Trip Souvenirs

When traveling, we consciously spend on amazing food, unique experiences and nice hotels over souvenirs. Instead of loading up the suitcase with a bunch of things, we seek out Christmas ornaments from special locations, landmarks or activities.  I tuck them up in the guest room closet during the year and then add them to our tree at Christmas. I date all of them with a skinny sharpie.

We went way overboard in Alaska and Vancouver, wanting to gather ornaments from Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Fairbanks, Denali, Holland America AND Vancouver.

Alaska Adventure Trip Report
Vancouver Trip Report

I hunted through more shops than I care to admit in Lake Tahoe looking for one measly ornament. We came home empty handed, but I had already shipped this pretty Amazon find to the door. :-)

Lake Tahoe, CA Trip Report

In Philly we picked up ornaments at Valley Forge, the Betsy Ross House and Liberty Bell, as one pretty one representing so many iconic parts of the city.

Philadelphia Trip Report

We also visited Palmetto Bluff, but since we purchased a gorgeous ornament from the South Carolina State Museum on a previous SC trip, we didn’t add an ornament.

These ornaments are just one of a thousand reasons why I so look forward to pulling out the Christmas bins each year!  We started collecting ornaments on our honeymoon in 2002 and have 17 years of memories hanging on the tree.

I’d love to know if there is something special YOU collect on your trips!!

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10 thoughts on “Trip Souvenirs

  1. I love the Philadelphia city one. We have ornaments like that from several cities we’ve visited, my favorite is the one from Seattle, showing the Space Needle. It can be challenging to find good ornaments; I too have spent quite a bit of time searching shops, but it makes the Christmas tree very special!

  2. I’m a vacation ornament collector, too! Sometimes when the selection is non-existent I will convert a key chain into an ornament. It’s a great way to remember trips!

  3. I used to collect ornaments, but several years ago declared the tree full. I now buy a reusable shopping bag from places we visit. Works wonderfully – I can use it while we’re there if I need a shopping or tote bag or an extra bag to carry on the plane on the way home. Once home it goes in my car, and I use them at the grocery store. Fun reminder of our trips.

  4. Yes! Christmas ornaments or something that can be made into an ornament. Or special cocktail napkins are easy to tuck in a suitcase and nice reminder of a trip months later when I pull them out of the drawer.

    1. I love the idea of special cocktail napkins (or even tea towels). I too collect Christmas ornaments when we travel or something I can make into an ornament. When we went to Detroit in 2018 (and over to Canada for a few hours during the same trip), we could not find a single ornament anywhere. (We were actually there for a business conference my husband was attending so not much shopping). While in the store in Canada before heading back into the states I came across a key chain and though it would be a great basis for a Christmas ornament. Same thing in Detroit. Never found an ornament but while at the airport, I checked out every shop between security and our gate. Tons of souvenirs but no ornaments, alas, I found another great key chain that would make a perfect ornament for our trip. I’m quite disappointed that we never took a trip other than to our beach place this year so we don’t have an ornament for my husband and I for 2019. Thank goodness 2020 is looking up for some wonderful travel experiences.

  5. I collect original art and taught my daughters to do the same when they traveled. They have more well-traveled art than I do.

  6. I collect ornaments too, and the other fun thing we collect are pins. I keep all of the USA pins in one dish, the non USA in another and Disney has its own small dish. 😊 The pins are fun to hunt for and guests love digging through the pins.

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