Travel Souvenir Ideas to Collect
Are you looking for travel souvenir ideas? These are some great travel souvenir ideas you can collect.
The word “souvenir” means “remember” in French, and souvenirs are quite literally mementos that remind you of a place that you traveled to. Many people enjoy collecting a certain type of travel souvenir.
Having souvenirs to look back on is a great way to preserve your memories of a trip. Creating a souvenir collection is also a fun way to document your travels and display all of the places you have been.
Below you’ll find ideas for travel souvenirs that you can collect. Some of these are larger souvenirs that you can display, while others are smaller (or even intangible) if you are more of a minimalist.
Here are the best travel souvenir ideas for you to collect:
1. Postcards
Postcards are a great souvenir to collect. They’re inexpensive, and you can find unique designs everywhere you go. If you start a postcard collection, you can easily keep all of them stored in one small box. Or you can choose to put them in a photo album, or even use them as wall art for a more prominent display.
A fun idea is using the back of the postcard like a travel journal to jot down what you did that day. You can then keep the postcard, or mail it to yourself and collect a stamp and local postmark too.
2. Magnets
Magnets are another small, inexpensive travel souvenir you can collect. What’s nice about collecting magnets is that you can actually look at them every day by keeping them stuck to your fridge.
If you run out of space on the fridge or would prefer to display your magnets elsewhere, you can also keep your collection on a magnetic board. If you want to make your travel magnet collection even more unique, you can find magnets that fit a specific theme, like flags, famous monuments, food, or nature.
3. Keychains
Keychains are another cheap, lightweight souvenir item. They don’t take up much space, and they’re easy to find wherever in the world you travel. You can attach them to your keys, backpack, or purse.
Since you can quickly run out of space doing this, you can also display your keychains in another way. For example, you can get a corkboard and hang them on tacks, or put them all on a large keyring.
4. Figurines
Figurines are a fun item to collect. This can be anything from a small statue of a famous monument, to matryoshkas, or Russian nesting dolls, which you can now find in many souvenir shops.
You can choose figurines that represent the local culture, traditional costumes, famous sites, or something else. You can only collect tiny figurines if you want a smaller collection, or opt for larger items.
5. Coasters
Coasters are a fun, unique, and pretty practical travel souvenir idea. I’ve seen lots of really cool coasters when traveling, like azulejo tile coasters in Portugal or colorful woven fiber coasters in Colombia.
This is an item that doesn’t take up much space, and you can actually use them to rest your drink on. Plus if you’re having guests over, coasters from around the world make a good conversation starter.
6. Shot Glasses
Shot glasses are a classic souvenir that a lot of people collect. You are pretty much guaranteed to be able to find a shot glass in every souvenir store around the world. (I’ve even seen them in places where it feels a little weird — like the gift shop at a D-Day museum in Normandy France. But to each their own, I guess?)
Shot glasses are something you can display on a shelf or in a glass cabinet. Even if you’re not a big drinker, this is still a fun collection you can have to show all of the places around the world you have traveled.
7. Mugs
If you’re a big coffee or tea drinker, mugs are one of the best travel souvenir ideas. When you’re at home sipping a hot beverage of your choice out of your mug, you’ll be reminded of your travel memories.
Mugs are something you can find in pretty much every destination around the world, making this an easy thing to collect. However, mugs are a little bulky and fragile, and you will probably want to wrap them in clothes when packing them in your suitcase to bring home so you don’t risk breaking your new souvenir.
8. Ticket Stubs
A free souvenir that doesn’t take up much space is ticket stubs from all of the places you’ve been and attractions you’ve visited. It shows the date and where you went, preserving your memories in time.
You can keep tickets from flights, train rides, museums, historic sites, tourist attractions, concerts, and more. There are lots of ways you can display your ticket stubs too. You can put them in a travel journal, create a collage, add them to a scrapbook, put them on a corkboard, or display them in a shadow box.
9. Stamps
Stamp collecting has been a popular hobby since the 1850s, and it’s perfect for travelers because you can develop a unique collection with stamps from all around the world. Stamps also take up almost no space.
If you’re already planning to send some postcards from your destination and you buy a book of stamps, you can save one for your own collection. Or you can combine this with the first idea on this list (collecting postcards) and mail yourself a postcard from each destination you visit, collecting a stamp and a postmark.
10. Photos
Photos are a great intangible souvenir. You probably already take lots of photos when you travel. But you can start a unique photo collection where you take pictures of the same thing everywhere you travel.
Maybe you do the same pose in front of every famous monument or tourist site you visit, or bring a small object (like a stuffed animal) and photograph it everywhere you go. Or take photos of every meal you eat, or every sunset. You can also turn your photos into special mementos like a photo album or scrapbook.
11. Maps
What represents traveling better than a map? You can approach this type of souvenir in a few different ways. First, you can literally collect maps when you travel. Many souvenir stores, bookstores, and gift shops sell unique maps. You can find a map of a New York’s subway lines or an illustrated food map of Italy, for example. These types of maps make great home decor and you can even get them framed.
Another idea is getting a scratch-off map or a corkboard map. For example, you can get a scratch-off map of the United States, and every time you visit a new state, you scratch off it off to reveal an illustration underneath. Or you can get a corkboard map of the world and put a pin in each country you visit.
12. Local Art
Buying local art is an excellent way to support small independent artists and to curate a unique art collection at home. Be sure to look for authentic local art, not prints bought from a souvenir shop.
Local art doesn’t have to be expensive — you can buy a postcard print from a street artist or a small canvas from an independent gallery. This is a really meaningful and one-of-a-kind type of souvenir to collect.
13. Pins
If you’re looking for a small and inexpensive souvenir, you can’t go wrong with pins. Pins or buttons are something you can find almost everywhere, they’re super cheap, and they barely take up any space.
You can show off your pins in a variety of ways, from pinning them onto a backpack or jacket, to displaying them on a fabric board. Pretty soon you’ll have a colorful mosaic of pins chronicling your travels.
14. Jewelry
If you’re a jewelry fanatic, buying local jewelry everywhere you travel is a great souvenir. I have a friend who does this and she has so many cool pieces of jewelry from destinations all around the world.
You can find unique, locally-crafted pieces that are truly one of a kind, making this a very special souvenir. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, either, since you can find local jewelry at all price points.
15. Ornaments
Christmas ornaments are a fun and festive travel souvenir to collect. You can find many unique ornaments on your travels. Every year around the holidays, you’ll be able to relive memories of your past travels as you decorate the Christmas tree. This is a great souvenir for travelers who value holiday traditions.
Some travel enthusiasts even set up a dedicated “travel tree” to display all of their Christmas ornaments from around the world. This could be a smaller Christmas tree in a different room than your main tree.
16. Books
I absolutely love to read, and I always make a point of visiting local bookstores wherever I go. I don’t always buy a book because of space constraints, but books are a great souvenir if you’re also a reader.
You can buy books that remind you of a particular place (like a coffee table book with photos from that destination, a local cookbook, or a novel set in that place) or just pick up any book that catches your eye. You can make it more special by writing in the cover exactly where you purchased the book and the date.
17. Hats
If you frequently wear hats, this can be a good souvenir to collect that is also quite practical. My dad collects hats when he travels and he has a baseball cap from many of the destinations he’s been to.
You can stick to one type of hat (like baseball caps) or opt for ornamental hats that evoke a specific place (like a beret from France, a fez from Morocco, or a sombrero from Mexico.) You might not wear these hats in your daily life quite as much as a baseball cap, but it can be a cool collection to display nonetheless.
18. Clothing
Clothing is another practical souvenir that you can actually get some use from if you add the clothes into your daily wardrobe rotation. Some people prefer to get simple t-shirt from every destination they visit.
Other more fashion-forward travelers might prefer to buy clothing with a bit more local flair. You can get some really unique and one-of-a-kind pieces this way, and add an exotic touch to your wardrobe.
19. Stickers
Stickers are a fun and affordable souvenir, and they barely take up any space. You can find unique stickers that represent the destination you’re visiting, a particular attraction, a local phrase, and so on.
The great thing about stickers is that you can easily display them in a lot of ways. You can add stickers to your laptop case or water bottle if you want to display them prominently, or stick them in a journal.
20. Currency
It’s fascinating how different currency looks around the world, and collecting bills and coins from the local currency when you travel is a fun and easy collection to maintain. I have inadvertently started a huge currency collection just by always having some leftover coins when I leave a destination.
You don’t actually have to “buy” anything to start this type of souvenir collection — just save a little bit of the local money when you leave! You can display your currency collection in a binder or shadow box.
21. Snow Globes
Snow globes are a popular tchotchke to collect from your travels. What I love about snow globes is that inside the little glass globe, you can see a miniature version of the destination you visited.
This is a good way to bring your travels back home with you. Snow globes are fragile, though, so you do need to be careful about how you pack these in your luggage to take home. (Wrapping them in an article of clothing is a good idea.) This is the perfect type of collection you can display on a shelf or in a glass case.
22. Dishes
Dishes are another one of the best travel souvenir ideas. This is something that can be both practical, because you can use the kitchenware you collect from your travels every day, and decorative.
Some ideas of dishes to collect include plates, saucers, glasses, spoons, and other silverware. You can buy dishes with a local flair, like a tagine from Morocco or Murano glassware from Italy. Once again, this is a type of souvenir that is very delicate, so you will want to be extra careful with how you pack these.
23. Tote Bags
Do you often carry a tote bag when you go to the grocery store, run errands, or go out with friends? If so, collecting canvas tote bags from your travels is an excellent souvenir that is quite practical too.
You can find tote bags with a variety of designs or phrases that represent the destination you’re visiting or specific places you’ve been. These also make great conversation starters when you’re out and about.
24. Home Decor
If you’re someone who loves to choose unique home decor pieces that reflect your personal style, buying home decor when you travel is a great souvenir and a cool way to preserve your travel memories.
One thing to note is that home decor pieces are some of the bulkier souvenir items on this list, even if you go for something on the smaller side like a unique lamp or a throw pillow. If you’re looking to buy something even bigger, like a rug or furniture, you can see what sort of shipping options are available.
25. Journal Entries
Finally, one last intangible souvenir you can collect from your travels is journal entries. There are many different ways to approach this. You can write in a physical journal, or create a digital journal.
You can jot down a few short observations from every day when you travel, make lists and track certain things (like the best meal you ate or your favorite moment from that day), or write longer journal entries. Or you can also create a multimedia journal with ticket stubs, drawings, photos, and more.
Best Travel Souvenir Ideas
This guide showed you the best travel souvenir ideas to collect.
Souvenirs are an amazing way to preserve your travel memories and create a collection that showcases all of the places you have been. It’s a way to bring home a little piece of everywhere you travel to.
Hopefully you found the perfect souvenir idea from this list!
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