How to Travel Properly – A "Milkshake" Everywhere You Go
Find your meaningless pursuit that makes the adventure even better.
10/21/20252 min read
We have a rule when we travel: get a milkshake in every new state, city, or country we visit. It started as a silly idea, but it’s quickly become our personal travel ritual. We don’t care if it’s fancy or plain, huge or tiny, classic vanilla or something wild and experimental—just a milkshake, and it has to be somewhere we’ve never been. So far, Legendairy Bar in New Orleans is hard to beat, but the search is half the fun.
That’s the secret to traveling properly, in our opinion: find your “milkshake.” It can be anything—a quirky coffee, a local pastry, a small collectible, even just a photo of the same sunset from a different place. The point isn’t the thing itself, it’s the joy of carrying a tiny, consistent ritual across every new adventure. It gives each trip a little extra sparkle, a shared story that threads together otherwise separate experiences.
There’s something liberating about it. You stop obsessing over checking off landmarks or capturing the perfect Instagram shot, and instead, you focus on something small and utterly delightful. Each milkshake becomes a memory: the first sip, the swirl of flavor, the conversation that happened while enjoying it. You start to notice the city in a different way, and the people too—baristas, servers, fellow travelers.
The bigger lesson? Find your own milkshake. Whatever tiny, meaningless pursuit brings you joy, do it everywhere you go. It makes travel more playful, more human, and somehow more memorable. For us, it’s milkshakes. For you? Maybe it’s a sticker, a song, a doodle, or a little snack. Whatever it is, carry it with you. It turns ordinary travel into something delightfully personal.
10 Tips for Finding Your Travel “Milkshake”
Pick your thing. It should be small, cheap, and fun. Something you can realistically do in every place you visit.
Keep it flexible. Your ritual doesn’t have to be the same every time—different cities, different flavors, different twists.
Use it as an excuse to explore. Ask locals where the best spot is. You’ll find hidden neighborhoods, streets, and shops you’d otherwise miss.
Engage with people. Your “thing” is a conversation starter: bartenders, café owners, fellow travelers.
Document it. Snap a photo or take a quick note. Over time, these little rituals become a storybook of your travels.
Slow down. Rituals force you to pause, savor, and notice details—architecture, street sounds, smells, people.
Try something local. Go beyond the generic. A milkshake with a local twist or a pastry unique to the town makes the ritual richer.
Laugh at mishaps. Spilled milkshake? Wrong flavor? That’s part of the adventure.
Carry it home. The memories attached to your ritual are more meaningful than souvenirs—they tie your trips together.
Invite friends along. Sharing your ritual adds laughter, bonding, and even more stories.
