The best souvenirs to collect as you travel the world

Travel is much more than a journey – it’s moments, memories and meaningful connections. When enjoying a cruise holiday, every port of call offers a unique story, and it’s only natural to want to capture memories of your voyages.  

Whether you’re a seasoned cruiser or are packing for your first cruise, there is no time like the present to decide upon a souvenir you wish to collect on your upcoming holidays. Souvenirs aren’t only small trinkets that are brought home and discarded; they’re connections to places and experiences. They’re story-starters, memory-joggers and treasured mementoes.  

In this guide, we’ll explore why collecting souvenirs is worthwhile, highlight a selection of the best collections to curate and offer some tips for souvenir collection ideas and displaying your travel souvenirs.  

Why collect souvenirs when travelling? 

Preserve memories – collecting souvenirs is a wonderful way to preserve memories. They’ll become a tangible connection to those relished moments you’ve spent travelling the world, and they provide visual reminders of experiences you enjoyed.  

Support local businesses – purchasing souvenirs helps to support local businesses as you travel. You’ll be helping to grow the destinations you visit and supporting the people who make them.   

Decorate your home – souvenirs can be a brilliant way to decorate your home in a way that’s unique to you. Instead of opting to follow trends, your home can be made up of items that tell your travel stories.  

Best travel souvenirs to collect when travelling 

• Fridge magnets 

• Tea towels 

• Shot glasses 

• Christmas ornaments 

• Postcards & artwork 

• Local herbs & spices 

• Mugs 

 Fridge magnets 

Fridge magnets are a popular travel souvenir for several reasons and are an excellent way to remember your worldwide travels. They take up very little room in your luggage and are lightweight, so they don’t require dedicated room in your suitcase.  

They can act as daily visual reminders of your favourite travels, whether you’re making a cup of tea or cooking dinner – you might even opt to stick them somewhere other than the fridge entirely! Wherever you display them, they’re a typically inexpensive way to scrapbook your travels. Choose whether you organise them by region, chronologically, or by something else entirely!  

Passionate traveller Jason Daniel Shaw speaks about why magnets are a great souvenir to remember your travels: “I guess it was while I was lost somewhere in a maze of shops in the heart of Shanghai in 2015 that I decided to get my first travel souvenir magnet. It was my first major overseas trip (I had only been around North America and the Caribbean to that point), and I was looking for something that I could pick up to remember each place that I had been. I knew that it had to be small so that it wouldn't take up much space while travelling, had to be something that wasn't going to just get thrown in a drawer and forgotten about and had to be something that I could get anywhere that I travelled - a souvenir magnet was the perfect solution.  

“Since then, I have collected magnets from each place that I have visited and often get made fun of by the people that I travel with for searching high and low for just the right magnet. One of my favourite things about returning home is adding the magnets to the refrigerator.” 

Tea towels 

Everyone uses tea towels daily, so what better way to remind yourself of your wonderful travels than when you’re cooking in the kitchen? Much like magnets, tea towels are often a popular item in a souvenir shop, and their shape and ability to lie flat means you don’t need to worry about getting them in your suitcase.  

Tea towels can be hung in the kitchen and are a practical item used every day, meaning that you’ll be swapping them out often, so it doesn’t hurt to stock up. Alternatively, you could even opt to frame them and use them as art pieces for significant trips represented by beautiful designs.  

Shot glasses 

Shot glasses are a classic travel souvenir that you can pick up easily. Often featuring unique designs showcasing local landmarks, city names, or even humorous touches, they are a wonderful collectable.  

As they have a standard size, they can make for uniform but colourful displays, and their small form means even a well-crafted collection doesn’t need to take up too much space!  

Shot glasses are often pulled from shelves at times of celebration – a tipple on Christmas Day, to ring in the new year, or even to celebrate when you secure a great late cruise deal!  

 Christmas ornaments  

Although only displayed once a year, Christmas ornaments and decorations are a popular souvenir to collect. Not only do decorations look fabulous on your tree and around your home, but they also allow you to reminisce about your travels and the wonderful memories you made as you decorate. Unwrapping each ornament will bring back fond memories, whether a bauble or snow globe and because they’re packed away, you’ll appreciate seeing them even more.  

Christmas ornaments are also a wonderful gift for others to bring home from your travels. They can be displayed in their home, and it’ll remind them of you or even spark their wanderlust!  

Postcards and artwork 

You might send postcards and photo postcards whilst you’re on your travels, but have you ever thought about collecting them to keep looking back through in the future? Postcards often boast stunning location imagery, which can evoke memories and emotions from your trip. Practically, they’re both incredibly inexpensive and easy to transport, making them an easy souvenir to collect.  

Alternatively, if you’re happy to go a little bigger, why not look to collect artwork as you travel? Whether showcasing a landmark that caught your eye or just a piece that captured your heart, it’s common to see local artists in popular spots selling their pieces. Choose between paintings, drawings, and photography, and adorn your home with visual stories about destinations around the world.  

Gratsiela from the blog Blush Rougette speaks about why she loves collecting and keeping postcards: “I like to think postcards help me create new chapters of my life while saving a piece of the past; they push me forward to achieve my goals, to learn as much as I can about the incredible history of our world and the people that live in it. They remind me to explore and tick places off my travel and London bucket lists but also to find my place in all this conundrum. This passion is something I would truly like to share with my children and grandchildren when I grow old. I want to inspire them to do the same.” 

Local herbs & spices 

Have you ever visited a destination and fallen in love with the flavours of the local cuisine? Well, one way you can keep the amazing memories of your trip alive is to buy local herbs and spices to allow you to create delicious dishes at home.  

Many regions have signature blends or flavours – from za’atar in the Middle East to jerk in the Caribbean. Collecting them as you travel builds an edible scrapbook, and oftentimes, people will find the flavours are more authentic and aromatic than the blends you can buy back at home.  

Shopping for spices is also a wonderful way to immerse yourself in the local culture. Explore bustling markets and talk to vendors about their blends, explore a local supermarket to see the unique items you wouldn’t find at home or even ask in a restaurant about a dish you’ve enjoyed and want to try and recreate yourself!  

READ MORE: Must-try Caribbean food and drink 

Mugs 

From a seasonal gluhwein mug at a festive market to a handcrafted piece by a local maker, mugs can be wonderful items to collect on your travels. Both decorative and functional, it’s wonderful to reminisce about past cruises whilst you sip on your morning coffee or after-dinner tea. Most people use mugs every day – some use multiple if they’re avid tea drinkers! – they make a great souvenir and serve as constant reminders of your adventures, rather than sitting forgotten.  

Mugs are also a relatively inexpensive souvenir and are available in a large number of shops. You should be sure to wrap them carefully when travelling, although they are relatively sturdy. What's more, they have lasting power. Unlike a t-shirt that you might grow out of or a trinket that might gather dust, mugs can be consistently used and enjoyed.  

Many cultures have an iconic design or style - think stunning tiles in Portugal or modern design in Scandinavia – and mugs can be designed to showcase these. Alternatively, some come with writing, highlighting a specific destination or event. This allows you to build up a variety of unique and eye-catching mugs that are sure to get you talking over tea time.    

 How to display your travel souvenirs 

Once you’ve started to collect your souvenirs, you’ll need to decide how to display them.  

Wall display – creating a gallery wall can be a brilliant way to display your souvenirs, especially when you opt for postcards and artwork. Choose easy-to-open frames to make it simple to swap imagery out when you return from a new trip.  

Curated display – if you’ve got items that you can’t put in a frame, curating a display on either a dedicated shelf or even in a display cabinet can be a brilliant way to showcase them. Specifically designed cabinets can be great, as they contain the items fully, meaning less dusting is needed.  

Bookshelf Accents – another brilliant way to show off your souvenirs is by using them as bookshelf accents. If you already have a hearty library in your home, tucking souvenirs onto the shelves to fill some of the space can be a great way to make it more eye-catching.  

READ MORE: What is the best travel book of all time? 

From picking up fridge magnets to adorn your fridge or artwork to hang on your walls, the joy of discovering unique treasures is part of what makes travelling so special. Start souvenir-hunting on a mini cruise to get a taste of life at sea or dive into a cultural adventure on our cruises to the Caribbean. If you’re looking to travel soon, we have some wonderful cruises in 2025 available.  

Your perfect memento – and your next great story – is waiting at the next port of call.  

For more articles, including destination guides and cruising tips, be sure to check out our blog.