My Three Travel Traditions

Matt visiting Dubrovnik, June 2021

​I love creating new traditions, so when I first started traveling, I came up with three ways to create lasting memories from my traveling endeavors.
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Travel Tradition No. 1: Save a Bill
Whenever I am traveling, I always keep the lowest denomination paper currency and take it home with me. One day, I found a double-sided clear frame and decided to get crafty. I laid the bills I had collected throughout my travels inside the frame and hung it on my wall. If you visit my home, you can take it off the wall and check out the backside of the bills too! It’s a super simple and fun way to remember your trip.

Travel Tradition No. 2: Discover New Music
When I travel, I appreciate listening to local music, so when I hear a song I like, I purchase one of the musician’s albums. I try to find contemporary, classic and traditional folk music. When friends visit me, we'll talk about my travels, eat some traditional foods from the place I visited and play music from the area to set the mood. Collecting music is a fantastic travel tradition!
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Travel Tradition No. 3: Buy Art
​I'm not looking for anything fancy. In fact, I typically prefer something sold by local street artists. I've purchased small sculptures, ceramics, freshly created paintings and wooden carvings during my travels. Whenever I look at a piece of art I've brought back home, it reminds me of where I was, the person who created it and how I felt at the time.
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Consider implementing these three travel traditions or start your own traditions the next time you travel. Creating traditions is a terrific way to build long-lasting memories and makes it easier to take a trip down memory lane.