Of Travelling and Souvenirs

I just bought a new cork board from Daiso (Oh, I love the 100 yen wonderland) and after tacking it to the wall, I rummaged through my collections of postcards, souvenirs and old pictures, choosing which ones would have the honour to be pinned at that particular cork board.

I spent about 10 minutes doing so and my real-life pinterest is filled with postcards of various places, foreign banknotes, a spur-of-the-moment sketch of Google Doodle's Sheridan Le Fanu's 200th Birthday, Arashi group picture (no longer a fan but why not? :P) among others.

Then I looked at the large number of stuffs that didn't get the honour to be featured on my corkboard. I had a not-so-huge pile of souvenirs I bought from different trips either in Malaysia or overseas.

I'm a sucker for souvenirs. A simple wooden chopstick that you could get in Malaysia would be something worth-buying when you're in China, or Japan. I bought the souvenirs because I wanted to give them to people as, you know...souvenirs. But after I bought them and returned home, I sat cross-legged on the floor of my bedroom, having headaches and confusion on which souvenirs should I give to other people. They are sooo pretty and I don't feel like giving them away. Thus, I ended up keeping those souvenirs for myself. What is wrong with you, Sarah?

In short, I indirectly bought those souvenirs for myself. And that I have quite a number of them, of which I don't know whether I should display them (not enough room) or that they should be kept in a Famous Amos cookies tin (of which I did).

That's the things about souvenirs. You went to that place of interest, you bought some interesting things to be brought home, you admired them for a while and you kept them somewhere, never to be opened again, only during some unsuspecting random moments.

Whenever I went travelling without my family (with friends, of course), which also means that I'm in charge of my own expenditures, I would almost always get nervous over stuffs like "Oh God, I haven't bought a souvenir for this person!" or "I have ran out of yuans to buy this for Dad!"

Instead of fully enjoying my trip (of which I did, 90% of it), 10% of my mind would be occupied with two things: Money and souvenirs.
Money is not really a problem. It's the lack of money changer counters! Seriously, always convert 90% of your Malaysian Ringgits to the foreign currency. It's very hard to find a money changer agent there. Or you could convert to US Dollars. Apparently, the Taiwanese had never heard of 'Malaysian Ringgit' before. *rolled eyes*.

Because I didn't convert enough foreign money, I ended up agonising over this: no money to enjoy myself, must buy souvenir.

Travelling is about experiencing culture, not shopping for souvenirs! I can't believe I'm turning into a Becky Brandon nee Bloomwood!

Buying souvenirs costs money! I'm tired of making a budget of how much to spend for souvenirs, and I got scared when I exceeded the allocated budget. I like to buy stuffs that have the taste and flavour of the places I've been to, because I wanted the receivers of those souvenirs to experience the same excitement I've felt, to feel that they have a piece of that particular country with them. But those stuffs are usually expensive. And that it is impossible for them to feel all that unless they actually set foot to that place.
That's it! I'm gonna buy cheap keychains for everyone next time I go traveling. After all, you can have a piece of China with you with a Made-in-China keychain. Pun intended.

Besides, souvenirs, no matter how quaint, expensive, cheap, big or small they are, they would eventually be left to collect dust on that shelf up there. People would forget about those souvenirs some day. There is a possibility that it would be thrown away when they decided to de-clutter their house or move somewhere else. Souvenirs are overrated!

Actually, why should I buy a souvenir? Souvenir serves as a keepsake, to reminds me of the places I've been to. It could be anything! A simple wooden chopstick sealed with paper wrapper they gave you at the hotel is a potential keepsake! The teabags with indecipherable ideogram Chinese writings on it could become a reminder of that place. 

So, I would like to give an advice to myself.

1. Don't buy Snow Globes. They are usually expensive, and that you don't intend to open a 'Snow Globes Around the World Museum".  Say no to expensive snow globes! Unless they're cheap.
   
2. Don't buy expensive stuffs. By expensive I mean that the first thought that came into your mind upon hearing the price is "It's expensive!" 
3. Buy cheap key-chains sold in bulks. 
4. Buy T-shirts only when they are cheap. 
5. Buy cheap stuffs. 
6. Instead of wasting your money buying souvenirs for others, why don't you include a 'printing your travel photos' in your trip budget. Pictures worth more than any souvenirs you bought. You could show various albums of 'Grandma's Trips around the World' to your grandchildren, inspiring them to do the same as well. And it could become a family tradition, LOL. 
7. Spend on experiences. Like spending on foods you could only get there and activities you could not try anywhere else. 

Potential cheap (and free!) souvenirs

1. Anything free they gave you at the streets (be careful! It might be drugs!- an advice from the future drug dealer aha!) or the hotel/hostel you are staying. Teabags, chopsticks, bedroom slippers, cute shampoo/bath gel bottles. HAHA.
2. Snacks/foods/delicacies of that country! (Halal ones of course) Then everyone in the family could get a piece of China inside of them, literally. 
3. Postcards with you writing on it, "Hello from Cambodia!" or "I'm in the plane when I'm writing this, and it seems that there is no post-office here," and oh, buy some foreign stamps too if you want. 
4. Leftover foreign bank notes/coins. Trust me, the recipients would treasure them more than any key-chain that costs more than that 1 dollar bank note. Come on, it's money! 
5. Soft drink cans and bottles. They could double up as drinks and souvenirs. You get to drink it, and that person got it as a souvenir. A win-win situation. Cheapskate betoii...

Basically, that's it. I don't recommend you plucking leaves or flowers at those places. You might get fined. 

In conclusion, don't spend too much on souvenirs!!!! Spend on experiences!!! :D

P/S Buy more cork boards from Daiso! They are cheap!! Definitely cheaper than IKEA's!