Rant Against Souvenirs
ByMany of the places we went to on our vacation had a souvenir shop. Most have jewelry that will break in a week, t shirts and hats with funny sayings and a bunch of things that serve no purpose except to remember where you went. And if you look at where the stuff came from, most of it isn’t even from where you are.
We saw lovely stone bowls from Pakistan. And beads from out West. And the cheap trinkets from China. But, almost nothing from Kentucky.
If you take any pictures and label them – you will know where you went. You don’t need clutter to remind you.
I was amazed at the people piling clothes, door hangers, stuffed animals and other junk up on the counters. I guess they need to bring all this stuff home so they can tell themselves what a great time they had.
We did by 2 souvenirs on our trip. We bought those squished pennies for the kid’s penny collection and a geode to break open and display. I like pennies because they are little and can be displayed together. And my daughter has a rock and fossil collection.
I don’t mind souvenirs from the area, that are unusual like a lovely painted vase from spain my grandma had or those stacking dolls they got from Russia. Or the hand blown glass I got from the art museum in Florida.
But, I detest the gift shop garbage that can be found in any gift shop with just a name change. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.
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My sister and I have found a simple magnet for the refrigerator works beautifully as a reminder. Each time I’m in the kitchen waiting for something to cook I can revisit my travel memories. This has worked even better than photos which tend to stay buried in computer files.
I agree! If I want to get something from where I am visiting I will either get a magnet for the fridge, a shot glass (which I do collect), or some nice yarn or a piece of fabric for quilting. If I really love the area and the food – then I will get a cookbook.
I like Christine Beth’s suggestion.
I buy something that I will actually use, so I have an oven mitt from Ireland, a bookmark from Malaysia, a wall calendar from London, a salt and pepper set from Australia, etc.
I get quite a kick out of using things and thinking about where we’ve been. One of my favourite things to do is to buy toiletries in a foreign country (esp the east because it’s cheaper than in South Africa). I still have those small packs of tissues for my handbag from Thailand which I LOVE< love LOVE using
I love these ideas – fantastic!
I like to buy consumables; then I don’t have to dust them forever.
Local honey and such-like.
We like to find a local thrift store and buy T-shirts from real local places, like the Myrtle Beach Montessori Day Care Center, or the Santa Monica Little League. For $2 each the price can’t be beat and my kids LOVE wearing these shirts. When they tire of them we donate them to the local thrift store.