Items/Memorabilia You Bring Back

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have 1 Christmas tree devoted to ornaments that we buy in ports or cities that we visit.

[Copper10-8]

Cool thread! :) From the ships, I've been collecting the large dark blue coffee mugs with the ship's silhouette and name in gold on them. From the ports, nothing anymore nowadays; used to get a T-shirt with the port city's name on it but that was when we first started

[TiogaCruiser]

I sometimes will bring back a local handcraft from the area. My main sound ire is photos and I always make a photo book/ journal from Blurb.

 

And I always bring back my Stewards card and the pen they give away in the room. :)

[Lady Chew]

I always get magnets and/or shot glasses the first time we visit a port ... I have a huge collection! And I can tell you what each one means for us.

 

We look for "street art" by local artists, sometimes it can be quite difficult to find but we have picked up some beautiful prints & paintings from all over the world. And yes, sometimes we also buy the hand painted note cards and frame them.

 

For myself, jewelry, small boxes, coasters ... any small things that are made in the port/country we are in. Nothing "made in China or India or Viet Nam" (except when we were actually in those countries!)

 

We always try to buy something from the locals, away from the port, to help out the local economy. We rarely haggle, except with some of the artists we find in galleries.

 

We buy little trinkets & toys for our little nieces & nephews. At Christmas, I write them each an age-appropriate Christmas letter telling them a little about the places we visited and the things we bought them. So far, so good, but one of our nieces is now 13 so we try to find her fewer trinkets and more meaningful things. Once again, nothing "made in China"

 

We only buy items for our adult sons if something perfect just leaps out at us ...

[qsuzi]

Thanks for adding your comments Jean, 1of4, ANSalberg, iancal, dixiefinn, viv0828, Joanie, cruising-along, Loreta, Chris, KrazyKruizers, Copper, Tioga, and LadyChew. You all have given me some new ideas for things to bring back. :D

[4friends]

I also buy a Christmas ornament from places we have visited. When unable to find an actual ornament, I have been known to improvise with something I can still hang on the tree, such as a key chain or magnet that I can attach a ribbon to. It is fun at Christmas reminiscing about the places we have been as we hang each ornament.

[sail7seas]

I have collected bookmarks from all our travels. I have them in leather, lace (Belgium :) ), pewter, paper, canvas,,,,, all sorts of materials. They have to name either the city/country or attraction where I purchased it. I love looking through them and finding Westminster Abby, St. Peters, Tivoli, Bermuda, Halifax, Quebec City, Canals of Amsterdam, Acropolis, Versailles, Tower of London etc

Great memories, inexpensive, lightweight to pack and carry.

 

Edited June 12, 2015 by sail7seas

[chefestelle]

Beach towels (we have a pool), Christmas ornaments, cuff links and either a curio box or dish or candle holder each representing the theme of the place. Some of these are much harder to find than others!

[ellieanne]

I like to have useful souvenirs of my trips. Soap is my go-to choice, especially if I can find a craft market with handmade soaps. But I've also picked up things like coasters or napkin rings along my stops. I prefer small, easy to pack things.

 

We also have a family tradition of getting a ship t-shirt for each cruise, and then we wear them to get on the ship the next time we cruise.

[MagTravel]

We try to find unique Christmas ornaments from the cruise ports we visit. We have a Christmas travel tree and every year when we decorate it we remember our 50 plus cruises. They are usually small and easy to pack and bring home.

[GUT2407]

Toiletries

Towels

Bathrobes

Cutlery (one knife or fork a day adds up).

Crockery (see above)

 

:D:D:D:D:D

[qsuzi]

Thank you for adding your comments and some more good ideas 4friends, chefestelle, ellieanne, gut2407, MagTravel, and SAIL7SEAS. Collective bookmarks Sail are a very creative and neat idea.

[madera1]

I also buy a Christmas ornament from places we have visited. When unable to find an actual ornament, I have been known to improvise with something I can still hang on the tree, such as a key chain or magnet that I can attach a ribbon to. It is fun at Christmas reminiscing about the places we have been as we hang each ornament.

 

I do the same. I have turned several key chains into ornaments.

 

 

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[ellieanne]

Since I am an artist, I always look for examples of local handicrafts: molas in Panama, fabrics, and decorated gourds from the casba ? tree. The gourds are beautifully decorated, light weight and virtually indestructible. I purchased small one from an elderly gentleman at an outdoor shop at an archaeological ruin outside Lima, Peru. I paid around $30 for it. He gave me a brochure to go with it. It is very intricately decorated and as I studied the name on the bottom and the brochure (and googled the name) I realized that this gentleman and his family are famous for their art work and his work is in museums! It is a very special memento of a great day. :)

 

Karen

 

I agree that some of the native gourd artwork is beautiful, but you may have to be careful about it. Some countries will not allow the groups into the country because of quarantine laws. I know in Australia it's sometimes difficult to bring back plant material souvenirs. Just be careful about laws when buying plant materials -- wouldn't want the souvenirs to be confiscated or you to get in trouble with customs authorities.

[CruisingSince2012]

Great topic idea! I have a rule to never go home without postcards. Sometimes, if I like one, I also buy a t-shirt. My mom buys bookmarks. We never spend lots of money on souvenirs.

 

For the first time ever, we will pose for formal pictures on the ship. In the past, we had no fancy dresses. Now we have sequined dresses that scream "take pics on formal night."

[sail7seas]

That is fabulous about your dresses. Hope the photos come out great. :)

[3rdGenCunarder]

Like so many others, I look for locally made things. I try to find a Christmas ornament in each place. (Or a keychain I can convert) Our powder room has a travel theme, and I've started buying small watercolors with scenes of places we've been. If I can't find "real" art, I look for nice cards I can frame. If a port is known for textiles or yarn, I shop for that. I got some great Batik in Bali and local yarn in Iceland.

 

I keep a journal when I travel, and I carry a glue stick so I can glue postcards and miscellaneous bits of paper into it. That started when I pulled a tour number sticky off my jacket and with no other place to put it, stuck it in the journal. I liked how that looked, and it got me started "scrapbooking" into my journal. I wish I'd thought of that years ago.

[LBM]

I buy t-shirts. Just tonight we have been packing for our cruise and I was refolding t-shirts, and remembering San Diego and Jamaica and D.C. and Puerto Rico...since getting our motorcycle, we have been more specific, looking for Harley Davidson t-shirts during our travels.

[boating girl]

I collect Christmas ornaments. Have some beautiful and interesting ones from our travels around the world.

[legalslave]

We usually just buy for the grandkids. T-shirts for both, key chains for our 6 year old grandson and jewelry for our 10 year old granddaughter. Bookmarks for both. Their parents don't want a house full of stuff and I don't blame them. I hope to find someone later on who will make quilts from the T-shirts we have bought them. I did go a little nuts on coasters for us on this past cruise. Bought a new home in Arizona and they will be used a lot. First time I have bought anything for us in a long time and probably the last. I do save all of the key cards and someday I'll figure out what I can do with them. It'll drive our sons nuts after we are long gone and they have to get rid of them!

 

Diane

[Keroppi2011]

I've been collecting "city mugs" from a well known, worldwide coffee chain. Makes a nice display as they are a standard size and shape, but differ in colour and decorative motif. Always fun to choose one for my morning coffee and reflect on the wonderful time we had in that place. Only downside is the weight of those little puppies. On a short trip I may only get one. On a long trip, I've packed half a dozen!

[freanesi]

In my younger days backpacking I needed to find small things. As other posters have mentioned I found bookmarks (some hand painted of local scenery), little things that I could turn into Christmas ornaments( a minature cow bell from Lucerne, a string of hand made very colourful small Pom poms from Cambodia that I used as a garland around the tree, a small camel from Egypt that sits on a branch, another straw painted red robin from England that also sits on a branch) and many more.

I have also bought back burano lace hankies, and love small hand painted scenes. You often find watercolour artists painting at various places. I take a photo of the artist (with permission) of the scene he is painting, buy the painting, have it framed once home and then glue the photo to the back of the frame. It's a great way to bring back memories.

I also love jewellery and have many nice pieces added to my collection.

Something I learned a long time ago - the hard way. I saw something I really liked. Said to myself -"I will find it cheaper somewhere else" but never saw it again so issued out. So now, if I find something that I really like, that resonates and has meaning, I buy it (within reason of course).

The other thing that I remember - sometimes you see something that you like but it is sitting with many others exactly the same. You don't buy it because you think there are so many that look the same, but always remember, once you get home you are the only one that has it and you only see one of them!

Hope this post wasn't too long, but my treasures are my treasured memories. :)

[summer slope]

One other thing I pick up at every new port is a nail file with the ports name. A funny story....when we got to Puerto Rico they didn't have any that I could find. I sent DH back out to look and the clerk in a store wrote Puerto Rico in sharpie on a regular one. LOL

[qsuzi]

Thanks so much to everyone who commented. What wonderful ideas and items to consider collecting that bring back special cruise memories.

Edited June 12, 2015 by qsuzi

[Diver2014]

I buy a keychain with the ships name on each cruise. Now I have this box full of keychains - only missed one cruise when I completely forgot - and now that ship (SS Independence) is no more. I've seen some of my older keychains for sale on EBay in the collectibles department....maybe I'll keep that box full of keychains a while longer! Granted, there are more Holland America ships represented than all others.