Though the most valuable things to bring home from your travels are memories, it’s always fun to bring home a souvenir to remember your visit.
For me, these mementos spark joy, resurrecting experiences that have been pushed out of my head during the rush of life. A hand-woven rug from Morocco lines my hallway. A blue-and-yellow shell tile on my desk commemorates my steps on the Camino. Then there are the Christmas ornaments I’ve collected that make decorating my tree a beloved exercise in location-specific nostalgia.
But when we travel, we’re often faced with the quandary of wondering if the money we spend actually benefits the wonderful people who have graciously welcomed us to their home country.
Over the past few months, our editor Sasha Brady has spearheaded an awesome project to help you walk the walk of “buying local” when traveling. Sasha put out the call to our team of local contributors and asked them to recommend their favorite 5 shops, the most special places in their hometowns where you can find unique souvenirs and support local owners, artists, designers, artisans and makers of all stripes.
We’ve rolled out recommendations for places like Barcelona, Porto, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Marseille and Nashville – with many more on the way.
Even if you’re not traveling right now, I encourage browsing. The images will have you window-shopping from afar. So check them out – and save them to your Lonely Planet profile so you can shop the next time you visit.
- Melissa Yeager, Senior Editor
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