Ask and ye shall receive… beer glasses – Souvenir tip

by Gadling Staff on

I enjoy collecting beer glasses for national brews that I sample when traveling, but tracking down stores that sell the glasses is time-consuming and logistically difficult, if not impossible.

However, on a recent trip to Slovenia, while enjoying a locally-brewed Lasko Pivo, I asked my bartender where I might be able to buy a glass featuring the logo. After hearing about my collection, the pub owner offered to give me two glasses of his own.

Now I ask all my bartenders the same question — more often than not, they are happy to help me build my collection, at no charge.

Share postcards from YOUR hometown – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Whenever I travel overseas, I always pack a stack of postcards from North Carolina and my hometown, Asheville, located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains.

The postcards show beautiful scenery, and they pinpoint a location some non-Americans might be unfamiliar with. By sharing my postcards, anyone can start a generic conversation (e.g., “This is where I live…”) and go from there.

Bonus: by giving someone a postcard, it becomes a souvenir from our meeting. Add your contact info on the back, and you can always stay connected.

Put culture before curios – Souvenir tip

by Gadling Staff on

From refrigerator magnets to postcards to snowglobes, I’ve collected many things during my travels. Of them all, what I value most will surprise you: the programs from cultural events.

Don’t toss them so quickly! The miniature Big Ben I bought will never mean as much as the program for La Boheme at Covent Garden. The Sacher torte I enjoyed at Hotel Sacher was divine; my program, on the other hand, will forever remind me of the spectacular Vienna Boys Choir.

My programs are my most prized collection. They continue to mean more than any items purchased in souvenir shops.

Capture your footprints in the sand – Souvenir tip

by Gadling Staff on

If you’re a beach bum like me, your vacations are to tropical places. Pictures of sunsets at the beach are pretty, but after a while, one beach looks like the rest. A better souvenir is to take a handful of sand. Once you get home, empty a spice bottle and fill it with the sand. Label it with the beach name and location. Consider making a note of a special memory on the label. After several trips to different beaches, you’ll have a nice spice rack full of sand.

You’ll be surprised to see how each beach differs in their textures and variety of sand; it’s much better than a photo.

Collect brochures and visitor guides – Souvenir tip

by Gadling Staff on

Collect all the brochures and printed promotional materials you can find, as well as local traveler’s guides. Most of these are professionally printed on good quality paper stock and feature beautiful photography. Inexpensive postcards make nice accents, as well.

At home, you can cut these up (include words, headlines, and phrases). Use the words and images as scrapbook elements to supplement your own photos. You can also cut out the front of the brochure, or paragraphs of copy with details about the event or attraction you saw. This helps you remember little details.