In this edition of The Gift, we share the most special souvenirs we’ve ever picked up on vacation, including an exquisite tin of fish, a super cozy wool beanie, and a beautiful throw blanket.When I was a kid, part of any vacation with my mom was picking out piles of cheap T-shirts to bring home for herself and her friends, some of which — like the now-retro Toronto skyline and Old Town Stockholm tees — she still sports.I wouldn’t dream of bringing home a cheap destination tee now (maybe the ubiquity of the “My Grandparents Went to Hawaii and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt” ruined that tradition for me). But I am always compelled to bring back gifts from my travels. As newsletters editor Brittney Ho puts it: They can be “a way to share and extend the privilege of travel long after you’ve come home.” Souvenirs, or it didn’t happen.I personally gravitate toward vintage and second-hand items (like the Soviet box camera I found at a flea market in Sicily on my honeymoon). I’m also inclined toward regional specialties: glass in Venice, woven fabric in Mexico, block print everything in India, and maple in Vermont. During a recent trip to Thailand, I bought gorgeous hand-embroidered pouches for all my friends.My colleagues take a similar approach. When project manager Phillip Zminda studied abroad in India, he bought himself a tiny little marble peacock that he still treasures. Writer Sarah Gannett, whose partner is from Hawaii, is a fan of the vintage-inspired Aloha shirts from this island designer. And Wirecutter contributor Patricia Tortolani collects musical instruments from Puerto Rico.Even if you’re not off to some far-flung locale, you can give gifts with a sense of place and culture. We polled friends and colleagues for the best gifts they’ve brought back from their travels, and then sourced them for those of us sticking close to home.On a recent trip to Scotland, my friend bought handmade wool sweaters for all the members of her immediate family, only to get complaints that they were itchy. Not so with these heirloom-quality fisherman sweaters we’ve been recommending for years.While we’re on the subject of wool that lasts a lifetime: One of the best gifts I ever received from my dad was a silky, warm Alpaca throw blanket from his trip to Peru. And my husband and I were not thinking straight when we only got one of these cozy wool and possum fur beanies from New Zealand. We’ve been stealing it back and forth from each other since.Culinary treats are a no-brainer, and there’s no rule against packing a hunk of parmesan or a slab of smoked salmon in your suitcase. But if you’re buying for lots of people: I’ve loved giving and receiving exquisite tins of fish. These tins from Portugal and Spain will transport you to the Iberian Peninsula. Aside from being delicious, they’re also gorgeously packaged.There are all kinds of readily available spices that are perfectly portable and particularly evocative of place. I am fond of Mexican oregano (stronger and fresher tasting than what we typically get at the supermarket) and all flavors and incarnations of Japanese furikake.When my kids were small, even a bag of international candy from the duty-free shop thrilled them. This lovely little pouch filled with a fruit-flavored candies would scratch the same itch.Speaking of kids: My friend Rachel liked to bring home children’s books in other languages when her kids were young. Her favorite was a board book in Italian. I’m fond of this Spanish one about Arctic animals. If you’d rather get something in English, this book about the sounds animals make in other countries is really fun to read aloud. I’ve also brought back Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering cards in other languages for kids who are obsessed.
And of course, there is always something to be found at the souvenir shop, particularly for collectors of magnets, keychains, and other travel-related doodads. My suitcase is covered in vinyl stickers with names or symbols of every place I’ve been in the last few years. And, if classic travel tees are near and dear to your heart (say, of the I ❤️ NY variety), go for it. Today’s cheesy souvenir could be a coveted vintage flex in the future.
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