A sneak peek into my Magnet collection

If there is something I regret is that for some time in my 20s I stopped getting magnets for myself. The main reason was that I lived for most of that time in a flat share, and really didn’t have a place to showcase them. But then I realised this was just ridiculous… why not get them anyway? I would be at some point in my life in a situation where I’d had my own place, and so in my late 20s I started to get them again.

I now have most of them at my parents’, where I dropped all of my belongings before departing to my 4 month travelling adventures in Southeast Asia. And since I’m in Portugal at the moment, in my childhood bedroom, looking at these magnets really makes me smile and think about all of the places I’ve been, which is one of the achievements in my life I’m the most proud of.

Magnets are one of the most common souvenirs – these are usually affordable, small and light, and most of us can showcase them in our fridges or in magnet boards (where mine currently sit). If I can, I’ll choose something that is handmade and reflects a little of the local craft. But if not, well… I just have to get what’s available. But I do always get one. That is my only rule when it comes to souvenir shopping when I travel.

My 10 Favourites (in no particular order)

This Llama came from Ecuador. Usually I prefer my magnets to have some wording on the country they came from, but I simply couldn’t resist to its cuteness, plus it’s also handmade. I also ended up getting another one (also handmade) that had Ecuador written on it.

This tiny little magnet is one of my favourites – a tortellini which is traditional from Bologna. It was a little weekend trip, but I had some of the best food in Italy, so it’s a great representation of my time there. Sadly, it got chipped, but it is still amongst my favourites.

Bit of a cliche, but I do love my magnetic Statue of Liberty… this one doesn’t need labelling, anyone would hopefully know it’s from New York City. I went there to celebrate my 30th in 2022. It was hard to find a magnet that I liked, most of them being so tacky and badly made. This was on the pricier side, but no regrets.

Love this magnet from Laos so much. It’s hand painted, and it represents the spiritual side of this country. I bought it in the night market in Luang Prabang, and they had so many beautiful ones, it was hard to choose. At least I know the money I paid for it went directly to the artist who tiredlessy handpainted these magnets.

Only on my third visit to Switzerland I got a magnet, and I really love this one. Cheese fondue is one of the greatest inventions of this country in my modest opinion, and I got this one in the medieval town of Gruyères, famous for its cheese, perfect for this national dish.

Croatia was my first trip after Covid – in fact, many covid restrictions were still in place, and I had to have a test done both to go there, and to come back. I visited Zagreb and Dubrovnik, and absolutely fell in love with the country. I particularly love this handmade magnet, in the shape of a heart, the symbol of Zagreb,

ScoScotlandtland is one of my favourite places on earth, and I got this magnet on my first trip there. I didn’t get a magnet with the Loch Ness monster, the adorable Highland cows, or of a castle – those are abundant. But for some reason there was something about this majestic stag that made me choose this magnet over all others – I also love how it says Scotland – making sense to me as I have not visited just a single place, I’ve been privileged enough to be a bit all over it.

Monaco was a day trip to me from Nice, where I stayed for a few days a couple years ago. I’m not even a gambler, but when you think of Monaco, besides uber wealthy people, tax evasion and yeah he’s, what else comes to mind? Gambling , in the very famous Monte Carlo casino. And so I thought this was the perfect magnet, and so unique.

I love this magnet from my first tip to Vietnam. It’s locally made and handpainted, representing a young woman in her Ao Dai, carrying flowers in her baskets, in the traditional way.

This magnet doesn’t state where it comes from, but does it need labelling? A lovely souvenir from my time in Venice, a place I managed to visit at the start of 2022, when post covid crowds were thin.

What do you think of my humble collection? It honestly breaks my heart how many destinations I’m missing – Mexico, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Morocco – I have nothing from the Baltic countries, or the Nordics that I visited a while ago. At the time, I didn’t think long term, but perhaps I’ll go back to some of these destinations in the future and will get my magnet revenge 🙂

Ultimately, the most important thing are the immaterial things you bring from these trips – the memories, the experiences, the learnings – but I’m no minimalist, even though I try, and I love to be surrounded by physically mementos of my trips.

Love, Nic