What Does An Unforgettable Trip Mean? A New Way Of Travel.

During my first trip to Paris, the taste of an éclair au café lingered in my mind. Similarly, in Okinawa, beniimo snacks left a lasting impression.

While traveling around Tuscany, the scent of the Eau de Toilette I wore brought back vivid memories. The touch of ancient ice in Iceland’s ice caves evokes a profound connection with the power of nature.

Have you noticed how certain smells, foods, or music evoke powerful memories from long ago? I will delve into the essence of unforgettable travel experiences and discover a deeper way of approaching your next adventure.

Five senses travel

As a passionate of deeper travel, I enjoy curating multisensory stories that capture the essence of each journey. According to Oxford University Professor Charles Spence, “engaging all the senses is key to creating lasting memories.”

Taking your time enables you to fully experience everything around you. Meaningful pictures evoke nostalgia for unforgettable moments. The sensory adventure can commence even before or without physical travel. Researching local cuisine, music, or aromas aids in discovering new places and cultures.

The sense of smell, the strongest among the five, triggers memories, particularly of places. Scientifically, scent directly activates the olfactory bulb. This bypasses other sensory connections, reaching brain regions for emotions and memories.

Dawn Goldworm, an olfactory expert, notes smell as fully developed before birth, peaking until age 10. She likens the nose to a muscle, trainable by consciously identifying scents. According to her, continuous use enhances its strength.

Make your trip memorable by engaging 5 senses

Ever wondered how to make a trip less boring? Try shifting your perspective into deeper travel:

• Embrace a curious mindset and be open to new experiences, stepping outside your comfort zone
• Conduct thorough research about the destination.
• Enjoy the moment more.
• Relive the memories and share them with others.

1. Discover the essence of the journey through travel experiences that engage the senses – examples.

# SIGHT – See the place from a different angle for a better view.

• Stare at the dazzling sun or a glacier tongue in Iceland. Observe the blue Supermoon from the High Line, Chelsea in New York.
• Go for hut to hut hiking trails in Patagonia to see stunning sunset views.
• Spot features that stand out in the physical appearance of locals. It might be a texture of people hair in Japan or a local street fashion or tattoos in Helsinki.
• Seek out breathtaking natural landscapes in famous destinations such as Barranco de las Vacas in Gran Canaria
• Check if you recognise any plant species on the living wall of Musée du Quai Branly (París)
• How amazing are the colours of fresh fruits or cut flowers on a local farmers’ market?
• Experience the lively atmosphere of the Fiesta de la Rama in Agaete, Gran Canaria
• Hike in Norwegian Fjords mountains and observe glassy waters creating an optical illusion
• Drive through Lærdalstunnelen, the longest tunnel of the world to see the blue lighting with yellow lights that give an impression of sunrise
• Embark on scenic drives along picturesque routes such as the illuminated Lærdal Tunnel in Norway

# SMELL – Let your nose guide you

• Humidity in the air in Thailand is surely what you won’t forget for a long time, try to sniff menthol Ya dom just as locals do.
• Enjoy the calming smell of campfire while staying outdoors.
• Capture the sulphur scent of Geysir or Gunnuhver mud pool
• Experience farm life and smell of harvest
• While foraging in Nordic countries, smell the wild mushrooms, leaves and flowers
• Join the tour in Klementinum, the National Library in Prague for the mushroomy scent of old books
• Visit in The Perfumer’s Garden (L’ATELIER DU PARFUMEUR) in Chateau de Versailles to smell the strongly scented flowers
• Smell the scent of mulled wine at the Christmas market in Cracow
• Visit niche perfume stores to find the decadent and unique scents
• Scent the distinct musty smell of the lava caves in James del Agua in Lanzarote

# TASTE and savour the world

• Don’t be afraid to try the most flavourful spices such as cumin, chilies, both green and red, and turmeric.
• Smell and taste. The combination of those two senses forms the overall “flavor” of an item. When we lack the sense of smell, we only perceive the fundamental tastes.
• Go to a local market to try candied fruits or regional cheese
• Order sarmale or supplì with a creamy handmade aioli in Rome while visiting the city. Have a famous maritozzo for breakfast.
• Visit the museum Fours des Soeurs Macarons in Nancy where Bergamot delicacies were produced by Lefevre – Lemoine company
• Join oilve-oil tasting in Dalmatia
• Drink Barraquito coffee in Canary Islands with local lemon zest

# TOUCH to remember

• Touch the harmless moon jellyfish when diving around Sicilly Isles in UK or sodalite rock in Namibian Kunene region
• Have a relax thermal bath in Saturnia, Italy
• Participate in hands-on workshops where you can learn traditional textile techniques such as weaving, knitting, or embroidery
• Basalt columns in Iceland are natural wonders that you should definately touch
• Take pottery classes to mold and shape clay with your hands.
• Velvety plant leaves or flower petals in a garden
• Jute bags spotted on a local market
• Picking grapes or olives
• Hug a tree unique for the region
• Experience the unique feeling when touching the ancient ice in Icelandic ice-caves
• Explore the varied textures of natural elements like smooth pebbles or soft moss under your fingertips
• Walk barefoot anywhere in Australia

# HEAR to listen to the sound of nature

• Before your trip, you can try to find local music and create playlists for various experiences such as: flying, driving, visit museums. It’s truly inspiring. Listening to Múm – Green grass of tunnel when flying to Iceland will always remind me about this trip.
• Hike through the acoustic RMK Pähni Nature Centre installation with wooden megaphones amplifying the sounds of surrounding nature. Visit the sound pavillion, Le Cylindre Sonore in Parisian Parc de la Villette.
• Experience the surrounding sound of birds during birdwatching in Swedish Tåkern Visitor Centre
• Listen to the sound of Perito Moreno Glacier crumbling into the water in Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina.
• Sleep under the stars and listen to the sounds of night
• Focus on the sound of water or frogs when you paddle
• Participate in the open-air theater performance in Teatro di Andromeda in Sicani mountains
• Try to recognise various accents and slangs when listening to people talking. Capture language sounds and tones unique for the local area.
• Explore local markets, listening to the lively chatter of vendors, the calls of street performers, and the sounds of bargaining and transactions taking place

2. Do a proper research about the destination.

• Remember that the destination does not have to be far away! It can be a microadventure just around a corner.
• The good starting point is to consider what you and your journey companions really like to do when travelling. What experiences give you joy? Think about sensory destinations with a good mix of natural beauty, culture, great food, and interesting architecture.
• Create a list of the experiences to appease your 5 senses.
• Explore your points of interest on Google Maps using the satellite view.
• Remember that not everything from your bucket list must be accomplished.
• Pack light to avoid stress at any step of the journey.
• Talk to people who are from the destination about the places worth visiting or activities. Get a new perspective from locals.
• When planning leave time for the unexpected. Unexpected might not be always positive in the moment but the joy can come later.

3. Enjoy the moment to the fullest.

• Remember that sometimes it’s good to be unproductive and take things slow. Disconnect and listen to the noises that usually escape notice.
• What is your reaction when you taste something for the first time? Do you close your eyes? Do you voice your pleasure? Write it down.
• Imagine how many senses you use when tasting chocolate? You smell the scent of aroma or other ingredients hear the chocolate cracking into pieces, you touch them with your tongue and feel them melting.
• Awake your inner child and touch everything.
• Look-up to see the beautiful rooftops, vertical gardens, green walls.
• Observe windows and doors – they might tell a lot of stories about the places and the local people.
• Talk to local people, ask them about local customs, celebrations, and curiosities.
• Celebrate the moment. Sunsets, sunrises, blue moons, solar eclipses.

4. Relive the memories by sharing travel experiences with others

• What are your fondest memorable holiday memories? Write a journal! How about a multisensory travel diary? You can paint, sketch on your journal pages. Why not gather significant tickets or business cards from your journey and affix them to your journal?
• Rogelio Puente-Diaz in his research says that there is a positive influence of recalling a gift that represented a meaningful moment on nostalgia.
• Pick authentic souvenirs related to your experiences. Ask locals what is really worth buying or taking with you. How about a postcard with your memories written down? Buy local spices or herbs know and bring them home and cook a dish you tasted during your trip. Maybe a food accessory typical for the area could be a good idea?
• Print a photo album with personalised descriptions, names, dates.
• Invite friends to cook together a dish you have tried during your recent travel.
• Think about some quotes on unforgettable trips to revive old memories and to get inspired for a new journey.

5. Don’t stop dreaming

• Create a dream-book somewhere, preferably write your dreams down instead of saving it in a digital format
• Share your dreams with your friends. Maybe they have already experienced it?
• Listen to the music while visualising your next adventure.
• Visit museums, exhibitions of the artists from your dream destinations or place.