This art work in Papyrus Paper was given by my Egyptian  classmate during my Leadership Course taken in Thailand

6 Guides When Choosing Travel Souvenirs

Just like me, am sure that many of you who would visit a place for the first time would normally want to have the perfect memento to take home – something which will evoke pleasant memories of the place you’ve been. This is exclusive from the tons of photos we take from various place.  But the question we always have is how to choose from among a wide array of options? Below are guides  I kept when choosing for souvenirs.

1. Souvenirs Inscribed With The Name of the Place
Picking a souvenir that’s labeled with a name is especially important so that people you will be giving the souvenir or “Pasalubong” don’t have to guess at where you went . In many souvenir shops you can choose from an ocean of small items with inscription of the name of the place ranging from T Shirts, magnets, key chains, t-shorts, mugs ,Ballpens,hats and many more. Commemorative plates and spoons with inscriptions are also very famous.

2. Souvenirs which  conveys a stereotype

Stereotypes are incredibly useful for helping us reduce hard-to-understand cultures and peoples to terms that we can relate to – nay, even feel superior to! It doesn’t particularly matter whether the stereotypes are accurate as long as we have a vacation to remember. The Masks for example will always be a symbol of Bacolod City, being the home of the famed Masskara Festival. Elephants will always be associated in Thailand;  “Vakul” or the headgear used  by the Ivatan’s in Batanes; Durian Magnets from Davao. I have noticed that foreigners would always look for a miniature (Sarao) Jeepney when visiting Philippines .Of course when visiting Bacolod, Mask is always a stereotype which are even being given by many companies as corporate giveaways

Masks by Jojo Vito Design Gallery

3. Usefulness
The more useful an item is, the more likely it is to be kept at hand, thereby prolonging those wonderful holiday memories. If you’re giving gifts, recipients will silently thank you for not bringing them yet another piece of useless cultural flotsam. The Ladies market in Hongkong has a wide array of goodies to choose for practical people. However, with the ploriferation   of China products all over the globe , shopping in the Ladies Market became a little less exciting.

Knitted Wears and Woodcrafts  from Baguio; Back scratchers ; Mugs (if you dare to bring some breakables in your luggage. One cheap but functional  souvenir items I found in Singapore were the nail cutters with symbols and name of Singapore inscribed in it. In fact , i bought a lot of these nail cutters for my staff  in my last visit.

4. Anything made of local materials
What could be more evocative of a place than an item made of local materials. I received quite a umber of souvenirs from my classmates wayback our schooldays in Chiang Mai. But amongst those gifts  were those made of local materials distinct of their place like the beads given to me by my  room mate from South Africa. He gave me the bead he wore with his National Costume. I also  adore the painting made in Papyrus given  my Egyptian classmate as a souvenir.

5. Items Made by indigenous people
Not only do you get to take something home, but you know that you’ve contributed to the well being of the natives. In our recent trip in Ilocos one of the souvenir I got when we visited Baluarte of Chavit Singson is the Bamboo “Flute” made by Aetas. I wont also forget  the grass braided friendship bonds sold by the Natives when I visited Chiang Mai , Thailand.

6. Shape or Item evocative of the place you’ve visited
A distinctive shape lets us know at a casual glance where an item was obtained. This is especially important when  friends or relatives can’t read or see. The Miniature souvenirs are perfect example of this.  I have received a lot of miniature  key holders as Pasalubong from friends travelling   like  Guitars from Cebu; to the Eiffel Tower Miniature from Paris

When in Australia, stuffed plush toys  are excellent gifts to spoil both your loved ones and yourself. Most of their  stuffed toys represent unique Australian animals like kangaroo, Australian koala bear, Australian wombat,  platypus and others.