Why We Buy Souvenirs
Souvenirs can be so much more than just trinkets or junk. They’re items that can hold treasured memories and sentiments from adventures you want to remember fondly. Or, they can be practical findings that you use for years to come.
Camping souvenirs tend to fall into three main categories:
Personal Mementos
These are souvenirs you pick out for yourself, usually as a way to remember your trip. Whether it’s a coffee mug with an icon of the park you visited or a collectible patch or pin, the possibilities of what a personal memento could be are endless. Many personal souvenirs are awesome collector items. If you plan to visit a lot of state or national parks, purchasing a souvenir at each destination is a fun way to keep track of every adventure you’ve been on.
Gifts for other Outdoor Lovers
For some, souvenir shopping is the perfect opportunity to stock up on gifts! Picking out a thoughtful souvenir could be a great option if you have other nature lovers in your life. This is often a meaningful way to show loved ones you were thinking about them on your adventure, especially if they share your love for the outdoors. Further, bringing back a souvenir for someone else is an awesome conversation starter, and a valuable chance to share your experience with someone else.
Functional Purchases
Practical buys can be considered souvenirs, too! Sometimes it’s not until you’ve arrived at camp that you realize a specific piece of camping gear or camping essentials you didn’t think to pack could improve your trip. This could be as simple as an extra clothing layer with a graphic related to your destination, or as functional as an additional camping chair. Whether or not you consider these buys souvenirs is up to you. But, if you have the option to pick a functional piece of gear with your destination’s logo over a plain one, you should! It’ll serve as a fond memento when you pull it out on your next camping trip.
The Best Souvenirs to Buy
So what are some ideas of what to pick out on your next camping trip? Consider some of these common picks:
Apparel & Merchandise
This is an easy, practical, souvenir-lover go-to. Apparel is a broad category that encompasses anything from t-shirts and crewnecks to baseball caps and socks. Similarly, merchandise items like tote bags, reusable water bottles, and phone cases are just as fun and functional. Visitor centers and gift shops rarely lack in the merchandise department, so finding an item to remember your travels should be a breeze.
Pins, Patches, and Stickers
If you’re hoping to travel light, pins, patches, and stickers are a great small, lightweight souvenir option. These items also tend to be cheap enough to buy in bulk, making them the perfect gift for friend groups or family members. For national and state park lovers, these souvenirs can serve as easy collector items! Collect stickers from every park you visit, and showcase them on your favorite water bottle or camping cooler.
Jewelry
Local pieces of jewelry are underrated souvenir gems! Jewelry found in stores around campgrounds is often sourced, or even handmade, locally. Plus, it’s common to find nature-inspired designs that can serve to remind you of your time spent outdoors. As a more elevated piece of merchandise, this is always a safe choice for gifting to those who wear jewelry often.
Local snacks
Nothing transports you quite like food. While it’s not as permanent as some other souvenirs on this list, snacks are a great way to remember your trip once you’ve said your goodbyes. Many ingredients are native to various geographic locations, making them easier to get when you travel there, and much tastier thanks to their freshness. For example, you’ll find a plethora of Prickly Pear snacks when visiting desert regions like Arizona. Take advantage of your proximity to fresh ingredients and treat yourself to the local fare.
Puzzles & Games
Consider picking up a puzzle or deck of cards the next time you visit a campground gift shop! This type of souvenir is fun for the whole family and gives you something to do around camp if you find yourself needing the extra activity. Playing games around the campfire gives you and your loved ones a chance to bond. Then, once you leave camp, you’ll have a fun new puzzle or cards to pull out on a rainy day.
Paper Goods
From local guidebooks to postcards and park passports, there are a variety of paper goods you could snag for your camping souvenir. If you’ve never heard of them, park passports are a fantastic souvenir to take on your camping trips to national parks. Secure a passport book in advance, and collect stamps at every national park you visit!
If you want to get creative with your paper goods souvenir, buy a cheap map of your camp location or park. Then, mark it up with any routes you followed or notable destinations you visited. It’s a cheap way to remember a trip and a fun activity for everyone involved.
Personalized Items
If customization is your thing, search for anything you can personalize! From custom mugs and Christmas tree ornaments to wood engravings, these types of souvenirs make a great gift and are relatively easy to find at local gift shops.
Campsite Accessories
Leaning into the functional purchases category, campsite accessories are great souvenirs if you’re a more practical shopper. This could be anything from a new tarp to protect your tent to a local craftsman tool like a pocket knife.
Post-Trip Purchases
While you may feel pressure to buy your souvenirs during your trip, don’t rush it! If you’re indecisive over what to choose, or you simply can’t find anything you love, there’s no harm in waiting until you’ve gotten home to find something special online. If you visit a national or state park, you can easily purchase destination-specific souvenirs on their official websites. You might also have some luck browsing specialty sites like Etsy and eBay for more unique treasures curated by small businesses.
The Best Free Souvenirs
Not all camping souvenirs need to be bought! The best souvenirs are ones that successfully capture memories – whether you paid for them or not. If you’re on a budget, your two best keepsakes will be your photographs and journals!
A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words
Prioritize taking quality pictures of your adventure to bring home and cherish for years to come. To make it extra nostalgic, consider bringing a film camera. This is a great way to keep you off your mobile device, helping you live in the moment while also capturing it for later.
Take it a step further by creating creative displays of your shots! For frequent travels, consider hanging a world or country-specific map. Then, pin your travel photos to each location they’re taken in. If you want to take a more traditional route, showcase them in a scrapbook or photo album. Or, take it a step further by incorporating them with the last souvenir option on this list: journaling! Combining your photos with writing will tell a more complete story of your trip, creating a treasured souvenir to look back on later.
Capture Your Trip In Writing
Documentation through writing is a medium as old as time, and for good reason. After a long day of adventuring in the wilderness, get comfy inside your tents and record your day!
Write about any notable details, highlights, or memories from your day, big or small. The more specific you get, the more future you will be transported back in time. Whether it’s the smell of the pine trees or the hum of the cicadas, even the smallest details are worth recording. The best part: all you need to get started is a notebook and pen. If you’re in a pinch, you could even jot down notes on your smartphone and transfer them to paper later.
Enjoy Your Finds
Souvenirs serve as tangible reminders of the experiences of a memorable camping trip. Whether it’s a personal memento to recollect your adventure, a thoughtful gift for fellow nature lovers, or a practical item for your campsite, the options for souvenirs are endless.
From a local small-business treasure to a journal entry penned under the stars, remember that the best souvenirs are the ones that remind us of the memories made outdoors.
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