My Favorite Travel Souvenir

Do you have a favorite souvenir from your travels that makes you smile every time you see it?

Last summer, my brother and I helped clean out our childhood home to get it ready to sell.  Like many families, we had a ton of pictures and most were from family vacations. It was great reminiscing about those trips.  Not knowing what to do with all of these photos, we took the albums in their storage containers to another storage unit and vowed to go through them when we could spend more time.  I’m sure that’s what my mom said when she stored them in the closets and trunks in our house in the first place!

There was a curio cabinet in the living room that was full of the “nice things” on display from their travels. The cabinet was full of little trinkets and chachkies my parents purchased from trips they took literally all over the world.   Among the five shelves of collectables, there was a scrimshaw shark tooth from Maui, a wooden carved bird from New Zealand, a beautiful porcelain doll from Switzerland and a gorgeous gold wine glass and decanter set from Vienna, Austria. I think we used it once and then it went in the cabinet for safe keeping! There were lots of bells from many destinations, but the one I cherished the most was a bell with the World Trade Towers on it from our visit there back in the 80s. As we decided on what to do with each item, it made me so proud that my parents really went out and saw the world and experienced different cultures. All of these things made me wonder about what I had collected from my travels and what gave me fond memories.

OnPoint Signature Travel

My daughter in my sweatshirt that’s more than twice her age!

I got home and took inventory. Curio cabinets really aren’t a “thing” like they used to be. Our purchases from trips are either in the house being used or tucked away. Nothing really struck me as a possession from a trip that brought back fond memories. The Moroccan rug in our master bedroom kind of stresses me out because my husband and I could not escape the Medina in Marrakesh without buying something so I feel like it was a forced purchase so we could leave! As I drank my coffee feeling a little perplexed, my oldest daughter bounced down the stairs in my old sweatshirt from Switzerland with skiers skiing down the mountain.  I had made that trip when I was 14 with my family. My daughter wears that sweatshirt all the time, but it didn’t hit me until then that I had found my favorite travel souvenir! It was the vacation buy that made me smile the most! We probably made this last minute purchase on our way home so I could wear something to school to show my friends where I had been. It’s more than twice my daughter’s age but she loves it…and so do I!

On that trip we stayed at the iconic Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa. It just so happens to be part of the Virtuoso collection and is scheduled to re-open on February 26, 2021.  The Swiss Alps are something to behold and so is this hotel! See below for more information on this five-star hotel and reach out to me if you have been dreaming of a trip to see the Alps and we can meet to chat. I may even be wearing MY favorite travel souvenir!

Cheers,

Jana

FEATURED IN THIS POST:

The Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa

Allow me as your Virtuoso travel advisor to book your stay, and you’ll receive the following  amenities:

  • Upgrade upon arrival based on availability
  • Daily breakfast for two guests per room
  • $100 food and beverage credit per room

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