What souvenirs do you usually collect on vacation?

[njreindeer]

Hi everyone,

 

Just wondering if you've got one special souvenir that you always collect when on vacation...

 

If we're near any obscure colleges or universities, my hubby likes to collect t-shirts with the college's logo or the logo of their most popular team. And he wears every one! He also tries to find at least one sporting event for us to go to wherever we are, from the now-defunct Adirondack Redwings minor league hockey team to a basketball game in St. Lucia. Not really a souvenir, but something we always try to do.

 

My favorite souvenir is a little boring -- I like the little square plastic keychains that you can get just about anywhere, and if I can't find a square plastic one that I like I'll get another type of keychain, but I have to have a keychain from every new place we go. We probably have a few hundred of them, and have them "displayed" in a large, pretty cut crystal bowl in our home. It's fun to look through them and bring back all of the memories. My favorite is a keychain from Santa Monica Pier with a little glass vial filled with sand and blue "ocean" water, it's just so pretty.

 

Would love to hear what your favorite collectible souvenir is!

[Joe_Scarfone]

I buy shotglasses with the name of the place I visited on them. A little weird since I'm not legal to drink, but I get them anyway :)

 

-Joe

[tmessenger]

I collect hat pins. I have a Panama Jack hat that I wear on vacation and put the pins on the hat. I have 25-30 pins so far from all the ports we have visited and it is a great ice-breaker.

[cruisingrightalong]

I collect coffee mugs...don't want the name of the place...just a pretty cup! And pens...writing pens that is....I do crossword puzzles and such and use them...keeps the memories alive then pitch them when finished!

 

 

Lou

[JanetMarie]

I collect hankies from the islands and wherever we go! Have been since I was a little girl.;)

[kimberli]

We get a Christmas ornament on every vacation. Every Christmas when we put up the tree, we get to reminisce.

 

Kim

[raerae]

We also copllect Christmas ornaments. This year we decided that we were going to buy beach towels from each island because we have a pool and hot tub at home and our towels were starting to wear. My DH also collects a bottle of beer from each island that has their own brew!

 

Cindy ;)

[muscleman]

We collect shot glasses everywhere we have been.

[CrazyCruiseCanuck]

I collect refrigerator magnets...tacky, maybe, but I think that's all that's holding my 23-year -old refrigerator together! I have them from every city, theme park, zoo, and cruise port that we've visited. (Can you tell that vacations take priority over appliances.....)

 

I also like to bring home Christmas ornaments. Makes decorating the tree like a mini-vacation!

 

Cindy

[ezi-amy]

We collect Art works, every wall on our house has a beautiful memory from one of our cruises. The only problem is that we are running out of wall space. I also collect ship models, you can only buy them on the ship with the logo and ship name on them. Ezi

[cathykb]

I just started a refrigerator magnet collection - I got the idea from my dental hygienist, who had hers posted on the ceiling over the dental chair - it was always something interesting to look at! Happy to hear there are other who have this collecting habit!

[lauren0309]

I collect magnets from every place we've been to and every ship we've been on. Also you can make souvenirs from your seapass cards. Put a little strip of magnet on the back of your seapass and you have another souvenir!

[njreindeer]

What great collections! I knew we weren't the only ones who did this.... You're all giving me some new ideas too. We just started collecting Christmas ornaments last summer (first one was a moose on skis from Stowe VT) but I wish we had started years ago. I told DH he's lucky -- those little plastic keychains I like usually cost less than $2, I COULD start collecting expensive jewelry! ;)

[jimbulger]

my wife collects spoons they are those little siver spoons that have the name of the ship on them>>>> any city has them as well so she has them from every port of call. evry embarkation port. every land based vacation weve beeen on any where i go for buissness i pick one up

 

I think its pretty neat

 

i collect casino chips

 

Which i need someone to get me one from voyager as i forgot when i was on her last year

[Teeara]

I always collect Christmas ornaments while on vacation, too. Started back in 1994. This year I plan on having a tree that is decorated exclusively with my travel ornaments.

 

I decided on my first cruise last year that I wanted to collect something different for cruising, so bought my first spoon. I will only collect the ones for the ship itself, not the locations we visit, that way the collection will be small. Still doing the ornaments at the ports, though!

 

BTW, those keychains make great "cheap" gifts for your co-workers! I have a small collection from people in my office who have brought some back from their vacations and given them to me.

[kfrank6302]

Not original, but fridge magnets. They take up no space in your luggage and are cheap (more money for cocktails!). Plus I can get on a plane with just my purse, no carry-on, no boxes of booze or carrier bags full of tchotchkes that will never see the light of day once I get home.

[Sophie]

We buy t-shirts from the ports and on the ship. Also shot glasses and I've bought several nice wind chimes from the ports. I have them accross the back porch deck. We love to sit out there and listen to them. It reminds us of cruising! :D

[rlower7]

I collect golf balls with the name of each destination i visit. They are displayed in a nice wooden rack in my home office. My wife and I also collect a christmas ornament in most ports, but always in Aruba.

 

There is a nice little store in that main shopping mall by the harbor that has very nice porcelain ornaments and will hand paint the date, your names, the ships name, whatever you want on them and they are only about $10.

[m00k3y]

We like to collect hand-crafted items from the local region. We really like the tiles that are literally "hand-painted".

[Barva]

We tend to collect fridge magnets, keychains (esp. for our 8 yo ds who puts them on his school backpack), and Christmas ornaments. I also like to collect dish towels. It's fun to be drying dishes and be transported back to Cozumel or Key West! We also have quite a collection of cruiseand port-related tee shirts.

[hstrybuf]

I do a little research before I go then try to pick up something in the way of local artwork (paintings, pottery, baskets). I also look for something that is unique to the island/port.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

I collect canvas tote bags, I use them all the time and they will usually strike up a conversation somewhere when someone asks, have you been to ___?

 

 

 

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[jstducky]

like joe scarfone and muscleman, i collect shot glasses from everywhere i've been

 

i've built up a nice little collection...

 

and for me it is a bit weird too to collect shot glasses, while i'm old enough to drink legally (i'm 24). i don't drink at all, in fact i've never had alcohol in my life. i just think that shot glasses are unique and a nice collector's item.

[PhoenixCruiser]

We too collect fridge magnets.

 

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[clingandclatter]

I collect thimbles (even though I don't sew). My mom would buy me one from places they went when I was smaller and I've just kept up collecting ever since!

 

Land-wise I too have t-shirts from all kinds of colleges. It's fun to wear them and have people ask, "Oh did you go to _____".