When you enjoy a trip, keeping memorabilia become worth one’s salt. Visa stamps in passports are nice, but what happens when you travel to a visa free country?
Often, when tourists think of travel souvenir, taking pictures always come to mind. But there are other cool items you can pick up as souvenirs from your trips. They include the following:
Read more about Travel and Tourism
Refrigerator Magnets
Nigerians gravitate towards functional items when choosing refrigerator magnets like a bottle cap opener. But what if you could get the shape of every state as a refrigerator magnet with their slogan in it? Wouldn’t you like to buy it? There can be fridge magnet in the shape of any state you have visited in Nigeria or of special iconic buildings (e.g. National Theatre) or objects (Olumo Rock) in Nigeria.
Lapel Pins
Another nice souvenir gift we have here is lapel pins in the shape of Nigeria. It is mainly sold during Independence day celebrations along with miniaturised Nigerian flags. They make a good souvenir for Nigerians in diaspora or regular tourists when they come to Nigeria to remember us by.
Cooking Ingredients
Spices are a good way to remember any place from the Northern suya man’s spiced peppers to Delta state Banga spices. There is a lot to pick up when visiting Nigeria. Even when travelling out, you can get spices and other cooking/baking ingredients from different regions like vanilla beans, paprika, etc.
Recipes
Better yet, just get a cookbook or a recipe from that area to try out whenever you miss travelling. Every region have a unique way they cook their meals (e.g. Kekefia and Okam Okum which are both plantain porridge cooked differently) and it will be fun to experiment. This is particularly a foodie’s travel memorabilia.
Key Holders
During the Edo NAFEST, there were key chains crafted from wood with iconic symbols like the Benin mask. Instead of getting key chains with arsenal football club or something random when visiting anywhere in Nigeria or Africa, get a hand-crafted key chain that has cultural/historical significance. It will be a conversation starter for anyone who sees it when you pull out your keys.
Clothing
Getting a branded T-shirt or a shawl is a great gift for you and those you love who also want to souvenir from your travels.
Materials
You could also get a piece of fabric reminiscent of the place you visited. For instance, if someone visits the Benue or Ondo, they could get an A’nger or an Aso Oke material as a souvenir of their time there. Imagine sewing an outfit with a kente material purchased from a tour trip to Ghana. It will always be a reminder of the time spent there.
Currency
It is fun to look through the changes in Nigerian currencies from the days of 1 kobo coin to the days of 50 kobo and 1 Naira notes. Even if the currency changes over time, you will always have proof of a time in history when you visited Nigeria.
You don’t have to stick to souvenir/gift shops to buy great travel souvenirs, those are usually more expensive, anyway. Try visiting a local market or a local artisans’ shop. I doubt you will find most Nigerian Souvenirs online except for clothes and materials. Buying travel souvenir is one reason shopping is a part of any tourism experience.
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Featured image source: Vagabondish
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