Travel Traditions

Hello all! I came up with the idea for this post a few weeks ago, and after trying to make an accompanying Pinterest Board, I see there is a need for it. Today's post is about Travel Traditions or things you can do on every trip to make them more memorable and fun.

There are plenty of reasons to start a travel tradition and your reasons may be different from the ones I suggest, but either way I think starting your own traditions are important.

Reasons You May Want to Start a Travel Tradition:
1. For superstitious reasons. If there is something you do for good luck on a regular basis, why not tie it in to your travels? If you have a lucky shirt, wear it. If you have a lucky penny, pack it.
2. For posterity. Start a tradition in your family, or continue one, re-making photos similar to ones your parents, grandparents or other family members made. For example, my Mom remembers a photo she took on a high school trip to Puerto Rico with her and her friends sitting on a wall overlooking the ocean. When we visited Puerto Rico when I was in high school, we attempted to re-create the same photo. If there is no photo to recreate, simply revisiting a place that holds significance to you and your family can be a new tradition.
3. For consistency. Similarly, I have a photo of me sitting in the same spot in the Roman Bath House in Bath, UK from each year I visited. It's a fun way to see how much you've grown and changed over the years.
4. For memories. Create new memories with each travel tradition.

Okay, that sounds good. But what kind of tradition should I start?

My Traditions:
I try to buy a piece of jewelry, clothing or other notable souvenir from every place I visit. If you are a collector of a particular object, try to find one on every trip. Other objects you can collect include sand, rocks, water, I've even heard of people collecting air from around the world. Not only will you be reminded of the trip whenever you see these items, but they can be good conversation starters as well.

I like to try new dishes that are staples of that country or city whenever I visit somewhere new. I am somewhat limited as a vegetarian, but I am usually willing to try any new meat-free dish that comes my way.

Catching a performance in a new place can be exciting too. I like to try to see a play, musical performance or even take a few moments to watch a street performer when I visit somewhere new.

What Else?
If you don't like those, I took some time to brainstorm and came up with more ideas, some of which I may start doing myself.

• Take a photo of yourself and travel partners before and after your trip. See if you notice any differences in your demeanor and confidence caught on film.
• If you have a favorite pose or picture you like to take, try to take one everywhere you go. 
• As mentioned above, you can recreate photos from your own family or famous photos from the past. 
• If you're a shutterbug and like taking interesting and unique photos, try putting a spin on typical tourist photos by looking for new perspectives. Get creative!

  

  Traveling is all about looking at things from
  a new perspective.

• Check out a sporting event.
• Buy original artwork from a street vendor.
• Chat with the locals.
• Sketch.
• Write a poem.
• Bring home a newspaper or book written in a different language.
• Try something new. Whether it's a zipline, a signature dish or drink, or anything else out of your comfort zone, give it a shot while you have the chance.
• Try something you already like to do in new places. If you're outdoorsy, visit a park or go on a hike. If you're artsy, visit a museum, gallery or a place that inspired your favorite piece of art. Whatever it is you're into, go find it!

Your Turn:
Do you have a travel tradition? There are plenty more than the ones I could come up with, so please share your ideas in the comments!

Before we get to the Fun Fact and Pinterest Boards, I have some exciting news! My Contiki tour guide from my trip two years ago and good friend, Ben, has launched his own business called Ever Thought of Trying! Ever Thought of Trying is a new way to travel by immersing yourself in a culture while learning something new. If you've always wanted to learn to cook in Italy or surf in France, Ever Thought of Trying is the place to start. I also wrote a few posts for the blog launching soon, so look out for those too!

You can check out the Pinterest board for this post, however it is disappointingly small this time. Hopefully I can inspire more traditions so I will have more pins to add to it! I also started a new Wanderlust board that I will be constantly adding to with beautiful and awe-inspiring travel photos.

And lastly, your Fun Fact today has nothing to do with anything I've mentioned but I learned it while watching my new favorite show, Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan on BBC America. Dom told me (just me, because in my mind we're best friends now) that the gender of a baby crocodile is determined by the temperature of the eggs in the nest. Low temperatures, from 82 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit or 28 to 30 Celsius will produce female crocodiles, while hotter temperatures, up to 94 degrees Fahrenheit or 34 Celsius, produce males. So you can stick that in your top pocket, as he says.

Thanks for reading everyone and don't forget to check out Ever Thought of Trying!
-Sam