I am shamelessly stealing an idea I saw on another blog, Rene’s Points.  I started following it about 10 years ago when it was called Delta Points.  It was the first blog I ever followed.  A recent post discussed souvenirs people bring home from their travels.  I think talking about travel souvenirs is a great idea because those mementos can help get us through any travel withdrawal that we may be suffering from.

When traveling, I pick up items as souvenirs to remind me of places I’ve been to or to serve as a way of sharing my experiences with family and friends.  When choosing what to buy, small size, light weight, and low cost are important attributes I look for.

Refrigerator magnets are probably my favorite followed by a wide assortment of other items.  For gifts, I like coffee from tropical regions or tea from Asia.  Chocolate and T-shirts are also popular.  Since I don’t like to shop and tend to procrastinate,  souvenirs at the airport on the way home can be life savers.

Here are some of the items I’ve picked up over the years.

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Refrigerator magnets are easy.
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It is weird that I buy coffee cups because I don’t drink coffee at home. Cups are good for packing because I can put socks or underwear inside.
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This is part of my collection of Amsterdam houses that KLM gives to passengers in business class. They are authentic Delft Blue reproductions of actual homes. As a bonus, the houses are filled with Bols gin.

Sometimes I’ll pick up knick knacks that catch my eye.

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Souvenirs from Costa Rica and Cabo San Lucas
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A miniature La Pieta from St. Peter’s in Vatican City and a souvenir from Buenos Aries.
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I got this cute bear when touring the Gogo Inflight Internet factory during a Delta Points get together in Chicago, IL. We also were given a code for 25 connections to Gogo WiFi!
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Hand carved elephants I picked up at a roadside stand overlooking the Rift Valley in Kenya and a medal from the AT&T National golf tournament.

These photos were created specifically to serve as souvenirs.  Starwood hotels (now merged into Marriott) auctioned special experiences that people bid on with Starwood points.  A few years ago, golf experiences were often available.  I would never have been able to participate in these events without Starwood points.

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I played with Troy Merritt in the pro am at the 2011 AT&T National, Tiger Woods tournament. It was costly – 90,000 Starwood points but worth it.
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This was taken at the pro am at the Macau Open on the Asian Tour. The pro is Danny Chia (middle) from Malaysia. Winning the auction cost only 1,000 Starwood points. The third member of the group and I were the only ones who bid. Best use of 1,000 Starwood points ever!

So those are some of my favorites.  What items do you like to bring home to celebrate or remember your travels?  Do you ever ship things home?