Looking back on over a decade of travel and six
years of blogging, I have realized that
I'm doing something right. The way I record and archive my adventures is the
perfect technique for me. This methods helps me remember what I want to
remember, and gives me a permanent record of everything I have done and
experienced so that I can refer to it for accuracy way down the line.
I think I first realized how special my method was
when my bus broke down in Malaysia. The drive hustled all us passengers into a McDonalds
jut outside Kuala Lumpur, and there I sat for four hours talking to a young
British couple who were also backpacking around SE Asia. Whereas our journey
was just beginning, theirs was coming to a close. Over ten countries in 8
months, including a short working holiday in Australia. They must have had
stories to tell. The problem was, they could hardly remember anything they did.
They forgot how many countries they saw or how long they were in each place, or
whether a certain event took place in one country or another.
“You know, after eight months,” the guy said, “it
all just starts to blur together.”
I was horrified.
Here you spend thousands of dollars (or pounds) on
the trip of a lifetime and you can’t even keep your memories. What good is it then,
if it all just blurs together? I realized that this has been my greatest fear.
I am an experience collector, and if I can’t remember my own experiences then
what’s the point.
This was not the beginning of my archiving, I had
been doing it for years since I went to Hong Kong in 2007, but this was the
moment I realized how special it was. So
here it is:
The 3 archiving techniques I
will always do on trips
1.
Record
every expense
First, I need to know if
I am meeting or exceeding my budget. This is very important so that I can
maintain comfort and ease on the present trip, but also so that I can plan for
the future. It’s also good to know where I splurge and where I save, because
that shows me what is important to myself. For instance, I will always pay more
for comfortable accommodations, because those influence the entire trip to me.
But I don’t need to buy a lot of souvenirs or visit expensive amusement parks.
2.
Record
every activity I do each day
This doesn’t include repetitive
tasks like brushing teeth and showering or packing. This is meant to include
the cafes restaurant, sights, or people I visit. It also includes long
activities that take more than one hour, for instance, reading at home. I also
generally don’t record commute time unless it is greater than an hour. I go record the times I wake up and go to bed,
and naps longer than an hour. This isn’t meant to be obsessive, but it is a
very revealing piece of information. It shows me what I generally like and how
I prefer to spend my time when traveling. This helps me set reasonable
expectations for the next time I travel, so I don’t overbook myself or get
bored. This log is not in narrative form, it is usually just a bulleted list
with activities and times.
3. Journal as often as
possible
You might say, with a
record of everything I do, why would I need to journal? But there is a
fundamental difference between journaling and recording. While the above
mentioned is a list of activities, the journal holds my thoughts, feelings, and meaningful observations. The journal
assigns value to those activates. The journal is how I know whether I enjoyed
myself or not. I don’t need to repeat the activities involved in the day unless
I am adding details – remember, I can always reference activity log for recap.
I also don't’ need to analyze my thoughts or feelings unless I am somehow compelled
to do so. Because of my journal, I will also know that I had my first travel
breakdown in Hua Hin, Thailand. Or that every single day I wrote at the XinDIan
Starbucks in Taipei I loved every moment of my time there. These thoughts and
feelings are an important element to your story, and you need a way to preserve
them.
There are so many advantages to archiving this way. This methods
helps you remember your story, and provides detail and evidence for you to
share. Don’t rely on your faulty memory and turn your greatest moments into a
blur. Preserve them in all their richness for years to come.
