3 pillars of memorable travel

IMAGE CREDIT TO ROD FIELD.

Travel moves in trends, and in a world as well connected as the one we have today, often our style of travelling is influenced by what we read or watch online. I have nothing against this, if you’re reading this, then that’s what you’re doing right now. Often though, we see travel trends take over and we end up visiting these places like a museum full of things to look at and photograph, opposed to a space in the world to experience.

1 WHERE DO YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO GO?

Ask yourself this question: if you couldn’t take a single photo or tell anyone about your trip… where would you go and what would you do? In 2024, that seems WILD. No photos? No social media updates? No recommendations for friend when you get home? Imagine a trip without any of that. Firstly, where would you want go? And secondly, what would you want to do? I can think of three examples for myself.

• I’d want to go to Taiwan and do a mix of city exploring (eating all the street food) and laying on a beach in the tropical heat.

• I’d want to go to Japan in the summer and go camping in their National Parks.

• I’d want to go to Alaska in the winter and ski and drive dog sled.

2 ROUTINE

The second pillar of memorable travel is routine. It makes such a huge difference to your trip when you consider your daily routine at home, and figure out how you will enhance that on your trip. If you’re an early bird, then it’s worth researching what is open early in the morning and what activities you can do then. If you love to cook, then look for accomodation with a kitchen. If you like to explore during the day and spend nights at home, then make sure the place you’re staying has ample couch space to relax on at night. It’s also worth noting that there will be some elements of your routine that will be simply unavailable in certain destinations. Do you love to eat breakfast out? Don’t expect that in a city like Tokyo, where the average opening time is 10am and most things don’t close until 9pm. The art of memorable travel is figuring out what you can blend into a new culture while you’re there, and what you can try that’s new to you.

3 CULTURE RESEARCH > TRAVEL BLOG RESEARCH

I think is one of the most underrated elements of traveling. With the insane popularity of travel blogging, it can be so easy to read lots of articles on foreigner’s experiences in different places, what there is to do and the best places to eat. Rarely do we seek out advice from locals, it’s harder to find! Don’t forget to research the culture you’re entering into. As travellers, we can at times seem to think we’re entitled to everyone understanding us and being happy with what we’re doing. We often find ourselves in an echo chamber of what we all told each other about another country, without stepping back to understand the culture. If place you’re visiting is beautiful, it’s that way because of the locals that have looked after it for so long. If the food tastes great its because the people cooking it are passionate about their culture and allowing others to experience it through their food. That’s the beauty of travelling. Morphing yourself into a version of you, that seamlessly slips into this new world you’ve found yourself in.

Where would you go if nobody was watching?

Alexa xx