Whenever Tina and I travel, we always look for handmade items made by a local craftsman. It’s always nice to bring home something well-crafted and meaningful to remind you of your trip.
Over the last decade, we’ve noticed that genuine handmade goods are becoming harder and harder to find. The older generation who made traditional cultural items is slowly fading away. In many cases, the younger generation just isn’t interested in making them anymore.
In Cartagena, Colombia, we were thronged by locals trying to sell us refrigerator magnets obviously made in China. Luckily, we found a local street artist who did watercolor paintings of the local scenery. We took our treasure back to the ship, and when we got back to our cabin, there was an envelope marked “A Special Gift for You!” It was our anniversary, and apparently Celebrity Cruises wanted to give us something special – it turned out to be a refrigerator magnet…
On our recent trip to Iceland, we did buy a few things. Tina bought an incredible puffin sweater. For me, however, the most important thing I came back with was something I knew would make a great homemade souvenir. I know that sounds strange, but…
We had a wonderful day on our Golden Circle tour in Iceland. At one of the stops, I looked down and saw a small piece of rock that was the perfect shape for a pendant.
Once I was home, I drilled a hole through the top of the rock, then carefully carved the Norse rune “Wunjo.” The Wunjo rune represents joy, well-being, and success in your endeavors. Strangely enough, the cord I used was something I found on a bench at the Atlanta airport a few weeks later. I sat down on a bench just outside of security to repack everything, and the piece of cord was just sitting there. I knew right away what I’d use it for.
🧭 Travel Tip: Before you pocket a rock, a shell, or a handful of sand, check the local rules. Iceland is very strict about protected areas, so I made sure my little rock came from somewhere that wasn’t one. (It also weighs a lot less than a pound. Anything bigger and it’s not a pendant; it’s a boat anchor.) Lots of other places have rules too, especially national parks and beaches. Hawaii, Sardinia, and every U.S. national park all frown on it (and some will fine you). When in doubt, take a photo, or buy something made from local materials by someone who’s allowed to collect them.
So there you have it: a travel souvenir that represents the joy and serendipity of travel, made entirely with items discovered while traveling!
Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard to resist the allure of gift shops. But take a deep breath, slow down, talk to the locals, and find something that really speaks to you and captures the adventure of your trip. Sometimes, you might even end up making that item yourself!
Very inspiring Mark, we have shells from our honeymoon and a rock story to tell you on the side.
That is beautiful!! I love your creativity!