09/09/2026
When someone asks about your vacation, what memories do you share with them?
What you saw, obviously--the gorgeous drive that led you you to the cabin, the breathtaking view from the porch, the bald eagle sighting that stopped you dead in your tracks.
Maybe you also share something about the sounds you heard (the rolling waves singing you to sleep), the tastes you enjoyed (mmm, that barbecue from ), or even the new touch sensations you encountered (the delicate skin of a ripe thimbleberry, the warm sand after a dip in the chilly lake).
But what about the smells of vacation?
The brain's scent receptors are the closest to the center of memory and emotion. This makes smell extremely powerful for recalling an experience and reliving the way it made you feel.
Memories like:
Camp coffee burbling in an ancient stovetop percolator.
The cedar-scented mist that wraps around you as you step out onto the front porch.
The scent of a neighbor’s barbecue. (Mmm, time to make friends!)
The aroma of your lake-cold skin baking under the afternoon sun.
The scent of dry pine needles crushed under your hiking boots.
The sour taste of your sweetie’s kiss when they wake you up from an afternoon nap. (Somebody kicked off happy hour early!)
The unforgettable scent of local birch and maple sending up sparks from the fire pit.
What are some of your favorite scent memories from vacation?
