Holiday souvenirs. What should you bring back from a trip?

Everyone has been through this, and if you do not have a keychain with the Eiffel Tower, cast the first stone... or at least cast the first amber from the Baltic Sea. During a journey we make accurate decisions, more or less, so we decided to help you make the right ones only. We will tell you what to choose to have a great holiday souvenir without a moral (and aesthetic!) hangover, all for free.

What do you pay attention to when buying souvenirs?

There are three questions that can stop you from committing a crime against your taste. Think about them every time you are tempted by another necessary chain or magnet:

• Was the thing done locally? Is it really a souvenir from Rome, or rather, does it have as much in common with the Eternal City as you do, including the length of the stay, because it arrived to the Old Convent last week and started its life cycle in Vietnam? We have nothing against products from Asia, but I do not think you want a souvenir from China when buying a Big Ben figurine.
• Do I like the product, does it suit me and would I buy it if it was not a travel souvenir? A scarf in ethnic patterns may be beautiful, but if you are a declared minimalist wearing only shades of gray, it is not a good idea to go for a colourful folk embroidery that you will never wear. There is nothing cooler than a big coloured plush bear from Berlin, but will it look good in your Scandinavian style home?
• Do I see an application for this item? And it is not only about getting practical things. There is always a use for a bottle of wine, but any decoration you actually have somewhere to put and you want to put it there (and no, "in an attic locker, away from human eyes", does not count) can be a good choice.

If your dream holiday souvenir has passed the test of three-questions test, that is great! Worse if you have no idea what to buy then. Of course, we would not be ourselves, if we left you with just these three questions, so here are some of our proposals that always work. Just make sure you have a suitcase big enough, because you may find that with our advice, your shopping will be extremely successful and therefore, you will need a lot of space in your luggage.

1. Local delicacies

If you buy souvenirs to bring back memories, it is worth choosing the things that are associated with the best moments of your trip. Monuments and beautiful landscapes are pretty cool, but we all know that moments of true happiness are not experienced when you take the elevator to the Eiffel Tower, but over delicious local food. So if you want to take the best part of France with you, instead of going to a stall with magnets, go to a winery or a market and fill your suitcase with truffle oil, red wine, spices, sweets and cheese (we do not recommend taking the latter in your hand luggage, have mercy on your travel companions). We promise you - after returning from the holiday, a bottle of wine (or three bottles), exotic spices from Morocco or Italian pasta will give you more joy than a tacky glass monument ball standing on the chest of drawers.

2. Handmade items, that is jewellery, ceramics, fabrics

Food is a great choice, but if the last time you were in your kitchen was when you arranged it, and the thought of cooking by yourself makes you shiver, instead of making supplies for your kitchen cabinets on holidays, buy something practical for your wardrobe or the living room. What could that be?

A few suggestions:

• hand woven tablecloths,
• nice smelling soaps,
• embroidered scarves,
• homemade candles,
• painted ceramics.

There are many options to choose from, but finding a real handicraft is not easy. However, it is important that you pay attention to whether the things you want to buy have been created by local artists. You will find them at the fair mentioned above, but also... on the Internet. Contrary to appearances, many traditional craftsmen know that this is the 21st century, and they actively advertise on the Internet. Before you leave for a trip, take some time for research: find interesting ceramics or painting studios, find out where you can buy handicrafts. You can often get them in open-air museums, ethnographic museums or specialized shops. Such products are usually more expensive, but also incomparably better in terms of their quality than mass-produced souvenirs in China. And you can be sure that the thing you bought is one of a kind. Try buying directly from craftsmen as much as possible - behind every design there is a meaning and a story, it is worth knowing!

3. Good photos!

Photos are the simplest and cheapest travel souvenir! Capture everything you think is worth it (unless you think that 500 of your identical selfies are worth capturing, then it is better to ask someone else what is worth having in the photo from Thailand). We have written a magazine about how to take cool and diverse holiday photos - check it out and do not thank us: How to take beautiful holiday photos? 10 simple tips.

There is only one small problem with holiday photos... Apart from the photos shared in the social media in a surge of enthusiasm and admiration, no one, including you, will probably ever see them. It would be a pity to have them on your hard drive, covered in dust! Get motivated and make a selection as soon as you come back from holidays and print out selected photos. If they are not as good as you would like them to be, thank the world for the filters, and play with the editing - the effect may surprise you (hopefully positively). You can display them at home in photo frames or, if you do not want to share them with your guests, just invest in a photo album or a photo box. You can check out our photo albums that can help you create a personalized album that also includes drawings and notes. This is ideal for those who do not necessarily have a talent for taking photos, but who can draw or have a sense of humor, which, as we have seen more than once, is enough for all other talents in life.

4. Memories and a clear conscience

Here we are serious for a while, but sometimes we have to. Are you tempted to take a ride on an elephant during your holidays in Thailand? Would you like to stroke a tiger or swim with dolphins in the dolphinarium? Before you think about organizing such an attraction, type some phrases in Google and find out how to train elephants so that they do not hurt a stranger sitting on their back. Read why one of the most dangerous predators in the world allows you to stroke it. Check how dolphins feel enclosed in a small space that additionally reflects and multiplies their voices. Then you will probably change your holiday plans. Returning home knowing that you did not hurt anyone or anything during your holiday is the best thing you can do for your entertainment.

There are many other great things you can try on a trip, and we are not just talking about local liquor. Check out the festivals that take place in the area at this time, look through the holiday calendar, and get to know the culture of the region you are visiting a little better than what you can learn by looking outside your hotel window. Try local cuisine, learn a few steps of a traditional dance, face surf in Portugal or try climbing in Italy. You do not need to stroke a tiger to experience amazing holidays! And to make sure you do not miss any memories, take photos... and take notes! To capture your memories of your trip, you can use the memorial books, maps and notebooks where you can describe your experiences, feelings and the most interesting experiences of your trip. Thanks to this you will definitely not forget any place you visited. Have a good trip!