For this week's Monday Musing, we thought we'd ask about holiday souvenirs - When you travel, do you like to come back with more than just memories?

Jan Leeming, our Just You Ambassador says ‘…for me, a holiday is not a holiday unless I come back with a keepsake, consequently, my apartment is jam-packed with memorabilia. I also press flowers and collect pretty stones and shells.’ Here at Just You HQ our marketing team have a keyring tree, which gets added to after every holiday. I personally have a fridge full of obscure fridge magnets and my spare room walls are a mosaic of beautiful canvases. Why not tell us about your souvenirs below?

Kindest regards,

Julia

yes i always come back with lots and lots of souvenirs, as well as the mandiroty fridge magnets i appear to be a soft toy addict with some of the countries that are well known or famous for their animals or wiildlife, for instance when i went to Australia i ended up with around 7 or 8 cuddly Koala bears and around the same in Kangaroos, in Borneo i returned with something like 7 or 8 cuddly Orangutans and a sun bear but i also purchase key rings, items to hang on the wall from places like Peru and Costa Rica and items to display on my TV cabinet & table, cudly frogs from Costa Rica as well as T shirts for myself, a few things come back as gifts but a lot for myself, my Holiday just wouldn't be without my precious little gifts even when i tell myself i won't be this time this country won't have much in the way of gifts but i always do they always have, even some sauces a dietician in work asked me to get at the last minute i was able to obtain from Costa Rica

for sure i could say that abbadave is a souvenir hunter addict

all the best

Dave

I'm a bit of a fridge magnet freak - the more unusual the better! I also like to buy jewellery from the country and art. Having just returned from Tibet and China, I find that I have numerous wooden bracelets (the dye seems to be coming off them now!), prayer beads, a wall hanging of the Potala Palace, a buddha painting, 3 pandas (Chengdu is obsessed with pandas!) and various other panda items - chopsticks! Another wall hanging of Guilin, and of course lots of fridge magnets. If I am on a wildlife JY tour and see elephants, I buy an elephant, and also if I'm in a Buddhist country I tend to buy a Buddha head. 

Needless to say my house is not minimalist!

Cheers,

Hils

I still have woodwork and trays that I bought back from Italy many years ago.  🙂   Also a shell box bought back from the old Yugoslavia.

I collect spoons and small trays now from wherever I go.  Also anything cat related.  😃   I even have a large stuffed cat that I bought back from Holland on the shores of Lake Michigan.  It was too big for a suitcase that year, so when I went back the following year I took a larger suitcase so it could come back with me.

I am not a huge fan of fridge magnets, but tend to buy good quality ones for friends.

I don't bother with souvenirs any more - for me, it's all about the photos!  As soon as I have unpacked I upload my photos to my laptop and print out my favourite ones and put them in an album and label the various locations.  Looking back at my photos helps me to relive the holiday and gives me so much pleasure and I do so regularly - in between dreaming about my next holiday that is!!

All the best,

Bob

PS here's a thought - how about JY run a photography competition for the best/most unusual/funniest photo taken on a JY tour?  The prize could be the deposit paid on the next tour booked!

I like to bring back mainly T shirts and fridge magnets but I also like something that is part of the country,

I have lava from Mounts Etna and Vesuvius, tree seeds from numerous countries also a small rock from

the Valley of the Kings in Egypt and a cactus which I picked in North Cyprus and I have growing in a pot.

My next trip is the Portofino & the Cinque Terre so I will pick up a small piece of marble when we visit the

Carrara Marble Quarry.

Dave.

Hi Julia,

I don't bother with souvenirs any more - for me, it's all about the photos!  As soon as I have unpacked I upload my photos to my laptop and print out my favourite ones and put them in an album and label the various locations.  Looking back at my photos helps me to relive the holiday and gives me so much pleasure and I do so regularly - in between dreaming about my next holiday that is!!

All the best,

Bob

PS here's a thought - how about JY run a photography competition for the best/most unusual/funniest photo taken on a JY tour?  The prize could be the deposit paid on the next tour booked!

Good Morning Bob,

That is indeed a great idea. A photography competition is something we have been discussing for a while. 

Kind Regards,

Mildred

I love my souvenirs - however as I share a home I have to be a more selective these days. I always buy a fridge magnet everywhere I go, but if possible I like to buy myself one present that will represent the place I visited. In China I bought a dragon, in Uzbekistan a clay camel, from Ghana a hand carved and painted dish, from Croatia Silver earings, from Burma a bit of Lacquerware and so on.... I could list them all 🙂 usually I ask the local guide or TM what is the best/typical gift from that country.

Kerry

all the best Dave

Good evening intrepid travellers, I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

For this week's Monday Musing, we thought we'd ask about holiday souvenirs - When you travel, do you like to come back with more than just memories?

Jan Leeming, our Just You Ambassador says ‘…for me, a holiday is not a holiday unless I come back with a keepsake, consequently, my apartment is jam-packed with memorabilia. I also press flowers and collect pretty stones and shells.’ Here at Just You HQ our marketing team have a keyring tree, which gets added to after every holiday. I personally have a fridge full of obscure fridge magnets and my spare room walls are a mosaic of beautiful canvases. Why not tell us about your souvenirs below?

Kindest regards,

Julia

I have to admit to having a houseful of memories from various trips over the years including a load from China so now I try to be more selective, after all I now have to carry them all myself, now that I am on my own. I now ask myself will I really look back on my holiday and still love it, will it get back in one piece and is it worth the price paid.

Regards.

When my wife was alive we collected a Christmas tree ornament from each country we had visited and I've continued the practice. Makes Christmas a time of memories. I think the most unusual is a black Father Christmas from Jamaica.

Roger

The most expensive were two items bought in China - a silk duvet which has been on the bed for most of the last 4 years and is probably the most useful thing I have ever bought abroad. The other was bought on the Yangstse

add-on where there was an artist on the boat painting the inside of assorted pots and flasks. I eventually bought a 5 inch high flask painted (internally) with tigers - it cost twice as much as the duvet but is a real work of art and has pride of place in my lounge. I don't know how he does it, the opening is only about a centimetre wide and there is a painting about 4inches square on each side

Peter

Great Idea Bob, now that picture i took of a certain person in the bushes must be a contender lol

all the best Dave

Don't you dare share that photo without paying me a hefty royalty!

Regards

Jaya

I always say to myself that I will not bring back any souvenirs, but this has not worked so far. I bought a very expensive rug from Turkey when I did the Istanbul, Tory, Ephesus trip. I always bring back a fridge magnet and my fridge is covered from top to bottom with magnets I have purchased and those given to me by colleagues/friends. I have brought back beaded animals from Namibia and South Africa, beaded necklaces from Mexico and South Africa, mosaic frog from when I did the Andalucia trip, mosaic croc from Costa Rica, an expensive Serangon pewter Lord Ganesh from Singapore whilst I did the add-on during Borneo trip and I have some lovely items I purchased from the craft market in Tel Aviv when I did the Holy Land trip. I was lucky enough to travel 3 days before the main tour and was taken to the craft market where hand made items were on sale and I purchased an expensive hanging 'charm' from an artisan's shop. All the items remind me of wonderful holidays and I treasure each and every one. I should stop buying any more but can't resist if I see an unusual item! I also brought back a lovely limited edition hand painted picture of a leopard on elephant dung paper from Namibia which is now framed and on display on the wall and a beautiful apron.

Regards

Jaya

Great Idea Bob, now that picture i took of a certain person in the bushes must be a contender lol

all the best Dave

Don't you dare share that photo without paying me a hefty royalty!

Regards

Jaya

Hi Jaya, your post made me laugh...I might have to email Dave and ask for a copy of it!!!

Cheers,

Bob