Freshly-cut grass. Cookies just out of the oven. Barbecue grills in the summertime. Burning autumn leaves. Buttery popcorn. Laundry fresh out of the dryer.
These are some of my favorite smells in the world. And most of them, not coincidentally, automatically bring to mind specific memories or feelings.
Freshly-cut grass reminds me of playing hide-and-seek in the pine trees in my backyard when I was little. Warm, gooey cookies make me think of baking with my grandma… You get the picture.
Our sense of smell is a powerful thing — and certain smells can often act as triggers to our memories.
This works with some of my travel memories, too. There are certain scents that will forever be associated with specific destinations in my mind. No matter where I smell these, I am automatically transported to other parts of the world.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Coconut — St. Simons Island
One of the "tree spirits" of the island.
I don’t really even care for coconut — the texture freaks me out. But because of some borrowed coconut-scented shampoo, the smell of it now whisks me away to the beach house I stayed in with an ex and his family on St. Simons Island, Georgia. It reminds me of riding old bikes into town; fresh seafood and pasta; puzzles; and picking sand out from in between my toes.
Cucumber melon — New Zealand
My fragrance of choice while I was living in New Zealand was Dove Cucumber Melon — soap, deodorant, travel conditioner, even body spray. After I returned home, I was so sick of the smell that I swore it off for a while. But now, every so often, I use the scent again. And I’m always reminded of the Wellington wind; long bus rides through the South Island; driving along 90 Mile Beach; and that vast, unbelievably blue Aotearoa sky.
After-rain smell – Ireland
You know that smell that comes right before and right after it rains? That fresh, clean smell that brings all the earthworms out onto the pavement on a warm summer evening? That smell never ceases to remind me of Ireland. During the week I was in the small country, not a day passed where we didn’t experience at least one shower — and then at least one subsequent rainbow. The smell now reminds me of cobblestone streets; sea cliffs and crashing surf; music in an Irish pub; and green pastures stretching all the way to the horizon.
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Do certain smells ever trigger travel memories for you? Tell me about them!
Oh, I totally know what you mean, and one of my favourite smells ever has to be that of sun-tan lotion! It just reminds me of being away from home, on holiday, and makes me so happy!
Other than that, the smell of orchids or pineapple remind me of Hawaii. There were beautiful flowers in every room I stayed at there, and I practically lived on a diet of pineapple!!!
Lauren recently posted..Photo Essay- Embracing the Aloha Spirit at a Luau in Hawaii
I know what you mean about flowers and Hawaii – everything smelled very fresh there. Perhaps because of all the flower leis? I don’t know.
I agree with this too. I always forget how powerful smells are until a certain smell brings back a really powerful memory. I agree with Lauren that suntan lotion reminds me of any holiday and happy memories. A combination of laundry and baking reminds me of my Grandma and the musty stuffy smell of hot cars reminds me of our campervan in Australia that we lived in for 8 months! I know this isn’t a nice smell but it brings good memories! It really was kind of stinky and smelt like hot, stale air but I loved every minute of it.
Oh and the smell of poster paints reminds me of school!
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I was reminded of this phenomenon the other day. I bought some new deodorant, and it’s cucumber melon-scented. As soon as I opened it, I was immediately reminded of New Zealand. Funny how something as simple as a smell can bring back such powerful memories!
Smell is one of the strongest triggers to memory we have. One of my favorite smells is that of old paper. It reminds me of the used bookstore that I used to go to with my dad at home. This is the kind of store that seems to go back further than the block is wide, because books warp time and space obviously.
Not necessarily because of the smell, but my favorite feeling in nature is that feeling right after a summer rain. it is cool and yet still warm and moist. Where I grew up the summer was so hot that after a rain there was a fog because the ground was hot and the rain hit it made steam. And if you go walking soon enough after it rains noone else is out and you can hear the drops from the trees. It is great.
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You’ve conjured up some memories for me, too, with your comment, Andrew. The after-rain-fog, and the smell of old books… mmm. Lovely, relaxing things to think about. Thanks for reading!
I bought some hand butter from a local store that smells like pine. It’s not something you’d connect with London, but for me it is because that’s what I used when I was there. When I put it on I’m transported back to a cafe, watching a pigeon as I sip a sparkling water to try and combat the muggy, heat.
Alouise recently posted..Why It Sometimes Sucks To Be Canadian
I know exactly what you’re talking about, though! That’s the way it is for me and the cucumber melon scent from New Zealand. It probably wouldn’t trigger NZ memories for anyone else, but it does for me.
I don’t think I’ll ever smell waffles in the air anywhere else than in Belgium, but for me that was the one of the few things that defined being there.
Marsha recently posted..Weekend Intelligence- April 9-10- 2011
That makes sense to me! Also, now I really want some waffles…
My first trip overseas was to London as a friend’s assistant. I had already been admonished by her to wear nice clothes (we were staying at the Dorchester) and to keep the weight down on my bag. I didn’t want to bring a big bottle of perfume as I was afraid it would leak all over my nice things, so I just brought a small vial of jasmine oil. Now whenever I small jasmine I think of London in July and staying up all night even just to stare out the window because I didn’t want to waste a moment sleeping.
J is a Bird recently posted..Travel and Adventure Show – Los Angeles
What a lovely story. I really like the smell of jasmine, too.
Ahhh yes….the smell of burning garbage always takes me back to India. My friend calls this ‘smell memory’…it can be good…and bad. Cheers!
Gillian @OneGiantStep recently posted..Taking A Small Bite Out Of The Big Apple
Yes, it can definitely be bad, too, unfortunately. For me, the smell of car exhaust often brings back memories of Shanghai…
Or, bad smells can trigger good memories. For example, the disgusting smell of sulphur will always make me think of Rotorua, NZ, even though there’s nothing wrong with Rotorua, save the smell.
Freshly-baked bread always reminds me of the delicious smell wafting out of the bakery that I walked by every day in Nice! Wish I could have bottled it up…best smell in the world!
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Mmmm, I love the smell of fresh-baked bread! I’ve said in the past that I could probably live on good bread if I had to… yum.
Love this, so true! Have you ever read “Perfume” by Patrick Suskind? Reminds me of this post. But on a creepy-as-shit level.
I once picked up a body wash in France with such an extraordinary smell, I haven’t been able to replace it since. So I kept the empty bottle to smell every time I want to be reminded of life in Brittany. I’m a weirdo, yeah.
Haha, I wouldn’t call you a weirdo, Candice! … Well, at least not for that.
As others have pointed out, smell is one of the strongest triggers to memory, so why wouldn’t you want to hold onto that scent that reminds you so much of France?
And no, I have never read “Perfume.” But now I feel really curious, and probably need to go read a synopsis!
I loved the idea behind this post! I did a post on the Senses in Sevilla awhile back…I love how tying the senses to something makes it more relatable for everyone. My favorite scents lately are all reminding me of home…guess I’m a little homesick!
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Thanks, Christine! And yes, it seems like tying the senses to something definitely does make it more relatable for people. I had no idea!
Stinky durian reminds me of the Philippines. The smell is gross but the memories are fond.
Ayngelina recently posted..Celebrating a year of travel with luxury
Well it’s great that even a stinky smell can be connected to fond memories.
Kind of like sulphur and Rotorua, NZ, for me. That’s one stinky city, but I would certainly recommend it!
I love that pic of the tree spirit!!!
Isn’t it cool? They were all over in St. Simons. Such a cool little island. Thanks for reading, Andi!
This is too funny because I was just thinking about this very same thing last Friday night. Don’t laugh but mine was over a beer! I had ordered a Pilsner and as I was taking my first sip I got this scent which immediately transported me to Munich. Of course, I would have much rather been drinking my beer in Munich but at least I was able to travel there for a few minutes
Debbie Beardsley recently posted..Brittany France – Sleeping in a Chateau
Aww, I wouldn’t laugh! That’s great that you were swept back to Munich, even if only for a few minutes.
Freshly made donuts reminds me of Bolivia because there was a bakery literally right next door to where I worked. Smelled ssooooo good especially in the morning. I started to understand Homer Simpson’s obsession with the food.
- Veronica
It’s funny how a simple, everyday smell can bring back such strong memories, isn’t it? I mean, you can smell fresh donuts anywhere, but you associate the smell with Bolivia. I think that’s so cool!
Your simple smells remind you of some wonderful places. When i think of fresh cut grass I think of having to actually cut the yard (not a fav). Coconut reminds me of my grandmothers coconut pie, just absolutely wonderful.
Everyone has smells that they respond positively toward. It’s interesting, though, because hardly anyone loves the same smells, or associates them with the same things.
For me, the smell of smoke and barbequeing meat that signals it’s time for the evening meal is Turkey. Jasmine is my back garden in London, now a very long way away from my current home in Calabria. Rotting rubbish on the side of the road is Kathmandu. Lemon and morning glory is the Algarve. Oh so many smells that can take you all around the world while never leaving your chair. Wonderful.
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You seem to have some great travel memories associated with smell, too, Katja! That’s great. And now you’ve got me hungry for barbecue…
I really liked this post. It made me think about smells I associate with my own travels and inspired me to write about the smell of Nicaragua on my own blog. Thanks for the writing prompt!
Juliann Wetz recently posted..The Smell of Nicaragua
Awesome, Juliann! So glad to have provided you with a writing prompt! I’ll have to check out your post.