Our kitchen cupboard is lined with Starbucks tumblers from different cities. But those are not mine. They belong to my roommate. I know of at least three other friends who have the same souvenir collection. I won’t follow their example because it takes up too much space.
Still, I think their collection is less difficult to store than my friend Gay’s, which is composed of snow globes. It must be a nightmare to cart those around.
I have decided that I do not want to go to the trouble of storing these items. Not only do they take up space that I can use for other things but also, what if I needed to move? Then I would either have to take extra effort to pack and move them, too, or just throw them all away, which makes them a waste of money.
When I first started to travel, I used to collect souvenir shirts, because I thought they were useful, at least.
I realized later that I did not really get to use them a lot since I am not a huge tee wearer.
Then I moved to Singapore and had to get rid of half my stuff so they all had to go. That was when I decided not to collect souvenirs that only take up space.
My friend Zenie has a less bulky collection – flag pins. They are so tiny that she can just tack them all onto a backpack. I think it’s pretty clever, actually. But I am still not following her example. Why?
I have decided that I do not want to go to the trouble of looking for stores just so I could buy a souvenir for my collection. I would rather use my limited precious travel time for other activities.
So what do I collect this time? Currency. I keep small paper bills from each new country I visit. They all fit snugly in a small wallet. Not only are they easy to store, but I do not have to go to any additional effort in searching for them, too, because having them is really part of the trip!
But aside from these, I also collect pictures, blog posts, and memories. These can be stored digitally so I can easily take them with me wherever I go. I believe these are the best travel souvenirs anyone can have.
Of course, that’s just me. I know lots of people prefer other souvenirs and I admire that because I know how much effort that takes. Are you one of those people? What do you collect?
Doing the travel link up with Adventures of a London Kiwi.