“Do not keep your souvenirs in a box. Put them on display. Put them on a shelf, pin them to the wall, or if all else fails tie strings to them and hang them from the ceiling. Souvenirs remind us of our best days, but they can’t do that if we never see them.”1
I like to buy souvenirs when I travel, but after a while, it gets cluttered quite a bit. Here are some tips I collected to keep souvenirs neat:
- Buy things you use in your daily life: fridge magnets, clothing, postcards that take up little space, key chains, mini versions of monuments, handmade items by native artisans, blankets, hat, glasses, mat
- Clothing: jewelry, scarf
- Stationery that can go in travel journal: stickers, brochures, receipts, flowers to press, pen
- Patches to put on bag
- Perfume, coffee, lipstick, skincare
- Books
Interesting ideas
- Print out 1-2 memorable photos from each trip
- City name pins on a teddy bear’s hat
Keep them in check
- Rotate the display of souvenirs: Put some out for a while, then swap them back into storage.
- Put the most important ones in a container that’s easy to grab if something happens
- Memento boxes
Display ideas
- Cork board for plane/train tickets, bank notes, postcards
- Memento boxes for wristbands, ticket stubs
- Large photo album for postcards
- Binder of plastic sleeves for maps