Five Free Souvenirs for the Budget Traveler
December 22, 2009 | Sara Harding
One beer mat is junk, but a collection of beer mats is a great souvenir!
Even before the world’s economy “cratered” (my favorite term for it), the student traveler was perpetually low on funds. Now the money situation is the worst it’s been in our lifetimes, and if you’re lucky enough to be able to go backpacking or study abroad in the first place, chances are you don’t have a ton of cash left over for souvenirs. That’s okay. You don’t have to buy souvenirs for them to evoke memories of your experience abroad. In fact, my favorite souvenirs are ones I didn’t pay for. Here are five ideas for things to bring home that won’t cost you a eurocent.
1.) A recipe. One of the coolest things about visiting a new place is trying the food, and getting the recipe is the surest way to make sure you can relive the experience years after you’re back in the states. Plus, the experience of getting the recipe is a memory in itself. Ask your roommate, classmate, classmate’s mother, or local bartender what their favorite food is, then ask for the recipe. Cook it with them if you can – last year I learned to identify and collect wild asparagus and then make it into a fantastic pasta with pancetta ham and cream, all while giggling incessantly with my Italian friends. Every time I make it, I think of them.
2.) A song or dance. Like food, a country’s music is an integral part of its identity, and doing traditional dances with the locals says “I’m one of the gang.” I think I permanently endeared myself to small-town Cypriots by trying – I stress trying – to master the traditional circle dances used at weddings. Learn to sing or play something from the countries you visit, or learn how to dance to their indigenous tunes. At the very least, get your university friends to give you MP3’s of their favorite national artists. And if there’s a super-memorable club song that you always end up dancing to, don’t go home without it.
3.) Rocks. Yes, I’m serious. Pick up a pebble from every beach, mountain, or forest path you find yourself hanging out on. Then borrow a museum trick and label your pebbles by painting a strip of clear nail polish on them and using a fresh sharpie pen to write the names of the places the pebbles came from on the strips of polish (the reason museums like this trick is that a little nail polish remover returns your rock to its original state). You may be surprised at how evocative pebbles can be. Beach pebbles are smooth and round. Mountain pebbles are sharp and rough. Different places have different geology and your pebbles will capture this.
4.) Beer mats. Hey, you’re at the bar anyway – why not stick a beer mat in your pocket? Beer mats celebrate local brews, publicize film and music festivals, and advertise the logos of bars and clubs. Sometimes they even contain tidbits of trivia and culture. Beer mats are the perfect way to memorialize your student travel experience. One beer mat may seem like junk, but two dozen international beer mats can be taped to your dorm room wall or framed to make the coolest Father’s Day gift ever.
5.) Postcards. I know what you’re thinking – postcards aren’t free. But so many of them are! Check out university tables and bulletin boards as well as the entrances to clubs, bars, and restaurants to find displays of random, free postcards. I’ve collected them from spots in Ireland, Italy, and Germany and they’re usually fun, random, and related to local culture. Keep your eyes open and not only will you build up a great collection, your only cost when writing home will be the stamp!
