A new research in the UK reveals that travel memories are key when it comes to shaping our personality. Commissioned by Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), the GfK survey examined the extent in which our travel experiences are embedded in our memories, how they differ from other memories and how they influence people. More than 40% of Brits said that they have already been on a journey that has changed them, around 20% of British holiday makers picked up a new hobby after traveling and nearly 15% started exercising after returning home.
“Travel and our travel memories have the power to shape our personality,” explains Professor Jäncke. “We are what we remember, or, more precisely – we are what we remember about ourselves,” the scientist says. “The information stored in our memory spans the whole range of our personal experiences. Holiday and travel memories take a prioritised position within this realm of experiences, which is why they are major pillars of our personality.”
In addition, more than 80% of British people wish they were able to relive a particularly happy travel experience and cherish their travel memories, with nearly 50% of those in the survey stating they would not delete their holiday photos for all the money in the world.
Travel memories last more than we think
However, it seems that 67.3% of Brits record their travel memories using their mobile phone or camera because they are worried that they might otherwise forget them – thus trusting their smartphone more than their own memories. Detailed travel memories are stored as a kind of multisensory mosaic comprising various sensory impressions, with nearly 65% of Brits stating that it’s the images of their travels that they remember the best.
Here are the results from the research in a nutshell:
- 64.5% of Brits primarily remember their travels through pictures
- 51.2% associate their most treasured travel memories with the landscapes and natural surroundings they saw
- 40.3% have been on a journey that has changed them
- 67.3% of Brits record their travel memories using their mobile phone or camera for fear of forgetting them
- 18.1% of British holidaymakers picked up a new hobby after travelling
- 14.8% of Brits started exercising after returning home from a trip