Why We Need Souvenirs
It can be as simple as a seashell, as delicate as a snowglobe, or as cliché as an I ♥ NY shirt. Souvenirs are an integral part of travel, and something tells me they always have been. We as humans love stuff. It’s as simple as that.
When I was younger, I hated shopping, especially souvenir shopping. I felt like we were missing out on the place we were visiting by spending so much of our short time inside a gift shop. I didn’t want more stuff. I wanted more experiences.
As I got older, that sentiment changed, because I had people to shop for. When I was in Germany, I was set on finding an antique beer stein for my dad. When I was in Croatia, I absolutely had to get my mom a packet of dried lavender, and in every single country I visited, I picked up at least 2-3 postcards to give out to my friends at home. I wanted all the people that I cared about to know that I was thinking about them.
What’s funny, is that as the stockpile of souvenirs for my friends and family grew, I started to get jealous. I wanted something for myself. After spending so much time in gift shops, I finally started to see the draw of them. Each souvenir was a capsule in which you could transport your memories of a place back home with you. I used to be fine just collecting plane tickets and brochures, but I began to crave more and more.
I bought myself a cashmere scarf in Scotland. It was the first piece of cashmere that I’ve ever owned. It was also the first warm scarf that I’ve ever bought myself (I never had a need in California), and I treasured that scarf, wearing it almost every day as I biked through the rain and cold to class. I debated whether or not I should bring it to Iceland with me, but ultimately decided that I needed its warmth. At the airport on the way back to Sweden, I was asked to take it off as we went through security. It wasn’t until an hour or so later that I realized I didn’t have the scarf with me anymore. I retraced my steps, asked security and shop owners. Nobody had seen it. The scarf was gone. I panicked, because the scarf was expensive and I was rather sleep deprived (it was like 2 or 3 am), but this was when I learned a valuable lesson: be careful about expensive souvenirs. Losing things is just a normal part of traveling, so be prepared to let go of those precious items.
Of course, I didn’t stop buying myself souvenirs after the Iceland episode, but I kept mostly to postcards. I feel a calm nostalgia when I see them hanging on my bedroom wall. My sentiments about souvenir shopping have changed over time, but my current thoughts are that the memories are the main substance to a souvenir, not the monetary value.
