[NN4] Do you buy souvenirs?

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Hey, Wanderers!

This came up recently in a discussion elsewhere: do you buy souvenirs? and if you do, what are they? (And how do you get them home?)

Okay, here’s my answers: I do buy souvenirs!

I’m currently traveling full-time, but I’m not opposed to getting souvenirs because I have somewhere I can keep them.

I do try to make sure my souvenirs fit a set of criteria though:

It can’t be something that I can just buy on Amazon, e.g. most mass-produced junk.
It should remind me specifically of a country, city, or experience I had in that location.

The other thing to consider is size. I’m limited to a carry-on suitcase and a daypack, so I can’t load up on amazing things if they’re over a certain size. That means if I get a souvenir program for a musical I went to, I have to make sure I can fit it somewhere until I can send it back to the US.

I also can’t buy MULTIPLES of things, most times, because even small stuff adds up to a big space in my bag. So, only ONE souvenir program.

For me that means I tend to buy more useful things than purely decorative.

I like notebooks, stickers, stamps, washi tape, and things I can use in my travel journal. Tote bags with local logos can be used for their purpose until they head home. Clothing items, like handmade silk scarves from Laos, are beautiful and also useful. Little bags from Daiso and MUJI are good for organizing my suitcase and when I want to switch them out with something else, I send the old ones back home.

That said, I do wish sometimes I could buy bigger things, like home decor items. Like, rugs or weird pots or wooden carvings. The markets in Bali and Thailand and the flea markets in Japan are very tempting places! Maybe once I settle down again I can go out to get things to fill my space– just another excuse to travel again, right?

As for how I get my souvenirs home: I just mail them!

I’ve mailed packages from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand. It was an easy process each time, but then I specifically planned to send packages from those countries because the postal system is known for being decent, not too expensive, and that the staff will help tourists when needed. Read my post about sending things from Japan here for an idea of that.

Anyway, that’s what I do! What about you? Do you buy souvenirs when you travel?

Happy Wandering,

Anastasia Finch

JustGoneWandering.com

Post Contents

New Adventures on the Blog

Here’s what’s new and updated on Just Gone Wandering this week!

Exploring the Field Museum, Chicago – One of my favorite museums!
Wendella Chicago River Tour Review – One of the famous architecture tours, and my experience therein.
A Nomad’s Travel Glossary – Some definitions of common travel-related words that I see used a lot, but maybe not everybody knows.
Da Nang Grocery Store Food Prices 2024 – To give you an idea of how to budget for a long stay in Da Nang as a slow travel nomad.
How to Mail a Package Home from Japan – For when you run out of luggage room and don’t want to tote around a bunch of keychains.

Wanderlust Finds from Around the Web

Looking for more wanderlust inspiration? Check out these awesome reads from fellow travelers:

How this Nomad is working her way around the World by The Travels of BBQBoy and Spanky – An interview with a full-time nomad from the US who has been working her way across the globe over the last 20 years.
The Incredible PEZ Visitor Center by The Awkward Traveller – Did you know that Conneticut has a PEZ factory?
Munich Christmas Market Guide 2024 by Curiosity Saves Travel – Must-know info if you’re planning on visiting this year!
20 Cool Bars in Tbilisi by Red Fedora Diary – Georgia has been getting more and more buzz lately from the digital nomad crowd.

Business Finds for Business Folks

For those who are digital nomads/entrepreneurs, or who want to be, some links and resources relating to running a business:

Striking Gold Summit virtual conference, October 21-25 (free) – For course creators, or people who want to create courses. Some interesting topics, including content repurposing, the customer journey, and marketing tips.
Start, Scale, Succeed! virtual conference, October 22-24 (free) – For online business owners who want to scale their business to $100,000+/year. Topics are ones suitable for beginners to intermediate, and include things like Pinterest ads, creating a brand story, email marketing, and content idea generation.

Tip: These summits have schedules you can sync to your preferred calendar; when you do so, it’ll be set to your home location which is VERY handy when you’re in, say, Vietnam and all the sessions are happening on Eastern Standard Time.

Podcast of the Week

Last week I suggested an actual-play Dungeons & Dragons podcast, and this week I’m doing the same again! What can I say, they’re really fun to listen to.

I recently listened to the 4-episode miniseries Twilight Sanctorum, part of the Not Another DnD Podcast series. It’s a standalone story set within the world of the larger series, and it’s a good way to get started listening to the show.

This miniseries is about a family of private investigators who are hired by a singer to track down her blackmailers. It’s funny (the players are all comedians) but also has some excellent storytelling, and really good background music the DM made specifically for the show.

Listen to the first episode here.

Something to Watch This Week

A documentary from NHK World (the international branch of Japan’s public broadcasting company), about a Buddhist nun living in a rural mountain temple. It focuses on her cooking!