This is part of a series on Travel Confessions. My nomination was from Renee at cravesadventure and you should go to her blog and read her travel confessions too!
There are a few rules in the Travel Confessions series:
- Post a photo (or photos) and description(s) of your confession(s) in a new post.
- Tweet your post with hashtag #TravelConfession and follow/tweet @Traveling9to5
- Tag 3 other travelers you’d love to see
My list is all about souvenirs. Some are useful, some are decorative, and some never make it home at all (chocolate).
Confession 1: I still bring home refrigerator magnets when I travel. I already have a big collection, but they’re cute, inexpensive and easy to pack. And when they’re on my refrigerator I get to reminisce about where I got them. Here are some of my favorites.
Confession 2: Shoes, handbags, jewelry and scarves are my idea of great souvenirs. When someone admires one of these items I like to say, “I got this in Italy.” Then I try to stop talking because otherwise I’ll describe the day, time and place where I purchased it. But I always remember…
Confession 2 1/2: This relates to Confession 2. After my first trip to Florence I found myself with three handbags, two pairs of shoes and many scarves. I barely had room for these in my suitcase and I finally had to leave the shoeboxes behind.
Confession 3: Chocolate is a delicious souvenir, and sadly one that never lasts long because I eat it immediately. Here’s an example: I bought chocolate at the Rome airport that I ate before I boarded the plane. However I still have the empty box.
Now I will nominate three bloggers to share their travel confessions:
I’m looking forward to hearing your stories!
Meg Travels 
You too? I can completely go off to some other place and time and give way too much information when something triggers a memory. I dion’t collect anything in particular a a souvenir but do tend to end up with Christmas tree ornaments. Then it takes days to decorate because I pull each one lovingly from its wrapping and travel back to the place and time and store….Yikes!!
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I can look at something I brought back from a trip and remember so much about it… And I’m the same way with Christmas ornaments!
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We collect magnets too – the bigger and flashier, the better! My husband’s favorite is a bottle opener with an acrylic cover of a pic of the London Eye. That magnet gets a lot of use!
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That sounds fantastic – and very useful too! Magnets really are fun to collect… :)
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I really loved this post, it was so much fun! My daughter will positively drool when she sees your shoe collection! (I’m drooling over all that great chocolate you get to try!) :D
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Thank you! Maybe one day I’ll make the chocolate last a little longer, although I find this unlikely… :)
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Fridge magnets are a great souvenir for the reasons you’ve given, but having something you can keep and use time and again (shoes, handbags, scarves, etc.) allows the memories to live on every time you give them an airing. As for chocolate, could there be anything better to spend your money on?
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It really is wonderful to have souvenirs you can wear… It’s nice to have things that will last as opposed to chocolate (which won’t)!
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What fun, Meg. That first fridge magnet is adorable. Off to check out Renee.
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I’m so glad I bought that Anne of Green Gables magnet! And I think you’ll enjoy Renee’s post too… :)
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Your confession about the fridge magnets reminds me that I bought a fridge magnet on my trip to Florida earlier this year, forgot it was in my purse and manage to demagnetize my work ID badge and a credit card. So, moral of the story: they make great souvenirs, but you have to be careful with them!
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I wouldn’t have thought of that – I’ll have to be careful with these magnets. I hope you were able to get things remagnetized without too much trouble…
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Great post with many similar confessions to me! Thank you for the nomination :)
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You’re welcome, and it was really fun working on this list!
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A girl after my own travel souvenir heart! Bags, scarves, shoes…perfect!
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They make the very best souvenirs! It’s really special to be wearing something that has wonderful travel memories… :)
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Love the shoe collection! Starting to become a trend for me too! Your shoe shelf is awesome. I have run out of space for my collection…they need a good home like that.
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There’s nothing like a good space for shoes! The picture is a display of shoes from Florence and I would have liked an extra suitcase to take them all home… :)
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What a wonderful, cheery post with your travel confessions. I love the visuals, the chocolate box, the shoes and the magnets. Delightful to read your confessions. And thanks for the like on my blog today. I always appreciate your dropping by to say hello.
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Thank you so much, I’m glad you liked it! I really enjoy visiting your blog and also catching up with Flat Ruthie’s blog… :)
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Is that your shoe closet? Oh my I love that!
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It’s a display from a shoe shop in Florence, but I’d like to use it as inspiration for my own shoe collection!
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Awesome! One can never have too many shoes!
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I couldn’t agree more!
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Shoes are the most wonderful souvenirs, I agree, until the time comes when people begin noticing them because they’re worn out … oh, the agony, of dust-binning my favourites from that little arcade in Paris, the bespoke cobbler in Venice … On top of which is the ‘space’ consideration – I’ve transferred the sartorial buys to gloves – the latest fuscia pink, silk lined finest leather that brightened (and warmed) my last week in Venice after winter arrived unexpectedly!
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Your gloves sound wonderful (with a great story about them too)! And I agree that shoes only last a certain amount of time when they are used, whereas scarves or gloves can be kept indefinitely. That’s something I’ll keep in mind for the future… :)
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I love to buy fridge magnets, bookmarks, and postcards–so easy to pack.
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I have lots of bookmarks and postcards too! It’s nice to have some souvenirs that are small and fit in your suitcase easily… :)
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Loving your travel confessions – thanks so much for sharing:) I have been into the ornaments lately. The best souvenirs I take home are the photos I take while on my travels:) Have a Great One!
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You’re welcome, and I agree with you that photos (and ornaments) make wonderful souvenirs!
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Great post! Love it. I’m not big into suveniers, but I love the stories that go with them! Is that hat with red braids from Prince Edward Island, by chance?!
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Thank you! That’s a very good observation – the magnet depicts Anne of Green Gables and it’s from Prince Edward Island… :)
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I figured! I might have had to buy that, too! I have three things on my bucket list…and I can’t remember the third, but the second is to go to NY, NY and drive up to PEI (obviously taking a ferry along the way, if there is one?) and visit “Anne’s country”!!
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I’m sure you can find a way to get there from New York! When I went I started from the Boston area and drove across Maine through New Brunswick and then across the bridge to PEI. It was a long drive but definitely worth it!
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I didn’t realize they have a bridge! Yeah, that would be ideal!
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It takes a few minutes to drive across the bridge but it’s a great way to get to PEI!
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Way better than waiting for a ferry, that’s for sure!
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You get to begin your vacation sooner!
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It’s fun seeing some of your collections.
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Thanks – they represent wonderful travel memories!
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We have much in common, Perugina chocolate is delicious, we ate plenty of it during our trip and also had to buy a bundle (for gifts and personal use of course) at the airport to ensure it would make it home :-)
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I am so impressed that when you bought chocolate at the airport it got home safely! I ate my airport chocolate to it’s really time to think of different gifts… :)
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The trick is buying lots more than you’ll actually want to eat at any one time, we brought about 12 huge blocks :-)
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Great plan – I probably could have gotten home with that amount! I may try that next time… :)
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