Memory kit for a traveler

Sunset, June, 1989

Part of the fun of a big trip is anticipation, but recollection can be just as pleasurable. Equipping yourself or a traveler friend with materials to document a trip could add an extra dimension to the experience. A miniature cassette recorder the kind offered to students in college bookstores ($35 to $75) makes a convenient aidememoire. In addition, buy batteries, several blank tapes, and an envelope-style portfolio (sold in art supply stores for $10 to $18) with blank pages for photographs and annotations.

When the traveler returns and film is processed, observations recorded on cassettes during the trip become the basis for a developed diary--supplemented by photographs, maps, postcards, menus, ticket stubs, or other souvenirs collected en route.