In February, Vancouver, B.C. will host the 2010 Winter Olympics Games and, as you might expect, everyone up there is pretty gosh darn excited.
That includes the folks at Vancouver International Airport (YVR). During the course of the winter games, the airport expects to host about 230,000 Olympics-bound passengers. On March 1, the day after the closing ceremonies – the airport expects a record 30,000 people to pass through the airport on their way home.
A lot of those travelers will be looking to take home an Olympics souvenir. And the airport has made sure visitors won’t be disappointed: all sorts of Olympics-related items are for sale right there in the terminals.
In fact, the airport’s official Olympics souvenir shops have been open for about a year.
Our souvenir budget here at Stuck at the Airport is pretty slim. So we’re always on the look-out for items that are $10 or below. This week, we had plenty to choose from.
The most popular Olympics souvenirs are pins. There are pins for pretty much everything, and pin-trading has been elevated to an unofficial sport. So the airport has set aside a special area inside the terminal where travelers can gather to trade.
Clothing, toys, accessories, wallets, pens, etc.: anything with one of the Olympics mascots on it seems to be popular.
Including this cute cold pack, which would come in handy in case of a sports injury.
But, so far, the most popular and hard-to-keep-in-stock 2010 Vancouver Olympics items are these red mittens.
More than million have been sold already and every time a new batch hits the stores, they’re snapped up in moments. Proceeds from mitten sales go toward supporting Canadian athletes. And at $10 a pair, they’re our pick for Souvenir Sunday.
Have you found a great souvenir while you were stuck at the airport? If it’s under $10, “of” the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along.
Your souvenir may be featured on a future Souvenir Sunday!
