I love to travel, not only because of the in-the-moment excitement and experiences that it brings, but also because of the treasure trove of memories that live on afterwards. Keep scrolling for my personal secrets to savoring the memories I make!

☆ SHOP THE LOOK ☆

Graphic Tee / Cardigan / Pants / Glasses / Plumping Lip Cream / Bridgewater Weekend Getaway candle (18 oz available here, 8 oz available here)

Hot Pink Cardigan (in suitcase) / Blue Sweater (in suitcase) / Leopard Handbag (in suitcase)

1. SIGHT

What better way to capture your memories than with photos and videos?! There’s something so sentimental about looking back on photos that don’t make it on the gram, or homemade videos that’ll never see the light of day. It’s just so personal and special! No fancy camera needed...just your phone! I oftentimes piece together a vlog-like video using an app called Videoshop. You can put video clips together, edit them, add music and create your own little movie from your trip! See one I shared from Malibu here.

2. SOUND

I love creating a music playlist for each trip I take. I listen to it on the airplane, in my hotel room, driving here and there...over and over again. It’s usually a specific genre or theme that reminds me of the geographic location I’m visiting. PRO TIP: Use one of your most-played songs from your trip in your homemade video!

3. SCENTS

This one is my favorite! It’s no surprise that scents trigger memories and oftentimes emotional responses, right?! Just think about it…the smell of rain approaching, your mom’s signature perfume, your grandmother’s extra strong hold hairspray, a fresh box of crayons, or even fresh lillies (my favorite). Disney knows this well! Did you know they pump individual scents into the streets, rides and resorts on their properties? Whenever I come across a similar smell, I’m always taken back to another time and place at the happiest place on earth. 🙂

I love associating a new fragrance with the trips I take, especially if the location is special to me. Whether it’s a new lotion, perfume (travel-size rollerballs are perfect for this), or candle, I really go overboard on the trip to build up that association. 😂 Seriously, though! Then whenever I smell the fragrance later on, I’m instantly transported to the trip.

Bridgewater’s “Weekend Getaway” candle is my Nashville fall scent. Herbal bay leaf and freshly-harvested pine, with trails of spicy clove bud and Siberian Fir root…can you say woodsy wonder??! It’s literally fall in candle form. 😍 With Nashville’s dramatic season changes (which I love so much and also which, ehh-umm, we don’t have in Dallas), sweater weather, backyard dinners, bonfires...I’m here for the fall feels while savoring the special memories with my Weekend Getaway scent! (18 oz available here, 8 oz available here)

I’m hosting a $100 giveaway on my Instagram feed (begins October 18, 2018 at 8:30 PM CST and ends October 21, 2018 at 11:59 PM CST)…enter to win and get some new scents to associate with new memories. I loaded up with a few extra candles to give away as gifts this season! My “Weekend Getaway” candle is inspiring me to plan another trip, so something tells me you’ll be seeing more of me in Nashville!

An added bonus to Bridgewater candles is that every candle jar purchased provides 3 meals to an orphaned child overseas through the company's Light a Candle Feed a Child program. How awesome is that?! You can check out more details on that program here.

It’s been said that memory is the diary that we all carry about with us (Oscar Wilde).

One memory triggers another until they form a continuum we call history. Someday I’ll tell my travel stories to my children and hopefully even take them to all my special places to experience the same sights, sounds and scents that have been woven into the tapestry of my life. I’ll be able to tell them of faraway places...of sunsets, of sounds, of friends, of foods and flavors and textures, of feelings…the whole experience wrapped up in the senses. And the diary of my life will become theirs. Sights...sounds...scents...these are my secrets to savoring those special travel memories.

☆ Special thanks to Bridgwater Candle Company for sponsoring this post! All opinions are 100% my own. ☆

Photos by: Alma Heirlooms

If you enjoyed this post, pin it on Pinterest! It really helps more people find my blog. Just hover over the image below and click "PIN" in the top left corner! Thanks so much for your support. xo, Jess