I remember as if it was yesterday's time swimming with dolphins in the wild as they flipped and twisted playfully around me — an experience, so incredible, that it was impossible for it to not leave a permanent mark on me. But I remember just as clearly my childhood days of feeding pigeons at Trafalgar Square with my parents, an activity that seems fairly pedestrian in comparison. Yet, there's an inherent quality about travel that sparks core memories within us and stays ignited forever. As we travel, the memories of each trip fade as soon as we return to the comforts of home, but some inexplicably do not and stay alive in our hearts forever, shaping who we become as people.

There are many sources of core memories, but for me, 3 stand out above all others. Love, Learning and Life Experiences. Love explains why I remember the simple act of feeding pigeons because the act of being with a loving family was what made it special. While less spontaneous than love, learning is no less important, especially during our formative years. Life Experiences, on the other hand, are the hardest to plan, but when they come concurrently, they stay with us for life.

Love

Whether familial or romantic, love and travel are a match made in heaven. Some of our favourite trips are multigenerational retreats designed to foster bonding and closeness.

For romance, our newly published honeymoon hotlist is a curated list of some of our favourite one-in-a-lifetime properties for newlyweds to make memories that will last a lifetime and lay the foundation for years of togetherness. From the world's most lavish private islands to palaces fit for princesses, it's the perfect way to create memories.

Learning

We're seeing more and more parents using travel as an educative experience. From fostering curiosity about marine life in the Maldives to learning about ancient history in Egypt and junior ranger experiences across multiple national parks — the possibilities are endless.

One of the leaders of travel-based learning has always been Soneva, who's recently launched Soneva Academy and takes travel learning further than ever before. We sat down with Den Manager, Ms. Stacy Bachan, to get a more detailed insight into how they create learning via travel.  

Life Experiences

The hardest category to define, yet arguably the most incredible. It could be as simple as the first taste of gelato on a journey across Italy or as inexplicable as the northern lights, but it's something that stays with you.

This episode features a range of incredible destinations, fit for creating true life experiences, ranging from culturally unique life in Japan to one of the ultimate bucket list destinations, the Amazon. 

So this month, our focus is to help our members reflect on the power of travel to enhance their lives and build a treasure of core memories that you can carry from place to place. Let us remember that it's not only the places we visit but the memories we create that make our journey truly extraordinary. Travel, in its diverse manifestations, perpetually moulds us, imprinting our hearts and souls with experiences that last a lifetime; you just have to embrace it!