Prague 1 - Prada 0

See! Even science is backing me up! According to a recent study of lasting happiness showed that experiences offer a higher level of satisfaction over time with an experience as opposed to a purchase. This was mainly because, it seems, that the glitz of a new car or new toy diminishes over time as one sees it every day, but the joy in relating tales of an experience don't diminish because they usually involve other people and you have to actually retell the story of your experience. This way, you relive it over and over. Of course, this probably rings true for bad experiences so just don't tell those stories!

When people have asked me in the past why I travel so much and make it such a priority in my life I always tell them this: Someday, when I'm old and grey, someone could come and take all my worldly possessions and it would seem that I would be left with nothing. But no one will ever be able to take my memories away from me. That is why I travel. A shirt or a pair of shoes may bring you happiness now, but when you're lying on your deathbed are you going to remember a pair of shoes or an amazing trip you had? Are you going to remember that sweater you got at a department store or the awesome meal you ate in the tiny restaurant where no one could speak English but they still treated you like family? When it comes down to it, our memories and our experiences will always be more worthwhile throughout our lives than anything we buy from the sale rack.