No matter where you’re going on your next vacation, souvenir options are endless! Knick knacks, toys, T-shirt’s, post cards, you name it! When it comes to buying souvenirs, my family has most probably bought it (including a hat-umbrella my daughter had to have Inn Alaska…). The real question is- what are you going to do with them when you get home?
When I realized we had begun to collect a collection of useless and forgotten souvenirs it really changed the way I looked at what we were bringing home. I’ve narrowed down my souvenir collections to things we really use: Christmas ornaments, coffee cups, and cookbooks.
On each trip we take, whether big or small, each child gets a Christmas ornament that we date when we get home. These ornaments are always either something they have picked themselves, or something that they did for the first time on that trip- and a real reminder of something that made that trip special. Every year when we put up our tree we talk about all of great trips we’ve had, and the cool memories we’ve made together!
We used to have matching coffee mugs that went with our dishes. Now we have a crazy collection of mugs from all over the world! Disney World, India, Dubai, Paris, New York City- you never know what mug you’ll get at our house, and I love them all! They’re a daily reminder of all of our adventures!
Besides traveling, my biggest hobby is baking- and my cookbook collection only rivals my travel guide collection! Cookbooks have become my personal souvenir from every trip, and I love adding to them! My latest addition: Ladurée Macaron Cookbook from our trip to Paris! Not only did we go to this precious bakery multiple times, but macarons are a personal favorite. Cookbooks offer me not only a written reminder of our trip, but a way to bring a small piece of our trips to life again at home by making some of our favorites!
No matter what you choose as souvenirs from your trips, find a souvenir you will use or display! In this way you’ll be reminded of your favorite moments from vacation every day!
