Save Money and Remember the Good Times with Practical Souvenirs

Whenever I’m traveling, there’s always some temptation to spend money on souvenirs. This could mean bringing home little gifts for some of my friends, buying merchandise specific to some of the sights I’ve seen (this is especially a problem during my Disney Parks trips), or splurging on other items that might catch my eye on any given trip. However, while some of these purchase may be worth it, many are not. This is why my wife and I have become adept at finding what we call “practical souvenirs” — let me give you some examples:

Culinary treats

When we were in Paris visiting their Disneyland park (of course), we suddenly found ourselves missing our evening tea. So we searched around and finally found a blend of tea in the World of Disney store that sounded tasty. Better yet, the metal case that housed the tea bore artwork for the park’s 25th anniversary, which we were there to celebrate. Thus we were not only able to satisfy our tea craving and bring the rest home but were also able to resist buying other such merchandise that wouldn’t bring us as much benefit.

Come to think of it, I’m also inclined to pronounce any reasonably-priced delicacy a practical souvenir. After all, you need to eat so why not bring some of the local flavor home with you?

Useful tools and necessities

Funny enough, my next example was also inspired by a foreign Disney Park visit. Moments after I set foot in Tokyo Disneyland for the first time, it started pouring rain. Thankfully, unlike the domestic parks, their Main Street equivalent (dubbed World Bazaar, in case you were wondering) is covered, but regardless, it became clear that I would need an umbrella. With that, I entered their Emporium shop and found a nice Tokyo Disney Resort umbrella for 900„ — or about $9. Naturally, I ended up using that umbrella for the rest of the day and week before eventually bringing it back home with me. Now whenever it rains, I’m reminded of that time in Tokyo.

Other similar examples could include flashlights, lanyards, Pop Sockets (all the rage these days), sweatshirts, drawstring bags, and many, many more. In other words, things you might actually use again.

Pictures

Finally, it seems like these days a big reason why people enjoy traveling is “for the Grams.” This is to say that people find pleasure in posting about their vacations on Instagram and having their friends, family, and followers shower them with those tasty, tasty likes. Regardless of whether that’s healthy or not, pictures actually can be one of the greatest souvenirs. First of all, photos free (in most cases) can bring back memories just as vividly as any trinket could. Plus, capturing great images can allow you to release your creativity and could also give you something fun and frugal to do while traveling.

With all that said, be careful not to experience your entire trip from behind a camera — there’s something to be said about living in the moment as well.

Hopefully these examples get you thinking about the practical souvenir possibilities for your next trip, allowing you to save money and still have something to remember your vacation by. Happy travels!

Author

Kyle Burbank

Founder ~ Moneyat30
Kyle is a freelance writer - including being the head writer for Fioney.com. He also serves as editorial director for the Disney fan site LaughingPlace.com and the founder of Money@30.com. In 2015, Kyle and his wife Bekah moved from Los Angeles to Springfield MO in pursuit of greater financial freedom. Together, the pair enjoy travel, coffee, and spending time with their dog Rigby. Additionally, as of 2023, they become first-time homeowners.

Other Articles by Kyle Burbank

Caption: Not Some Basic Hotel

Travel Tuesday: Caption by Hyatt Memphis Hotel Review

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to visit Memphis, Tennessee. Despite driving through the city a few times, this was my first proper visit (albeit one that was quite short). To mark the occasion, I decided to look for something that was convenient for me but that also...
bed at Tru by Hitlon Wichita

Hilton is Offering Double Points on Hotel Stays This Summer

Hilton is making it easy to earn bonus points on hotel stays this summer. For stays from May 2nd to September 2nd, Hilton Honors members can earn 2x points. All you need to do is register on the Hilton site and you'll be good to go. Of course, you will...
Solis 5G alone and attached to a backpack

2024 Solis 5G Mobile Hotspot Review

For years, I've been a regular user of Solis mobile hotspots and have used them for several international trips (and some domestic). Of course, as the years have gone on, my Solis 1 device has grown a bit old. While it still works just fine, it has been discontinued and...

Leave a Reply

The "Email" field is empty, you must enter some text to proceed.The text you entered in the "Email" field appears to be invalid, please edit it and try again
Get Posts in Your Inbox
Featured Articles
Caption: Not Some Basic Hotel

Travel Tuesday: Caption by Hyatt Memphis Hotel Review

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to visit Memphis, Tennessee. Despite driving through the city a few times, this was my first proper visit (albeit one that was quite short). To mark the occasion, I decided to look for something that was convenient for me but that also...
bed at Tru by Hitlon Wichita

Hilton is Offering Double Points on Hotel Stays This Summer

Hilton is making it easy to earn bonus points on hotel stays this summer. For stays from May 2nd to September 2nd, Hilton Honors members can earn 2x points. All you need to do is register on the Hilton site and you'll be good to go. Of course, you will...
Solis 5G alone and attached to a backpack

2024 Solis 5G Mobile Hotspot Review

For years, I've been a regular user of Solis mobile hotspots and have used them for several international trips (and some domestic). Of course, as the years have gone on, my Solis 1 device has grown a bit old. While it still works just fine, it has been discontinued and...
working off a Solis WiFi Hotspot

2024 Solis WiFi Hotspot Review: Using the Skyroam Solis Lite Overseas

As someone who regularly “workations” and relies on a solid Internet connection to be productive while traveling, it’s kind of crazy that I went without a WiFi hotspot for so long. That’s mostly because I had never come across a particular device that jumped out at me.  Well, that was...