The death of souvenirs

Disney movies in VHS; old Barry Manilow records;  Spice Girls first album on cassette; three movie cameras in graduated sizes; a T-shirt with a palm tree on it that reads Tenerife. Rather than just confirmation of consumerism, souvenirs are part of our being – relics of a past journey, whether that is physical or spiritual.  A souvenir of a holiday. A souvenir of a great romance. A souvenir of an achievement. Something that began life as little more than an inconvenience (“this will never pass through baggage control!”), but now takes pride of place on your mantel piece.

However. And there is an however. In an age that favours minimalism, chucking unwanted items on eBay tends to replace hoarding them in the basement (no matter how much sentimental value they have). We are supposed to stop accumulating things, and start removing them from our cluttered lives. And what’s worse, our precious souvenirs have been further devalued by globalisation of the market. Today, you don’t need to go to India to buy colourful spices, or Kenya to buy an African print wall covering. Rather a trip to Ikea can produce a similar globetrotter look to your bookshelves and walls. In fact, why leave the house at all? You can just get online and purchase the items that would make even the most intrepid of travellers green with envy.

So where does this leave travellers? Do we or do we not still purchase those beloved holiday fridge magnets and tea towels? Our souvenirs serve many functions: they decorate our homes; they facilitate storytelling; they animate fading memories of holidays gone by. Because souvenirs are such a core part of the travel experience, we are asking you to send us photos of your souvenirs and the stories that go with them.

Send to community@purpletravel.co.uk or post on our Facebook wall.