15 of your favourite travel souvenirs

From tacky fridge magnets from Australia to harem pants from India which you’ll never wear again, and of course, the obligatory ‘I heart *insert destination*’ t-shirt, we’ve all made some regrettable decisions when it comes to clogging up our luggage with generic mementos.

We asked you about your favourite things you’ve taken home from your travels; and you gave us strange trinkets, meaningful memories, long-haul life partners, and everything in between.

1.     Castle Snow globe, Ireland

“I love it” – Gaby Sarmiento

2.     “A pencil made from recycled materials”, London – Silvina Garcia Laplaza

Items like pens and pencils will enable you to do practical, inane tasks but triggering happy travel memories along the way. Recycling gets a responsible tourism bonus point.

3.     “Christmas tree decorations” – Joanne Wiggins

If you decorate a Christmas tree each year, starting an ornament collection on your travels is a fun way to make your festive season into a cultural conversation piece, full of your favourite memoirs from different destinations.

4.     “Limoncello from Italy, Cheese from Holland, Chorizo from Spain, Metaxa and Oregano from Greece, Tea from Istanbul, Wine from France, Chocolates from Belgium, Elephant beer from Denmark, Wurst from Germany, Porcelain and glass from Prague,(to drink the Turkish tea from …Vinho verdi from Portugal… street maps of just about every town I’ve ever been to, and 2 beautiful French Granddaughters” - Serena Grimaldi

… A great way to exceed your baggage allowance by the official HI Queen of Souvenirs. Serena, we congratulate you.

5.     “A fiancé ;)” – Kira Jade Chrysalis

6.     Currency:

“I find coins or currency notes make great evocative souvenirs. I have a substantial collection of coin-souvenirs built up from places I have been. My favourite is the old Irish one punt coin before they changed to the euro. I also have an old ten dinar note from Yugoslavia before rapid inflation hit there in the early nineties and notes went up in value to the millions.” – Graeme Taylor

7.     “The tickets collected from Europe are the best souvenirs!” – Catherlin Huang

Ticket stubs, bus passes, hostel key cards, business cards, menus, and whatever else you pick up along the way are micro-memories of your trip. Why not make a scrap book?

8.     “I have little flags from every country to patch in my travel bag and a thousand pictures!” – Marcelo Javier Bocero

9.     “I was able to score Geri Halliwell’s CD singles in London – they don’t have them in the US. (circa 2000)” – Paul Bibo

Here’s a fine example of the US having good taste.

Bryn Budgie Nabb: Egg cups!

10.“Belgian chocolate” – Cations Dels Esteva

Craving the flavours of your latest trip? Whether it’s Belgian chocolate, French wine or Asian spices, check out local markets for a taste of the cuisine for you to bring home.

11.“I bought a page from a Babar book at a bookstand near Notre Dame in Paris – I can’t wait to frame it and put it up!” – Maggie Dziubek

12.“A perfume from a perfume company in France. I’m still addicted to it and it reminds me of the trip every time I spray some on.” – Lali Gentry

13.“My pooping log from Barcelona is pretty great” – Mary Miller

14.“Personalized Nutella jars with friends’ names on them..” – Jovany Rivera

Where from? Drop us a comment! We want some.

15.“An STD from Amsterdam! No, just kidding…seriously I am kidding.” – Gregg Jennings

Though your trip might be coming to an end, souvenirs are a sure way to make sure you keep the precious memories alive for a lifetime (or at least until you’ve consumed that sizeable stash of European wine and chocolate).

Got a favourite souvenir from your travels? Drop us a comment below.