Can you say you’ve harvested your own pearl in Japan or roasted coffee beans to your exact taste in the mountains of Colombia? These are the kinds of souvenirs that are totally worth sacrificing that precious carry-on space. Unexpected? Absolutely. Forgettable? Never. Today, we’re sharing some of our favorite souvenirs to bring back from all over the world that evoke memories, spark conversations, and are way cooler than another keychain!
The best souvenirs don’t have to be cliché snow globes or airport T-shirts. Instead, the best souvenirs are those that come with a story — the ones you made yourself, wore with meaning, or used to bring your travel memories into everyday life. Let’s explore the world’s most creative, memorable, and conversation-worthy souvenirs.
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Souvenirs You Can Make Yourself
Hands-on experiences while traveling can leave you with something unforgettable to take home. For travelers who love immersing themselves in local cultures, interactive workshops and classes, these ideas can result in souvenirs that create stories.
Mendoza, Argentina — Blend Your Own Wine
Susana Balbo Wines offers the opportunity to become a sommelier in training. You will get to blend different grapes and bring home a bottle crafted to your personal taste. Pro Tip: Bubble wrap your wine and check it in your luggage. Declare it when going through customs.
Manizales, Colombia — Roast Your Own Coffee
If coffee is much more your speed than wine, take a coffee tour in Colombia, like the Coffee Tour at Hacienda Venecia. It’s located in the Cocora Valley, and the scenery is stunning! You will have transportation back and forth to your hotel and learn all about the harvesting, production, and processing of coffee beans! You can then bring back some of this amazing coffee to savor those memories over and over each morning.
Copenhagen, Denmark — Create a Custom Lego Figurine
Did you know that Denmark is the birthplace of Legos? The stores here often get new features first that other stores don’t have. While you can make your own custom Lego figurine in other stores as well, we think that it’s especially fitting here. You can design your own torso digitally by choosing from pre-set graphics, and you can add text and colors. Your torso is then printed on-site. (You can even have your name or a little message printed on it.) After printing, you pick the parts (head, legs, hair, accessories) from bins. It’s a fun, affordable souvenir, especially for LEGO fans and families.
Grasse, France — Design Your Own Perfume
Grasse is the world’s perfume capital. Even though you can design your own perfume in other places as well, we really love the Classical Perfume Workshop in Grasse. You’ll get to learn alongside an expert perfumer and create your very own personal fragrance to bring home with you. Pro Tip: Remember to include it as part of your liquids.
Venice, Italy — Paint a Venetian Carnival Mask
Venetian masks have been worn for centuries during Carnevale to conceal identity and break social boundaries. Today, you can decorate a papier-mâché mask in a local artisan workshop and take home a piece of Venetian history. You’ll walk away with something gorgeous and entirely your own.
Tokyo, Japan — Design a Digital Sea Creature
Imagine drawing a jellyfish and watching it come to life! At teamLab Borderless, you can draw your creature and watch it swim on digital walls with other visitors’ creations from all over the world. The best part? You can take your creation home on a personalized tote, hand towel, or t-shirt. We think that this would be a great keepsake for kids, especially.
Tokyo, Japan — Make Your Own Chopsticks
Learn from a 110-year-old workshop and take home a unique set of chopsticks, complete with a handmade artisanal box and the wisdom of a sashimono master (one of only 10 remaining).
Yokohama, Japan — Design Your Own Instant Ramen
CUP NOODLES Museum lets you decorate the packaging, choose toppings, and even make your noodles from scratch. This is the perfect combination of quirky, cultural, and edible.
Uwajima, Japan — Harvest Your Own Pearl
Board a boat, open an oyster, and turn your pearl into jewelry on-site. This is a magical experience that gives you something completely one-of-a-kind. Some tours will make your jewelry right on-site from your oyster.
Amsterdam, Netherlands — Custom Flipbook
At the Eye Filmmuseum, step inside the Flipbook Machine and turn a 7-second movement into a keepsake with a custom flipbook. Your travel moment becomes a literal animation.
Seoul, South Korea — Brainwave-Based Perfume
Do you have a favorite photo that brings a smile to your face? What if you could capture that memory and tie it with a custom perfume? At RETTRE SEOULSUP, they connect scents that you like with your brain activity. It’s not as scary as it sounds. They connect you to a machine and analyze how your brain reacts to different scents as you look at your photo. Based on the results, a custom scent is made just for you! It’s equal parts science and emotion. Pro Tip: Remember to include your perfume as part of your liquids when boarding your plane.
Hanoi, Vietnam — Make Pottery Like a Local
Join a hands-on pottery class for beginners in a small, welcoming workshop. Your hand-crafted mug or bowl will feel like a snapshot of your journey.
Wearable Keepsakes That Tell a Story
Jewelry, accessories, and fashion pieces can be the best souvenirs for personal memories. They are small enough to fit in your bag, but big enough to spark a memory or conversation.
Bali, Indonesia — Permanent Jewelry
At Bare Bond, pick a gold or silver chain and have it customized to your wrist or ankle. It’s a delicate, wearable reminder of your travels that stays with you through everything.
Galway, Ireland — Claddagh Ring
My daughter, Amanda (the other half of TTU), went to Ireland and celebrated her Irish ancestry by buying a Claddagh ring at Thomas Dillon’s. They are the oldest jeweler in Ireland, as well as the original maker of this symbolic ring representing love, loyalty, and friendship, making this a truly meaningful and elegant souvenir.
Tokyo, Japan — Upcycled Kimonos
Kimono Reborn transforms vintage kimono fabric into modern accessories like handbags, sneakers, or jackets. Each item is sustainable, stylish, and totally one-of-a-kind.
Casco Viejo, Panama — Panama Hat
Iconic and effortlessly cool, these handcrafted hats are a wearable piece of Latin American tradition. They are perfect for the guy who “doesn’t need another souvenir.” Located on La Calle de los Sombreros (Hat Street), this stretch is lined with authentic hat shops. It’s a favorite shopping area for both locals and tourists with Instagram-worthy photo ops.
Home Treasures to Revisit Your Trip
Travel doesn’t end when you land back home. These practical and beautiful items let you experience the world again and again.
All Over the World — Christmas Ornaments
Lightweight, easy to pack, and incredibly personal. Collect blown-glass pieces from Venice, wooden stars from Colmar, France, or hand-painted baubles from Germany. Truly, you can find beautiful Christmas ornaments all over the world!
Local Markets Everywhere — Cookware & Kitchen Linens
Aprons, tea towels, hand-carved utensils, and cookbooks from local markets can bring a slice of culinary tradition into your own kitchen. One of my treasured possessions from the Amalfi Coast is a spoon rest with hand-painted lemons on it. I love that I get to look at it every day.
Cuba — Cuban Cigars
Cuban cigars are an iconic souvenir, particularly for aficionados who appreciate craftsmanship and tradition. Pro Tip: If you’re a U.S. citizen, importing Cuban cigars for personal use is currently not allowed under U.S. sanctions (as of mid-2025). Always check current regulations before traveling. You can, however, bring back a small humidor box or an empty vintage Cuban cigar box.
Peru — Ponchos
Ponchos from Peru are woven from alpaca wool and are often handmade. These colorful wraps combine fashion and culture.
Vatican City — Rosary Beads
One of my favorite souvenir gifts that I ever brought home for someone special to me was rosary beads from the Vatican. They are a meaningful, spiritual keepsake from one of the most sacred sites in the world.
All Over the World — Spices
Buy saffron in Morocco, curry blends in India, or chili pastes in Thailand. There are so many places to bring back unique spices from, and cooking with them months later transports you right back to your travels.
Inspired Collectibles
The wonderful thing about collections is that they can continue to grow with each destination, and they document your journeys. If you love to reflect, collect, and visually represent your journeys, here are some great ways to document your travels no matter where they take you.
Charm Bracelets
We love the idea of starting a charm bracelet and adding to it with every country you visit. Think of the Eiffel Tower from Paris, a gondola from Venice, an evil eye from Turkey, or even a mini ramen bowl from Japan.
Hiking Sticks with Trail Stickers
Found in many national parks and hiking towns, start with one sturdy stick and collect trail medallions as you go. Display it proudly back home. Pro Tip: This must go in your checked luggage. Be sure to label it with your name and address.
Scrapbooks
Save ticket stubs, train passes, entrance wristbands, and actual printed photos and put them in a scrapbook. Add notes and maps. It’s more effort, but the payoff is a deeply personal memory book.
Travel Journals with Stickers
Decorate pages of a travel journal with local stickers, washi tape, or stamps you collect along the way. Each page becomes a tiny time capsule.
Postcards
Old school but perfect. Collect postcards each day from the places you visited and write what you did on the back of them. When you get home, tie them with a ribbon or put them in a keepsake box displayed in your home.
Final Tip: Choose a Souvenir That Speaks to You
When picking out your travel treasures, don’t just ask what’s popular. Ask: “Will this make me smile in 10 years?” That’s the best kind of souvenir.
It might be a handmade mask, a stick covered in trail medallions, a flickering Christmas ornament, or a ring you wear every day. The best souvenirs are stories. They’re a physical way to relive the best parts of travel, and they deserve better than being forgotten in the back of a drawer.
So whether you’re backpacking through South America, strolling through cobbled European streets, or soaking up the markets of Southeast Asia, leave room in your bag for something meaningful. Trust us, it’s worth it.
So we want to know… What are your favorite souvenirs that you’ve brought back from your travels? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
If you loved discovering unexpected finds from around the world, you’ll also enjoy our guide to 22 Unique Travel Items You Should Never Leave Home Without, because the adventure starts the moment you pack your bag.
