If you think receiving mail is a big thrill for kids, check out the look on their faces when you bring them back a gift from an overseas vacation. They’ll love the fact that none of their friends are likely to have anything similar to what you purchased for them. And finding unique gifts for kids is more than possible on the travel circuit. Bonus? Children’s gifts tend to be extremely affordable at market shops around the world. Here are some of the fun things I’ve seen on the international shopping circuit over the years.

Woven Bracelets

Even teenagers love the colored thread designs on simple woven bracelets. Most locations have them in some form or another, and I’ve seen versions of these in Thailand, on an island in the middle of Lake Titicaca and in a seaside vacation getaway in Egypt. They’re extremely inexpensive and popular with a wide age-range of youngsters.

Finger Puppets

These were all OVER the place in the Sacred Valley city of Cuzco, in Peru. My favorite was the Papagayo puppet, as this colorful bird is popular throughout South American folklore. We’ve even developed classroom Papagayo materials on our education site, TheLessonMachine. However, there were many other animals and puppet characters that the local women had knit themselves. If you happen to be traveling to Machu Picchu, chances are you’ll be spending at least a couple of days in Cuzco as well. Pick up some of these puppets while you’re there. They’re perfect gifts for primary classroom teachers, and young children developing their language skills.

Dolls

Every place on the planet has dolls, and they’re available for every price range. From rustic dolls made of woven fabric in Saquisili, Ecuador to more formal dolls dressed in silk costumes from Korea, you’ll be able to pick up unique dolls for granddaughters and nieces wherever you go.

Clothing

Whether you’re picking up bargain science tee shirts at the Kennedy Space Center, a colorful sweater from the Otavalo market, a batik dress from St. Kitts or mittens and a matching scarf from the mountains of Peru, there are fun clothing items for children at affordable market stalls and gift shops around the world.

Magnets

Kids LOVE magnets and having their own collection is a great way for them to display art projects in their room and on the refrigerator at home. Again, these are something that you’ll find nearly anywhere you travel in the world. They’re also one of the least expensive souvenirs out there.

Beads

Young people really enjoy beading projects. Those friendship pins made with craft beads and safety pins you used to put on your sneaker laces when YOU were still a kid? Still a hit. There are many bead projects children can create, and these are also available affordably around the world. They’re particularly affordable in the developing world, making it a great purchase to support the local economy in some small way.

What are your favorite unique gifts for kids to purchase on your travels? Are you into craft supplies, toys or something else entirely? You know we love to hear from you, so share your ideas in the comment section below.

Photo Credits: These images were shot by the folks here at Trek Hound, but are available for online use through a creative commons agreement on our sister site, Pictures of Travel Places.

Be comfortable with eclecticism.

Whether you are moving forward with higher-end loft decorating, exploring a more tribal, travel-themed décor or going the traditional route with crystal and paisley throws, travel decorating can work for you. At a fraction of the usual home design cost. Explore the shopping options on each trip you take with home design in mind. Are there some unusual oil paintings available? Hand-woven table runners from Peru’s Sacred Valley? Purchase your souvenirs with your home in mind, and start laying the groundwork for a true showcase.

Pay attention to what will actually fit in your luggage.

Textile items are always doable of course, but if you lean more towards unframed street art that you can carry in an art tube, you’ll be able to start collecting a few treasures while you’re still on a backpacking budget.  When luggage permits, I have been known to bring home a hand-carved Balinese frame or two. But if I’m on a one-bag trip, it’s charcoal sketches and street-vendor water colors all the way.

Make a statement for a song.

Street-side art purchases aren’t the only affordable travel decorating souvenir. I’m a huge fan of picking up throw pillow covers to use on couches, guest beds and larger sitting cushions for the floor. If there happens to be a coordinating lap blanket at the same store, I’ll toss that into the mix as well. Table cloths and piano scarves are other huge hits, both from a home décor and gift perspective.

Functionality is critical to long-term enjoyment.

If you’re dishing out travel monies on them, these should be items you’ll be able to enjoy for years. That doesn’t mean you have to dish out for the most expensive items at every specialty store. It does mean that you’ll need to think about what you’ll be using these items for. If you just pick up the smallest trinket to have a souvenir, then you’re really better off skipping that purchase altogether. It’ll just end up collecting dust. On the other hand, fruit bowls, candle sticks and hand-woven baskets purchased from around the world see daily and weekly use in our home. I’m just sayin’.

Christmas tree ornaments can make amazing travel souvenirs as well.

A collection of international holiday ornaments is something to consider. And I’m not talking tacky ornaments. I’m suggesting holiday items that might be a bit pricey per ornament if you were decorating your tree from the ground up, but that make an affordable, elegant souvenir from a holiday that will fit easily into your carry-on bag. Some of the items on our annual Christmas tree include hand-painted cloisonné bells, beaded crystal snowflakes, gilded Egyptian glass baubles, porcelain angels, a variety of special ornaments from the Christmas markets in Germany and hand-tatted New England lace.

You can also go rustic with this strategy, and when those types of ornaments call my name, I incorporate them into a kitchen tree that I decorate in a less formal style. These types of ornaments make great gift-wrapping decorations as well. I brought home a number of hand-painted llama ornaments made from dough that I purchased on a trip to Ecuador. They looked great tied onto holiday gifts of baked goods.

These are some of our strategies for incorporating travel decorating on the home front. I’d love to hear some additional tips from other expats and adventure travelers.

Photo Credit: The Cambodian fabric photo was shot by the folks here at Trek Hound, but is available through a creative commons agreement on our sister site, Pictures of Travel Places.

Whether strung loosely for resale or on a tribal necklace, beads are fantastic souvenir items to collect on your world travels. What’s more, the travel souvenirs you can make with beads provide a fair amount of creative diversity.

If either you or a friend design jewelry, you’ll come home with unique raw material to design with. If crafts and kiddy projects fit more into your lifestyle, purchasing inexpensive yet high quality beads will work for that too. Need some ideas?

TEN TRAVEL SOUVENIRS YOU CAN MAKE WITH BEADS:

Prayer or worry beads.

Whether your go with worry beads, branch off into Islamic or Baha’i prayer strands or string some rosaries, this is an excellent idea that turns a simple travel souvenir into something the recipient will enjoy for years to come.

Zipper pulls.

Small, simple and fun to make, zipper pulls are something that children and grownups alike will enjoy. Add zipper pulls to your jacket, day packs, briefcases or business luggage. Here are some additional instructions.

Safety pin friendship tokens.

Believe it or not, those sneaker lace safety pin projects are still a hit after all these years. If you are needing something your children can make affordably to hand out to all their friends at school, this is a dirt cheap way to pull of something with some serious wow factor on the tween scene.

Beaded key chains.

Children who want to make grown up presents for the parents enjoy working on key chain projects. This is a great way to let them work independently on something with a low financial investment in art supplies.

Eyeglass neck chains.

Whether the person you want to give these to wears prescription glasses or sunglasses, beaded neck chains to keep them close make a useful and thoughtful gift. Having a set with interesting beadwork one can’t buy on any street corner back home makes them all the more meaningful.

Hair sticks.

Many women with shoulder length hair or longer enjoy using bead-adorned hair sticks as fashion accessories. The possibilities for creating these are endless, as there are many different looks from formal to tribal that can be accomplished.

Beaded napkin rings.

Love to entertain? Use a variety of unstrung travel beads to create your own unique beaded napkin rings. These also make a lovely hostess gift for someone who might traditionally be difficult to shop for.

Dangling bookmarks.

For book fans and avid readers, bookmarks are one of those gifts that it’s OK to have several of. Get the kids into the game and design a batch to tuck in with holiday gift packages.

Beaded stick pins for hats and lapels.

These are low on supply cost and high on wow factor, particularly with some of the more ornate beads you can find around the world. Having a nice beaded pin for your lapel or scarf, or even a nice hat pin can jazz up your wardrobe without breaking your budget.

Beaded hair combs.

Basic beaded hair combs make for a great mother-daughter craft activity. They can be adorned with a variety of bead work, resulting in numerous looks and styles.

Jewelry folks likely have an entire list of additional projects such as earrings, adornments for tatted pieces, necklace designs and more. Do you have a favorite beading project that would lend itself to a travel souvenir you can make with beads? Share the love in the comment section below.

Photo Credit: Lolly Knit – artist for bead picture.