Student Bloggers

Introduction

All my loved ones can tell you that I love to shop! So when I was preparing to study abroad in London, I created a list of shops that I wanted to visit and (possibly) purchase a cute souvenir from. Souvenirs are so important for students studying abroad because they act as memory holders. They are physical time capsules, keeping the memories of your time abroad alive long after you have left and returned home. As someone who spent hours exploring the United Kingdom through their shops, I wanted to write a blog post about souvenirs. Now, souvenirs are extremely personal items, so this blog post is not meant to tell you the exact item(s) to buy. Instead, this blog post should be utilized as a guide on how to figure out what the best souvenirs are for you and to give you some inspiration. My hope is to create a "Study Abroad Souvenirs 101" guidebook. First, I will give some general pointers on buying, packing, and using souvenirs. Then, I will share some examples of souvenirs that I loved and continue to love six months after leaving the United Kingdom. 

General Pointers

• Buying: Throughout the summer before studying abroad, I put aside a portion of my paycheck for my study abroad adventures and souvenirs. When I arrived in London, I set a weekly budget (that included money for souvenirs but also for living expenses such as groceries, public transport, etc.) and kept track of it so that I was conscious about the amount of money I was spending. Also, I recommend downloading a money conversation app on your phone so that you understand what you are paying for an item before seeing it on your monthly statement (for example, £20 is about $27, and this difference can add up quickly)! You should also notify your bank that you will be abroad, so they do not flag your spending as suspicious, which might result in the bank freezing your account (not good!). 

• Packing: Purchase only what you can pack! You do not want to buy a large item and realize on your last day that you cannot fit it in your suitcase. You can always mail things home but there are some risks that come with that such as damage to the item(s), the package becoming lost, etc. It is safer to buy knowing that all your souvenirs will eventually need to fit into your suitcases. I recommend leaving some empty room in one of your suitcases or carry ons when you are heading to your study abroad county to make sure that you have enough room to take home some larger souvenirs. I did this and this tip helped me bring home everything that I had purchased for myself and some Christmas presents for family members!

• Using: While it might be tempting to simply copy your friends or rely on TikTok recommendations (or to simply follow my preferences), it is important to remember that these are YOUR memories and YOUR souvenirs that you are buying with YOUR money. I recommend that you buy things that you will use often that will remind you of your time studying abroad. Souvenirs are not meant to sit in a box in your basement collecting dust! They should be displayed proudly and used frequently. I recommend thinking about the things that you use in your everyday life that you can supplement or improve with something from your study abroad country. For example, I love to write and journal, so when I visited Scotland, I purchased a journal bookbinding kit from Wheel of Fate (I loved this experience, but if you are planning on bringing it home, please pack it in your checked bag as there are sharp objects in the kit!). 

Postcards, Postcards, Postcards!

I think that postcards are some of the best souvenirs that you can buy from your study abroad adventures! They are a small, simple, and relatively cheap way to have a token from some of your favorite locations abroad. You can find them all over London, and you can pick postcards that match your aesthetic or room decor. I loved to get postcards of my favorite pieces of art from The National Gallery and The Victoria & Albert Museum. Queen Mary University of London - the college I studied abroad at - hosted a free, guided tour of the UK Parliament buildings for international students, so I made sure to grab a postcard or two to help me remember that unique experience. My favorite postcards are from the Old Royal Naval College's Painted Hall in Greenwich because I never want to forget what that place looked like. It was always a treat whenever I found postcards at an independent business, like Gay's the Word, because it was a little way to support these amazing companies and take a piece of them home with me. From Oxford to St. Davids to Edinburgh, I also made sure to grab a postcard in every town I visited while abroad. All of these postcards are now proudly displayed in my apartment in St. Louis (and I always get compliments on them, too)!

Vintage Jewelry

I absolutely love to buy second-hand vintage items. In St. Louis, it can be more difficult to find high-quality places to shop for vintage clothing, jewelry, and decor. However, in London, there are plenty of fantastic vintage shopping locations and, depending on where you go, you can find some very well-priced pieces. While Portobello Road Market gets all the attention online for their amazing antique finds, I think that Jubilee Market in Covent Garden is a hidden gem that should get more recognition. Every Monday, Jubilee Market hosts professional antique dealers who sell items from every era and style that you can ever dream of. If you are interested in going, I recommend showing up as early as you can; the market opens at 5:00 AM if you really want to get first dibs on some amazing items. I spent a good hour or two just walking around and looking at all the unique items. In one of the stalls, this pair of stunning silver Victorian-style earrings caught my attention, and I instantly fell in love. In St. Louis, these earrings would have been impossible to find, but here they were in London. I now wear them all the time with everything from jeans and a sweatshirt to a formal dress. Every time I take these antique earrings out of my jewelry box to put on my ears, I think about my history in London and my future return to this city that I love. 

(Signed) Books

As an English major, a prolific reader, and a dedicated writer, I am a huge fan of attending author events. I attend countless author events in St. Louis, so I knew that I wanted to attend an author event in London while away from my hometown. Maybe it was luck or divine timing, but in the middle of my time studying abroad in London, Waterstones hosted an author event with M.L. Rio. I keep a running list of my dream authors to meet on my phone, and since my freshman year in college, M.L. Rio has been in the top spot. She wrote If We Were Villains, one of my absolute favorite books in the whole world. The wonderful thing about author events is that you can wait after the event to get your books signed and personalized by the author. It was so exciting to be able to meet and have one of my favorite books signed by one of my favorite authors in one of my favorite cities! A signed copy of a book is a fantastic souvenir that is attached to an unforgettable experience. No matter what genre you are obsessed with, countless author events are happening all over London, so there is something there for everyone. It is such a rich literary city, and it would be a shame not to embrace that part of London. I recommend checking out Waterstones' website since they hosted an exceptional author event with great conversation, lots of freebies, and a welcoming environment for readers from near and far. However, do not discount all of London's independent bookstores and their amazing events!

Unique Stationery

Call me old-fashioned, but one of my favorite things to do is to handwrite letters to my loved ones. Because of this, stationery is a gift that you can give to your loved ones. You can send letters to your friends and family telling them all about your study abroad adventures. You can even send a letter or two to the friends you made while abroad! Even though it might be tempting to hoard all of your cute stationery sets for yourself, I must always remind myself that stationery (like most souvenirs) is supposed to be used and loved. Stationery is also a gift that you can give yourself. If you love to journal, you can use stationery to write letters to your future self and open them when you are back in your hometown if you are missing your time in London. You can use it to scrapbook or create a memory box of your time abroad. There are so many amazing stationery shops in the United Kingdom. My friend Skye and I discovered Scriptum Fine Stationery in Oxford, a shop that was inspired by many of the stationery emporiums in Florence, Italy. I found the most beautiful floral stationery in their shop that I am holding onto to use as birthday party invitations next year. If you are looking for a stationery shop in London, I recommend Choosing Keeping since they have simple yet classically beautiful card and envelope packs. From wax stamp kits to fountain pens to paperweights, Choosing Keeping also has a variety of other stationery must-haves. Both shops provide you with the opportunity to share a bit of the United Kingdom with your friends and family. 

Islander Purse Workshop

This workshop is one of the reasons that I always say to budget for your souvenirs, since this was my most expensive study abroad souvenir! I discovered the Island UK Purse Workshop during the summer before my study abroad, and I instantly started putting aside money for it. Islander UK specializes in Harris Tweed, a specific type of tweed cloth that is made of virgin wool that is handwoven by locals of Outer Hebrides, an island in Scotland. There are even laws that define and protect Harris Tweed, and there is also the Harris Tweed Authority (HTA)! As a devoted purse user (seriously, I never leave the house without one!), I was so thrilled to create my own with this unique piece of Scottish tradition and history. My family describes me as a very crafty person since I am constantly creating something from scratch, so I found the entire process of creating the purse simple and straightforward. If you are worried about your crafting ability, you have nothing to fear since the staff is extremely helpful and will walk you through the entire process as slowly as you need. The hardest part is picking out what you want your purse to look like! There are so many options, ranging from neutral browns and creams to vibrant pinks and blues; there is something for everyone. I picked out black and white pieces because I wanted to create a timeless, everyday purse. Every time I use my purse, I remember my weekend in Scotland and the lovely memories I made in the city with new friends. My purse is an extremely beautiful and special piece of Scotland that I got to take home with me!