👋 Ciao da Sicilia! I’ve been sailing through the Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily for the past 2 weeks. I’m currently sending this from a swaying boat, chatting in Italian, and enjoying the scent of freshly-brewed espresso from breakfast.

I keep thinking about this quote: “Your life is the sum of your experiences. When you look back on your life, the richness of those experiences will determine how full a life you’ve led.” — Bill Perkins

So today, we’re talking about being “rich” in travel.

Scroll down for the #1 method to design a life full of priceless memories. 👇

CONTEXT

Bill Perkins is a long-time hedge fund manager and author of Die With Zero.

I love his concept of “memory dividends.” 🔥

What are memory dividends?

When you experience something extraordinary (like a vacation), you get joy from it in the moment… But it doesn’t stop there, right?

You keep feeling a little bit of joy every time you remember it or tell someone about it.

That extra joy afterwards = the “memory dividends.” It’s the ongoing “payout” you get after experiencing something meaningful.

So how do you earn them?

Invest in experiences that you’ll be likely to recall as a priceless memory thousands of times in the future.

Here’s a 3-step exercise. It’s probably the best thing you could do with the next 10 minutes of your day (to increase your joy over the next 20 years).

THE METHOD

☝️ Step 1:

Grab a pen and paper (or open up a blank doc on your screen).

Write down at least 20 experiences that you want to have in your lifetime (e.g., places you want to travel to, skills you want to learn, ways you want to give back to your loved ones and community, personal growth goals, etc).

Think of the things you’d really regret not doing at least once.

—

✌️ Step 2:

Next to each of those 20 things, write down at what age you’ll probably no longer be able to do it.

For example, I really want to ski the Swiss Alps in Zermatt. (This is one of many travel examples from my list.) But I’m guessing by the time I’m 60, I’ll no longer want to take the physical risk of skiing double blacks.

—

🤟 Step 3:

Here’s the important part. Decide exactly when (in the next few years) you will prioritize those. Literally, write down the month and year you plan to do it. (Getting my skis ready for March 2025. ⛷️)

Most people put off the planning, assuming that they can “always do it next year.”

But there will come a year when you can’t…

Maybe you want to take your aging parents on a vacation? At some point, they won’t be comfortable sitting on a long flight or walking long distances.

Maybe you want to backpack through Europe for 3 months straight? At some point, you might have too many responsibilities at home to take that much time off.

And if you do it earlier, it will serve you for years to come. In this New York Times article, David Brooks refers to this as building “identity capital.” He writes, “In your 20s, do three fascinating things that dinner companions will want to ask you about for the rest of your life.”

CLOSING THOUGHTS

The “20 Places” list isn’t just about the experiences themselves.

Consider the importance of:

1). The people you share them with. Don’t get me wrong— I’m a huge fan of solo travel. But when you share an experience with a loved one, you both get higher “memory dividends” every time you reflect on it together.

2). The right timing. Perkins argues that you should invest in memories early in life (to earn the highest dividends).

“Yes, you need money to survive in retirement, but the main thing you’ll be retiring on will be your memories—so make sure you invest enough in those.” –Bill Perkins

(Btw— if you don’t have time to read the entire book but still want to dive deeper, I highly recommend this podcast episode with Bill Perkins. He covers all my favorite parts of the book in less than 2 hours. It’s so good.)

For those in the U.S., Happy July 4th Week!

Jade

P.S. Thank you to everyone who joined Archimedes last week! For those who don’t know, I launched an exclusive community to teach you exactly how I grew from 1k to ~550k followers across social media in 1.5 years. (And how to make money from it.) JoinArchimedes.com

(Last month, we sold out of memberships in 2 days. But I’m opening up a few more spots from the waitlist. Make sure you apply now, so you’re at the top of my list. It only takes 3 mins.) 🎉