Motherhood is all about making memories (well that and some days basic survival!). When we travel, we want to pick up some special souvenirs to remember those memories. But life with kids usually means – CLUTTER! We already have so many crafts, toys, socks, books, shoes, and things to keep track of. Is it worth adding yet another stuffed animal from a vacation?
So how do you balance picking up meaningful keepsakes from your adventures that don’t turn into clutter? We’ve been focused on travelling light in recent years, so that limits us to what we can actually pick up as a special souvenir. Sorry, I have zero interest in bringing home a life size stuffed dolphin kids. We also add a small budget for the kids, so they have to chose wisely. It’s a parenting hack where I feel better about pulling them out of school. Learning to budget is an essential part of the curriculum after all. Just for the fun of it, here are some special keepsakes we’ve collected on our last few adventures.
Souvenirs from Panama
We are a family of book worms, so our go to is books. This one was gifted to us while in Panama. Why not pick up art for the house when travelling? I love these the vintage black and white photographs of the Panama Canal and Casco Veijo. We have them up as part of the art in our house. We also picked up some handmade crafts and a Panama hat of course! Fun Fact: The Panama hat originates from Ecuador.
Souvenirs from New York City
Ah New York, New York! Where the shopping has no limits, except by your bank account. There is no shortage of things to buy as souvenirs here. The kids picked out some small prints of art from a vendor in the High Line park and we let them raid Dylan’s Candy Bar. This trip we invested in some special family pictures by using our favourite Flytographer . See more about why we love family photos as travel souvenirs here on this post.
Souvenirs From Maui
From Maui, we wanted something to help us capture that that Aloha spirit at home. We loved beach combing for sea shells (where we actually don’t take any shells anymore, and especially none of the lava rocks). The kids earned their Junior Ranger badges up on Haleakala. But once again Flytographer to the rescue, where photographer Rojeena took some amazing pictures for us. So every time I pass them hanging up on our hall wall, I feel that Aloha vibe.
Souvenirs from India
I’ve been to India so many times and each trip for me was full of shopping. The infinite amounts of fabric, jewellery and beautiful clothes always left our suitcases ready to explode. But on my last trip there (and first as a mom!), we traveled light and experienced so much more of the country. The kids all chose something small for their rooms, and of course some pretty bangles! Notice the common theme? We love to pick up books, whether a guide book or a beautiful coffee table book to help us remember our adventures! You can read here why you should take your kids to India!
What are your favourite things to pick up as a souvenir?
