@NatGeoTravel Staff: Favorite Souvenirs

What do National Geographic staffers bring back from their travels?

Here’s a peek into our baggage:

​Egg-cess Baggage: “I collected pysanky (above)—Ukrainian Easter eggs that have been made for thousands of years—during my three-year stint in central and eastern Europe. My eggs from Serbia, Ukraine, Poland, and Romania are unique in the world: Artisans (traditionally women) spend hours drawing the mesmerizing folk designs in beeswax before dyeing the eggs one color at a time, ensuring that each pysanka is different. Finally, a thin needle is used to hollow out the shell. The biggest challenge? Transporting the delicate souvenirs home.” —Christine Blau​ (on Twitter @Chris_Blau), researcher, National Geographic Traveler

Flights of Fancy: “Designed by Finnish glass artist Oiva Toikka and handcrafted in Nuutajärvi, Finland, this guillemot caught my eye in a Helsinki airport gift shop.” —Carol Enquist, senior photo editor, National Geographic Traveler

Turning Heads: “After finding this bronze Buddha head at a tiny shop in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, I loaded it into my backpack and carried it around for another month before arriving home.” —Susan O’Keefe (on Twitter @sokeefetrav), associate editor, National Geographic TravelerMusical Memento: “Parents always feel like they have to bring something home to the kids, and I’m no exception. In Bali, I found this frog drum that croaks by twisting the attached stick—perfect for my folk-music-loving son.” —Dan Westergren (on Twitter @dwestergren), director of photography, National Geographic Traveler

Square Root: “Wowed by the tile work on fountains throughout Barcelona, I purchased these hand-painted tiles while wandering this city’s Gothic Quarter.” —Jerry Sealy, creative director, National Geographic Traveler

Old Wives’ Tale: “In Latvian folklore, the ring’s pendants each symbolize an admirer—a woman married the man whose pendant fell off first. I couldn’t resist the ring’s romantic story.” —Amy Alipio (on Twitter @amytravels), features editor, National Geographic Traveler