13 Best Souvenir Ideas From Around the World - My Ticklefeet (2024)

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 11:50 am

Who doesn’t want their travel memories to remain fresh forever? And it is only human to hold on to these memories in form of material belongings. Whether you splurge on your travels, buy an inexpensive souvenir, pick a free memento or just take a lot of photos, there is always something to fondly look back to upon your return.

But how do you keep bringing interesting souvenirs from your vacation every single time? Well, we’ve got you covered. In this blog post, we are sharing some fun souvenir ideas to keep in mind when shopping for memories from around the world 🙂

Let me clarify that our travels do not involve massive shopping sprees. We normally have a tiny budget for spending on travel souvenirs. Therefore, this post shall have a very little impact on your wallet!

Souvenir ideas for your next trip

Here are a few ideas to inspire you to bring back some interesting mementos from your trip.

1. The Cliche Souvenir

Who are we kidding, we are all guilty of buying one of these oversold made in China souvenirs at some point. So let’s get over with these really quick, shall we?

• Magnets
• Keychains
• Shot glasses
• Classic city T-shirts

While we have stopped buying shot glasses we still collect magnets which are now limited to one per country. I also love some of our travel keychains – esp the crown keychain from the UK, and the geisha doll and Samurai sword keychains from Japan.

Read More:

• Where to See Geisha in Kyoto, Japan – An Experience Worth Remembering
• Things to Do in Stratford Upon Avon and Cotswold, UK, in 3 Days

2. Postcards

Postcards are inexpensive, light, and compact souvenirs making it a perfect collector’s item. As travel photographers, we love taking postcard photos of new places ourselves therefore we try to stay away from buying them.

Having said that, we do buy postcards of places where photography is prohibited. For example, the postcard of Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Van Gogh paintings postcards from Amsterdam since photography is not allowed inside the museum. Even a clear view of Mt. Fuji postcard in Japan since Fuji San refused to give us a glimpse during our stay.

Read More:

• Important Travel Tips You Need to Know Before Going to Italy
• Exploring Amsterdam in 3 Days

3. Local Artisans Handicraft Souvenirs (Sustainable tourism)

Let’s talk about souvenir ideas that add purposeto the local community and eventually to your life as well. I must admit that I have embraced sustainable tourism only recently. And yes, it is a thing! I’ve been consciously using our souvenir budget onhandicrafts made by local artisans.

For example:

• In Cambodia, we visited Artisans D’Angkor, a handicraft factory, where I picked up a metal jewelry holder for my nightstand and a few local handloom scarves.
• In Kenya, I bought a stuffed animal toy as a gift and funky jewelry from Amani ya Juu handmade local African women. I also picked a few home decor items such as hand woven baskets, ceramic display plates, clay animal displays from the Masai market in Nairobi.
• In Italy, we bought leather goodies such as gloves, handbags, wallet, passport holder, and a belt from a local Florentine designer instead of going to fancy big stores.
• In The Netherlands, we picked up a Delft flower vase and wooden chisled tulips from a local artist.
• In Thailand, a beautiful traditional wooden umbrella.

How to find local artisans or handicraft stores? Look for fair trade stores with local handicrafts near you when you travel or ask your hotel staff for recommendations. Some of these stores can surprise you with the variety of handmade souvenirs they offer.

Read More:

• Explore the Mystical Land of Siem Reap, Cambodia
• Tips for Visiting Masai Mara Wildlife Safari in Kenya
• Fun Things to Do in Florence, Italy

4. Home décor items (paintings, vases, statues, etc.)

Who doesn’t want their home to be a reflection of themselves? If you love to travel, consider picking up things from around the world to enhance the beauty of your house. Now, of course, you can buy a lot of these decorative items from Amazon but would you have an interesting story to tell about them?

Pieces from our travels are a big part of our house, a beautiful reminder of all the places we’ve been to. For example:

• A geisha doll from Japan
• The Delft flower vase from the Netherlands
• A traditional stein from Germany
• A couple of hand-carved wooden animals and a book stopper from Kenya
• The hand paintings from Italy

Read More:

• How to Spend 3 Fun Days in Munich

5. Food

Whoever said the soul of a country lies in their cuisine is absolutely right. We try to bring back a part of that soul cuisine with us whenever we can. Since there are strict restrictions on what food items you can and cannot bring into the United States, we try to bring stuff permitted by law and declare it at the port of entry when asked. If you live in another country please check the rules before spending on food souvenirs. For example:

• We have brought home Maple syrup and apple butter from Quebec City, Canada
• Turkish Delights (sugar candies) from Istanbul
• Delicious Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka
• Spices from India
• Chocolates from Switzerland & Belgium

Read More:

• Quebec City Winter Carnival Guide
• Best Places to Visit in Sri Lanka
• Best Places to See in Agra Beyond Taj Mahal

6. Local Liquor

This might not qualify as a inexpensive souvenir (unless you pick samples) but it sure qualifies for a special treat back home. Whether you buy it from duty-free in the airport or a local shop, you cannot go wrong with bringing the “spirit” of a country.

For example:

• Liquor from Iceland (Birch, Icelandic Vodka, Brennivin)
• Local scotch from Scotland
• Limoncello & Chianti from Italy
• Riesling wine from Germany’s Rhine valley
• Sake from Japan
• Rum from Mauritius & Puerto Rico

Read More:

• What to See and Do in Iceland’s Golden Circle
• Top 10 Things to Do in Edinburgh

7. Kitchen accessories

Talking about food and liquor, let’s not forget that kitchen accessories can make for super useful souvenirs to bring back. For example:

• We picked Bialetti Moka machine from Italy.
• A traditional porcelain sake serving set from Japan.
• Indian teacup set for that perfect “cutting chai” experience.
• Coffee mugs from all around the world.
• Wine bottle stoppers (we bought a Murano glass wine stopper from Italy).

8. Car accessories

When you are running out of unique souvenir ideas think outside the box. Australia was one such country where I didn’t anticipate buying anything unique but came back home with the cutest ever koala tissue paper holder for my car.

9. Books

I prefer not to buy books during our travels to avoid excess baggage weight. However, I’ve found lightweight pocketbooks to be a keeper. One of my prized possessions is a small pocket book of abuses by the Bard, picked from Stratford Upon Avon which is the birth town of Shakespeare.

Talking about books, bookmarks make for a great souvenir or gift ideas.

10. Jewelry

A girl simply cannot resist the temptation of junk jewelry. I say junk not because it’s not worth anything but because these things are affordable and attractive. I, for one, love that my jewelry collection has a taste of the world. For example:

• Traditional Maasai necklace from the village tour in Maasai Mara.
• Local African women made jewelry at fair trade shops in Kenya.
• India has the best boho jewelry that a country can offer.
• Sri Lanka is known for its precious gems and without splurging a bomb I was able to purchase a beautiful Sapphire ring for myself.

11. Apparel & Accessories

Whether it’s a traditional piece of clothing or a fashion statement that you’ll never find in your home country, apparel shopping can be fun if you know where to look. Trust me you don’t even have to go to a mall for these gems just take a sneak peek in local markets For example:

• Although expensive, traditional Icelandic sheep wool sweaters are as warm as it can get.
• We shopped for light material clothes to wear in Cambodia’s night market when we couldn’t bear the heat anymore.
• Caps & Hats.
• Traditional Poncho from Mexico or South America.
• Learned the true meaning of ‘fit like a glove’ when we bought a pair of leather gloves in Italy.

Read More:

• Packing List for Iceland in Summer

12. Skin care and cosmetics

While on vacation in S. Korea I realized the value of shopping for skin care and cosmetics. Not to mention, this is also how I spend my leftover currency at airports searching for local cosmetic brands.

• In Italy, I brought back a local Capri fragrance home from Carthusia perfumes.
• Bath soaps.
• Face Masks.
• Makeup & Cosmetics.
• Now add a little traditional hand mirror to help you with these beauty products.

Read More:

• Visiting Isle of Capri in Winter

13. Miniature / Toy automobiles

This section is customized for Gaurav and all those like him. I do hope there are other adults out there who still love buying toy cars & planes.

• We have miniature Fiat from Italy.
• A toy auto rickshaw from Mumbai, India.
• A classic BMW from Germany.
• You name it and there is an aircraft miniature from all around the world.

There you go, so many fun ideas! I hope you enjoyed reading this post summarizing all our souvenirs from around the world. Did you have a unique souvenir that we didn’t cover? We’d love to hear from you so please drop a comment!

Don’t forget to share this post with family & friends.

Happy Traveling!