I collect a few different things but one of my favorites is some of my photos. I know this might sound unusual but I take photos of my shoes in front of major attractions, sights. My faves are my flip-flops on the beach in Key West, and in front of the Eiffel Tower. To me it's like "Here walk a mile in MY shoes and this is what you will see."

Also, have my Eiffel Towers including a charm I wear on a necklace Tons of stubs from airline tickets, metros, any where else you can get a ticket stub from!

I've collected postcards since I was a kid, so I always bring them home. I only buy ones of places I've been/seen. Sometimes a store will have a lot of cards, but since I haven't seen the specific place on the postcard I don't buy.

Lately,we've brought home large flags of countries. We drape them over curtain rods in various rooms at times (Greenland in the kitchen, Canada in the den, Argentina in the bedroom, etc. etc).

If we only spend a little time in the country (such as lunch in Sweden, day trip from Copenhagen) or just one of us goes there, we just buy the mini version. Otherwise we'd have too many flags.

Hi Leilei

Yes, those houses are easy to find in Paris - there is a store selling JUST them on (I believe) Rue de Rivoli, but they are also found in souvenir shops on Rue de Rivoli or near Notre Dame. Watch out not to get the "fakes" which are no where near as nice - be sure they say J Carlton on the bottom.

I have a brochure that states "each miniture house is created from an original sculpture by the GAULT workshop." The Gault houses are the expensive ceramic ones, the J Carlton are the affordable resin houses and still very nice. The address on the brochure is 232 rue de Rivoli, but I'm almost positive that that is a souvenir shop, not the store specializing in these houses. If memory serves, they had good prices, but I was there about 4 years ago.

I know it is best to buy them in Paris, but I have cheated from time to time at planetgault.com where the prices are comparable or cheaper (as with the house I bought this time in Paris :( )

.........hmm, don't think these would
qualify as a 'collection'! We don't use
sugar in our espresso so I started throwing the cute little tubes of sugar
into my bag - usually they have the resto's name on them - I've got a big
sugar bowl filled and it's kinda fun to
offer them to sugar-using guests. Talk
about a cheap thrill!

Had to laugh at your post KitKat. I don't always take pictures of my feet, but what a fun idea! However, I do have a picture of my feet with a huge winged insect of some sort on my left foot that I took while seated in a boat while on a Swamp Tour near New Orleans.

We don't collect them, but my husband bought a string of ceramic cigales that he saw at a roadside stand near Arles. It is hanging on our front porch. A year or so later we visited Washington, D.C. during the season they returned to the East Coast and saw some up close and personal.

Chocolate, but unfortunately it is collected mostly on my hips.

Otherwise, I like to get things that are typical of the country I'm visiting rather than collecting a particular thing; e.g., a tablecloth and gold earrings from Greece, Belleck from Ireland, a wool sweater from Scotland, a pretty handkerchief from Innsbruck, Christmas ornaments from Germany, embroidered sheer curtains from Switzerland, a small inlaid wood picture from Sorrento, a pendant made from lace from Bayeux, prints from Paris, a bone china coffee mug, a Wedgwood saucer and a brooch, some small buildings, and a foggy print of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and Westminster Bridge from England.

I enjoy seeing the various things that remind me of my trips.

My travel souveniers are free and take no room in my luggage: I always pick up a McDonalds placemat, but I never eat at a McDonalds. I have them in all different languages, framed in my basement. One person who did some repairs in our basement asked me if my husband works for McDonalds! Grazy!!!

kwren-
Thanks for the info about the Gault/Carlton miniatures- even my husband seems interested in picking up a few. What is the price range?
Thanks again!

Refrigerater magnets, which are small and easy to collect. I have two of the Eiffel Tower to signify my two trips up -- and a number of others from our travels.

I also buy earrings because they're also easy to carry, and I enjoy wearing them when I get home to remind me of my trips. They also make nice gifts.

Jules

We are not "collectors", but when asked what we collect we have always replied, "Beaches".

Many years ago we started collecting beach glass, which we found on the beaches. Now we have a huge glass bowl of it on our living room coffee table.

None of it is purchased or tumbled. Each piece has been found by us when walking on beaches all around the world. And each piece has to be "done"---no sharp edges and perfectly smooth.

It never ceases to fascinate guests to our home. Just for fun I did put in a couple of Venetian glass pieces (like miniature paperweights). I tell people I found them on the beach in Venice :>)

Steiff teddy bears-antique and new ones. I have hundreds of them. Some day my boys will have fun selling all of them on Ebay.

I try to get Christmas ornaments from wherever I go. I've got quite a few now and love to decorate my tree with these memories. I have some new ones this year I am happy to say.

I also get magnets. I put some on the fridge but mostly I take them to work. My office has a couple of metal walls so they stick nicely. When I am at work I can look up from my PC and see my "travel wall" and escape for a minute. I also have some postcards from places I've been on the walls/bulletin board of my office.

In my photo albums I usually take up several slots with ticket stubs from various places I've gone...museums, river cruises, etc. I'll save some receipts, too and tuck them into my albums.

I like to buy calendars for the following year if I can find any I like. This year I have 2007 calendars purchased in Paris and Quebec City. There is a 2006 calendar hanging in my bedroom now that I bought in Edinburgh last year.

LeeParis

Hi Leilei

the prices vary, but from what I recall, most are around 15 - 30 €. I bought a small one for 14€ this trip and wouldn't you know I could have gotten it for $12 at Planet Gault! Oh well - a few dollars to say I bought it in France! I've bought a few each trip over the years and have a nice collection going now.

There are also some larger ones, I think the most recent has the Moulin Rouge plus a building or two on each side and they are a lot more expensive - I'm trying to remember...70, 75€ maybe? (I didn't buy that one!)

There are also little figurines, but I don't collect them. I know a tiny street light with a dog was 9€ in one store.

"Some day my boys will have fun selling all of them on Ebay."

And make quite a tidy sum, too. ;)

Posting to accompany recent thread on same topic!

In the 1970s my Mom travelled to Europe several times and brought me charms from the various cities she visited. Each charm is about half inch wide and is enameled and depicts the shield of the city. I think she paid at that time, about one dollar apiece for them!! They are very colorful and make a neat charm bracelet and wonderful conversation starter. After my schooling, I too collected some from European cities to add to the collection. On one trip, I started collecting pins from Austria and Switzerland- the kind of pins men wear on their hats in those countries. I wear LOTS of them together on a sweater- looks cool, and everyone always asks what they are. The best collections of all though, are all those wonderful memories!!!

Beside the photos of my trips, I have my travel journals, which include all the ephemera from those trips — everything from plane tickets and boarding passes, to restaurant and hotel bills, to museum stubs and wine bottle labels. And more, including select postcards, many of which are also scattered about my home office. The ephemera helps me add to my journal, by triggering additional memories of food, art, people, and sites. My journals even includes articles about the particular country/city I visited that I find subsequently in various newspapers or magazines. My journals end up being very FAT. And each one keeps getting FATTER.

Refrigerator magnets and Christmas ornaments for me, too.

Re: snowglobes. I was in the Cancun airport last week and the woman in front of me was purchasing a snow globe for her boss b/c she said she collects them. They would not let her carry it on the plane! (the liquid thing...)

But they did let us carry on our three large $13 bottles of Kahlua. (But as you purchase, they keep the bag and then deliver to the jet ramp, where you claim your purchase right before you board.)

HO gauge rolling stock. When we go to a new country, we buy a car or engine with that country's state railway markings on it. We have a Dannon Yogurt SNCF boxcar, a Henninger beer DB car, a Romanian switch engine, and so on for a total of about 20 countries. The only countries I couldn't find cars for are Taiwan and Luxembourg.

So far :).

I collect Santa Claus, Weihnachtmann, Kris Kringle, St Nickolas all different sizes and materials. My favorite is made form a cypress knob from florida and a purse by Tim woods.