Holidays, what do you bring home from yours.

I'm another who brings back Christmas tree ornaments (small and easily transported.) I used to take a tupperware container to keep them safe. And I also request them from friends/relatives who would bring me holiday gifts. It's lovely to decorate the tree and remember where they all come from or who gave them to me. I've never had them named and dated though.
My first ornament came from a trip to Bath when I visited my daughter at uni in Bristol and we had a day out in Bath. The decoration came from Bath Abbey shop and was a beautifully embroidered and beaded star.

Apart from a fridge magnet nothing but photos. On a tour to a winery recently in Croatia the tour guide told us not to buy the wine as it doesn’t travel well and it would end up being poured down the sink.

I find there is a better variety of blouses and dresses in several countries abroad. In the UK, it is hard to find items of clothing that are different from everywhere else. I have also bought sandals. Most touristy items, though, are pretty run of the mill and not good quality, although we have bought a couple of attractive and unusual items from Menorca and Kefalonia.

We usually bring biscuits or sweets for our neighbours.

We opened our case after a long holiday in Mauritius many years ago, and a large cockroach crawled out - ugh!

Lovely pottery and raffia bags from Turkey. Foodstuffs and shawls from France. Amber jewellery and coloured glass from Prague. Cheese and China birds from Holland. Jade jewellery from Singapore. Boomerangs from Australia. New York Monopoly from USA.

Never been back to Portugal since the maid sold us a lovely lace tablecloth halfway through our holiday and then stole it back the last day and we couldn’t do anything as we were flying home. Small son also came home with stitches after falling so it was probably the worst holiday we’ve ever had ( accommodation issues as well so stressful time )

And the tea towels from Madeira!

I bring a Christmas Decoration- lots of memories to be brought out every year

Depends where you go. From poor countries, things to help the economy and made locally. Anywhere else, food or drink including herbs and spices.

key rings and local honey and family have now started to bring me fridge magnets

I bring a Christmas Decoration- lots of memories to be brought out every year

There is a shop in Saltzburg that sells christmas and tree decorations the year round and its always busy. Im not talking about plastic tat but hand made decorations and traditional blown glass baubles. Wonderful things!

I dont "do" christmas but I brought back some of the blown glass decorations for a relative who collects them. Also some beautiful hand made gold and silver tissue flowers whith pearl beads. I use them for background decorations for photos in my online stores.

What a nice thread!

Many years ago when we visited Venice I bought an outfit for our son's wedding, on Burano. It was silk and a beautiful shade of blue. I say 'was' but it should be 'is', because it is still hanging in my wardrobe - I can't bear to send it to a charity shop and although I tried to sell it once through a dress agency, no-one bought it. I never go to any posh dos which might allow me to wear it again.

I have been to Italy with my 26th at old daughter this year who is both gluten and lactose free. So between us we brought back lots of tasty GF & LF cakes and biscuits we can’t find here, some also for my GD who is also GF. My dd also bought a very nice leather handbag from the market in Florence.

Sometimes a tea towel but other than that, as I can’t stand clutter, nothing else. We used to bring things back for the grandchildren but as there’s 12 of them now we’ve had to stop as there’s not enough room in the cases.

When I have traveled internationally I always bring something home - but no bric brac, rocks or tschotschkes.

Instead, an article of clothing - shirts/tops, sweaters, scarves, shoes, or jewelry, etc. With these unique items in your wardrobe you won’t see yourself walking down the street. You’ll have a more interesting, colorful and beautiful silhouette.
Handbags are good too!
USA Gundy

We used to buy tablecloths. Lovely ones from Portugal and an unexpected treat when a lovely embroidered one from Italy was found to come with 12 matching napkins. In recent years illness has meant little travelling for us but will admit to fridge magnets from UK and other people’s foreign holidays 😁

We have brought back woven tablecloths from Malta 50 years ago. Sadly these are no longer made but mine are still going strong.
Various quality kitchen ware from Italy. An embroidered tablecloth from Sorrento. Frequently used and pristine.
From France wine and cheese and randomly pegs!
Don't understand why French makeup is dearer them at home.
Love searching in hypermarkets for useful and different items
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From Turkiye - Rose, violet and many other oils from the pharmacy, emergency supply of antibiotic for the first-aid kit (risk of chest infections in remote places), and shock horror - Testosterone Gel. Turkish cotton sauna towels in every possible colour and more…

In Spain, shower gel and some supermarket branded cosmetics.

Croatia, a particular brand of mint tea, the best I have tasted anywhere, plus dandelion and burdock flavoured lager - to drink on the balcony.

I love raiding French supermarkets for their stock cubes - much better than the ones you can buy over here . Knorr Jus de Rotis are the best in the world for making beef gravy. Equally the tins of stock powder, Knorr or Maggi - chicken, veal, fish, meat flavoured are wonderful. Cartons of Hollandaise sauce are a couple of euros and excellent too..... and other sauces in cartons are pretty gtood too (Knorr as well I think). I wish these things were available in supermarets in the UK. I often wonder what the people at the check out used to think of my copious quantities of stock cubes etc etc!! I went to France this summer - first time for about 5 years - and the people I was staying in, were very amused by me wanting to go to every supermarket around to get my favourite bits.

Nowadays I buy a Christmas tree decoration but I have bought in the past paella dishes and fondue forks ,fluted Pyrex moulds and locally carved wooden spoons for serving salads which are light and don’t take up space. In the far east we’ve been taken to orphanages where the children sell their paintings and I have quite a few of these framed in a guest room.

I love spanish supermarkets, especially Mercadona!
I bring back (as well as wine and sherry ; the latter is excellent quality, far better than the over-sweetened stuff produced for the British market, and far cheaper too)
- Vacuum packed jamón and sliced lomo ham (not cheap but excellent),
- whole small cheeses similar to Manchego
- beautiful Malaga raisins
- lots of jars of cooked butter beans (judión) which are far cheaper and better than we get here. Also cannellini type beans, (alubías) and chick peas (garbanzos). Even in Hipercor , the supermarket section of the department store El Corte Inglés they are only a euro or so for a large jar.
Tinned tuna and anchovies are far better quality than we get here, IMO. They are not cheap. Worth it, though.
We always have the car, though, so can bring lots back.

From Italy in 1951 I brought back costume doll for my two children and my three nieces. At customs the official said I didn’t look young enough to have five children.
Because we mainly had camping hols it was ash trays easier to carry. Later travelling alone always a tea towel among other things, a kilo of Parmesan from Italy, brandy and lavender essence from France, sausage from Germany, a cup and saucer from Denmark, cheese and marzipan and clogs from Holland, a plate, tea towel, and picture from Barbados, clothes from California, olive server, from Portugal, pot from Toledo, material to make a National dress, from Austria, upset tummy from Malta and a bad cold from Los Angelos. Many other things over the years but had to give up when I was 82 because of walking difficulties.

It was always decent sized mugs, which we bought on the first day. We used them during the holiday in place of the usually tiny cups provided in the hotel rooms and then took them home as presents for the family.

Brugge has a Christmas shop all year round too, stunningly beautiful. It is on a side road but worth finding. Also bought a handmade lace tablecloth...couldn't afford one now x

When smoking was allowed on planes, the air was changed every two minutes. They don't bother changing it now, so any germs circulate and circulate.

We go to Devon and Dorset every year. This year I brought back a tea towel, fudge & a lovely throw made from recycled cotton.