What To Think About When Buying Travel Souvenirs For Your Home

06.10.2023 - 20:11 / forbes.com

As I traveled on a tour bus from Seefeld to Innsbruck in Austria, a loud voice from the back called out, "Can we stop somewhere to buy some tchotchkes and knick knacks?" The mention of souvenirs made me cringe a little as I wasn't fond of purchasing things that ultimately would end up forgotten. Even though they serve as mementos of our travels, I had one too many magnets that didn't stick or t-shirts that were mass-produced thousands of miles away. Despite my reluctance, we stopped at a shop full of beer steins, snow globes, scarfs, hats, and miniature dolls dressed in Austrian trachten. As I picked each one up, I heard that voice again, this time much closer, "That's a beautiful keepsake, you should get it." Although I don’t drink beer and have no use for the beautifully decorated Stein, I caved in and purchased it. Months later, when packing for another trip, I found the beer stein, still in the original packaging, and pawned it off to a friend, who promised to "have a cold one in it and remember our friendship", amidst several exasperated eye rolls.

That experience got me thinking — why do we buy souvenirs? Do they have material value beyond an emotional connection to a memory? And how do they fit into the most personal space of our lives — our home?

“Travel souvenirs are one of my favorite ways to decorate because they are more meaningful than other filler accessories you buy and can evoke special memories for people. They create a full expression of who you are and what your life is all about,” says Leslie Murchie, an interior designer at Bonni Wu Design. Like the bookshelf in her home where small hand-carved masks from Tanzania sit alongside a carved wooden whale tail from Hawaii, and a tortoise carving from the Galapagos. And right next to the bookshelf, she says, is a small trio of framed preserved butterflies from her honeymoon in Costa Rica. “These are all small and inexpensive things, but as a collection, they bring a sense of cohesiveness and remind me of a particular time and place,” she adds.

Leslie also shares practical tips on how to shop for meaningful souvenirs — keeping an eye out for small pieces that can easily find their way onto a bookshelf or a small corner, choosing clusters of items that can create a collection, and lastly finding local and original art on canvas or textiles. When looking for art or trinkets, she suggests looking for colors and patterns that are already displayed in your home because it's a palette you naturally gravitate towards. If you love neutrals and softer tones, try to avoid purchasing artwork or trinkets in primary colors. The colors you are drawn to likely are the same over time, so it's best to stick with them and help the souvenirs you buy fit