over 2 yrs since we bought these and we still use these babies every day!
- Skip the t-shirt and go for the booze. Undoubtedly, there is always a famous local drink wherever you go and it is easy to bring it back if you pack it among your clothes.
- Invest in a good camera, take beautiful photos and share it with friends and family. To me, this is one of the best ways to remember your trip. We hang our favorite travel photos on our dining room wall, it adds a personal taste to your decorative style and a great conversation starter during dinner.
- Bring back cool rocks or some sea shells from your nature treks. This one may be a bit of a taboo depending on where you visit, make sure you do some research before you decide to start your own rock collection.
- If you love gardening like I do, purchase some local plants for your garden. This obviously is restricted to nonflying destinations. We bought some really cool California native succulents when visited Mendocino, California after we backpacked the Lost Coast. The plants are now growing happily in my garden and provides me constant reminder of how beautiful the Northern California coast is.
Succulents we purchased from a nursery while visiting Mendocino, California
Hike Now, Work Later 