This week’s souvenirs come from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, where I found these oh-so-New Orleans items for sale in the airport gift shops.

Do you poke through the shops when you’re stuck at the airport? If you’re hanging around and find something fun, inexpensive and ‘of’ the city or region, please snap a photo and send it along. If your souvenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday, I’ll send you a fun travel souvenir.

Whether you bet right or not, if you’re heading home through Louisville International Airport you can pick up some fun Derby-related souvenirs.

Airport officials tell me that, at the Churchill Downs specialty shop, a favorite souvenir is an authentic horseshoe from Churchill Downs, especially those that still have some dirt from the racetrack.

Other souvenirs include official mint julep glasses, Derby-themed aprons decorated with brightly colored jockey silks and treats made from Kentucky’s signature bourbons, including Woodford Reserve bourbon balls, Mint Julep taffy and bourbon bark.

For those heading out from the airport on Sunday, May 6, Robert Joyner, artist of this year’s Kentucky Derby print, will be at the Churchill Downs shop from 10 to 11 a.m. to sign prints. And, for kids of any age, there will be a chance to meet Churchill Charlie (the mascot of Churchill Downs) between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This week’s finds come from Dubai International Airport , which is known for offering the world’s largest duty free operation.

Gold is a big draw at this airport and each year Dubai Duty Free racks up gold sales of more than $120 million.

No souvenirs made of gold fit into my Souvenir Sunday guidelines of “fun, inexpensive and ‘of’ the city or region,” so I headed for the gift shops offering more affordable items, such as hookahs, wooden camels and sand.

(Photo courtesy San Antonio International Airport)

These jalapeno and red chile-flavored chocolate bars were spotted at San Antonio International Airport, which joins the city in celebrating Fiesta.

In addition to this chocolate, airport spokesperson Rich Johnson says that in honor of the citywide party and cultural event, “There are lots of cool, cultural items in our shops, including piñatas, clothing, cascarones (egg shells filled with confetti) and other items.”

There’s also a food-related celebration on some KLM airplanes.

From now through June, the sandwiches served on the European routes flown by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will sport festive wrapping paper designed by students from an art and design school in the Netherlands.

Students were asked to come up with designs that were “culinary, surprising, inspirational and energetic,” and, after polling Facebook fans and experts, three winners were chosen.

The designs will be featured through June on packaging in KLM’s “Delicious” economy-class flight product line, which includes snacks, meals, sandwiches and hot towels.

Artwork by Silvie Buenen, Tom van der Pijl and Agnes Loonstra; images courtesy KLM.

This week’s pick come to us – once again – from Jon Douglas, a basketball fan who was delighted to find airport greeters handing out Final Four beads to arriving passengers at Louis Armstrong -New Orleans International Airport (MSY).

Free beads are a new tradition at MSY. Each Friday since September, the airport has been hosting “Throw me something Fridays” and handing out free Mardi Gras beads to arriving passengers. You can read more about that here.

And, if you find a great souvenir at the airport that’s inexpensive ($10 or less), “of” the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat, please take a photo and send it along. If your souvenir is featured on StuckatTheAirport.com, I’ll send you a special travel-related souvenir.

That’s why I’m a fan of the discount-filled coupon booklet that the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport puts out every two months, the airports that put discount offers on the back of printed boarding passes and the new collaboration between Yowza!! and HMSHost, which operates concessions at many airports.

Right now, you can use the Yowza!! app to find coupons for use at Tampa International Airport and at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where there are discounts offered for Pinkberry, California Pizza Kitchen and LaBrea Bakery. The program should roll out at other airports around the country later this year.

Missed Mardi Gras?

Me too. But StuckatTheAirport.com fan Bernard Ouellette was in New Orleans recently and found these great souvenirs at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Have you found a great souvenir while you were stuck at the airport? If it’s fun, inexpensive and ‘of’ the city or region, please snap a photo and send it along. If your souvenir is featured here on StuckatTheAirport.com, I’ll send you a travel-themed souvenir.

But it turns out you can buy those cookies on the ground. Lotus Bakery will mail them to you (there’s even something called Biscoff spread) and, to my surprise, you can also buy the cookies at some airports. I saw this display at a newsstand in the baggage claim of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Biscoff cookies for sale at Sea-Tac Airport

Souvenir Sunday is a weekly feature on StuckatTheAirport.com. Nominations welcome.
Best bets are souvenirs that are inexpensive, ‘of’ the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat. Snap a photo, check the price and if your souvenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday I’ll send your a travel-related souvenir.

This week’s pick comes to us from world-traveler Jon Douglas, who found a bin of vegemite for sale at Australia’s Sydney Airport.

What’s vegemite?

According to the Urban Dictionary: It’s a “delicious Australian spread, made from used brewer’s yeast. Non-Australians tend to give descriptions of it similar to ‘tastes like a mixture of salt and battery acid’.”

On the road a lot? If you find yourself stuck at the airport, take some time to check ou the shops. If you find a great souvenir that’s fun, inexpensive and ‘of’ the city or region, please snap a photo and send it along.

If your souvenir is featured on StuckatTheAirport.com, I’ll send you a special travel-related souvenir.

But I gravitated instead to the many displays of Tiger Balm in the airport pharmacies and gift shops.

Tiger Balm, made by the Haw Par Corporation of Singapore, is a pungent ointment made with menthol, camphor, clove oil, cajuput oil and mint oil, and is said to be able to cure everything from headaches, migraines and colds to arthritic pains, muscle strains and, according to one sign I saw at the airport, flatulence.

I was ready to buy a few Tiger Balm tins when a saleswoman sidled up to me and suggested I take a look at the tins filled with Electric Balm, which were stacked nearby.

“This product is also made in Singapore,” she told me, “But it’s less expensive and smells better.”

A box of 16 menthol-scented tins was 20 Singapore dollars, about US$16.

Sold. And this week’s pick for Souvenir Sunday.

Next time you’re stuck at the airport, take a moment to check out the stores. If you find something that’s fun, inexpensive and ‘of’ the city or region, please snap a photo and send it along. If your souvenir is featured on Stuck at The Airport, I’ll send you a special airport-related souvenir.