When we travel and home exchange, we travel pretty light so we are not usually very big on bringing home a bunch of souvenirs. That being said, who doesn’t like to come home with some small reminder of a great trip? Our compromise is to combine getting something we need while on the trip with something we know will get used back home. Here are the souvenirs from Spain that we came home with. One of them got a lot of laughs at the airport, too (take a guess what it was).

Souvenirs from Spain

2 small aluminum travel cups: We used these for water and wine while on our trip. With each of us bringing water bottles, we didn’t have any cups. These were a good alternative to buying plastic cups and tossing them in the trash.  I figure we’ll use them in our camping kit.

Spanish smoked paprika and saffron: I love to bring home spices and salts from places we travel to. Spain is known for their delicious paella and I can’t wait to make my own version with these spices here at home.

Driving map of Spain: Definitely needed, but why we waited so long to buy this is beyond me! We should have bought this sooner on our trip because we spent a lot of time being lost and this would have helped us out more sooner. I think.

Sea glass and small stones: I always like to collect a few sea shells from trips when we travel. I can never find sea glass (pretty sure it has something to do with my eye sight getting worse!) but my husband can find the best treasures on the beach. He found several little pieces of green sea glass.

I focused on the little white stones. Eye sight need not be 20/20 to spot these on the beach. They’ve found a new home in an empty soap dish, in our bathroom.

Silk scarf: This is my souvenir. I found this silk scarf at a little shop in Barcelona but I had to really think about purchasing it, first. Once I decided it was just the right color, fabric and length, I couldn’t remember where the shop was. We spent a morning walking around trying to find it again. My family was absolutely annoyed with me but I had my heart set on it.

Dumpster diving and near-garbage-can finds: In Barcelona, we happened across 3 huge dumpsters that had me drooling. This chair is missing a leg but it’s going to get fixed soon I’m sure (right, honey?). Everyone gave us a hard time about the chair including the American Airlines check-in person at the airport. “Sir, you do realize we have seats on this aircraft?” was what the gentleman asked my husband with the straightest face ever! He told me he’s seen all sorts of items checked-in but never a three-legged-chair that was missing one of its legs.

We absolutely didn’t need another chair (remember how I had just gotten rid of 13 chairs?) but I really like it and I found a great spot for it.

We also picked up a novel by Jules Verne. The book was on the ground next to a garbage can and none of us felt good about leaving a Jules Verne, I mean Julio Verne, book on the ground. It’s in Spanish so I’m not sure when it will get read but it has pretty pictures.

And, this sweet little charm. My husband found it on the street outside a tapas bar in Granada, Spain and my daughter claimed it, brought it home, and has been wearing it as an ankle bracelet ever since!

Does sand at the bottom of your suitcase count as a souvenir? If so, sand.

What do you like to bring home from a trip? What’s your favorite souvenir?

Go Gingham related links:

Vacation rules from this trip – yes, my teens gave me rules!
Home from Spain – lots of photos
Want to keep your food costs low while traveling? Try these tips!
Summer travel and guest post contributors
Travel packing tips with a PDF chart