As the years go by, we tend to buy fewer and fewer souvenirs during our travels. It seems like we usually see similar junk for sale in many countries.

We typically buy the kids small souvenirs which can create great memories. (Like this one from Costa Rica.) I like to buy t-shirts from time to time and also add to my hat and mask collections when something catches my eye.

During our trip around the Pacific a few summers back, our last stop was Vanuatu. One of my favorite television shows, Survivor filmed a season on the island back in 2004.

I was hoping to visit a location from the show and possibly even pick up a souvenir.

After asking about sites where the show filmed, I was told that there wasn’t really anything to see. While looking into things to do around country’s main island, Efate, we read about a day trip to Lelepa Island.

Lelepa Island sounded interesting and it was also the location of some of Survivors’s Immunity Challenges!Before heading off on the short boat ride over to Lelepa Island, I asked the guide about Survivor. I learned that most of the people on the island worked on the show. I also mentioned that I’d love to get a Survivor souvenir.

Our guide said that he’d ask around and see what might be available.

Towards the end of our visit, we stopped at a village where the friendly locals were selling some trinkets. As I looked around, I didn’t see anything from Survivor for sale. Soon after, the guide came back with a pretty ugly shirt or hat which I wasn’t interested in…

I asked if there was anything else around and he soon came back with an amazing souvenir.

He found a Survivor Buff!  I was told that all of the locals were given one by the show while it filmed on the island.

Survivor Buffs are available for purchase online but this one seemed special.

This was supposedly the real deal, an original Buff from when the show filmed. I’m not sure that I could ask for a better item from the show. The Buff also smelled authentic. I guess years of being on a tropical island left the Buff with a funky aroma.

After some negotiating, I made a deal for the Buff. When I got home, it needed multiple washes to get the smell out but it was soon just about as good as new.I never expected to actually wear my Survivor Buff souvenir. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic going on, my souvenir makes for a great face covering!