How To Remember Your Travel Experiences

You know the idiom that pictures say a thousands words?  That may hold true for those exact moments you happened to capture in a photograph, but what about all of those other moments that occurred in between?  Like many, I seem to be able to recall a lot of "useful" information, if you know what I mean.  To help myself remember the finer details, I've picked up a few tips.

1. Photography

With that prelude I bet you didn't think you'd see photography here, did you?  Aside from the obvious fact that photos are a great way to visually recount all of the adventures and fun on your travels, don't forget to take pictures of the "boring" things, too.  By that I mean take photos of the welcome signs to museums or natural sites so that when you go through your photos you'll know which ones you'll be looking through next.  Take photos of informative plaques or signs so that you can re-read them if you need to remember a factoid after your vacation is over.  I've found this particularly useful when recounting my time spent at Tiwanaku.

2. Journal

I started keeping a travel journal about three years ago during our trip to western Canada.  It's best to sit down at the end of each day and recount what you saw and did that day and even how you felt about museums, the city, restaurants, etc.  I'll be the first to admit that I'll get lazy at times and will forego writing down the day's details, but I always kick myself for it later.  The more details you can capture in your journal, the better, which will be especially helpful if you plan to write more about it later (like on a travel blog!).

3. Maps and brochures

Though most of us are fairly well connected to the internet these days, take advantage of city maps and museum brochures that many places often have for free.  Sometimes you'll have to pay a small fee for an informative brochure, but I found it useful for recounting interesting facts when I visited Pompeii and Paestum.

4. Relax

As helpful as technology is in allowing us to remember the finer details, don't forget to slow down and put the camera away for a minute to connect with your surroundings and enjoy the moment.  Have dinner by the water or gelato by a fountain.  Being able to associate a place with emotions and taking the time to soak it all in (instead of bustling about all of the time) is also a good method to help you retain and recall your thoughts and experiences about your vacation.

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