BootsnAll Travel Community

For our upcoming 6 month backpacking tour of western/central/eastern Europe, my boyfriend and I would like to bring back a little memento of each place we visit. A friend of mine who recently visited France recommended going to the local Chamber of Commerce where she got beautiful posters for upcoming festivals/concerts made by local artists for free or just 1-2 euros.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for getting free or inexpensive souvenirs to bring home?

Also, what countries are known for what? For example, Venice has its carnival masks and Portugal is known for its pottery/ceramics... any other thoughts? Particularly Eastern Europe?

I think that is something you will discover when you go the country. When I traveled around Europe I knew little about a great majority of the places I visited... but once you get there you start to get a feel for the place... just by visiting the museums and stores around you will discover what they hold as being most important.

For instance, when I went to Greece I saw worry beads all over the place. I had no idea what they were but I knew they were important. I asked a local and they explained the idea and use of them and that is what I decided to bring back home. You will find things like that scattered all over the place.

Hi!

I love to pick up magnets for myself and my friends. I keep one for home and bring one to work. Everytime I look at the fridge I am reminded of the places that I have visited.

Suzanne

I bring back wooden matches. Each country has a different brand with an interesting label. They are inexpensive, lightweight and pack well.

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Originally posted by static:
I bring back wooden matches.

How creative! I love it.

Find out the name for secondhand stores where you'll be, like for Switzerland it's Brockiland(sp) and they have/had a huge one in Zurich, and also Saturday or Sunday markets.

You can have a great time browsing, and the winter weather could make a secondhand store warmth quite handy, and there's a good chance you'll be able to find small type items and also something of a historical significance.

During Springtime in Zurich at least, even the stuff people were putting out on the nature strip as a spring clean was quite amazing - I was walking past whole Vespa motor scooters and the Greek Steptoe & son (father and son running a secondhand shop/yard in England great tele show) in me had visions of what I could do with a trailer in Zurich.

I'd love to be able to send a bottle of wine from Tuscany to my mom. She's always wanted to go, so I'd love to be able to send her a piece of it back. I'm sure there are many more things I could find there to send back, but for now I'd love to do that. Then again, I'm not experienced when it comes to wine so please correct me if it'd be a waste to do such a thing.

I like to bring home table linens. Tablecloths are nice, but that can get bulky quickly. Cloth napkins are a nice option for something smaller. Just one or two is lovely, and then you've got an interesting set when you get home. Plus, they're not breakable.

a friend of mine brought back a book from each country in that language. kind of bulky but a neat idea

Hey

My sister decided i should get a deck of cards from each country i visited. Most of the ones i got have pictures of the different parts of the country on them. They are really easy to find, inexpensive and often show the character of the country. Plus they're great when you actually wanna play cards on the long train rides while ur over there!

Just wanted to report back that we decided on postcards as our souvenirs from each city we visited. Instead of picking more touristy, generic ones, we chose ones that were more abstract and artistic.

The result: a wall o' postcards (over 60) in our apartment that make up an incredible montage of all the places we travelled. A great reminder of everything we experienced...

I know this is now quite old (other than the last message!), but I think this is a great thread. Such creative ideas!

I'm working on getting a (postage) stamp from each country that I visit. Cheap, easy to transport... and I can stick them all into the back pages of my travel journal when I get home.

We stopped buying souvenirs from our trips because as I get older and with kids, I find myself not wanting to have knick knacks of any kind around. Now we buy edible things like chocs, jams, mustard, or t-shirts, something to actually use.

If you like the postcards and stamps, or posters (depends on age I guess) then that's really light for packing.

I got a traditional blouse from Sinaia (Romania) last summer. It was under $10 but if they feel you are a foreign tourist [and they do!] you pay more for those.

I also got a leather bracelet for a friend from the same place and for like $3 or so.

A good idea is to check the local markets also. You may never know when something pops up.

We've got these tourist information centers in each town and there you can find some nice items as well. Don't know abt the prices though

Great thread. I usually buy at least one t-shirt on my travels. Plus I buy a postcard from every place I stay, some go in my photo albums and others go on my bedroom walls.

Foreign Beer Coasters from bars make a cool, lightweight, and FREE take home.

I buy badges to sew on to my pack. They are a souvenir of not only where I've been, but also where my bag has been too. (it got a Vietnam badge without me when my friend borrowed it for a couple of weeks)

Problem is, I now have about 20 badges. I sewed (is that the correct verb? it sounds odd) on 2 of them and then gave up cos it was bloody hard work so now the badges sit in the front pocket of my pack and travel with me!

I also pick up postcards, either the ugliest, tackiest ones I can find or better yet second hand vintagey ones. (if it's tacky and old, even better!)

I also keep tickets - museums, trains, etc.

yeah. i keep all tickets to museums, trains, etc.

Bar coasters are really great - especially from Eastern Europe and Germany. If you're in France, go to the post office and pick up some stamps. Usually they have a selection for stamp collectors. Pick up a CD of favorite local artists - or of a singer you heard while you're here. That really will brings back the trip for you when you're home. In Paris check out the A.P.C. jeans store in the St. Germain-des-Pres district. They also cell CDs of music Parisian clubbers love.

P.S. regarding postage stamps - the Versailles Hall of Mirrors stamp is currently available at post offices!

i have taken to buying flags in each country i visit. they can get bulky, but totally worth it.