My next choice would usually be a food souvenir, such as coffee, chocolate or some local speciality, but this isn’t always possible, or you may just not want. If I don’t go for a food souvenir, I try to go for a souvenir that is a little bit more special that the average postcard or magnet.
But what makes a souvenir special?
In all honesty, I can’t say for sure... but I do have some souvenirs that I absolutely adore and are probably my best ones.
First up, my hands down favourite souvenir is a decorated little skull model or calavera that I bought in Coyoacán in Mexico City, Mexico. I bought one for me and one for my sister, costing me $50MXN in total, which was about £2 from a hand-crafted goods market. They’re only about an inch big and are beautifully painted in bright colours and with gorgeous designs. Mine has a glossy black base with golden flowers around the eyes, blue around the mouth and a shimmering red and gold flower on the back, whereas my sister’s has a sky blue base copper around the eyes, gold around the mouth and a shimmering orange and gold sun at the back.
It represents so many memories of people I met whilst travelling in Peru
I love these so much because they’re so simple and so beautiful and are probably the cheapest souvenir I got, proving that you don’t have to break the bank to get something truly wonderful.
Another favourite among my souvenirs is a funky little keychain of a blue llama. I know I said that keychains are a bit boring, but this one was rather special because it was given to me when I was in Peru by the people I was staying with. While I love how random this bright blue llama is with patterns linking it to Peru, the real reason that it’s one of best souvenirs is because it represents so many memories of people I met while travelling in Peru.
For me, the best souvenirs are ones that holds memories and remind you of the place you travelled to.