I used to travel quite a bit for work, both domestically and abroad, and I loved it. Of course, it got tiring, but new places and new people excite me. After a few years of travel drought, I recently traveled to New Zealand (it was amazing) and the trip brought up a familiar problem from my past days as a frequent traveler: buying souvenirs.
You see, I am not really a souvenir person. I dislike trinkets, and I especially dislike having to store trinkets. My philosophy on owning things goes like this:
If I don’t use it or see it regularly, why would I own it?
This philosophy has helped keep my belongings to a minimum, at least compared to other similar residents of the United States. I have a few nostalgic items (photos, paintings, a shadow box) but it’s only those I have room to display without my space starting to feel cluttered. I strongly dislike living in cluttered spaces. They make me feel sort of itchy and uncomfortable, like having a swarm of flies buzzing around me. That’s never the path to living one’s best life.
I recognize this is not true for everyone – for some people, being surrounded by their knickknacks brings happiness and nostalgia. I am by no means arguing with what brings you joy! Gather those collectibles and live amongst your memories! I’m simply saying that for me, owning fewer things brings more peace. Basically, I am a lightweight minimalist – I buy and keep what I need.
Enter the problem: buying souvenirs.
I don’t need souvenirs. No one needs 40 shot glasses with spring break destinations on them. Or a t-shirt promoting a specific fishing shack of all the fishing shacks in Alabama. Or Russian nesting dolls. (Was there ever a purpose for those? Note to self, research Russian nesting dolls.) We just buy those trinkets to keep the memories fresh. And I could buy something I need, but somehow buying a set of mixing bowls in New Zealand doesn’t have the same nostalgic feeling as buying a ceramic kiwi bird, you know?
Consequently, buying souvenirs gets tricky for me. Souvenir is a French word that literally means “remember.” And I am a fan of remembering. If you asked me, generally speaking, “Would you rather remember or not remember?” I would say, with confidence, “Remember.” I know that sometimes memories help us hold onto life lessons, people we’ve lost, and bits and pieces of ourselves that can get lost in the everyday rush of life. I am definitely in favor of keeping memories around. But my instinct toward minimalism pushes back.
During this trip to New Zealand, I kept feeling like I was being pulled back and forth. (Anyone else remember Dr. Doolittle’s Push-Me-Pull-You? That was a wild time.) I couldn’t decide. Do I get something to remember? Or do I keep my life clutter-free?
What happened was unexpected: At a pre-party for a World Cup game, a stranger handed me a hand-made, plastic, beaded bracelet. I almost said no, but then thought that might be rude – “I could always throw it out later,” I thought. I have not thrown it out, though. It reminds me of those moments before the game, when I was surrounded by soccer fans, people from the US all united in a far-away country, banded together by their love for the game. And, honestly, I think I might keep that bracelet forever. Minimalism or no minimalism.
But I also know that I will have this debate again on my next trip. So tell me what you do. How do you approach buying souvenirs?
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