Souvenirs. Remembrances. Trinkets. Keepsakes. 

Most people want to pick something up to remember their travels. Collecting something unique to the area that represents the culture of the destination or that helps preserve the memory and emotion of the trip seems to be universal.

From refrigerator magnets to shot glasses, there is a reason why gift shops around the world carry some of the same types of trinkets. 

A bit of research on the internet yielded the top 12 classic souvenirs collected:

• Refrigerator Magnets

• Snow Globes

• T-Shirts

• Baseball Caps

• Local Food or Drinks

• Jewelry

• Shot Glasses

• Christmas Tree Ornaments

• Postcards

• Coffee Mugs

• Thimbles and Spoons

• Tea Towels

I’ve collected Christmas ornaments forever and have one to represent every place we’ve gone over the years. I enjoy decorating the tree while we reminisce about our travels. And lately, I’ve started collecting tea towels. It’s a souvenir that serves a purpose rather than collecting dust on a shelf.

While those listed above are classic keepsakes, I heard about a new one that is less than common from a work colleague who loves to travel.

He recounted a conversation that he had with his daughter prior to their trip to Egypt together. 

“Why don’t we get matching tattoos when we’re in Egypt, Dad? We can get a pyramid or a camel - something that will remind us of being there.”

“Right,” he said sarcastically. “Let’s get a tattoo in Egypt because they have so many tattoo parlors there and we certainly won’t get sick if we can even find someone who can do it.”

As he’s telling me of his conversation at lunch, he smirks. “I can see it now. We start with Egypt and then before you know it, she’ll want us to get tattoos on all of our next trips - Costa Rica, London, the Galapagos. We’ll have tattoos of camels, monkeys, Big Ben, and large turtles. Pretty soon, I’ll be covered with travel tattoos. And I do not want to be a walking Trip Advisor Ad.”

Now that’s a memento I hadn’t considered. I think I’ll stick with Christmas ornaments and tea towels.

When you travel, do you bring back a memento? What are some of your favorites? Share in the comments.