In this season of coronavirus, with no travel for six months, and none likely for many more, having spent much of my free time decluttering, I find myself contemplating the best souvenirs I have acquired over several decades of travel.
In other words, what were the best souvenirs I brought home from my trips?
I started my souvenir acquisition with much of the usual stuff: shells from the beach, cheap key-chains and knicknacks, and cheaper T-shirts. Many of those items broke, tore, or just got thrown out within a year or so of coming home. They were not the greatest souvenirs for me.
The Practical
My first experience with a really great souvenir was in 2006. It was autumn, it was a free flight (I love those frequent flyer miles), and I wasn’t paying attention to the weather at my destination.
When I arrived overseas, the weather was a good 15 degrees too cool for my outfits. Had I known the forecast, I wouldn’t have been able to pack a good jacket anyway: my wardrobe was limited, at the time, to a heavy winter coat (too warm and too bulky to fly with), and lighter sweatshirts that weren’t warm enough.
So, as I shivered my way around Dublin, I felt justified in buying a medium weight coat, which I wore out of the store and for the rest of my trip. It was a perfect souvenir: I was something I could use at home, and it reminded me every time I wore it (at least for the first several years) of Dublin. I still have it in my front closet, and I pull it out once the weather gets cool enough.
After this trip, I made more of an effort to look for souvenirs that I will use frequently, to bring back the memory of my travels as I go about my daily life.
Sometimes, however, the best souvenirs aren’t just physical objects.
A New Way of Doing Things
My favorite souvenirs in the past few years have been bringing home a new way of doing things.
In Iceland, Mr. PiN and I went on a walking tour. In November. It was very cold.
Our tour guide showed us that she was wearing tightly-knitted mittens over woolen gloves. The extra insulation allowed her to be out for hours.
I took that to heart, and bought a pair of mittens as a souvenir. I find they keep my fingers quite warm when paired over gloves, and I think about that trip whenever I double glove (or glove-mitten) in the cold.
Another trick I picked up was in Austria. At every hotel, our large bed was supplied with two single duvets. We found that we slept very well, much better than at home. Some of that had to do, no doubt, with wearing ourselves out sight-seeing. However, we also noted that there was no blanket- or sheet-stealing in the middle of the night.
We did not buy comforters overseas, but when we had some extra money, we decided to try the separate comforter system. Buying 2 twin comforters (and covers) is only a tiny bit more expensive than buying 1 king-sized comforter, and has led to much better sleep. A lovely and practical souvenir. If we want, we can fold our comforters as they did in our hotels, and pretend we are back in Vienna.
Photographs and Memories
Jim Croce’s song is sad, but my photo souvenirs make me very happy.
I still have photo books from the days before the digital camera. They don’t get regular use, but I pull them out from time to time. I took great joy in showing a young guest photos of her parents from times before her memory.
In the modern world, I get reminders from Shutterfly and Facebook, reminding me that 1, 2, or 6 years ago, I posted this or that photo. I get such a kick out of these prompts to my memory, as I briefly relive this or that moment in a trip.
Mr. PiN laughs at me when I spend so much time pulling out my camera to take photos, and it is fair to remind me to experience the trip while I am on it, but the good photos stick around and can give pleasure long after I have returned home.
Discoveries
Some of my favorite souvenirs are things that I learn from my travels.
Sometimes these are small things that speak to me: in museums I have seen a voting machine from ancient Athens, and a curved metal hot water bottle to help Victorian women with menstrual cramps.
Sometimes these are huge things, like the lessons I learned from crossing the United States on my own. In a car whose tape deck broke at the beginning of the trip. In between visiting friends and family, I learned to be alone with my thoughts for the many hours that I couldn’t find anything on the radio. I learned to break through some of my shyness to ask strangers to take my photo (this was long before the selfie age). I learned the joy of setting my own pace and learning to be flexible about where I stopped for the night.
Future Plans
As I said earlier, I have no plans to go anywhere for a bit longer.
I am going through the house, trying to bring more peace and comfort by getting rid of unused or unwanted items.
I am thinking about bringing out more of my souvenirs, some of which have been packed away through multiple moves, to be saved for “later.” I think “later” is here, and it’s time for them to remind me of happier times spent traveling the world, and learning.
What have been your favorite souvenirs? Were they physical or mental? Practical or pretty?