The little things.

(With respect to Seth Godin and the Free Prize).

What do you remember when you travel?

Is it the technology? How does that canister stay in the sky so long?

Is it the destination? Did we say Melbourne Florida or Melbourne Australia?

Is it the people you meet? Honey who was that guy at the bar?

Do you studiously record your time via digital technology or do you close your eyes and remember?

The littlest of things that in the end, stay the longest, often cost the least.

I remember the first time I entered a great European patisserie. The smell of freshly baked bread can transport me back immediately.

The first time I stood still with my eyes closed in Times Square to feel the pulse of a real city. The tropical heat and the aromas coming from a hawker’s stand, the first time I visited Thailand. The spiritual feeling felt deep in a valley on Maui or on the high desert in Santa Fe. Walking down a street and recognising it from one of my favourite movies. Seeing the joy on little kids faces peeking at Christmas windows with snow flurries all around. The surprise upgrade and even the heavenly bed at a Westin hotel. Enjoying the look on the faces of your family, as you arrive through customs from a long overseas trip.

They can all add up to a lifetime.

Travel has always been more than the standard 2 or 4 weeks holiday.

If I added up all the little things I remember, I have only one wish, that they remain intact forever.

Memory is perfume for the soul.