Digital Souvenirs

We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun. - A.A Milne “Winnie the Pooh”

My trip through Southeast Asia has been one of my most memorable trips ever. But it wasn’t the sights of ancient temples or the sounds of a bustling weekend market that truly made it memorable. It was the people that I met along the way and their unique personalities that I had the privilege in getting to know. My conversations with them were more than just the basic interrogation of where they were from and why they were travelling. It was truly a connection between two souls through the interaction of sharing our unique stories with one another. Eventually, the time to part ways would arrive, so what could I keep as a memento to remember them by? Carrying space comes at a premium for a backpacker, so I needed to be mindful of what I chose to bring with me. Luckily, the advent of social media has allowed me to keep a souvenir that backpackers just 10 years ago weren’t able to do. Friend requests. Like digital trading cards, I would often look at how many I’ve accumulated throughout the journey thus far. The idea of social media is to bring people together is it not? It was a way to forever keep them in my heart and mind, at least in a digital representation of the memories that we once shared together. How is this any different than back at home? It is not uncommon for me to ask someone at a social function if I can get their Facebook or Instagram contacts. An automatic reflex that has been ingrained in me now through years of repetition I guess. Yet this seemed different somehow and after some reflection I realized something. It was if I was subconsciously asking them if I could continue travelling with them even if it was in spirit. A personal connection partially transposed into a digital one. Although I’m back at home now, I look at the pictures and stories of the people I’ve met that are still on their journey and feel like I’m right there on the road with them.