Critic
An Easy Way To Remember the High Point of Any Trip? Set It To Music
You don’t need expensive gear to conjure an unforgettable experience. “Song souvenirs” can stay with you long after your journey’s over.
Illustration: Marc Majewski
I was watching zebras drink from a watering hole in the Rwandan wilderness when I turned to my safari guide and asked him to play me his favorite song.
Wherever I go, I collect “song souvenirs.” On one level, it’s an easy way to find common ground with people from other places, but the practice also never fails to firmly embed a place in my mind. Science backs me up, too: A 2015 study published in the neurology journal Brain found that musical memories are so strong, they can even be preserved in patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease.