What Travel Memories Reveal About Your Next Adventure
“It is not the destination where you end up... but the mishaps and memories you create along the way.”
Why certain journeys stay with us forever
Sometimes the journeys that shape us most aren’t the ones we remember clearly.
They’re the ones we remember emotionally.
I moved around a lot growing up. I have a vivid memory from the summer I was 10, when my father took a job in London, England. My Dad went overseas a few weeks before the rest of the family to get settled. This particular memory starts with our arrival from Canada, knackered with jet lag, arriving at our new home. I had been bombarded with so many new things that day from cars on the right, to the cage-like elevator, to the way the toilet flushed! It must have been early evening because my Dad said that we needed to stay awake and we were going out to explore the city. It was dark and rainy and we set out into the city by foot.
Oddly, I don’t remember where we went. I don’t remember what we saw.
But I remember exactly how it felt.
The mix of exhaustion, curiosity, uncertainty, and wonder imprinted something in me. Even now, decades later, I still chase that feeling.
Looking back, I suspect that moment helped shape not just my love of travel, but my understanding that travel is often less about where we go and more about how a journey makes us feel.
When did you first become aware of your desire to travel?
How old were you?
What was happening in your life?
Were there books or movies that flicked the travel switch?
Did you learn something particularly intriguing in a history class?
Have you had role models in your life that shared their travel stories?
Did you have some travel-related experiences in childhood or in your youth that laid a foundation for your wanderlust?
There is some evidence of a wanderlust gene and the science of epigenetics suggests that early experiences can change or amplify the expression of a gene. One of the experiences you associate with the origin of your wanderlust may have flipped some genetic switch! For me, I suspect my wanderlust became my reality and part of my personality when I was ten. Whether or not I have the gene, my early experiences living in another country turned a curiosity about the world into a full-fledged love affair with travel.
What gives you wanderlust?
Travel can be a living laboratory for self-discovery.
Each trip, each memory, and each longing leaves clues about what energizes, grounds, or transforms us. Like any meaningful experiment, travel involves curiosity, observation, and a willingness to test what works.
What happens when you travel solo instead of with others?
What happens when you slow down instead of rushing?
What happens when you choose comfort… or stretch beyond it?
Seeking aha’s and new insights about your travel desires is similar. What happens if we go somewhere in a new way or if we travel somewhere familiar but go alone? What about going at sunrise? Sunset? Middle of the night? Avoid uninformed guesses and unwanted results with scattered attempts to concoct your travel bug tonic. Instead, learn about your travelling self a bit more methodically, like a scientist, to discover the properties of various travel ingredients that work for you.
Learn from your travel memories
History is jam-packed with lessons and insights that are relevant today. This relates to humanity in general but also to our own personal journeys through life.
Look back so that your view forward is clearer.
Start with the art of reflective reminiscing
How many times have you read or been told that the answer lies within? Our travel memories are histories that hold the signposts for whatever we are challenged with. It affords us an opportunity to gain a better understanding of connections between the past and present as we envision the future. Simple but not easy! Through a structured exploration of our wanderlust, we get to focus on the experiences that connect us to feelings we love and that make us feel alive and connected.
It starts with reminiscing or thinking nostalgically, but it also requires a healthy dose of reflection to learn from those past experiences.
It's good for you!
One study suggests that when we are stressed, our brains are wired to automatically and unconsciously become nostalgic to bolster our mood. Nostalgia and the process of reminiscing connect us to our past selves and to lives well-lived.
Reminiscing is also good for your brain! Studies in the elderly (hey, I’m not there yet, but will be!) show it boosts memory, helps self-discovery, releases stress, strengthens bonds, and reduces boredom and loneliness. Some of these very benefits are all part of the special sauce that we seek in our travel bliss: growth, connection, novelty and even escape!
But like all things, don’t overdo a good thing, or it becomes unhealthy. Obsessive and escapist reminiscing are harmful, just as dwelling on the negative or exaggerating the positive of the past isn’t helpful.
The past is like using your rearview mirror in your car - it's good to glance back and see how far you’ve come; but if you stare too long, you’ll miss what’s right in front of you.
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8 Ways to rekindle your travel memories
Check out the full post on these 8 ways to relive your travel memories and download the accompanying worksheet designed to help make sense of it all! And have fun with this good-for-you activity of travel reminiscing and reflection.
Photo Albums
Journals
Digital Photo files
Stories
Souvenirs
Span your travel timeline
Food and Drink
Movies & books
What calls you to travel is rarely just about the destination.
It’s often a mix of longing, emotion, memory, curiosity, and possibility.
Your travel memories are more than nostalgia. They’re clues.
They reveal what lights you up, what restores you, and what kind of journey your heart may be longing for next.
The question isn’t just “Where should I go?”
It might be:
“What do I need most right now, and what kind of journey could help me find it?”
If your memories are pointing toward something different, but you’re unsure what kind of journey would support you most right now, I created a Travel Quiz to help.
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