It’s a question we all think about – how can we create lasting memories? I was recently introduced to Chip Heath through a Goop podcast interview. He is a professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, and his latest book is The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact. He spoke about why we remember certain things and not others, what makes a good memory, why it’s important to celebrate, and how to make vacations, work experiences, and time with our family more impactful.

The book explores why certain brief experiences can jolt, elevate, and change us—and how we can learn to create extraordinary moments in our life. While our lives are endlessly variable, our most memorable positive moments are dominated by four elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection. If we embrace these elements, we can conjure more moments that matter.

Heath’s podcast and his concept of the power of moments really stuck with me. I’ve found myself reflecting on childhood memories, and thinking of how I can create meaningful, memorable moments for my family. Travel creates a storehouse of moments. And when planning a special trip – the more goodness we can create in that event the better.

What childhood memories pop into your head? I can’t remember any of the gifts, but I sure can remember moments from every trip. What comes to my mind first is a Florida vacation with my grandparents (aka Pa and Ma) – I have vivid memories of riding Space Mountain, eating cheesecake for breakfast, collecting shells at the beach and “feeding” the seagulls (as in Pa putting bread on my head amongst a swirling flock of seagulls).

Now that my girls Reese and Laine are older (20 and 17), our time with them is limited. We are squeezing in vacations between varying school schedules, jobs, sorority functions, and this list goes on. It’s all making me super intentional about building more hooks to memory.

Whether planning travel for family or clients, creating memories is at the foundation. How can I elevate the experience? How can the experience build connections? The first step is to uncover your vision for the perfect trip. This stage is more about why you want to travel, than where. What types of stories would you love to share when you come home?

Many of the defining moments in our lives are the result of accident or luck—but we have the power to create many of our most meaningful, memorable moments. As you look ahead to 2019, what type of extraordinary moments would you like to create?