If you’re traveling abroad on a tight budget with absolutely no extra room in your suitcase for a souvenir, then buy a stamp. Even the lowest denomination stamp of any country is colorful, cheap, and easy to find.
When you get home, mount the stamp in the middle of a piece of poster board, write the details of your trip on the back of the poster board, and put in an inexpensive frame. You’ll have a decorator look on a backpacker’s budget.
A mere hour north of Chicago is Pleasant Prairie, WI – home to an outlet mall and the Jelly Belly warehouse for the entire eastern half of the country.
The tour is often billed as a factory tour, but unlike the Fairfield, CA plant, Pleasant Prairie only stores the beans. Inside the massive building is a Jelly Belly outlet store and a surprisingly entertaining train tour around the plant.
During the 20 minute ride, you are introduced to the history of the beans, the making of the original Jelly Belly, and some really cool historical candy making equipment.
At the end of the ride, all guests receive a free sample bag of beans, right before you leave the tour into the outlet store. Highlights of the store are a tasting counter (where you can taste every single flavor on the menu) and boxes of “belly flops”, the fun name given to the Jelly Belly beans that didn’t pass quality control. $9 gets you a large 2lb bag of these assorted beans.
The tour is located on 10100 Jelly Belly Lane in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (about 10 minutes from the IL/WI border). Once in the area, head up north to Racine for some authentic Kringle, or back towards the highway for the Prime Outlets outlet mall. Fans of Wisconsin food can also head up the road towards Kenosha for the Mars Cheese Castle or the world famous Brat Stop. With a little planning, you can turn this into a full day event of Wisconsin fun for the entire family.
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Should the endless glory of the Las Vegas strip ever cease to amaze you, consider heading to the local Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area for a little bit of fresh air and R&R. Situated only 25 minutes northwest of the city, the nature reserve is a world away from the high frequency Vegas atmosphere, a serene, bucolic landscape where one can jump out of the car, hike around the massive, sandstone features and drink in the sprawling views of the Keystone Thrust.
Red Rock Canyon Road, a 13 mile one-way loop is the jagged, wandering backbone of the park, the starting point from which visitors can begin a day hike, technical climb or rock scramble and from where a long line of autos and bicycles gape at the surroundings.
It’s hard to not pull over at every outlook to jump out and take photos, but one of the first opportunities to do so is the best. About one mile into the park on the right, a precarious stacking of sandy red boulders and formations peers over the road, providing scenic hikes for all levels of adventurers. Fifteen minutes of this glorious nature will put any Vegas hangover at ease.
The scenic drive is open from 6AM until dusk and costs $5 to enter with a day pass. Make sure to arrive at least two hours before sunset so that you have plenty of time to enjoy the park.
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Hit up a local bookstore for a good, unique souvenir.
Many self-published authors sell their books through the local storefront and many of those books are based in the area in which they live. The souvenir is not only unique, but it’s entertaining and lacks the gaudiness that many souvenirs display.
Plus, you may get smarter about your destination, which makes any trip more satisfying.
Instead of carrying enough books to last the length of your trip, seek out a hostel, bed-and-breakfast, or local cafe’s book swap. Sometimes they’re listed among a facility’s amenities in guidebooks. Other times, only asking — or (better yet) exploring — finds one!
Using book swaps keeps your luggage light, an imperative with new airline luggage weight restrictions. Also, perhaps, you’ll get turned on to a new genre of literature (as I did in Bolivia).
The Kindle holds no candle to discovering a love for short stories! Furthermore, a paperback is much less vulnerable to the elements… and to “sticky fingers!”