Five Ways to Show Off Your Souvenirs

You don’t have to throw out your souvenirs to avoid clutter.

It’s summer! And you’ve been living out your travelling dreams—trying food from different locations, taking gorgeous pictures, soaking up the sun, and purchasing souvenirs you’ll cherish the rest of your life. Well, you’ll cherish those souvenirs until you get home and realize that you have no idea what to do with them. Suddenly, the glass figurine, the twelve pins and the random doll you bought don’t seem so necessary after all.

Of course, vacation mementos are great to look back on, but sometimes they can feel like clutter crowding your home. However, you don’t have to throw out your souvenirs to keep your home looking nice. Here are five ways you can display your souvenirs:

1. Book It

If you have a lot of small trinkets from your trip, this option may be perfect for you! Put all your souvenirs in one place as a book on the shelf. Buy yourself a hollow book box made of wood or Paper Mache. Customize the “book” by writing or etching the name or country of your trip on the spine. Then, fill the book with all your souvenirs and give it a home on the bookshelf.

2. Box it

Find cute, tin boxes that showcase your vacation destination. Then, fill these boxes with the souvenirs from your vacation. These cute boxes can be placed on a coffee table as a decorative piece or they can be stacked within a shelf.

3. Jar it

If you’re more interested in organic souvenirs, consider making a tiny ecosystem of your vacation in a glass jar. You can fill a jar with sand, dirt, rocks, shells, pressed flowers, or whatever else you like from your trip. Then, label the jar with the respective location and display it on a table or shelf.

4. Frame it

If your souvenirs mostly consist of art and prints, take the time to frame those pieces to create an art wall. You don’t need expensive frames—even cheap frames will give the art a better look and will help create a beautifully gallery wall that shows off your travels.

If you have different types of souvenirs, you can also create a shadow box. One of the best parts of a shadow box is that you get the benefits of both a box and a frame, so you’ll be able to hang it up for everyone to see and admire. Insert prints and several smaller souvenirs into your shadow to create a window to your travels.

5. Shelve it

Of course, there are always shelves. One idea is to repurpose the shelves in your home to create new souvenir displays. If you have a bookshelf but you aren’t much of a reader, you may find it serves a better home to your travel memorabilia. You can also repurpose other storage units for souvenirs, such as wooden drink holder crates or spice racks. 

However, if your bookcases are already full and you’re willing to invest in displaying your souvenirs, floating shelves can create a lovely display. After installing some floating shelves, you can group your souvenirs by theme (such as glass bottles), by color, or by country or vacation. 

Travelling is a great opportunity, and the souvenirs you bring home can serve as wonderful memories. With these tips, we hope you can find a way to make your travels a part of your home as well as your heart.