Top 5 Meaningful Souvenirs to Collect While Traveling (ditch the key chains and t-shirts already!)
Let’s talk souvenirs!
Cringe I know, but somehow these cheesy trinkets are a staple of travel all around the world. Most of us collect fridge magnets, shot glasses, or names on keychains, but these are more so related to location than they are to culture, experience, or connection.
After years of slow, intentional travel and curating my own home with pieces carrying stories from around the world, I’ve come to love souvenirs of the “alternative” type. The type of souvenirs that are less about the gimmick and more about the meaning and impact behind their creation. The kind of pieces that bring people together, spark conversation, and stay with you for a lifetime.
Here are my top 5 types of souvenirs to collect when traveling the world (and exactly why they matter):
1. Kitchenware
This one is underrated but SO clutch.
I have a collection gorgeous ceramics from Portugal to Finland and everywhere in between that I now use to drink my morning coffee or host friend and family in my home. Instead of adding a fine china set on the gift registry for our wedding, I opted to stack my kitchen shelves with unique, colorful, conversation starting pieces that are guaranteed to fill peoples belly’s and hearts with the stories behind them.
2. Art
Okay, yes—I’m an artist, so this may seem obvious. But hear me out: art is one of the most intimate ways to connect with a place and its people.
From watercolor-scene street artists near cruise ports to hand-woven textiles from indigenous artisans, art can vary greatly in size, price, and style. This means there is something meaningful out there for everyone!
Whatever your artistic inclination or souvenir budget I encourage you to seek art wherever you go. From galleries, to studios, or even art schools, you can find something extra special and unique in any destination.
3. Jewelry
And no, I don’t mean the pooka shells you wore on spring break circa ‘98 (although I fully support a good beach babe necklace moment 🐚).
Instead, look for pieces that hold generational value. Find a local jeweler or antique shop and check out their collection! Jewelry like art, can come in various forms: a pair of handmade studs, a vintage pin, a repurposed pendant bookmark. Something with a history and a story from a favorite destination can be passed down long after the tan fades. They become legacy.
4. Books
If you're like me and love starting a fresh book on holiday (and swearing you’ll finish it before your flight back home 😅), then here’s a challenge for your next trip: don’t pack a book.
Instead, go to a local bookstore and buy one there! You’ll likely discover authors and titles you’d never come across on Goodreads and get the experience of reading a locally-rooted book while being there. Some of my favorite travel memories are tied to words I read while living them.
5. Music
What’s playing in the background at the local coffee shop? What’s bumping from that car speeding down the street?
Music is memory. It captures a moment in time and anchors it deep.
You could, of course, make a Spotify playlist of your trip, sure, but for something tangible, find a local vinyl shop and grab a record. Bonus points if the cover is art in itself. That way, you're bringing home sound + soul in one go.
Bonus: Coffee!
Coffee beans are a unique way to taste your way through your memories. The flavor, the ritual, the way it’s brewed, coffee tells a story of land, labor, and legacy. Bringing home a bag of locally grown, roasted, and packaged beans is one of the most delicious ways to keep your trip alive… every morning. 🥹☕️
The coffee bag designs are often quite creative and unique to the places they come from, also.
These alternative souvenirs make the best gifts, too!
The best part about these alternative souvenirs is that they double as meaningful gifts for the cooks, artists, fashionistas, bookworms, music aficionados, and coffee addicts in your life. Whether you’re buying for yourself or your loved ones, these pieces carry more than just vacation vibes—they carry intention, culture, and a piece of someone else’s story.
Whether you love a cheesy souvenir or someone who’s avoided them altogether, I hope this list opens your eyes to a more thoughtful way of remembering where you’ve been.
Because at the end of the day, what is travel if not connecting deeply to the places and the people you meet along the way?
Headed to Puerto Rico soon?
Check out my Calles & Culture: Designer Day Trip Itinerary to Old San Juan. It’ll tell you exactly where to shop for the REAL stuff and where to avoid spending your coins too. 😉