A Traveler's Christmas Tree Tour

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Clicking these links and making a purchase may result in a small commission for me, but at no extra cost for you. Learn more here.

One of my favourite Christmas traditions is decorating the tree! I think the best Christmas tree ornaments are those with sentimental value. A lot of the ornaments on my tree were bought while on different trips. I’ve created a traveler’s Christmas tree of sorts. Now, every Christmas I can relive the memories of different place I’ve visited!

My favourite souvenir to bring back from vacations is a new ornament for my tree. If you can’t find any Christmas decorations at the time of year you are traveling, this is a fun way to use the tacky keychains you see in every tourist shop. Shiny metal keychains work really well as Christmas ornaments because they reflect the Christmas lights.

Since we can’t travel this Christmas, I thought I would share some of the ornaments I’ve gotten while traveling and the memories they bring back while I decorate the tree.

A Traveler’s Christmas Tree Tour

Cancun, Mexico

I got this Christmas turtle in Cancun, Mexico on my first proper trip without my parents. It reminds me of the highlight of my trip, which was snorkeling for the first time. On the snorkeling tour I went on we got to see so many beautiful sea creatures, my favourite of which was a huge sea turtle.

Scotland, UK

In the Summer after I graduated university, my mother and I took a trip around England and Scotland. The majority of the trip was by train, but my favouite train of the trip was the Jacobite Steam Train, the train they filmed for Harry Potter.

London, UK

This keychain is a representation of the Rosetta Stone. I got this at The British Museum on the same trip with my mother. The memory of seeing the Rosetta Stone was very impactful to me because it was the first time I had seen a famous artifact in person that I had read about for years.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

I got this bicycle keychain in Amsterdam, which was the first stop on my trip to Europe with my partner. This bicycle reminds me of walking all over Amsterdam with my partner, and having to constantly be on the lookout for bicycles so we weren’t run over! This was our first time navigating a new country together.

Venice, Italy

This ornament reminds me of walking along the canals in Venice. I chose a glass ornament to bring home from Venice because of all the shops full of beautiful blown glass figurines.

Santorini, Greece

I got this ornament from a market in Santorini. This ornament reminds me of the hike we did between the towns of Thera and Oia because I had to carry it in my bag the whole hike back.

Paris, France

I bought this key chain in the gift shop of the Tour Montparnasse. This tower has a panoramic view of Paris (including the Eiffel Tower). This keychain reminds me of watching the light show on the Eiffel Tower at night from the Tour Montparnasse. This was the last activity my partner and I did on our Europe Trip.

New York, New York

I bought this hot dog stand Santa ornament in New York. On our New York trip, my partner and I planned a whole day to just line up at different famous food places around the city to try iconic foods (like the delicious Cronut!). We picked out this Santa to remind us of our foodie adventures.

Banff, Canada

I picked up this moose ornament in Banff on my recent trip to the Canadian Rockies. We saw lots of wildlife on this trip, goats, deer, and a bear, but we were never able to spot a moose! We took this guy home to fill our moose void. You can read more about my Canadian Rockies trip here.

Those are all the travel ornaments on my traveler’s Christmas tree so far. Hopefully soon in the future it will be safe to travel again and I can add more memories to my tree. I hope you like this Christmas tradition. It’s never to late to start creating your own traveler’s Christmas tree!

A Traveler’s Christmas Tree Tour