Mindful Souvenires, Meaningful Travel Mementos

While traveling, I often find myself wanting to capture my travel experiences with the hope of revisiting them when I return. We create a snapshot in our minds and remind ourselves to remember those exact moments. If you’re like me, when you return home and are jolted out of your travel haze into real life, those memories dissipate.

Sometime later, when someone asks you about your trip, you draw a blank. To me, that is where travel mementos come in.

I don’t like to bring home kitschy trinkets as souvenirs found in touristy shops with little or no meaning to me. I want something that will spark my memory and remind me of how it felt to be in that location or the people I spent time with. I want something that is easy to display or that I see often so that I can hold onto those memories a little longer.

I have found some of my favorite ways to capture those memories and hold on to those feelings. I hope these inspire you to explore some ideas for more mindful souvenires.

Printed Photo Books

When I have gone on larger trips where we’ve done so much it is hard to keep track, I like to put together photo books. I hate the idea of all my photos being forgotten on my phone. Instead, I use something like Chatbooks to print them into a small book. What I love about Chatbooks is you can pull photos from your phone and Instagram. The best part is that you forget you ordered it and then relive the experience when your book is shipped to you. You can also order multiple of your books and give them as gifts to people you traveled with.

Travel Journals

I also keep a travel journal and bring it along on my trips. I love this idea as I am a crafty type and I like the thought of jotting down notes about my travels and including things like stickers and maps or other small tokens I can paste in. I usually include photos as well by using a photo printer and printing photos from my phone. I love this Wanderlust Passport because it has areas for you to write your trip details such as the date, where you stayed, and the weather. I also like that there is room for doodling as I like to draw pictures of things I’ve experienced on my trip. Flipping through my travel journal sparks my memory and takes me back. I post a sticker on the cover from every trip included so that it is easy to quickly identify what trips are in which journals.

Travel Art

I have an obsession with maps and often collect artwork that features creative interpretations of an area that I have visited. I like to purchase local art that captures the vibe of that area. A while back, I bought a personalized art piece that looked like an airport departure board featuring places I wanted to travel to. Since then, I have traveled to all of the locations on this art piece. Did I manifest those trips? Maybe? 

Small Tokens

When shopping for mementos, I like to buy things that are small such as stickers or fun postcards. I also look for items that can actually use like a tote bag. Sometimes I look for a fun piece of clothing or jewelry that will remind me of that place when I wear it. For example, when I went to Ireland I bought a sweater made from Irish wool. It reminded me of Ireland every time I wore it. Bringing home keepsakes that you use regularly, gives you many opportunities to relive your trip experience.

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