When was the last time you peeled a sticker from its sheet, smoothed it down, and admired how it looked right where you placed it? For some of us, that moment goes back to grade school days—trading with friends, decorating notebooks, or tucking a special one away for “just the right time.”

Stickers may be small, but they can hold big memories. They’re colorful, creative, and personal. They mark moments, brighten a page, or serve as souvenirs that travel home with us.

And here’s the thing—while many of us first fell for stickers as kids, there’s no reason to leave them behind. They’ve grown up with us.

First US postage stamps of 1847. Photo: WikiCommons

A Hobby with History

The story of stickers stretches back farther than most people guess. The first U.S. postage stamps were issued in 1847 with Benjamin Franklin @ 5 cents and George Washington @ 10 cents. In the 1800s, sticky labels were mainly for postage and packaging. By the mid-1900s, decorative versions began turning up in stationery shops, adding a dash of fun to letters and gifts.

Vintage luggage with travel stickers. Photos: Deposit Photos

Stickers on the Move: Travel Labels of a Bygone Era

Long before tourists picked up magnets or T-shirts, travelers marked their journeys with stickers on their luggage. Starting in the late 1800s, grand hotels and ocean liners handed out gummed paper labels to guests. Porters would paste them onto trunks, not only to identify luggage but also to advertise the prestige of the establishment.

Antique brown leather luggage suitcases full of hotel stickers. Photo: Deposit Photos

By the 1920s through the 1950s, these stickers had become a true art form. Lavish designs promoted hotels in Paris, Rome, and Cairo, or steamships crossing the Atlantic. The stickers were colorful, bold, and often lithographed with eye-catching illustrations. A trunk plastered with labels told a story—where its owner had been and how far they had traveled.

Many in the Healthy Aging® audience may remember seeing a parent’s or grandparent’s suitcase covered in these labels, a visual scrapbook of adventures abroad. Today, authentic vintage luggage stickers are highly collectible, sometimes framed as wall art. Their charm lies in both the artistry and the romantic notion of travel in a more glamorous, slower-paced age.

Sticker fun on vehicles. Photos (clockwise from top left) #1, 3, 4, 5), Deposit Photos. # 2 and #3, Picryl public domain

From Trunks to Bumpers: Stickers on the Road

While luggage labels marked a golden age of travel, another kind of sticker was making its mark closer to home—the bumper sticker.

The first true bumper stickers appeared in the late 1940s, after World War II. They were made possible by two new technologies: pressure-sensitive adhesive (which replaced gummed paper that needed moistening) and fluorescent inks that could withstand sunlight.

Tourist attractions were among the earliest adopters. Roadside stops and amusement parks gave out bumper stickers so visitors could advertise where they had been—essentially a mobile billboard on every car. By the 1950s and 1960s, bumper stickers had become a popular form of self-expression, promoting everything from vacation destinations and radio stations to political campaigns and sports teams.

Bumper stickers may spark memories of family road trips in the station wagon, “See Rock City” decals, or campaign slogans proudly displayed on the back of the family car. Today, vintage bumper stickers are collected much like travel luggage labels, as colorful artifacts of American culture and history.

Some of us keep binders of stickers. Photo: Amazon

The 1980s Sticker Craze and Beyond

Then came the 1980s, and stickers exploded in popularity. Puffy, glittery, scratch-and-sniff—each one felt like treasure. Some of us kept binders full, trading our doubles and saving the “good” ones (which, truth be told, often stayed in place for decades).

Fast-forward to today, and they’re back in a big way. Artists create limited editions, travelers pick them up like postcards, and themed books let us enjoy entire collections in one go.

Why They Still Stick with Us

Part of the magic is in their simplicity. You don’t need special tools or hours of time—just peel, place, and enjoy.

For those of us with a few more birthdays behind us, stickers bring a double gift: a flash of nostalgia and a reason to create something new. They spark conversations with friends, bridge generations with grandchildren, and add a splash of personality to anything from a journal to a luggage tag.

State Pride in Sticker Form

One of the most charming modern trends is themed sticker collections that celebrate a specific place. The I Love series by Workman Publishing is a perfect example—Here are three beautifully illustrated books from the series, each a love letter to a different state.

I LOVE TEXAS STICKER BOOK

Cowboy boots and pickup trucks. Frito pie on game day. Hill Country views, horned lizards, and bluebonnets in bloom. This book captures Texas from its famous landmarks—Cadillac Ranch, the Alamo—to the heartbeat of cities like Houston and El Paso.

Excerpted from I Love Texas Sticker Book by Savannah Garza (Workman Publishing). Copyright © 2025. Art by Savannah Garza.

I LOVE CALIFORNIA STICKER BOOK

Towering redwoods. Golden poppies. The Hollywood Bowl and the Painted Ladies. This collection celebrates California’s many moods—from winding drives along the Pacific Coast Highway to the quiet beauty of the High Sierra and Joshua Tree.

Excerpted from I Love California Sticker Book by Katey Horn (Workman Publishing). Copyright © 2025. Art by Katey Horn.

I LOVE FLORIDA STICKER BOOK

Palm trees swaying in warm breezes. Flamingos, key lime pie, and manatees in the Crystal River. Florida shines here—from Miami Beach’s Art Deco charm to the untamed Everglades, from soft Gulf sands to the coral reefs of the Keys.

Excerpted from I Love Florida Sticker Book by Isabel Serna (Workman Publishing). Copyright © 2025. Art by Isabel Serna.

Making Stickers Part of Your Life Now

If it’s been a while since you’ve used a sticker, you might be surprised at how quickly the fun comes back. A few ideas:

• Travel journals: Add stickers from places you visit to mark each page.
• Gift wrapping: Use them as seals or accents.
• Family fun: Keep a small stash handy for a rainy afternoon with grandkids.
• Home projects: Label jars, bins, or a gardening notebook with something colorful.

The Simple Joy They Offer

In our fast-moving, screen-filled world, stickers give us something we can touch and enjoy without a single notification or battery.

They’re a bridge between then and now—part of childhood, part of today. And for travelers, collections like I Love Texas, I Love California, and I Love Florida make it easy to bring home a pocket-sized memory of a place that left its mark on you.

So maybe it’s time to open that old album or start a new one. Or finally use the “special” stickers you’ve been saving. Because the smallest things often leave the biggest impression—and these just happen to stick around.