We Came, We Saw, We Conquered The Gift Shop: Your Fave Travel Souvenirs

I was five years old, gazing in wonder at Edvard Munch’s The Scream, utterly captivated by the puffy bubble font declaring, “OMG, I’ve been to Norway!”.

Beside it, a 3-D half-peeled dancing banana spelling out Costa Rica and a tiny metal tin boldly claiming “100% Pure Air from Mount Fuji.” 

It was there, surrounded by these exotic magnets plastered across a fridge in my cousin’s basement in rural Ontario, that I made a silent wish: to one day see places so magical that people felt compelled to bring back the very air itself. I, too, could be a collector of magnets. 

It was granted, but like all wishes, it came with a catch. Flinging myself across multiple continents meant I’d never stay somewhere long enough to own a fridge. 

Until recently, I had forgotten that my deep-seated desire to travel had probably stemmed from the bottle-opening, glittery claws of a lobster screaming at me to visit Boston. That was until I went for a glass of juice at the house of somebody I was seeing. His entire fridge, from top to bottom, was a chaotic, brilliant mosaic of “I was here.”

At first glance, the mass-produced magnet from Rome might be all plastic and tack, but once it’s on YOUR fridge? It's a portal to that sweltering day in July when your lips tasted the first, perfect scoop of gelato di limone. 

Standing in that kitchen, juice in hand, I thought about the psychology of collecting souvenirs and what they say about us. It made me wonder about the miniature worlds clinging to everyone else's freezer doors right now.

As it turns out, the way we anchor our memories is just as diverse as the destinations themselves. From the classic magnetic kitsch to the oddly specific, here’s what the Jack's community on Facebook has been bringing home:

"We love a fridge magnet! This is the 'international collection', UK magnets have their own section. We have strict rules for our collection - we can only get 1 per country per visit (unless the country has multiple islands). We must have seen the thing depicted on the magnet, and it must be as tacky/ugly as possible." - Claire 

"I have a Wander Wall with mostly postcards. This is 2026 Wander Wall so far. On 31/12 I take it all down and put it in an album, then start all over again." - Elizabeth 

"I've made two displays of our magnets. We've also got a double fridge covered in them! The ones on the left are the magnets from our year abroad in 2023. I decided to do one for Europe as well, as we'd run out of fridge space, and I've traveled Spain, Italy, and Germany in particular extensively.

I also bring home diet drinks. My brother is T1 diabetic and lives in a care home. Wherever I go I buy any sugar free/diet drinks for him. The flavours and types of drinks change regularly so even if I go somewhere more than once, they've always got something new."  - Clem

"Thimbles. I have quite an extensive collection.I am surprised of the variety of materials that go into making them. The one from Bulgaria is from wood and the 'flowery' one above Thassos is from South Korea and it's basically paper wrapped in silk." - Mădălina

"I send myself a postcard so it's not an item that collects dust. It's a nice surprise to get it in the mail because it's like going on holiday all over again for a brief moment." - Jane

"We collect something for the Christmas tree. In this blurry pic: A bauble from China, a skiing penguin from Canada, Pyramid from Egypt, a wee man from Mexico, Rockette from New York, bauble from our daughter's wedding in Bordeaux, a Santorini church, camel from the UAE, hairy coo from Scotland. Glass Angel from Vienna. A church from Moscow." - Caroline

"I’ve started with Starbucks mugs, which, to be honest, is a very expensive habit." - Claire

"I collect pens; the weirder, the better. I have loads, so they never run out. Here are a few." - Jane

"I collect snow globes. The tackier, the better." - Sue

"I bought this magnet at Pablo Escobar’s house in Medellín. Throughout the city, these magnets cost 1 dollar, but at Pablo’s house, I had to pay 14 dollars. I also wanted to buy a hoodie with the same image, but they were asking for more than 200 dollars for it. In short, even after the death of the famous bandit, the mafia continues to rob people..." - Slava

"My husband's collection is in our utility room. He has attached metal panels to the walls to hold them. This is only one corner. My cat, Mono, doesn't look amused." - Margaret 

"I collect Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts and, most recently, city stamps in my Lego passport. If the city has a shop, you can pick a Lego Passport up for free, and you can collect stamps with the name of the city. It’s the next best thing now that actual border control stamps are being phased out." - Jenny 

Over to you!

Do you prefer to see your memories while reaching for the milk, or are you a connoisseur of a different kind? Drop your fave souvenirs in the comments—bonus points for a pic!