It’s time for another instalment of travel collectables. I write about things I pick up and collect on my travels, before I’ve written about t-shirts, banknotes, country patches, beer labels etc. But it’s time for me to move over…my Mum’s Fridge Magnet collection!
Travel Collectables: Fridge Magnets – my Mums!!
It was a few years ago while in Ljubljana in Slovenia that I bought my Mum a fridge magnet. That was 2008. Slowly but surely, I decided that to keep things consistent and rather than bombard her with random gifts, I’d simply buy her a fridge magnet from everywhere I went. So that way she gets the same present from all these random world locations I jaunt to. For the first few years though, I was travelling light and didn’t even buy gifts for myself. But in the last 2-3 years I’ve caught up and I now make sure I buy her a fridge magnet from every country at least, and within each country at least a few places, if they are worthy of a place on my Mum’s fridge!
Some of my Mum’s many fridge magnets from around the world.
I haven’t been back to Northern Ireland much recently – twice in the last 3 years, but I always somehow have a load of fridge magnets in my backpack ready to give my Mum.
Fridge magnets for my Mum
Over the years, I’ve been to a load of touristy and also untouristy spots and one consistent souvenir they all have is a fridge magnet, as well as postcards.
My Mum with some of her collection of fridge magnets from around the world.
So my way to showing my Mum the places I have been and for her to enjoy my journeys is now to present her with a magnet and tell her what that place was like, where I bought it and show her some photos.
Travel Collectables: My Mums Fridge Magnets
I hope to fill my Mum’s fridge completely with these. I believe everyone that travels, and whose parents don’t travel as much, you should make an effort to buy your family or parents at least one souvenir from each spot. A fridge magnet is a small, consistent, pictorial and inexpensive reminder of my journeys and I love going “fridge magnet shopping for my Mum”!
Here are some fridge magnets my Mum has:
– Harbour at Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
– North Korean flag from Kaesong
– Lijiang Old Town, China
– Papik Tatik from Nagorno Karabakh
– Lake Bled, Slovenia
Selfie with my Mum and her fridge magnets.
A few travel tips about fridge magnets for you:
– Shop around before buying
– Bargain the price down (you almost always can)
– Avoid buying them in airports (unless, as has happened to me sometimes, I forgot to buy a fridge magnet from that place)
– If you see one you like, it’s possible you won’t see that exact one again, BUY IT so sometimes you have to buy on impulse
– Carry them in hand luggage if you can
– Keep them away from laptops, hard drives etc. – it’s not recommended to have magnets near these types of electronics
As I backpack my way through South and Central America the next few months, I aim to build my Mum’s fridge magnet collection even more. Even better, in less than 4 weeks I’ll be meeting my Mum and Dad in Brazil on my travels!
So…
I’ll fill her fridge with magnets…
Then I’ll move onto her freezer…
More of Mums Fridge Magnets
Hahaha great idea mate, I should collect the same thing
Your mom’s fridge looks awesome! I’m always buying a new keychain in every place I visit – but for myself, not for my family members 🙂
Anna recently posted…What to do in 3 days in Tokyo
That’s so thoughtful Jonny 🙂 I’m sure your mum loves you for it. I’ve never bought souvenirs while travelling but this is a great idea.
Savi of Bruised Passports recently posted…The Ultimate Road Trip in Iceland : An Itinerary
Thanks for the comment Anna – I hop she likes it – the fridge magnet collection is 6 years in the making and keeps growing! Safe travels, Jonny
Thanks for the comment Savi – I know wnat you mean re. souvenirs – they can get a bit heavy on the backpack, but I’m used to buying fridge magnets now so I always have room for more to keep my Mum’s fridge full. Safe travels. Jonny
Thats so cool! My parents always tell me not to bother to buy them anything when I go away, this is a great idea though – Might start doing it on my next trip. For myself I collect keyrings from the places I’ve been – My car keys are stupidly heavy, should really take the keyrings off and put them somewhere safe!
Thanks for the comment Paul – trust me it’s a really good idea – for just a few pounds, you’ll have a gift that reminds you of that place forever and in most cases, we find in life that we don’t return to that place again, and definitely not at the same time, with the same people, so it’s a great physical memory to have be it a keyring, stamp, coin, fridge magnet etc. Safe travels. Jonny
Nice idea Wesley, safe travels wherever you are these days! Jonny
Love the post, my mum’s fridge is covered in fridge magnets from my travels. The first thing I look for is. Magnets and this year I have Armenia, Georgia and Karabakh to seek out.
Already looking at Almaty and Bishkek for 2017 got the idea from your. Invaluable blogs
Safe Travels
Chris
Hi Chris thanks for the comment. I’m actually in Shymkent right now, what a coincidence. Keep buying those magnets and safe travels! Jonny