We try to get a fridge magnet whenever we visit a new place. Just make sure to not put your magnet close to your wallet or you'll risk demagnetizing your credit/ATM cards!

travelcraze, Good advice!
I just found out, the hard way, that my magnet in my eyeglass case demagnetized our hotel key/card.

scarlett, did you put the hotel key/card in your eyeglass case or was the key/card just in your purse along with your eyeglass case. I am asking as I always have an eyeglass case in my purse. Thanks

Refrigerator magnets
Switchplates
Something by a local artist

We buy Christmas ornaments, mugs, magnets, T shirts and some type of nice art or decoration for our home. I display my vacation mug collection on a shelf at my desk at work. We always have fun trying to find Christmas ornaments off season anywhere we travel. In Italy many of the shopkeepers did not speak English and it was challenging trying to explain in my limited Italian what we were trying to find. We ended up buying an ornament of a gondola. That and my hula Santa from Hawaii are my favorites. Oh I forgot my small nativity scene in a walnut ornament from Aruba. I guess I like them all!

Beer Coasters! Use to collect matchbooks but nobody smokes anymore! I save the wooden ones to light candles however. Shopping? Heehee....maybe for a good restaurant! Particular shopping haunts are Pubs and local purveyors of Spirits.

A Christmas ornament for the Christmas tree and Hard Rock Cafe Polo shirts and pins.

I nearly always get earrings and scarves (very small and easy to fit in my suitcase). But I ended up with too many lovely scarves that I never wore. Recently I got the idea of using them to cover throw pillows. So I have an assortment of throw pillows with lovely memories!

I collect spoons.

Just curious- does ANYbody (!) buy ROCKS ??!! ;-)

we don't "buy" rocks, but my MIL makes us get rocks wherever we go, I've gotten them for her in Rome, Paris, Geneva, London, and stateside as well. She puts them in her garden.

I collect dust, hangovers and lbs when I'm on vacation. 8-}

I used to collect Christmas ornaments. I used to fly with an international airline and I was based in the Pacific. So I got a pretty strange collection of ornaments. Also used to collect matches. No more. I have a few magnets and charms, but no big deal collection.

Yes, I am like Kal. LBs on vacation, and hangovers for sure. But the memories are piling up.

Thanks all for sharing. There is something for everyone out there.

I'm also with Kal on this one. I do buy things and attempt to start collections but every year or so I get the urge to get rid of everything. The souvenirs are disposed of with ease. The dust, pounds, and hangovers are like cockroaches in their will to survive.

Should I admit... uh, what the heck! to stealing? I "collect" those "do not disturb" signs, and some of them are funny! And nice looking! Especially from the countries other then USA.

Cheesey snow globes.

As part of my user name suggests I collect watches. I usually get a watch to remember our trips by. For example I got a really cool watch in Fiji called Rip Curl which is a tidal watch for surfers, a Titan in New Delhi which is Indian made, a Baume and Mercier in Barbados for our 25th anniv. and so on.

Charms for my bracelet.
Christmas ornaments.
Tee shirts. Unfortunately, I have so many tee shirts, that I decided to cut off all the fronts showing where I've been, and now I'm making a quilt with patches made from the locations. So I'll be able to snuggle up and dream about all my trips at the same time.

- Christmas ornaments
- Fridge magnets ( for whole family, the tackier the better ! )
- painted wooden boxes

All seriousness aside, I do pick up a fridge magnet from all states, cities to show where I've been.

I think they threw off my fridge compressor so I took some off the other day.

Plus, the door wouldn't open because it was sealed shut due to north/south polarities.

I've also been keeping those magnetic card keys if they have the hotel's ID on it.
I have them up on my "Wall o' Travel" along w/ airport luggage tags, ticket stubs, etc.

Also pick up a silver Wyland barrell charm each year in Kauai.

Love collecting the memories the best, tho.

For years we had lots of t-shirts from all the places we've gone...a friend of a friend made us a quilt using many of the t-shirts..But, in all seriousness...our house is early and late travel.. We like to collect crafts from wherever we go..whether it's a "rain stick" we picked up in Guadalajua, a quiver and arrows from the Amazon bought in Margarita...a stone statue in Manzanillo that a friend says has a "soul" in it., a large mola from the San Blas islands, leather belts from Acapulco and a linen dress, One time many years ago we brought back two mahogany rocking chairs from Santo Domingo (they had to be put together and were in cardboard boxes), four straw baby baskets from the Mercado Modelo..I could go on and on...but each item has a story and best of all a memory.. I've just pulled out of a trunk a poncho I had bought in Cuzco,Peru in 1982...