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As you read this, I’m wending my way back from New York to Portland. I probably have some souvenirs with me. In this guest-post from Nina at Queercents, she discusses why souvenirs aren’t a good idea.
Last weekend, Jeanine and I cleaned the garage. We still can’t get two cars in the two-car garage, but it’s a two-part project to be continued this weekend. We did end up with a carload of “stuff” to take to Goodwill. As we were loading the Volvo, Jeanine noted there was enough merchandise for a garage sale.
The saying goes, “Never say never.” But I’m N-E-V-E-R having another garage sale in my lifetime. I belong to the Suze Orman school of thought on this topic. Donate and take the tax deduction. Orman writes:
Financially speaking, I can’t make any sense out of garage sales. You have to invest a lot of time to hold one, when you could simply take all your unwanted stuff down to the local charity (or even ask them to come cart it away for you) and claim the donation as a tax deduction. Do you really want to spend a weekend holding a garage sale — with no guarantee you will clear out everything you don’t want — when you can spend an hour or two gathering up your stuff and making a donation whose tax value will likely exceed the value of your garage sale’s proceeds?
In less than 20 minutes, I was there and back (with receipt in hand) and the garage is one step closer to housing the Volvo.
One of the items that didn’t get carted off to Goodwill was the piece of pottery pictured here. Jeanine started to put it in the pile and I said, “You’ve got be kidding me.” It’s not that I love the bowl — after all, it does have a picture of a moose on it. Rather, it represents something that Jeanine just had to buy to commemorate our summer trip to Jackson Hole in 2005.
I live by the motto of Jeanine’s ex-girlfriend. Debbie says, “Most things purchased on vacation don’t translate once they’re home.” In other words, the Hawaiian shirt bought in Honolulu doesn’t make sense back in Topeka and the trinket from Costa Rica looks silly sitting on the dresser in Danbury.
So whenever we are traveling and Jeanine has the urge to purchase a memory, I remind her of the Debbie rule. The moose bowl was one such item and even though we were in our woodsy mode inspired by the views of the Grand Tetons, I knew for sure that it wasn’t going to “translate” back home in Newport. But $69 later, Jeanine was having the bowl boxed up in the gift shop.
We never argue about money. We do disagree from time to time. Mostly it stems from these types of purchases. In my opinion, it’s not worth a fight or even a discussion; rather, it’s easier to just let Jeanine be Jeanine. After all, she was being sentimental by wanting something to cherish our vacation. I would never want to squash this romantic expression. For this reason, I probably even offered to buy the bowl. I don’t quite remember.
But buying the bowl and getting rid of the bowl are two different things. We are going to enjoy that damn bowl forever! It’s a matter of principle. The bowl is back in the house looking silly as ever.
Does anyone have any souvenir regrets they want to share? I’m always looking for examples to build my “it doesn’t translate” case.
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August 3rd, 2007 at 5:48 am
I agree. Most souvenirs I collected on my trips essentially turn into sentimental junks; some do make nice decoration though. In general, they really have no value whatsoever, and do look out of place at home.
I also like your Suze Orman’s quote — very true. At least, for me because I itemized my deduction. For many, yard sales still make sense because you get your money right away.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:56 am
While I agree that memories are much better than souvenirs, I think the reason we buy the souvenirs is to have something that will trigger those memories. Having something you can display in your home, so that each time you see it you will be reminded of a particular moment helps keep those memories fresh. That’s why we like very small souvenirs. However our favorite item to get as a souvenir is getting harder and harder to find. My wife and I liked to get the “squished pennies” from various places we’ve visited. They usually cost a grand total of 51 cents. However, now we’re looking for something else small and inexpensive to remind us of our travels.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:58 am
I just don’t buy souvenirs anymore. Not worth the cost for something I’ll like shelve, then toss with 6 months.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:33 am
“I think the reason we buy the souvenirs is to have something that will trigger those memories.”
It may be an obvious suggestion, but a digital camera and printed photos might have a similar benefit.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:40 am
I’ve had souvenir-buyer’s-remorse so changed the way I buy souvenirs. There are always things I could use so I buy them when traveling and USE them.
On my trip to london last fall I found tin plates at Kensington palace. They are printed to resemble royal dishware patterns. Very cute and I use metal plates all the time anyway. I got 3, each a different pattern and only 8$ each. I”m using them for my everyday dishware and enjoy remembering london every day.
When I was in Italy, I bought a marbled paper appointment book. It’s small (which I like) and I got to remember Florence every day for a year. I keep my calendars for work records so it’s always going to be around. My next trip is to wales and I’m thinking I’ll wait to get my new dishtowels until I’m there.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:53 am
no remorse over purchasing a souvenir, only remorse not having bought a souvenir. with that said, i had gone about 10 years of traveling without having bought souvenirs and only having photos. i look back and regret not having gotten any souvenirs. i’m not talking about cheeky souvenirs either.
when i travel now, i look for souvenirs that represent the culture, the experience, and what i liked most about the visit. this makes me think about a purchase rather than doling out cash for something that I would ask why i bought it and then discard it.
now the thing i wish i had committed to doing but never integrated in my travels is maintaining a journal. i think that is perhaps the best souvenir of them all. i have revisited places and have forgotten about great things that i did the previous time.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:56 am
Oh, come on now. MOOSE BOWL. How can that not translate ANYWHERE? (Why can’t I enlarge the picture? I want the fully glory of the moose bowl.)
On a more serious note, though, I think garage sales are as much social events as financial tools, at least in small towns.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:03 am
Doesn’t anyone want to rush to the defense of garage sales? (That’s not why I’m writing, but can’t resist.) The rational arguments against GS are compelling, but miss other aspects. For instance, (1) garage sales are fun. (2) You can actually meet people at garage sales (granted, many you don’t want to meet). (3) did I say garage sales are fun?
We are hosting the carnival of debt reduction. Is there anything you’d like to submit? We are partial to humorous, absurd, and heart-breaking.
Much appreciated.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:12 am
Let me start by saying I travel a LOT - I’m a software training consultant, so it’s unusual if I’m NOT headed to the airport every other week.
I’ve always loved travel, so this job is great - and I like to pick up souvenirs when I go to a new place, even if I’m only there for a day or two. I like two types of souvenirs - Post Cards and Charms for my charm bracelet.
On the post cards - they’re cheap, and the pictures are usually better than any I take myself. I buy a bunch and (theoretically - although I have a stack from travels dating back to Feb. that still haven’t made their way to a mailbox yet) send them to friends and family. My grandparents practically demand them for bragging rights. (ooh, Lizzie was just in Denver!)
Charms for my charm bracelet - because it’s a cute souvenir. It’s fun to pick out the perfect charm from a visit somewhere, and it’s an adventure because it seems they are tricky to find sometimes. The whole thing is rather light and portable, though individual charms can be 20 dollars or more. But it’s a nice way to remember my travels without cluttering my house.
As far as things that don’t translate well at home, I don’t end up buying too many for myself, but boy howdy do other people like to give them to me. I have a closet full of Disney stuff that I will never wear or use - that my grandmother has been giving me over the years. And since she gave them to me, I feel bad if I get rid of them…
actually, that goes for anything my grandparents give me, even if it’s hideous and I never use it. Does anyone have advice on dealing with that?
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:24 am
What’s worse than picking out souvenirs you never use? Having someone pick out a souvenir for you that you don’t know what to do with. I have a stuffed toad playing some sort of musical instrument. The intent was good, but I prefer my toads alive. Heh, heh.
Jill, I like your idea of picking up household items that you actually use in different countries. Much better idea than just waiting to see what strikes your fancy.
I recently just went out of town to a tea room a friend wanted me to see. It was gorgeous. All these little kitchy things in their marketplace too. I bought too candles with a scent called “Linden Tree,” which I’d never seen before and a bracelet. I wore the bracelet a couple of times and burnt the candles to a knub. Obviously, I now know why I rarely buy jewelry and which was the better buy for me. I enjoyed those candles to pieces. Very fragrant and beautiful. The bit of leftover wax I’m going to make a teacup candle with and enjoy it all over again.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:24 am
Hah! I was going to more or less say what poster 1 did - I buy those squished pennies anywhere I go. Admittedly, you can usually only get them in the single most touristy areas of anywhere, but if I happen to be there, and they happen to have a penny machine, look out. I have maybe 30 to date (though several from when I worked at the local zoo) and they all fit into one can, with room to spare.
I buy patches at National Parks; they haven’t made it into their craft project yet, but they’re also inexpensive and non-bulky.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:25 am
I’ll agree with other commenters that souvenirs are great, if they are something useful. I also like photos and journaling.
As for garage sales vs. donating, remember that you’ll only get to take the tax deduction if you itemize your taxes. I’ve never had to itemize taxes because I either didn’t make enough money, or I had enough “standard deductions” (aka children) to get more back without itemizing deductions.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:38 am
My favorite souvenir is a Christmas ornament. It is in a box for most of the year, and then, while decorating the tree, we get to say, “Oh! Remember that place we stayed at in Maine?”.
The trick to souvenirs is keep it cheap and keep it small.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:44 am
I’m with Jill and company - I like to buy things to remember trips, but things that I integrate into my life, rather than keeping on a shelf or in a box gathering dust. It has to be something I would like even if I saw it in a boutique down the street, but preferably also be something I couldn’t find in the boutique down the street. I have a beautiful painting I bought in a small city in Italy, beautiful earrings I bought in Paris, and a fantastic wool scarf from Ireland that I’ve used several winters in a row.
I like the moose bowl, but if I’d bought it, it would have had to have appeal beyond the moose (and yours might, I just can’t tell from this pic), since actually using it to hold things would mean the moose was invisible.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:48 am
I buy things I need on vacation as souvenirs. So whenever I make a sauce in my nice little red enamel saucepan, I think of the really cool general-store-style shop where I bought it in Vancouver. And when I put sugar in my tea, my sugar bowl reminds me of that great vacation in Myrtle Beach. The only time I’ve broken the rule recently was when I bought a lobster boat buoy in Digby, Nova Scota. But it looks pretty hanging in the garden so I enjoy that too.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:58 am
I buy vacation souvenirs on rare occasion, but I do my best to dissuade myself. That effort is greatly helped by the quality of most souvenirs out there, anyway. But if I don’t already know where in the house it’s going to live, I don’t buy it.
Suze Orman needs to acknowledge that many yard sales are held by people who make so little that they take the standard deduction, anyway, so a donation wouldn’t make sense.
And in any case, is getting at the end of the year 28% (or whatever) of the value of used things, which are worth maybe 10% of their original value anyway, really better than cash in your hand, now? Psychology and the time value of money come into the equation, too.
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:03 am
You take pictures on your vacation, don’t you? Pictures are all the souvenirs you need. Next time you are on vacation and at the gift shop, just take a picture Jeanine holding the moose bowl. It’s a totally free solution that works just as well.
Next time you look at your vacation photos, you will look at that one and say “Remember that ridiculous bowl we almost bought!”
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:15 am
My step-mom loves magnets, they are cheap souvenirs and her fridge and filing cabinets are covered with them. It is a reminder of the vacation spot and can be good “bragging rights” to use with visitors.
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:16 am
Pictures and video… of course you have to do something with them. I’m backed up on videos I want to make of trips I’ve taken. Ahh… someday whe I have the time.
I second the journal suggestion. I keep a daily journal which would help on travels, but maybe a specific travel journal would be a good idea to catalog cool stuff you found or experienced on your trip.
As far as souvenirs, I’ve gotten into buying a shot glass whereever I go. Fairly small and inexpensive and I have a nice collection of a wide variety of shot glasses. When I get a house that has a bar I can add the shot glass as part of the decor…
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:25 am
1) The Suze Orman opinion on garage sales is great if you a) make enough for deductions to be applied (not everyone does) b) can put together enough donations to get a meaningful deduction. Sometimes cash in the pocket is way more valuable. It depends on your circumstances.
2) Souvenirs don’t have to “not fit”. My souvenirs fit or I don’t buy them. It helps that I’m more Bohemian than not, because eclectic items fit my style and environment. But even then, my choices have to lean toward my decor and what I’ll actually use. This is why I tend to buy local jewelry, textiles, and small traditional craftwork.
If I’m in a place where the locals should be receiving some tangible benefit from tourism (like money that goes directly in their pockets rather than to whatever resort properties have set up on their land), I’m particularly glad for being able to easily choose something. If we have the money to travel to places where others are less well off, we should make the leap to contributing to the local economy in whatever fashion we are able. Especially if we can encourage better environments for the people of that place.
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:34 am
My wife and I travel quite a bit, we discovered that instead of buying a Souvenir everywhere we go, we buy a Christmas ornament at the places we go. We get to see them once a year on our tree and doesn’t clutter up the house. We like seeing the different places we have been with out the clutter. We really enjoy it
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:41 am
The worst souvenir that I still possess that didn’t translate is a mini didgeridoo. The thing that I most regret not buying but probably wouldn’t have translated well is a jellabah from Morocco (think Obi-Wan Kenobi). Now I just don’t bother although I sometimes pick up leaflets and so on to put in a scrapbook (not started).
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:07 am
My husband brought me back a small plastic figure of a little boy pulling his pants down to moon you. So we just have to display that! We usually try to get a small watercolor or other piece of art from a local artist. Usually we go for a paiting of something local, then we frame it and hang it at home.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:11 am
Anon said: “What’s worse than picking out souvenirs you never use? Having someone pick out a souvenir for you that you don’t know what to do with.”
Oh man, YES. My Mom is pretty notorious for that. She bought me an ashtray from her last trip to Vegas. I don’t smoke. She thought I could use it for candles.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:14 am
When I lived in Japan, I bought a digital SLR camera. It was expensive, but eliminated the need for me to buy any souvenirs for myself in any of the countries I’ve visited. All of the scenery and all of the great stuff is right there on my hard drive.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:16 am
Great alternative to pricey souvenirs are photos which can later be framed
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:23 am
I love souvenirs, but I buy them carefully. There’s one piece of pottery from our honeymoon that we probably didn’t need, but I have it out on display anyway.
I mainly stick to two souenir choices: holiday ornaments and art. I usually buy a small print or artistic photo collage by a local artist. Even if it’s not a photo of the place itself, I remember when and where I got it. Since I take out my holiday ornaments only once a year and each ornament has meaning for me, it brings back the memories of the trips as well as other happy occasions.
My husband buys keychains and magnets. The magnets go on the fridge and the keychains go on a display rack he had built.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:30 am
I’ve bought art work in a few countries that I loved and they’re still not framed.
I’ve travelled quite a bit so I stopped buying souveniers but when I did, I went cheesy. A deck of cards. Always useful and people enjoy checking them out when I pull them out for a game of euchre.
But for the most part, I agree, souvenirs are generally useless and I DEFINITELY don’t bring any back for friends & family. What memories will it trigger for them?
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:35 am
My rule is that if I find something I can actually use, I’ll buy it.
Especially if I know 1) it’s cheaper than buying it here (e.g no sales tax) and 2) it’s something I have been looking for for awhile.
But I don’t buy tchotchke souvenirs with logos and names of places on them.
For example, I bought a Villeroy & Boch christmas tree ornament when we were in Luxembourg last December.
That kind of stuff.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:38 am
I like to buy souvenirs, but my wife doesn’t so I defer to her. But she has a good saying about them. They have to be useful or beautiful. Obviously beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And in our family she’s usually the beholder.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:46 am
I generally buy souvenir T-shirts if I’m going to buy anything at all. I have pullovers from Lake Tahoe, and a favorite shirt from San Antonio, and and “I
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:46 am
I don’t follow the garage sale negativity. In terms of time, I would probably just be playing video games or something equally meaningless anyway. I don’t believe in the whole ‘your time == money’ argument, because if I’m not at work, I don’t get paid, regardless of what I do with my time. Its not like I’m writing the great american novel in my spare time. If I was doing something that translated to money, I would probably see it more as a second job than spare time anyway.
Also, I have a feeling alot of people tend to cheat on their donations. That shirt you donate is worth as much on the tax deduction receipt as it would go for in the goodwill. Usually something like $3, even if you paid $50 for it. Most of the time I suspect people like Suze will mark an item up on the donation receipt to get the better deduction. I know that’s what I do. I’m not saying to not do that, I’m just saying don’t mark stuff up on your tax receipt and then use that as the basis of your argument to claim that garage sales are not worth it.
Even if you sell the shirt for as much as you mark it on your donation form, a tax deduction is worth roughly 15-28% of what you receive in cash anyway. Probably less if you don’t pay taxes on your garage sale proceeds.
Finally, I see the garage sale as a chance to get more cash for something I’m going to donate anyway. In the shirt example, if I paid $50 for it, I might get $15 at a garage sale in cash, or donate it and get a $3 deduction (if I’m not cheating), which is really worth like $1. The second I deem the garage sale to be ‘over’, all the left over crap gets put in my car and whisked off to goodwill anyway.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:53 am
I’ve stopped buying too many souveniers when I travel now.
Instead, I’ve coppied a friend, and each place I visit, I get a small thing to hang on the christmas tree. They’re ususally quite small, so easy to cary, and fairly cheap. Last christmas was the first time I brought them all out (for Mum when she stayed with me), and the tree was filled with memories of places visited and things seen and done!
If I want, I can also place them on shelves etc aroudn the house during the year, but by packing them away, I don’t have to clean around them all year, and it’s like opening a great memory bag when it comes time to decorate!
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:01 am
Thanks for another interesting article.
I am not much of a reader but its interesting to read other people’s thoughts.
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:11 am
After realizing how much space souvenirs require, we have switched to buying things we can hang on the Christmas tree. We only have to deal with the souvenirs once a year, and they’re small and fairly inexpensive.
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:15 am
I hate garage sales. There’s something really depressing about watching strangers pick through your old, unwanted stuff. Then they want to haggle over it.
Everyone’s right - photos are the best souvenirs. You can frame and display the best ones. Anything else just makes the house too junky. Then you have to consider a garage sale to get rid of all that stuff.
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:28 am
A couple of years ago, I started buying things that would extend the experience of the trip in meaningful ways. I’m really interested in the local-food movement, so my favorite souvenirs now are often regional foods. Having a glass of wine with someone with whom I share the memory of an afternoon spent at a vineyard is a completely different and richer experience than having the same wine out of a bottle from the liquor store. And then, once it’s gone, it’s gone, and there is room for mementos of the next trip.
I also love to buy art while traveling, and again, I seek out little galleries featuring local artists - all the better if I can find a co-op gallery or open-air art fair and chat with the artist him/herself.
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:35 am
Like many others have commented, I’m picky about my souvenirs. I take a tonne of photos, and restrict myself to buying ornaments for the Christmas tree, or jewelery.
Many of my most cherished pieces of jewelery are souvenirs of my own travels or the travels of loved ones. Every time I wear those items, I remember the where/when/who that goes with them.
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:47 am
If you’re visiting Vegas, a $1 chip is a cheap and compact memento. Casinos don’t mind their smaller scrip becoming souvenirs; hell, they’d rather keep the $1. Fits right at your workstation, too, reminding you to book a return trip each time you log in. Or maybe that’s just me.
If you want to lay out $5, many casinos produce collectible, limited-edition chips at that denomination and up. The hobby of chip collecting has grown considerably in the past several years, and you might be able to score one with your favorite Vegas attraction or rockstar on it. The Palms and the Hard Rock are among the most active in this realm.
Best of all, if you no longer want the chip, cash it back in the next time you’re there (or send it with a Vegas-bound friend). Just resist the urge to drop it on black at the roulette tables on the way to the cashier. . . .
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:59 am
At a farm visit with my family, my daughter and I both bought expensive Little House on the Prairie dresses, for over $150 for the two. It’s our dream to live on a farm, milk cows, make cheese, etc, and the farm day was so lovely, I suppose we thought the dresses would somehow make the dream into a reality once we got back to our house in — Los Angeles! It didn’t. We only wore the dresses once more, and now they just hang, lonely, in our crammed closets. Bad souveneir choice. I still can’t believe my husband allowed it. To think: I was mad at him when he even complained! I said he was a killjoy. The real killer of joy is slowly drowning in clutter and not being able to have anyone over!
The whole idea about getting something you will use (dishtowels, a plate, etc.) really says it all. Otherwise, probably best to take a photo, unless you are a highly clean and organized person, who carefully and lovingly displays (and dusts) each item as part of a collection.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:04 pm
I’ve been buying canvas tote bags as souvenirs for years. I have them from Monticello, Seattle, Jamaica, the Smithsonian Museum…and now I have enough reusable shopping bags for any trip to the grocery store, farmers’ market, or mall, and I’m reminded of my vacations every time I shop.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:24 pm
I think it really depends on what you count as souvenirs. We buy a christmas ornament on every trip, and then every year when we decorate our tree we remember when we bought them.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I agree with buying art while on vacation. But then I am an artist, so take that with a grain of salt.
Also buying things that you can use is a good idea. A friend of mine loves breweries. (Who doesn’t.) And buys a pint glass whenever he goes on a tour while on vacation. Makes for good conversation when you party at his house and can ask about the place on your glass.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I used to buy the tackiest souvenir I could find that cost under $10 US. (Competing for the worst: a doll of a Maori girl with facial tattoos whose BLUE eyes closed when lying down, and a Swiss stuffed cow that mooed and yodeled.) Now, often when I travel, I buy a pint glass from the restaurants I eat at (when they have them). I now have a bunch of pint glasses that all match, but are also all unique. Very practical!
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:54 pm
I do like to buy those little brass pencil sharpeners made for differnent locales: a slot machine for Vegas, cable car for San Francisco etc. I mainly find them at Walgreens. Then…I give it to my kids who didn’t get to go. ??
Weird, because I don’t like receiving souvenirs from someone else’s travels.
About garage sales: it takes so much time to organize everything, label it, display it all, get loads of dollar bills for making change, hanging signs, and so on. Then haggle over prices, find out people are STEALING, and clean up afterwards.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Souvenirs are always overpriced! That’s why we don’t buy them. We travel a lot, and only buy very limited number of souvenirs, typically something that we can use or see everyday such as carpets, and not without bargaining really hard. We mainly focus on taking good digital photographs, gigabytes of them! Additionally, we took some mementos such as rocks, sand, fallen leaves, or other scraps that are free of charge.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:47 pm
I go with pictures. On our honeymoon in Iceland, I got a lot of really amazing shots. Some friends had bought us a digital photo frame for our wedding, and we loaded it with the honeymoon photos (and, later, other pics). It only takes up the space of one picture frame, and when we have guests over they always want to hear our stories about the things in the photos.
When I take photos, I don’t feel like I’m leaving empty-handed if I didn’t find anything to buy. But when I do buy souvenirs, I like to buy them for OTHER people - and I make sure they’re small, and cheap enough that I wouldn’t be offended if the recipient hates it and throws it away. Miniature snowglobes, say.
Postcards are another favorite of mine - people like to recieve them, and will actually keep them around, unlike snowglobes. I’ll also buy postcards for myself.
Stickers and patches - I put stickers on my laptop. Great reminders of where I’ve been, and nobody will ever mistake their ibook for mine at a conference.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:24 pm
I like to buy stuff to use in the kitchen… a whisk from Switzerland, vegetable peeler from Germany, paella pan from Spain…
Also, I send myself postcards when I’m away from home, usually detailing where and what I ate, and what I did that day.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:30 pm
I always try to find a keychain or magnet. But I’m very very picky… and more often than not, don’t purchase anything. Every once in a while, I’ll be at a place and really badly want a miniature replica, but since I’m really picky, and most of those places I enjoy aren’t super popular among tourists, I don’t usually find anything. Or if I do, it’s too large, too small, coloring is weird, etc.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:33 pm
I agree garage sales are a waste. Donate it instead and get your break later, than wasting a Saturday in your garage. Most people these days, go to the Goodwill and Salvation Army to shop.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:48 pm
I like to get a Christmas Ornament, and you can remember the trip when you decorate your tree each year, or a nice magnet for the fridge (cheap)..I regret neither of these as they are not too pricey, and the memories attached are priceless.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:17 pm
just as i pack everything but the girl (she left) and the kitchen sink (it’s attached to the wall), in order to make it all fit in half a container, this post falls into my rss reader. i’m relocating to another country, which i previously visited for a week in december. and during that week i bought a crazy amount of souvenirs and local crafts for friends and girlfriend. she eventually left for the same country, leaving most of my gifts to gather dust. crazy… that was crazy.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:10 pm
I like to get clothing (making sure it’s something I’ll actually wear) as a souvenir. I agree that things that are made to be just a souvenir aren’t generally worth it, but being able to wear my scarf from Italy, or carry my bag from Ecuador is awesome.
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:44 pm
My wife, who never wears hats except in winter has twice purchased hats while on vacation. Both were long term decisions, and at least one if not both were then custom made by the artist. One has never been worn back home and the other (since it is a winter hat) has been used only from time to time.
My daughter has made better use of the cowboy hat, playing dress up, bought when at a convention in Oklahoma then I have ever.
But - I do have a growing collection of sand. displayed in soft drink bottles bought at the local and filled with the local sand. Obviously this began with the black sands of Hawaii and the red sands around Las Vegas but has been added to by my sons travel to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. On the same shelf is a flat stone I took off the bottom of a lake in the Appalachians. These Natural Finds - while not disturbing protected areas are great reminders for me of fun vacations.
(its bad luck to take the lava rocks from Hawaii but not the sand)
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:51 pm
How about souvenir success?
A 12″x18″ postcard of First Flight from Kitty Hawk. Framed and matted, and hanging in our dining room. $3 postcard $65 for framing.
Good memories and inspiration
‘Never Give Up!’
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:56 pm
I love holding garage sales and I used to make a lot of money at them. I don’t buy stuff I don’t need anymore the way I used to though, so there’s not enough stuff to sell at garage sales anymore. This is a good thing, but I do kind of miss having garage sales. I like meeting people, I like organizing things for sale and selling them. We are moving now and I am selling just a few items on craigslist, not nearly as much fun. But I can see how if you didn’t enjoy having garage sales it would be better to donate the items.
August 4th, 2007 at 6:09 am
Does anyone know if Canadians can donate their junk and get a tax receipt?
Mike
August 4th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Poster #9 (Awesome) brought up the problem of other people giving you souveniers from their trips, and what do you do with them?
While the thought is nice, I usually don’t really want a souvenier from someone else’s trip — it means nothing to me, since I wasn’t there. Of course, I’ve been guilty of bringing people back stuff from my trips too, so I’m definitely a hypocrite here, LOL. (My mother actually returned a bunch of stuff I got for her in Japan — it doesn’t fit her decor at all, which I should have realized. I ended up not wanting them either, couldn’t sell them on eBay or Craig’s List, so I donated them to Goodwill.)
Anyway — as for the Disney stuff that Awesome’s grandma is giving her (or him — I can’t tell) — DONATE IT TO GOODWILL! Sell it on eBay! You don’t need to keep all this stuff just because Grandma gave it to you!!! Does she inspect your closet regularly to make sure you have all her gifts? I didn’t think so….Keep one or two, and wear them around her occasionally….But sentimentality isn’t a good reason to keep unwanted clutter around…
August 5th, 2007 at 8:32 am
Discussing the souvenirs, and journal–my Mom has kept a journal since 1970. When they traveled overseas to visit me, she bought post cards from each community that interested her, and wrote her thoughts on the post cards. She then mailed it locally from the post office, to herself. When she got home, she had her reflections of each site for her journal, and mounted them in her journal.
She also found a kitchenware site in Germany which had an unusual assortment of pots, pans, and utensils not readily available in the states. She bought a large number of the pots and pans, shipped them home, and had a ready supply of unusual wedding gifts for casual acquaintances for the next several years.
August 6th, 2007 at 5:13 am
Awesome post! The only thing worse than regular souvenirs are kid souvenirs. These pieces of crap literally have no value whatsoever and the kids get sick of the stuff before the trip is even over. Additionally, the kid souvenirs are usually way over priced!!! …now if I can just get my GF to agree without getting into an argument.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:51 am
I like postcards because they’re inexpensive, give us better photographs of the places than I could take, and work well in a scrapbook. Even better would be if I would actually write on the back and document what I think / feel / experience on vacation.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
One of my best “souvenirs” is a journal I wrote while spending the summer in Europe. My only regret is that the entries became more sporatic near the end. It’s amazing to open it and see “Ah yes, I remember that day in Florence,” or think “That’s right, we nearly got eaten by mosquitoes in Sweden.”
I thought about buying something on my honeymoon, almost wish I had. We got a thank-you present for our best man, which was a special candle (made locally and with a great smell) and maple syrup (we were in New England). He and his wife love candles and we figure syrup normally comes in handy at some point. I should have gotten a candle for myself. Or maybe one of the lovely bohemian outfits in the store. But I didn’t and that’s ok.