The art of bringing travel home

Perhaps that’s why summer travel is so irresistible. It isn’t just the promise of sunshine or a change of scenery. It’s the chance to step outside our routines, notice how other people live, taste something we’ve never tasted before, discover a beautiful object made by local hands and come home just a little different than when we left.

The best trips don’t end at the airport or in the driveway. They continue in the way we cook, decorate, entertain and even dress. That’s why I always try to bring a little piece of wherever I’ve been home with me.

You don’t have to travel far to do it. A weekend in Vermont might introduce you to maple syrup from a family sugarhouse. A drive through the Berkshires could lead you to a local potter whose serving bowl becomes the centerpiece of family dinners. A stop at a Connecticut farm stand might send you home with lavender, local honey or a recipe you’ll make every summer.

The best souvenirs aren’t necessarily what you think they might be.

As I unpacked after a recent family trip to Italy and France, I found myself searching first for the two little mementos I’d brought back. They weren’t expensive or particularly remarkable, but I knew they’d be the things that would keep our vacation alive long after the suitcases were put away.

One was a small container of chunky flaked salt from a market in the South of France. My friend who hosted us insisted on buying it for me after I admired hers while cooking together. The other was a colorful silk scarf I found fluttering outside a tiny shop in Sanremo, Italy’s historic district, while my family waited for dinner at the restaurant next door. I know when I wear it, I will think of that evening again and again. The salt cost $8; the scarf, $12.

Since returning home, I’ve sprinkled the salt over tomatoes from my garden and used it to season pasta sauce. Every pinch brings me back to that bustling market and reminds me of the friend who gave it to me.

Some of my favorite souvenirs this summer, however, didn’t arrive home with me in my suitcase.

One afternoon, a friend served slices of fresh cantaloupe from a farm just down the road where we were staying. As I reached for a piece, she asked, “Don’t you want a little salt and lemon?” I never would have thought to pair those flavors, but together they transformed an ordinary melon into something unforgettable. Another day, I watched homemade hummus come together in minutes. I honestly didn’t expect it to taste much different from the store-bought kind. I was wrong. It was creamy, fresh and so flavorful that I doubt I’ll ever buy prepared hummus again.

Those recipes are now souvenirs, too.

That’s what is so satisfying about travel — it can change your everyday life long after you return through the keepsakes that come home with you. They’re recipes, ingredients, traditions and simple objects that carry a memory every time you use them.

The destination isn’t what matters most. It’s the feeling a place leaves with you and finding simple ways to carry that feeling into everyday life.

The next time you travel, whether it’s to Europe, Cape Cod, the Berkshires or just down the road, maybe you’ll be inspired to get creative when considering what to bring back.

Because the best souvenirs don’t just remind us of where we’ve been; they invite us to go back, if only for a moment — until we can meander again.