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Travelling, exploring and seeing the world are some of the best memories we can possibly make. Often they mark a high point in our lives – maybe discovering a new passion or career, finding new friends or even a new relationship. Travelling makes us realise fundamental home truths about ourselves in a way that very few other things can. But when your trip is over, and you’re on your way back home, it can feel like those memories are fading faster than your tan. You need a creative way to keep your inspirations safe, other than a Facebook album that you’ll hardly ever look at.
Create A Travel Scrapbook
Objects from abroad, even the most mundane of them, have the power to become charged with memories of things we have experienced, and can bring them to life in a more tangible way than a photograph on it’s own. Hold on to those train tickets, flyers, that menu from the great little bistro you discovered – and add them into a travel scrapbook or memory box. They might seem like insignificant travel detritus at the time, but give it a few weeks, when you’ve forgotten the name of that fascinating cocktail bar you whiled away your evenings in, and you’ll find them fascinating. There’s nothing like these small mementoes to make your day.
Shoot and Edit A Travelogue
One thing you don’t want to forget to pack on your travels is a decent backpacking camera – one which can shoot both still images and hi-res video. Having a few beautiful images that you can print out and frame is one thing, but how special would it be to have a video travelogue that you can revisit every time you’re missing those sun-kissed shores? A simple video editing programme will allow you to create polished short movies to keep and share without having to be a professional. There’s nothing like a timeline memory popping up featuring a video of you doing something unforgettable to really bring it back to life.
Create A Sensory Travel Playlist
Two of the most evocative senses we have are our hearing and our sense of smell, and you can tap into both to help you relive your travels after the fact. Creating a travel playlist before you fly not only really helps to get you in that excited state of anticipation, but it keeps you occupied on the flight. When you land, play your music while you’re on your travels. Try to discover new local artists from the country you’re visiting. It should be new tunes you have no previous association with. Then, when you get back, hearing your South Africa or Italian playlist will transport you right back there. The same concept goes for smell. This sense is especially powerful as it goes directly to the part of the brain connected to emotion. Try picking up a new scent in a market on your travels or even in the airport duty free, and wear it every day whilst you’re away. When you come back, one whiff of it and you’ll feel like you’re really back there if you close your eyes. This is a really fun way to keep a memory, and you’ll soon have a shelf full of different scents which can take you anywhere in the world with a single sniff!
