Magnets, tee shirt, key chains, shot glasses, spirit jerseys, coins, postcards, miniature objects: the world of souvenirs and memorabilia is huge and somehow still standing – even though souvenirs are usually just overpriced, pretty useless items. So, why should you buy souvenirs? Isn’t that a waste of money? Aren’t they just going to lie around your apartment?

Well, my friend, I’ve traveled around a lot in my lifetime and I know a fair amount of stuff about souvenirs. So let me talk to you – occasional or frequent traveler – one on one.

Are they worth buying?

In my opinion, yes. I know they seem like a worthless expense and that they’re usually absolutely useless (and cost money!), but souvenirs are objects meant to bring back memories, and I personally find that just beautiful. (the word “souvenir” actually comes from the French verb se souvenir, which means “to remember”!) Choose any souvenir around your house: chances are, the moment you look at it, you’ll remember exactly where you got it, what period of your life it was, who you were with, the places you had seen during that trip, and so on. It’s a memory tool, and I love that.

If that still doesn’t cut it for you, I have another suggestion: start a collection! Starting a collection makes souvenir shopping a lot more fun, because it gives your memorabilia a more specific purpose. You’re not simply purchasing a small object for the heck of it, you’re competing against yourself in a sort of hoarding contest. “Let’s see how many magnets from around the world I can bring home”, or “Let’s see if I can get a shot glass from every US state” or even “Let’s see how many bumper stickers from different countries I can accumulate in a year”.

I’m telling you, it gets real. I have a collection of magnets from around the world on my fridge, and whenever I travel, I’m always so excited to get a new magnet to add to it.

Also, my brother (whom I live with) has been collecting a very specific kind of keychains (the spinning ones!) since we were kids. He hangs them all on a specific cork board he designed and I have a feeling it will soon be a pretty massive collection.

 

Which souvenirs are actually worth buying?

Now that we’ve decided that you should buy a souvenir on your next trip, let’s see what exactly you should get. I’ll start with my don’ts: don’t buy anything too big because taking it back home will be a pain and you’ll regret it; don’t buy anything too pointy because it could ruin the rest of the stuff you keep in your suitcase (and, if you’re flying, they might actually prevent you from taking it home), and don’t buy anything that could break easily, because it will make a mess if it does break and you’ll be left souvenir-less.

Other than that, here are my favorite types of souvenirs.

Magnets

You’ll find them just about anywhere. A magnet is pretty much the king of souvenirs. It’s usually less expensive than shot glasses, tee shirts or keychains, it’s simple looking, and the most appealing because most people own magnetic fridges (though mine is only magnetic on the side and that’s pretty much the saddest thing ever). They’re clearly my favorite collectible items and honestly, they’re just so fun. Plus, hear me out on this one: you can easily turn any small keepsake into a magnet, whether that’s a coin or a piece of a map. Way to cheat.

Postcards

I know people buy postcards to send them to other people, and I absolutely love that! Actually, I try to send a couple postcards every time I travel somewhere new. However, I think postcards can be beautiful souvenirs, too! If you think about it, postcards are nothing but beautiful pictures already printed on glossy paper. The pictures from your trip that you took on your iPhone will never look like that, because chances are, whoever took the picture on that postcard is a better photographer than you are (yes, even with the iPhone 7 portrait mode.) Therefore, I would invest a couple dimes in a quality photo to hang around your house.

Keychains

We’ve gone over keychains. They’re perfect collectibles, and you’ll find them pretty much everywhere you go. Some of them have other functions or purposes (bottle opener, torch, etc.) and some of them only work as, you know, keychain. If you’re not planning on collecting them, I would still advise you to look for a pretty one during one of your trips and actually use it as your keychain: you’ll see it everyday – because I would assume that’s how much you use your keys – and it’ll bring back good memories. Once you get tired of your keychain or it gets all worn out, it’s time to buy a new one = it’s time for a new trip!

However, your keepsakes don’t necessarily have to be something you purchase in a gift shop! For example, I like to keep tickets from concerts, bus or train rides, museums, ferry rides, sports games and so on. You’re not paying for the ticket itself, you’re paying for the experience or the trip, but the ticket becomes a souvenir itself, too.

At my house, we also have a few jars of sand collected from beaches around the world: that’s absolutely free, and it makes for fun mementos too.

Where to buy your souvenirs

There are a few options on where you can buy souvenirs, but here are my general recommendations:

Don’t buy them in the gift shop of a museum. That’s usually where prices are at their highest. You can probably buy the same exact souvenirs in a gift shop around the city for a fraction of the price. The only exception to this rule is if you want to buy something that is most likely only sold in that museum – such as a small print of a particular painting that’s exposed in that museum.

Don’t buy them in the first gift shop you find in the city. Check out various gift shops before you actually purchase anything because usually, all gift shops sell the same products. However, prices tend to change and you might find the same exact item you want for a couple of dollars less.

Last, but definitely not least, do not limit yourself to souvenir shops! Definitely buy from local small vendors if you get the chance. Not only you’ll be able to purchase more authentic souvenirs, but you’ll also support local businesses (not to mention that items sold in small boutiques are usually a lot prettier!) It might cost a little more but it’ll make your souvenir a lot more special.

 

Where to put your newly acquired souvenirs

Other than the purpose factor, this is usually the main issue that people have with the purchase of memorabilia. Once you start going on trips more frequently, your house gets filled with small objects from your travel that don’t necessarily have a purpose or a specific placement. Soon enough, you’ll be stuck in a limbo between wanting to keep them because of the good memories attached to them, but also getting rid of them so that you’re not invited to the next episode of Hoarders.

However, there’s ways to avoid that!

Personally, I like to hang my postcards around the house so that I can always look at them. The ones that I have collected myself remind me of all the beautiful places I’ve seen, while the ones that friends and family have sent me make me happy because it reminds me that they thought of me during their trip!

Besides that, pretty much all of our souvenirs have a specific place around the house. For example, I like to keep all my magnets on the fridge to have my full collection in one spot. The same goes for spinning key chains!

I also keep my tickets in a specific folder to have them all in the same spot. Sometimes, though, I like to create a big collage on a cork board with pictures, flyers, tickets, business cards and more! (Yes, we are a little obsessed with cork boards. They’re so versatile though!)

However, there are tons of things you can do to organize and display your souvenirs around the house! You can create themed boxes, you can frame your memorabilia, or arrange it in a scrapbook. The possibilities are endless!

Do you have any favorite souvenirs or a favorite way to display them? Let me know in the comments!

 

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