Souvenir Sunday

Souvenir Sunday: Vegas-branded face-masks from McCarran Int’l Airport (LAS)

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It’s a sure sign of the times when the coolest souvenir you can pick up at the airport is a mask.

Better yet, this one is free and will no doubt become a collectible.

In Nevada, as in many states around the country right now, everyone is required to wear face coverings in public spaces due to concerns about COVID-19.

Even if not officially required, wearing a face-mask over your nose and mouth is proper etiquette right now. Like washing your hands often, it’s also an easy tool to help keep you and others healthy.

As it does with so many things, recently-reopened Las Vegas is having a bit of fun promoting the state’s face-mask requirement.

The tourism bureau sent showgirls to McCarran International Airport (LAS) to alert arriving passengers to the new rule. And to hand out free face masks.

Heading that way? McCarran International (LAS) has a long list of other ways it is working to make sure the airport is safe and clean for travelers and a fun Vegas-themed campaign of its own.

Souvenir Sunday: island bread from the Honolulu airport

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It’s Souvenir Sunday, a day to take a look at unique, locally-themed gifts you can buy when you’re stuck at the airport.

This week’s treats: Coconut Pineapple and Guava Bread from Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Courtesy HMSHost

The breads, now on sale in some shops at the airport, started as a treat baked up by HMSHost and offered in employee cafe.

Pilots and flights crews began snapping up loaves to take to the mainland and eventually HMSHost – which operates many shops at HNL and other airports about the country – decided to make the bread available to travelers as well.

Now Makai Plantation and The Local in the Garden View Food Court (C-Gates area) sell the homemade  Coconut Pineapple and Guava Breads.

Other treats to find a HNL airport include fresh flower leis, hula girl ornaments, Spam-flavored macadamia nuts, and ukeleles.

Leis are everywhere at the airport. Even on the sign for the women’s restrooms.

Help out with Souvenir Sunday.

If you find a fun, locally-themed item at an airport shop, please snap a photo, get the price and send it all along to us at StuckatTheAirport.com.

If your souvenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday, we’ll send you a travel-themed souvenir.

Souvenir Sunday at Newark Liberty Int’l Airport

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Today is Souvenir Sunday, the day when StuckatTheAirport.com takes a look at cool, locally-themed gifts you can find at airports.

This week’s treats come from the SouveNEAR vending machines recently installed in Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport.

SouveNEAR’s  vending machines  at EWR are filled with t-shirts, jewelry, soaps, pins, patches, t-shirts, candy and a wide variety of other carefully-curated items made by New Jersey and New York artists.

Loop Collection

“We believe that travelers feel better buying gifts that support creativity and that are connected to the places they love,” said SouveNEAR co-founder Suzanne Southard, “We hope Newark passengers will feel great about supporting local creativity and taking home something that is really connected to this area.”

 

Statue of Liberty pin by The Weekend Movement

Bikes on 9th

Not heading to EWR anytime soon? Don’t fret.

SouveNEAR also has vending machines filled with local artist-made treasures in the Oakland Airport, in Missouri’s Kansas City International Airport, in the lobby of a Marriott hotel in Emeryville, CA and in the Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco.

The prices for the vending-sized artworks range from $4 to $40 and most everything is also available online.

Souvenir Sunday needs your help!

If you see a cool, inexpensive, locally-themed item for sale in an airport shop, please take a photo and it along. If your sovuenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday we’ll send you a cool travel-themed souvenir.

Souvenir Sunday: Chubu Centrair Int’l Airport, Nagoya Japan

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It’s Souvenir Sunday, a day to take a look at some of the cool, inexpensive items you can buy when you’re Stuck at the Airport.

This week’s treats from the Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya, Japan, which I visited recently for a preview of the Flight of Dreams attraction the airport built around the first 787 Dreamliner test plane.

Courtesy Flight of Dreams

Read about the Flight of Dreams project in this recent post, but take a moment to scroll below to see the  fun souvenirs I spotted in the Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya.

Plush dolls portray the mascot of the airport in Nagoya, Japan

 

Aviation-themed stationary items for sale at the airport in Nagoya, Japan

Souvenir Sunday needs your help. If you see an inexpensive, locally-themed souvenir in an airport shop, please snap a photo and send it along to StuckatTheAirport.com. (Bonus points it the item is unusual or odd.) If your souvenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday, we’ll send you a cool travel souvenir.

Souvenir Sunday: Sydney Airport

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Beyond memories, it’s a good idea to bring home souvenirs to remind us of our adventures out in the world.

I found this addition to my growing collection of chocolate ‘poo’ at Syndey Airport, on my way home from a conference.

Just another example of the fun, inexpensive, locally-themed gifts you can find when you’re stuck at the airport.

Have you found a fun, somewhat odd gift at an airport? Snap a photo and send it along to us here at StuckatTheAirport.com. If your photo is used in a future post, you’ll receive a fun souvenir as a thank-you.

 

Souvenir Sunday: wacky plane + Extreme Post-its

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It’s Souvenir Sunday – a day to look at some cool things you can buy at airports and gadgets that are good for the road.

This week’s treats come from El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, Colombia. And from the folks who make Post-its.

At the airport in Bogota, I spotted – and now regret not buying – this offbeat airplane souvenir with wacky passengers, including chickens in the windows and a lady sunbathing on the wing. I may have to make a return trip to secure this travel souvenir.

And there’s a new version of those ever-useful Post-its.

These are called Extreme Notes and the suggested use if for everything – wet walls, pipes, cloth, wood doors, etc – except paper.

I always travel with a pad of sticky notes because they come in handy for all sorts of things: I often use them as “Do Not Disturb” signs in hotels that don’t have door hangers and I put them over the peep holes on hotel doors. I’ll start using the Extreme version now and likely sleep much better on the road.

Souvenir Sunday at Frankfurt & Austin Bergstrom Int’l Airports

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Today is Souvenir Sunday – a day to look at some of the fun things you can buy – or just look at – when you’re stuck at the airport.

This week’s treats come from Frankfurt Airport, where I ended up spending the night on my way home from a visit to Florence, Italy, where I spotted these champagne cork-shaped seats at a bar in the Amerigo Vespucci Airport (FLR).

At the Frankfurt Airport, I came across plenty of Christmas-themed souvenirs, including nutcrackers and ornaments shaped like pickles. Why pickles? Evidently the tradition of hiding a pickle-shaped ornament in your Christmas tree and giving an extra present to the first person who finds it orginated in Germany.

And lucky travelers on one special Southwest Airlines flight from Austin Bergstrom International Airport to Chicago last Thursday got some great souvenirs.

The airline teamed up with Austin-based jeweler Kendra Scott and gave all passengers on the flight a free drink, goodie bags and gift boxes filled with – you guessed it – jewelry! – at baggage claim delivered by a yellow-clad Santa.

If you see a great souvenir when you’re stuck at the airport, please take a photo and send it along. If your photo is featured on Souvenir Sunday I’ll send you an aviation-themed souvenir.

 

Souvenir Sunday at Quito International Airport

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It’s Souvenir Sunday – the day StuckatTheAirport.com takes a look at inexpensive, locally-themed items you can find at airports around the world.

This week’s treats come from the Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, Ecuador.

Shops inside the airport sell many items from the region, but the airport recently opened a socially responsible store offering agricultural products grown and provided by the families living near the airport.

The new shop is called Nuestra Huerta – which means ‘Our Garden’ – and is located in the Airport Center building, across the street from the airport passenger terminal.

16 farmers and their families from the Puembo, Pifo, Tababela, Yaruqui and Checa communities are running the shop, which sells fresh produce, such as strawberries, avocados and lettuce, as well as honey and a variety of bagged snacks.

International passengers may not be able to fly home with a head of lettuce from Quito, but honey, snacks and many other items will certainly travel – and the shop is certain to be popular with arriving passengers and those who work at the airport.

 

Souvenir Sunday: airline-branded gifts

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Getting ready to start shopping for the road warriors in  your life?

Don’t forget the on-line web pages for airline and aviation gear, including model airplanes, travel gear, gadgets and a variety of fun and offbeat items.

In the United Shop, you’ll find all manner of Polaris-related items, including those comfy Saks Fifth Avenue duvets ($59.99) and upcycled messenger bags made from banners that advertise Polaris service.

The Delta Shop has lots of apparel, toys, drinkware and other branded items, including this Boeing 717 1/100 model, which sells for $350.

And the Alaska Airlines shop sells everything from branded golf balls, glassware and apparel to model airplanes and a pilot hat for kids.

 

Not a fan of these airlines?  Check the website of your favorite carrier and there’s likley to be a section for swag.