by Catalogs.com Info Guru Angela Bushong

From any adventure, big or small, you don’t want to come back empty handed.

Bringing home souvenirs which tell the story of where you’ve been is a great way to hold onto that place and time long after the dust has been knocked off your walking shoes.

10. Mugs to Magnets

These are your standard, get ‘em anywhere, collectible fare. Some people collect a mug, or a spoon, or magnets, or shot glasses from every new place they visit. And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that. Stand proud, state thimble collectors. No one will ever find you at a loss for the perfect trinket. You know just what you want.

9. Get the T-Shirt

The great thing about souvenir t-shirts is not only can you get them for yourself, but they make great gifts for those poor sots you left back home. Not too expensive, not too cheap, and you can always find a shirt to appeal to any taste.

8. Handmade Artisan Wares

If you visit an exotic local, or even a not-so-exotic local, which has a rich culture of hand making anything, you will be kicking yourself if you don’t snatch some of it up. Handmade wares, from pottery to woven baskets to sculpture, are imbued with the spirit of the culture in which they are made, giving them a uniqueness you can’t duplicate anywhere else.

7. Clothes

Along with artisan wares, most places have a particular style of dress which is unique to them. Donning the garb of the area is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture. And, after the adventure is over, you can bring those clothes back with you as a reminder you of where you were, what people looked like, and what the weather felt like when you wore them.

6. Non-perishable foods

Bring back odd, non-perishable foods from your travels and you are sure to delight your friends and family. It can be anything from regional dried fruits to packaged snack foods of a kind you just can’t find back home. Just make sure it is packaged well so the food isn’t obliterated in your suitcase on the return trip.

5. Jewelry

Everyone loves jewelry, and these adornments can be very particular to a given region. In South America, you will find stunning turquoise and hand-hewn sterling silver. In a tropical paradise, you may find necklaces made of coral beads and mother of pearl. Every location has its own signature style and materials.

4. Maps

The wonderful thing about maps is they are inexpensive but incredibly informative and can help you recreate memories of where you went and what you saw there. Keep them in a scrap book or frame them for your wall, but don’t throw them out. There’s nothing like being able to pinpoint your exact location with a fun visual aid when telling your travel tales.

3. Capture the Sense of Place

The French have a concept they call terroir, which translates loosely to “a sense of place.” It is applied to agricultural products such as wine, coffee, tea, and even to honey. These things are infused with certain distinguishable attributes depending on where they are grown or harvested. Wine will have characteristics from the soil on which the grapes are grown, the weather of the region, the air around it. Honey, too, will be infused with flavors from the local flowers. The great thing is, you can buy some of that unique “sense of place” and take it home with you.

2. Books

When traveling in foreign lands, take some time to pop into a local book shop. You may find familiar tomes in different languages, or regional publications which you can find nowhere else. Books on the history of the place are wonderful items to take back home. And, you may find an old favorite piece of literature with a different cover or even a different name. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, for example, only goes by that title in the US, and is actually titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the UK.

1. Photographs

Take lots of pictures, and take them often. Even if you’re no prize-winning photographer, just keep snapping and you are bound to end up with some beautiful, even frame worthy, photos of your travels. When it comes down to it, there is no better way to capture the memories of a great trip than with your camera.