Whenever you travel to a new location everything seems so fascinating. On those occasions, some things are obvious for travelers to do—tour the major sites, take lots of pictures of everything, try the local foods. However, sometimes the details of the experience can be lost over time if your memory begins to fail you and all you have left are pictures of the experience. Traveling is an experience that requires all the senses—sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste. Using some of these tips can ensure you'll never forget what the TOTAL experience.
1. Journal
Write it all down. In nitty-gritty detail. Remember the feeling, describe the smell, how did your eyes perceive that experience? What was so amazing about it? Though many people may travel without thinking to do this, taking 20 mins every night after spending a day out can really bring your recollection of the experience to life.
2. Collect hand-crafted souvenirs
Everyone collects the standard keychain or postcard when visiting somewhere new. However, especially when traveling to a foreign country, sometimes purchasing a souvenir that was handcrafted or something unique to the country could be a better memento of all the things you learned. In a world where things are increasingly mass produced on an assembly line, handcrafted items are few and far between.
3. Keep at least one foreign bill
This applies more so when traveling out of the US. However, pressing that foreign bill within the pages of your new travel journal is a great way to learn and understand the economic interaction and the disparities of countries around the world. Not only could it serve as a reminder of how different commerce works outside of your country, but it could even help educate you on how exchange rates work and what that means for the economy of that country as opposed to yours.
The goal of every traveling experience is to learn something new. The best way to accomplish that is to purposely place yourself in the position to do just that. Do the unconventional and the experience will become that much more enriching.
