colduphere

Nutella - that is a great story. You have convinced me to spend at least 10 yuan on a souvenir in China next month.

Rottmom

Some of my favorite souvenirs are dish towels such as one I have that's a map of Italy with all the various Italian cheeses geographically marked on it. I have a similar one with Italian wines. Every time I look at it, I remember many great trips to Italy. I also buy food items I can bring back, e.g., French pate, French mustard, aioli, etc, which,m unfortunately, don't last forever but sure are transporting. Since I wear t-shirts and jeans a lot, I always buy a t-shirt. Other favorites are my umbrellas featuring the London Underground system and the Paris Metro system.

jewela

I have loved charm bracelets since I was a very young girl. My mom had one (now one of mine), and I loved the way it would jingle. Wherever I travel to, I buy a charm & have it added to one of my bracelet. They are small, and I never worry about not having room in my bag to bring them home.

Austin

We try to get an ornament for our Christmas tree. Almost all the ornaments on our tree have some sort of "story" behind them - a gift, from travel, made by one of us or a friend, etc.

goddesstogo

Oh, I forgot one -- one of my favourites!

We were in Tokyo and I was buying a few Christmas gifts there to take home. One of my friends is a wonderful quilter and I wanted to bring her a small selection of fabrics from Japan. I was directed to an excellent fabric shop where the owner and I knelt on the floor for about an hour (my poor knees!) picking out swatches. When I was done, with my purchases beautifully wrapped as they do in Japan, and had paid, she presented me with a gift of a tiny stuffed fabric owl no more than half an inch long, with little bead eyes, which I assume she makes from scraps of material. It's very sweet and it hangs from my desklamp where I see it every day. It reminds me not just of our trip to Japan but of a lovely encounter with that woman, despite the fact that neither of us spoke the other's language.

Becky1949

The older I get, the less I like having "one more thing to dust." So now I take tons of photos, then after I get home select a couple that I love, blow up as needed, print them in black and white, and have them framed. This is the best souvenir for me.

gomessb

My best travel memories are etched in my scrapbook during my travel to Holland, Poland, West and East Germany. In my scrapbook, were copies of visas from each of these countries, airline tickets, also bus, train and tram tickets, exchange invoices, restaurant bills, hotel bills, photographs of places and monuments visited, and friends too, shopping bills, all these provide me with the nostalgia of my travel.

abusymom

Last month we were staying in a condo on the North Shore of Oahu and I was looking for a souvenir for my daughter who could not come on the trip. I saw some "surfer" black Tahitian Pearls on a leather cord and thought that a pendant would be a good gift.

I asked the owner of our condo about the jewelry store. She said it was a chain and recommended another store to me. "The Black Pearl Source" in Haleiwa is owned by an artist, and I could be sure I was buying genuine, undyed pearls. I went there and the pearls were so gorgeous and in such unique settings that I bought a Tahitian pearl pendant and earrings for myself.

This was an unexpected and somewhat expensive purchase, but I love the pearls. They bring back our wonderful Oahu experience whenever I wear them. (By the way, I did buy a smaller pendant for my daughter as well.)

pattyshearts

I have made many purchases and never regretted any of them and I have been traveling for 35 years. When I get home, I type a label from my P-Touch with the date and country and then adhere it to the back of the souvenir (of course when possible)

Ceramic plate from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul to hang in my kitchen. Shawls also.

Hand carved large plate that hangs in my great room from Assisi.

Hand painted note cards from Hawaii.

Soaps from Santa Maria Novella Pharmacia, Florence.

Ceramic plate from Santorini.



Large oval hand painted plate from Florence which also hangs in my kitchen.

A glass bowl with dolphins carved by an artist in Maui.

Cyrstal necklace from Murano.

Sterling silver ring from Athens.
(Silver is relatively inexpensive in Greece)

Glass vase from Venice.

Inexpensive and small Eiffel Towers from Paris which I gave to many others who also love them.

Key chains with the Eiffel Tower (3 for 1Euro) I purchased these from persons selling them under the Eiffel Tower. Everyone loves them. Also a crystal Eiffet Tower.

Leather credit card holders and coin purses from Florence. Painted leather bracelets from the market in Florence which my nieces and nephews love and they were very inexpensive.

Purse mirrors with the word "Paris" on the top.



Metal can of tea from Harrod's, London with a picture of Big Ben on it.

Ceramic teapot decorated with 3D hearts, Nantucket.

White ceramic bowl with 5 doves, Nantucket.

I can go on and on. Hope you enjoyed my list.

debsnj

I bought a whimsical brass wall hanging of a flying woman/free spirit in New Hampshire several years ago. For some reason I named her Zelda, I think I loved her because I just had my cast off my broken leg and was finally mobile again. Last year I found her a companion (same artist) in the Outer Banks. My DD thinks I am nuts but I LOVE my Zeldas.

travelinwifey

There are a few but the most major are:

Hand crafted souvenirs - specifically tote bags. These are among my most beloved gift souvenirs. Among favorites are ones that were given to my spouse and I by an Iranian. The quality is very good and not too expensive. Another gift was a celebration hand drawn display mat from Sri Lanka and a hand made drawing of my husband and I in Sri Lankan form.

My favorite findings-
A hand made envelope/letter holder along an antiques street in London. If was the first time I visited and foolish me, I'm still trying to find the same street till this day. It was mentioned in a Fodors travel guide many, many years ago around the mid 90's. Why oh why didn't I write the street name down? I remember the day like it was yesterday. A warmer rainy day in the city having fun running under one doorway to the next.

Memo pads with my name in a foreign language, my favorite note pad is from Normandy with my name and what and brown cows and grass in the pasture. Also postcards and such with my name in a foreign language that lists personality characteristics.

A little adult rated but a pregnancy protection device with Paris written on it as a gift for a newly single friend to lift her spirits, and it provided a good chuckle during not so good times.



...................................

Now to the religious, a beautifully beaded rosary that a gave to my grandma that was blessed by the Pope John Paul from the Vatican.


The number one souvenir: And a gift from a Priest to my husband and I, a personally signed wedding blessing from Pope John Paul and an archbishop with the Vatican Stamp.

TrvlMaven

I do my research ahead of my trip on what the area is "known for". I always buy something that can be used for a Christmas ornament, then buy one for everyone in our family. It shares the memories of our travels.

laurie_ann

I like to buy kitchen tools that remind me of the cuisine or culture. I have chopsticks from Japan, pasta server from Italy, lime reamer from Brazil, cheese knife from France, cake server from Germany, etc.. Easy to find and bring home. Not too expensive. I keep them in my kitchen drawer with the more ordinary spoons and spatulas and they remind me every day of my great trips.

ggswell

I actually do the charm bracelet thing too. Our son was also a souvenir from a weekend in Rockaway beach in CA. I guess one favorite is a Mexican sink we bought in Isla Mujeres and lugged it around Mexico for the next 8 days. It is now in our sons bathroom.
The best...pictures. When we have to evacuate for hurricanes; I grab all of our pictures.

momlyn

We just got back from our first trip to Ireland where our wonderfull guide helped us buy a bodhran (Irish drum)- and gave us a lesson- on a cliff overlooking a gorgeous beach.

When we proudly e-mailed our son about it, he let us know he would love to have one for Christmas.
So...

We bought another one, stuffed it with the sweaters we had purchased, and carried them both on the plane
(the souvenir that keeps on giving- we're both learning to play

But mainly, a great souvenir is anything that has a story attached to it. It's all about the memoeries.

thereyet

Hi Katie, I know, it's dumb but...smashed pennies. Hey, there cheap and unique to the area they come from.

Also, for some other dumb reason...turtle figurines. You can find them everywhere...although they are all probably made in the same factory in Thailand, I don't care.

If any one ever asks me "are you a turtle" I always respond YBYSAIAT!

thereyet

ileen

For many, many years I have been collecting sugar packets found in restaurants, bars, airlines and lounges during my travels. I have huge collection and some are really unique and of course, always free!
My latest ones are from my recent trip to Switzerland where the Euro 2008 Soccer matches were going on while we were there.
Our hotel's restaurant had sugar packets with really nice shots of soccer fans. There were 8 different pictures, so I got a whole set for my soccer crazy kids as well as one for myself.
I have other ones too--one set from Hawaii features all the various flowers of the island.
Just curious, does anyone else collect these?

MaureenGP

I am like the poster who collects Christmas ornaments from each place I visit. They are small enough to pack easily, and I don't have to find a place to display them until each
December when they bring back delightful memories.
My favorites are one of Bohemian glass from Prague; an Eiffel Tower keychain (I removed the ring for the keys!) from Paris; a Queen Elizabeth I embroidered ornament I bought at the Tower of London, and a Faberge-style enamel egg ornament I bought on my second honeymoon in Newport, RI. But I have dozens more that could be on this list...

Aside from the ornaments, my favorite souvenirs are:
--4 tapestries I bought in Madrid back in 1975 and had framed, as well as a plain black fringed shawl that I still wear
--a Shakespeare themed teapot I bought in Harrod's
--a small framed sprig of Edelweiss from Salzburg
--a full set of colored Bohemian glass goblets I purchased in Prague-- which are the costliest souvenirs I've ever bought, and which, ironically, I ended up giving to my daughter when she got married because my new husband has such an extensive set of Waterford crystal
--an original oil painting that resembles Monet's version of the cathedral in Rouen that we bought from the artist about 25 or 26 years ago in St. Augustine. It took me another 20 years to finally get to Rouen to see the cathedral for myself!
--a very inexpensive large photograph of the bridges of Prague that I had framed (very expensively) and that reminds me of that great city every time I awake (it's in our bedroom).

PS: Although it's good to make judicious buys, or you end up with all kinds of touristy kitsch--don't pass up things that you really like. I still regret not buying a program from Queen Elizabeth's coronation in Edinburgh because I didn't want to spend five pounds, and my first husband went to his grave regretting a small table of inlaid wood that I hurried him past in Sorrento.

PPS: I also think it makes sense to begin a collection of something you really like, so that you have a cohesive remembrance of your travels near and far.
In addition to my ornaments, much of the artwork on my walls comes from my travels--the tapestries from Madrid and photograph from Prague that I mentioned above, as well as a etching of the cathedral in Havana, another Spanish work done in black ink, and ink drawings of the Spanish Steps and St. Peter's in Rome. I also buy a mug on each trip--again, they are easy to pack, and you can find really unusual and beautiful mugs if you take the time to look.
Other ideas for people would be CDs of local artists or music styles, stationery, perfume, food items or serving pieces. Think about how you will use or display items to add character to your home.
As for souvenir gifts--unless I know a person collects something (a friend of mine has me buy her daughter a small doll in each country), I opt for edible gifts like Scottish shortbread, British tea, chocolates,etc. I figure the recipient does not have to figure out where to put my gift--they can just eat it!

Katie_H

I love these stories...it would be neat to have a photo gallery of photos of these items.

This is the story that I mentioned in my OP. It's lighthearted, fun, and just right for your lunch break. It links up to a few great souvenir threads if you're keen.

What Kind of Souvenir Shopper Are You?
http://www.fodors.com/news/story_3084.html

These stories are reminding me of all the things that I purchased not really as souvenirs but have ended up as items with vivid memories attached.... abram's post about her "Paris dress" reminds me of my "San Francisco jacket". Except this jacket is not an item unique to San Francisco...I splurged on it at a well-known clothing store. Doesn't matter that I could have bought it in New York. It looks like nothing else I have in my closet; I mostly bought it because one of my new friends insisted "it's very you" despite having only meant me a few days prior. I dislike shopping but that was a fun afternoon--maybe the wine we had over lunch added to the fanfare.

So I bought it... and literally every time I slip on that jacket I think about SF...

micheljane

Actually I have two and they were made by children, one in Morocco and one in Jordan. The puppet/doll from Morocco is a small fabric piece that I bought in the Sahara Desert. The maker, a small Bedouin girl, the cost approx .25 cents.

The second puppet/doll I bought from a Jordain child at Petra, it also is made of fabric and was about a dollar. Both are grouped with other worldly treasures on a living room wall.