Three unique ways to commemorate your travel that aren't tacky or wasteful.
I don’t know about you, but I am a sucker for a tchotchke. Spending time exploring a good market? Finding treasures that you want in your home forever? Come on! Those are some of my favorite moments of travel.
A local market can be as artistically fulfilling as a museum. Find yourself winding through rows of stalls, interacting with vendors as you admire their crafts. Or maybe you prefer thrifting and antiqueing, learning about a place through the lens of treasures discarded.
We only have so much room on our keychains, and even our moms can get sick of travel gifts. So how do we scratch the itch of a souvenir, without filling our suitcases with cheap things we won’t care about in a year?
When I had a home of my own I was more inclined to purchase local art. Now, as a nomad, I prefer items that are practical, portable, or incredibly unique. Maybe a combo of all 3?
Below are my go-to creative souvenirs: magnets (hear me out), junk journals, and travel tattoos.
Magnets, but Make Them Crafty
Every store, restaurant, cafe, and their mother gives out stickers these days. It’s an easy item to find, and even easier to travel home with.
The problem with stickers is not having enough space! A limited amount of space makes me overthink my sticker selection. I either hesitate to stick them or run out of room – my water bottle is only so big.
A quick solution comes in the form of magnet paper. I keep a few sheets of magnet paper and after every trip, I turn my sticker collection into a magnet collection.
Suddenly my fridge is filled with magnets, which carry special travel memories. This option is much more unique and less expensive than a typical travel magnet.
Junk Journal: Use Your Maps and Scraps
Trendy in the crafting world, junk journals are a fun way to use up scraps and waste. It’s like making a collage, but with anything you want. Inlcuding trash!
As a nostalgic person, I often save train tickets, boarding passes, maps, stickers from take-out orders, etc. so I created a travel junk journal where I could put all my paper memories into one place.
The best part about junk is that it doesn’t have to be pretty. You can rip things up, or cut out shapes and patterns. Include found items, trash, or even pieces of nature. Spot the leaves in my junk journal below, created after spending 2 months in Charleston, South Carolina.
Not only is this a fun souvenir, but creating a journal with collected items is a great way to reflect on a trip.
You can remember all the things you did, and create a gallery to reflect upon later. I love flipping through my junk journal and seeing my silly little memories made from trash!
Really, this is the perfect souvenir for a nomad. Living out of a backpack, it can be hard to carve out space for art supplies. This requires only a journal and an adhesive – I recommend a glue roller.
Travel Tattoos
What is one guaranteed way to never forget a good time? Engrave it onto your skin!
There are so many reasons to get a tattoo while you travel. It is a chance to meet cool people, see a niche side of the local culture, and support artists in the community you are visiting.
Of course, the biggest benefit is the art you carry home with you. Art which will always connect you back to this trip, this moment, this feeling.
I have a 3/4 sleeve comprised of tattoos from around the world. When I look in the mirror I see the art that I love, but I also see New Orleans, Pokhara, Honolulu, Antigua, San Juan, Mexico City, Portland, and Cusco. Each piece carries so much meaning, and the positive energy of the place where I got the tattoo.
Tattoo Tourism
There is a difference between getting a tattoo while you travel and traveling to get a tattoo.
If you find a tattoo artist online and love their style, that is a good enough reason to take a trip somewhere! At least in my opinion.
My first “tattoo tourism” experience, I traveled to Puerto Rico after falling in love with the art of Stephanie Silverio, Co-Owner and artist at 5to Piso Tattoo Studio in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
We had such a fun time chatting, and I was so impressed by her work, I asked when her next available appointment was. Lucky me, it was just a few weeks later! I booked the appointment and extended my stay on the island.
I went to Puerto Rico specifically to get Stephanie’s art tattooed on me, and ended up with two of my favorite tattoos – plus a month of eating mofongo and swimming in the warm, Caribbean sea.
Let's Get Creative with Our Souvenirs
There is nothing wrong with picking up a keychain or deck of cards, if that is what you want to bring home. No judgement here!
But if you want to flex your creative muscles with a craft, or add the memory straight onto your body, try out one of these unique souvenirs to remember your trip.
