Suitcases & Coffee | Senior Travel Tips for Europe

If river cruises are about twinkling lights and mulled wine, then for Mom they were also about souvenirs. Her number-one mission quickly became collecting the Christmas market mugs — every city, every stop, no matter how many glühwein breaks it required. By the end of each cruise, our cabin shelves looked like a pop-up café, and I started to wonder if the mugs were multiplying on their own.

But mugs were only the beginning. Mom decided she also needed a demitasse cup and saucer from every port. That meant four cruises’ worth of fragile porcelain to somehow get home in one piece. We bought boxes, begged for bubble wrap, and played suitcase Tetris until every inch was filled. More than once, we caved and bought an extra carry-on to haul her treasures.

And then there were the “special finds.” In Prague, she could not resist garnet jewelry and sparkling crystal — both guaranteed to test the strength of any suitcase zipper. Onboard, the river cruise offered glass-blowing demonstrations where, of course, Mom purchased “breakables” in bulk. By Berlin, the theme shifted from fragile to edible, with her shopping bag overflowing with chocolate. Add in teas, coffee, and assorted candies from market stalls, and suddenly our cabin looked less like a vacation room and more like a mobile import business.

She did buy ornaments at every stop, though I eventually convinced her that the wooden ones were a safer bet than the delicate glass bobbles (the German word for round ornaments). It was one of my rare victories in the battle of practicality versus Mom’s determination.

By the time we rolled our bulging bags back through the airport, it was clear that Mom’s souvenirs were not just keepsakes. They were proof of her determination to bring home every ounce of holiday sparkle, whether it was wrapped in tissue paper, tucked into a candy bag, or clinking from the depths of her oversized purse.

💡 Tip from Mom’s Purse
Bring a reusable packable shopping tote, some stalls do not have bags for you purchases.

Always pack a foldable duffel bag inside your suitcase. You may think you will not need it, but if Mom finds mugs, garnets, crystal, and enough chocolate to open a shop, you will.