Guru's 5 Travel Hacks for all Things Souvenirs

You're on your trip to a new world destination which you've spent countless hours planning for and you're loving every minute of it. As you're walking through the foreign streets and taking in your new surroundings, you also have in the back of your mind, "What can I take home to my family and friends?"

It's a nagging thought that continually pulls at you each time you walk by one of the souvenir shops selling millions of key chains, shot glasses, soccer jerseys, and knickknacks with the city's name you are in, plastered everywhere. Souvenirs.

Souvenirs are a sticky situation; you want to get something that captures the place you're in but you're so overwhelmed by everything around you. In that moment, you think everyone is going to go googley eyes over a Venice keychain or a braided bracelet from the man on the street offering you 50 for 2 Euros.

Let me give you a little hint: Dig Deeper!! More than likely, souvenirs in this fashion will go in a drawer somewhere and collect dust. If you really look at the classic 'souvenirs', they aren't exactly quality. But they are successful, which is why they are everywhere. Tiny trinkets mass made, just for that, the masses.

When you're feeling overwhelmed by a new city and need a guide to help you bring back the right gift, follow these 5 guidelines:

5. Journal/Wallet/Shoes

-Souvenirs are best when they are practical, useful, and unique. You're taking the time and energy to bring it thousands of miles back home, you want it to be used. Wallets, journals, shoes; all can be used on a daily basis. Local leather products are a great gift, especially if you're going to Spain or Italy.

-Souvenirs can be great conversation starters when back home. If someone compliments your very authentic, unique shoes, you can tell them where they were made. These shoes? Handmade hours before purchasing them in a small Italian shop by a wonderful man named Roberto. This journal? A random store tucked In a back alleyway of Valencia, with a small wooden sign outside reading, "Hecho a mano" (handmade).

-The rule of thumb when it comes to souvenirs; you want to take something which captures a little bit of the soul from that place. This means, not buying the keychain that was made in China.

4. Local Alcohol/Wine Stopper

-Can you bring bottles of liquor or wine home? Yes, if you check them and pack them carefully.

Insider Tip: Roll each bottle in a pair of jeans or a sweatshirt and tuck them in between your other clothes so they cannot move, this technique will be enough to protect them.

-Wine and local liquors are a great gift to bring home. Most places have their own locally made alcohol (usually some sort of schnapps, an alcohol that takes several forms including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and flavored liqueurs).

-Another additional add-on gift to a liquor gift, a handmade wine stopper.

-Make sure you declare the bottles you pack in your checked luggage. Each person is allowed to bring back two liters per person.

3. Pictures!!

-I'm telling you, if you do nothing else, take pictures (and videos). Pictures are the best way to take home a piece of where you were to show your family and friends, as well as for yourself later.

Insider Tip: Just like everything in life, practice the art of BALANCE when you are traveling and snapping photos. Your phone/camera is not an extension of your body. You can tuck it away for some time and simply take in your surroundings for what they are. Every second of your trip does not need to be documented. Use the 50/50 rule; half the time take photos, half the time simply hang out and enjoy the moment.

-Also, 9/10 people are not going to want to sit through a slideshow of 1,000 photos from your last trip. A. Don't expect your friends and family to oohh and aahhh over every single photo you took, and B. Try to choose a handful of highlights to share.

-Postcards make great gifts and a great way to remember the name of the places you were. But, why not send your own postcards? I found the app, Postagram, which allows you to turn your iPhone, Instagram, and Facebook photos into beautiful personalized postcards starting at .99 cents.

2. Art

-Having art from different countries around the world on display throughout your home gives the space more character. Again, don't just buy it from anywhere. In a lot of cities, artists will be selling their own work on the streets. Another great idea, is to find out when the local market is open and to browse the local's work there to find a unique piece.

1. Beer Stein/Coffee Mug/Pitcher

-Practical, useful, unique. What is something your family members and friends do every day? They drink. Whether it is water, coffee, tea, wine, beer; all humans must drink. Why not take this simple act and give it a story.

-I love giving this gift, it's simple but will always be used. And make sure to take the time to buy local, such as the above Growler from a 500-year-old Brewery in Prague. Or the below handmade ceramic pitcher from Spain.

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