VAGABOND TRAVELER

By Mary Emma Allen

As you travel, you'll find various items and information of interest for developing collections. Some of these may be educational, others create memories, while others help you work toward a goal. The list is almost endless, depending on your area of interest

• Sea shells from various beaches you visit around the country
• Tea cups, plates, and/or souvenir spoons from various areas
• Rides on roller coasters throughout the country
• Recipes from different regions
• A goal of visiting each capitol city of the 50 states
• Books set in each state
• Postcards from wherever you visit
• Sketches of the sites you see

Some young people hunting shells| Credit Kathleen Walls

Sea Shells and Natural Objects

When our grandchildren were younger, my husband and I brought them souvenirs from our travels. However, these generally weren't items we purchased, but something educational we found...like rocks and sea shells. The children amassed collections of these, and I tried to make notes of where we found each one. Eventually they outgrew the collections, but they seemed excited about what we'd found and the stories we related.

Tea Cups, Plates & Souvenir Spoons

My aunt collected tea cups from the various cities she and her veterinarian husband visited for conventions. She displayed them in her china closet. Aunt Freda also collected plates from the various places and hung them on her dining room wall. I remember being fascinated by these items when we visited her. She always had interesting stories to tell of her travels to these locations, too. Another relative collects souvenir teaspoons. While yet another accumulates the shot glasses you find at gift shops around the country and in airports.

A roller coaster at Busch Gardens Credit Kathleen Walls

Roller Coaster Rides

I read an article once about a family who had a goal of riding on as many roller coasters as they could during their travels. They took pictures of these adventures, collected brochures about the various locations and compiled them in a scrapbook. You don't have to do this only with roller coaster rides. You can make a scrapbook of places where you've hiked, had picnics, taken bike rides, etc.

Recipes from Different Regions

I finally had to stop collecting recipe books and booklets from the places Jim and I visited, or at least became more selective. I acquired quite a large accumulation, along with booklets friends and family picked up for me. However, this can be a great deal of fun. I still pick up postcards with recipes. I also send these, instead of scenic postcards, to a friend who finds them interesting.

Alabama Capital Building Credit Kathleen Walls

Visiting State Capitols

Another friend and her son, when he was a youngster, set a goal of visiting the state capital cities and taking pictures of the capitol buildings. They did visit those in the "lower" 48 states, but didn't make it to Alaska and Hawaii. However, this was a vacation time event for them and created a bond of interest and many memories. Keeping this in mind, my family and I made note of any capital cities and capitol building we saw in our travels. We didn't set out specifically to visit these sites,but would go out of our way in a city to see the capitol building.

Historical Sites

Because my parents took us to visit many historical sites on travels when I was a child, my interest in the history of our country was stimulated and created memories I treasure today. When my husband and I travel, we enjoy "walking in the footsteps of our forefathers and ancestors" around the country. Travels, when our daughter was young, included these places. Historical markers lured us to make a stop whenever we had time.

We took pictures, I wrote articles, we made scrapbooks and have fond memories.

What do you like to collect in your travels? These collections can help you create pleasurable memories build a bond within your family. They can lead to writing books and articles and even giving travel talks to various groups.

(c)2012 Mary Emma Allen (Mary Emma Allen ventures from her NH home to explore various areas of the country for pleasure and business. The wanderlust was developed when she was a child and has continued throughout the years. She takes pictures, makes sketches and writes about her travels. E-mail: me.allen@juno.com )