Souvenir Tattoos

Vacations are meant to be remembered.  Pictures from nights you don't remember (likely to include foggy pics of you skinny dipping at 3 a.m.) and shot glasses are nice ways to commemorate your trip... getting inked on the other hand is not.

Although getting a dolphin near your belly button seems like a good idea (cuz "Swimming with Dolphins in Cancun was like the coolest experience ever!!!") in the moment... chances are, you will only like that tattoo in that moment, while on vacation.  When you come home to your friends, boyfriend and... dare I say it, mother, puzzled stares are bound to follow.  By getting a dolphin tattoo, you also run the risk of falling into the "cougar" category later in life, especially if you have acrylic nails and posters of Justin Bieber on your wall.

Angelina Jolie is likely the most famous tattooed superstar.  Even Jolie has been a victim of souvenir tattoos... acquiring some from distant locales like Vietnam.  Albeit, Jolie is way more mature than a university student, but getting a tattoo in a foreign land opens you up to the chance of contracting something nasty (HIV even...)

Tattoos should be special and mean a lot to a person.  But that doesn't mean you should make a montage of things about "yourself" and ink it onto your forearm.  My tattoo would basically consist of the following four things:  an Omega symbol ♎ (I'm a Libra), Ballet Shoes, A Cat, A Typewriter and why not throw in a Birkin bag while I'm at it?  That sounds like one ugly tat.  In all honesty, if I ever decided to get inked... I would want something that I know I will be happy with forever.  At the age on 19, my life might revolve around clothes, purses and being a blogging catlady, but that will likely change. 

If a tattoo means so much to you, you can wait till you're at home with sterilized needles.

I agree that vacations can be life-changing... volunteering in third world countries can change your perspective and how you treat other people for the rest of your life.  Ok, so instead of getting ink permanently injected into your skin, why not just spread that newly found generosity with everyone, because God knows we definitely need more generous people in the world.

Next time you're away and you feel the temptation of getting a permanent souvenir, why not buy a tshirt instead?