The thrill of travel begins long before you leave, with the simple spark of what it would feel like to spend a few days somewhere. That feeling intensifies as you plan and anticipate the trip, and peaks while you’re there. What we don’t often realize is that with the right object, this sense of happiness can outlive the trip itself. Without one, it collapses within a week.

Studies have found that reminiscing and revisiting memories from a meaningful experience can still stir up all the original, positive emotions associated with it. It turns out, nostalgia is a powerful tool for boosting your mood. Like how a familiar scent or taste of something can instantly transport us back in time, so can a meaningful object.

Perhaps the most meaningful souvenirs we bring home from our travels are the memories we make while away. But that souvenir only lasts if the moments are documented and revisited in an intentional, tangible way.

We are the most photographed generation in human history. We take more photos on a single weekend away than our parents took in a year, but we don’t take time to preserve them the way our parents did. A camera roll is a record of what you saw, felt, and lived, but it is not a memory. The most vivid, textural memories form when we intentionally spend time with a physical record.

That record can take many shapes. For some, it’s a vacation photo book that tells the full story of the trip, from the first day to the last day. Maybe it’s a travel series, with books that act as a return ticket to every destination you’ve ever explored. For others it’s a piece of art or a framed print that keeps the adventure present rather than stashed away. Whatever form the record takes, the point is the same: When you choose to print or preserve something, you keep the memory closer.

Since revisiting objects and swapping stories with your travel companions are a crucial step in elongating your period of happiness, here are some of our go-to ideas for keeping the feeling alive:

• While on the plane or in the passenger seat on the way home, take a first pass at your photos from the trip. Tap the heart on the ones that stand out or take you back to the moments you already miss.
• Create a shared album that includes the people who made the journey with you. Sometimes they captured moments you didn’t and vice versa. This keeps the stories and connections fresh.
• Plan a way to preserve these moments. Maybe it’s simply creating a stack of photo prints and leaving them out on display. Maybe you’ve returned from the trip of a lifetime and want an heirloom-worthy travel photo book to commemorate it.
• If you grew up with scrapbooks or are looking for a creative outlet, try making a Junk Journal. This allows you to incorporate stickers, notes, and other mementos from the trip alongside your photos.
• Make a personalized zine and start a travel series, one for every journey you take.

Whatever you choose, treat these souvenirs as an extension of your travel plans and rituals. The tradition of reflecting will keep you more attuned to your core memories than a phone ever will.

These habits build more than an archive you’ll store away or pass down. They keep your favorite adventures within arm’s reach and weave them into your everyday life, now. Your creations will become your living record, a wealth of stories to retell, leave out, and look back on.