The Little Things Might Just Be the Best Things

When traveling, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to see as much as possible, especially big tourist attractions you’ve grown up hearing about and can’t wait to see for yourself. Seeing Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower was awesome, but some of my best travel memories so far are the spontaneous, little things I’ve done in different places.

I’m always going to remember seeing the castle in Edinburgh for the first time, and how beautiful it was with the sun setting behind it, but I’ll also remember the picnic dinner I had with my best friend in our hotel room the last night we were there after a long day of walking and sightseeing. When I think of London, I’ll think about going there the weekend before my birthday, getting cupcakes in King’s Cross Station, and eating them outside The British Library. When I think about going to Bath, I’ll remember seeing the Roman Baths, but also going to The Fashion Museum and trying on Victorian-era clothing, laughing at how I looked, and marveling at how people dressed like that every day.

It’s easy to go somewhere and do the things you’ve established that you want to do. You can make a schedule, print out a map, and set on your way. But the little, unexpected things that you end up doing can make some of the best memories—memories that are special to you and the people with whom you experienced them. Seeing the famous sights is great, and it’s something I’ll definitely treasure for the rest of my life, but I know that the little moments are even more special because they aren’t shared with thousands of other people. Those little moments belong only to me and the people I was with. And that’s pretty magical.

I know it’s cheesy, but it really is the little things in life that make an already awesome experience even more special. We don’t have much time left in our Harlaxton adventure, so do all you can with the time you have, make every moment count, and realize that sometimes the smallest things will become your favorite memories of a place.

Written by: Ashley Marshall