I don’t buy much when I travel. A few gifts for folks at home and maybe some clothing if I find I have under-packed. But now and then, I end up with a souvenir so useful it becomes part of my daily life. That is exactly what happened with my little pouch-purse from Mexico.
The Tour bus stopped at the obligatory souvenir mall on the way to Chichen Itza. I was’t very interested (as this picture taken by Dearest shows.) I was more interested in the garden across the street.
Unless I need a clean shirt, I can resist the pretty clotheslines of dresses.
Since I pack tight and and am often on-the-move, breakables are not appealing to buy, though they make great pictures.
Bulky items are likewise easy to resist when you carry your own baggage.
I don’t wear jewelry, myself, but it makes a great gift. Jewelry items don’t break easily and they stow away in the tiniest nooks and crannies.
The one purchase I have a hard time resisting, is bags. I like small ones to sub-divide my gear and organize my packing. I like big ones to stow dirty laundry. I like middle-sized ones for carrying travel documents and taxi fare. I just like bags.
One of my favorites is the little zippered sleeve I found in that tourist-mall on the way to Chichen Itza. I picked it up to have tickets and small cash readily available but when I got home, I discovered it was an ideal tech-bag for my eReading devices and accessories.
My Kindle slips into the main compartment and my nook simple touch fits into the outer pocket perfectly! My headphones accompany the kindle and I can wear the little purse around my neck and over a shoulder to listen to audible or use the read-to-me feature while walking the dogs, doing laundry, or cooking. This silly little impulse purchase at a road-side tourist trap has become one of my best loved and most used possessions.
Did you ever bring home a cheep souvenir that became a treasure to you? What was it?