On Buying Meaningful Souvenirs

The last stop on my solo trip to South America was Cusco, the gateway city to Machu Picchu. During one of the final evenings on my trip, I was hanging out with S from Germany and Z from England, two friends I’ve met earlier in my Peru trip. We picked a restaurant which also had a few board games to play while you wait. We played a few rounds of Jenga and S made a suggestion to up the stakes, whoever would lose the next match has to buy the winner something from the lady selling souvenirs next door. I ended up winning that match and Z bought me a handmade, braided bracelet.

The bracelet isn’t expensive, it’s not made of 18k gold and it’s not from a well known designers. But whenever I look at it, it reminds me of my South America trip 2 years ago, it reminds me of that evening in Cusco with friends I’ve made from all over the world. And to me that’s priceless.

Developing personal style and creating a wardrobe to match is a long term project. Ever since getting into fashion last year, one of my favorite activities when travelling is buying a wearable souvenir from that place. That piece then has a special meaning and story behind it.