Meaningful Places: The Memories That Make Them Special
Beyond coordinates on a map lie meaningful places filled with personal significance. These story ideas help you uncover and share the hidden stories behind your special locations—whether they’re exotic destinations or the local playground.
Turn your meaningful places into family stories that inspire your children and grandchildren to make journeys of their own.
Future Trips
What journeys, holidays or adventures would you like to undertake?
- Do you have a country, city or region in mind?
- Perhaps you have a journey planned, like a trek to Machu Picchu or a famous train journey?
- When do you hope to make the trip and with who?
Biggest Adventures
What were your biggest travel adventures?
- Travel is one big adventure, but were there special moments that were extra adventurous?
- How did you feel about it before you started?
- Would you do it again?
- Do you have any recommendations for others who are interested in following in your footsteps?
Dream Place to Live
Where would be your dream place to live?
- What makes that place so special for you?
Countries
Which countries have you visited or lived in?
- How would you summarise your views on each country?
- What did you like and dislike about different countries?
- Which countries would you recommend others to visit?
- What surprised you about the countries that others might find interesting?
- Which are your favourite countries and why?
- Which would you like to go back to?
Home Sweet Home
Can you make a video tour of your home while describing your favourite parts?
- Home is so precious, yet it often gets overlooked when it comes to photos and videos.
- As a result, the place where we spend much of our lives is often not captured. Photos of your bedrooms, bathrooms, and even ‘boring’ rooms like studies and garages will be treasured in later years as you try to recall the places you once called ‘home’.
- Preserve the memories of your home, for you and those you live with. Armed with a camera, take a full tour of your home and garden and capture everything that you’ll enjoy revisiting in later years.
Your Neighbourhood
Can you photograph and map out all the special places in your neighbourhood?
- They might not be interesting to others, but local places like parks, shops, restaurants and walking routes, are important to you!
- Capture the places in your neighbourhood that you will enjoy recalling in later years.
- Why not video a walking tour and describe what you see and how these places feature in your life?
Miss The Most
If you were selected to leave Earth and colonise Mars, what would you miss most?
- What is it that makes this precious little planet so special?
- Is it the nature here that you love the most?
- Is it the experiences on offer?
- Or perhaps it’s the people?
Special Places
What would get listed on a map of all the places special to you?
- Imagine sending future family out on a world tour of all the places you think are special.
- Where should they go? Can you be specific, detailing an exact street, beach or coordinate?
- If you’re accurate enough, future family members may stand in the exact same spot that you once did…
- Why are these places so special? What are the stories behind the places?
Favourite Travel Memories
What are your favourite travel memories?
- What are the standout memories from your travels?
- Do they relate to specific places?
- Was it the experience that made them special?
- Or was it the people who you remember most fondly?
Interesting Travel Stories
What interesting travel stories do you have?
- Did something unexpected happen?
- Do you have any photos of the occasion?
- Who was with you?
- Did you learn something from this experience?
How Travelling Changed You
Has travelling influenced you?
- Has seeing different cultures and the way others approach life affected you?
- Has your perspective been changed by seeing places beyond your home town?
- Do you recommend others travel, and if so, why?
Memories Of Old Homes
What memories do you have of your different homes?
- Can you chronologically list the addresses of all past homes?
- What did you like or dislike about these places?
- Would you like to revisit them one day?
- Do you have any photos?
Recommendations
Which places would you recommend others to visit and why?
Favourite Journeys
What journeys or walks mean a lot to you?
- Sometimes it’s the journey that’s special, more so than a specific place.
- What are your favourite journeys?
- Did you face any challenges on your way?
- Do you have any recommendations for others undertaking this journey?
Daily Walks
Where do you walk daily?
- Once-in-a-lifetime hikes are to be treasured, but your daily or weekly walks are perhaps even more important to preserve for your future viewing pleasure.
- The walk to work.
- Taking the kids to school.
- Walking the dog.
- Weekend treks with family.
- These are the walks that really represent your life, and you’ll miss them when they’re no more.
View the Ultimate Guide with 70 questions that will bring back a flood of family stories and memories!
Turn everyday moments into lifelong memories in Simirity
Meaningful Places Story Ideas FAQ’s
What are ‘meaningful places’ about?
‘Meaningful places’ focuses on worldwide locations that are meaningful in your life. It might be a place you lived, somewhere you travelled to or a journey you’ve made. Sharing your experiences preserves them for you to enjoy in later years and inspires others interested in exploration.
A meaningful place isn’t defined by its fame or beauty, but by the emotional connection it holds. It could be where important life events occurred, where family traditions began, or simply somewhere that consistently brought joy or comfort.
What details should I include when writing about a meaningful place?
The first point to include is the location. Can you pin it on a map? In Simirity, all stories can show the location on a world map. Perhaps one day, someone in your family will want to walk in your footsteps, and the pins make that possible. Beyond specifying the location and giving physical descriptions, share details about why this place is special for you:
- How does it make you feel when thinking about this place?
- Who was there with you during meaningful moments?
- What might you suggest to anyone who visits in the future?
How can I preserve the story of places that no longer exists?
The location can still be pinned on a map and you can still describe it and talk about why it matters to you. You might find photos online, or similar photos that you can use to give a general impression. It might also be interesting to visit Google Maps and see how it looks today.
How do I organise all my meaningful places stories?
As your collection grows of meaningful places, it can quickly become overwhelming when you’re looking for something specific.
Digital preservation really shines when it comes to organisation and searchability. With Simirity, you can tag family stories with people who were present, locations, themes (like ‘meaningful places’ or ‘family culture’), and other important details. Finding specific stories becomes effortless—simply search for keywords, country or filter by any of these attributes to instantly locate the stories you want.
The key is creating a system that makes sense to your family and ensures all your precious family stories remain easily discoverable for generations to come.
What are ‘story ideas’?
Sometimes it can be hard to get start writing a story. Story prompts help by providing creative ideas as inspiration. Simirity’s Story Ideas have been designed to ignite discussions in your family and inspire you to ask questions about your family’s past.
How can I use story ideas with my family?
Stories don’t have to be written, they can be spoken too. They are designed for both you and your family. As you review the prompts, consider how your parents or a sibling might answer. It you don’t want to write a story down that fine – they can serve as great inspiration for interesting family discussions.
All ideas are built into the Simirity App. Within the app, you can send them to family members as Story Requests. This is a great opportunity to ensure that important family stories get discussed and preserved for future generations.
