Great Ways for Collecting Souvenirs While Camping

We do a lot of destination camping. Camping became our main method of travel because it is an economical way to see the United States. It gives our children an opportunity to see so many sights and learn about our country. We have traveled up and down the east coast and made a two-month vacation from Georgia to California and back. These were all great trips, and of course, we wanted to bring back keepsakes to remind us of our adventures.

Collecting Camping Souvenirs

Collecting souvenirs along the way, while camping is a lot of fun, and a great way to remember all the great trips and memories made along the way. Here are 10 different souvenirs you can collect while camping.

Christmas Ornaments

There are numerous items to pick from when collecting camping souvenirs. Deciding what kind of keepsake you want to collect can be difficult. However, we like the idea of having something similar from each location we visit. For that reason, we collect Christmas ornaments on our adventures, from Disneyland to the Alamo. The neat thing about ornaments is that they are not stored and forgotten. Instead, every year while decorating our Christmas tree, we reminisce about our travels as we hang our ornaments.

Collecting Stickers

In addition to the Christmas ornaments, we have collected a few other items throughout our travels. For example, we purchase stickers to go on our camper, like our National Park stickers (Check them out on Amazon) that we add to the camper each time we visit a new park. In addition to the National Park stickers, we place stickers on a map to represent every state where we camp. You can purchase these sticker kits on Amazon.

T-Shirts are the Perfect Collectable

T-Shirts and hats are popular when collecting souvenirs. Clothing can represent areas you visit or specific locations. My favorite t-shirt came from a visit to the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Bruce Springsteen is my favorite musician, and he has played at the Stone Pony numerous times. As a young musician, he played regularly in Asbury Park and has made surprise guest appearances at this location since becoming a superstar.

Many campgrounds sell t-shirts with their name and logo on them as well. These t-shirts are a great way to remember your trip.

Collecting Toys as Souvenirs while Camping

When our daughter Lucy was younger, she loved to play with American Girl dolls. We would make it a point to visit an American Girl Store in each city that had a physical store. Lucy would purchase an accessory unique to that location for her collection.

Coffee Cups

Numerous items can be used for collecting souvenirs during your adventures. Occasionally, we will pick up a unique coffee cup in a place that we love. However, we are pretty picky with the coffee cups because they can take up a lot of space quickly.

Campground Maps and Hang Tags Make for a Unique Camping Souvenir

One excellent idea for campers is to collect campground maps of each place you stay. Collecting campground maps is a neat and inexpensive way to look back and relive your adventures. Most campgrounds provide you with a map that contains some general information when you check-in. Collecting and saving these maps is a great way to remember all of your camping adventures. You can also make notes about your favorite sites in case your return to that campground again.

Many campgrounds require you to hang a hangtag from your rearview mirror while you are staying at the campground so that they can make sure that those driving around the campground should be there. These hangtags are cool souvenirs that many campers collect.

Photobooks

One of the best ways to create a beautiful keepsake that you will cherish forever is with a picture book. All you have to do is upload your pictures to a company like Shutterfly, and they do the rest. In addition to photobooks, Shutterfly can create other beautiful keepsakes such as mugs and holiday cards.

Camping Journal

In addition to collecting the campground maps, we suggest keeping a camping journal (Check it out on Amazon). Brandi writes where we stayed, the campsite numbers, and what we did on our trips in these little books. We enjoy reading and reminiscing about previous trips.

Rocks

Rocks are great souvenirs. You can collect a rock from each campground you visit and then paint it with a unique design to represent the campground. Rock painting kits are available to purchase (Check it out on Amazon). When visiting the beach, use shells instead.

Postcards

We have also purchased many postcards on our adventures. Many people in their travels commonly collect postcards. They are generally inexpensive and easily placed into a book, consolidating space, while cherishing memories.

One of the great things about postcards is that they have a built-in location for you to write a brief synopsis or story about your visit. Some people who take extended trips will buy a postcard at each place they visit, write a short anecdote about their travels, and then mail it home to themselves. Once home, they have a collection of memories waiting for them with a dated post office stamp.

Magnets and Spoons

Magnets are an inexpensive souvenir choice, and your fridge is a ready-made display case. We will often put travel magnets on the side of our fridge. Many people collect spoons from the places they visit. Many locations have spoons with their logo on the handle. Spoons can easily be displayed in ready-made racks.

Collecting Souvenirs on the Road

Collecting souvenirs is a great way of preserving memories with your family. Keepsakes are cost-efficient and can take up very little room to store, which means that you can collect for years to come. The different types of souvenirs you can find while camping is endless.

Do you collect something unique in your travels? If so, we would love to hear from you. Please drop us a line in the comment section below and let us know what you collect while traveling.