Travel memories are such a sweet thing. Whether you’re reminiscing about that time you were stranded in some European metro stop until the trains started running again or recalling just how romantic your honeymoon was, they’re always sure to bring lots of laughs and smiles.
Recently I’ve been wanting to try different ways of remembering my trips. I’m pretty hopeless at scrapbooking, which would seem like the obvious choice. Every scrapbooking project I’ve tried starting has ultimately ended up in a forgotten box in my closet until either my mother finally throws it away or makes me do it when I visit home. So I started doing some digging (aka scouring Pinterest and binge-watching too many crafty Youtube videos). Here are some creative ways I found to preserve your own travel memories.
7 creative ways to preserve your travel memories:
1. Keep a travel journal
I love the idea of journaling to remember trips. It can be as crafty or as simple as you want. If done right, your memories will be fresh when you put pen to paper. Even if you only end up writing a sentence or two about your day, it’s still something. I’d also glue in fun ticket stubs or Instax photos you take. If you’re good at drawing, you can doodle your own take on places or people you see. If you’re like me and doodling will always be a struggle, then you can buy fun stickers instead!
2. Make a memory box
What I’d do is buy a lot of similar, slim boxes that you can store on your bookshelf or around your house. Then inside each box, you can put different memories from specific trips or even specific countries. Put in any little souvenirs, tickets, pictures and more! You could even write out some words or thoughts so that when you go through the box later, they trigger more memories. For example, if you and your friends had the silliest phrases on your trip, write them down and stick them in there!
3. Buy the same type of souvenir wherever you go
I know souvenir shops get a bad rep, but I personally love them. When I visited a friend’s family in South Africa, their entire fridge was covered in magnets their grandmother had collected during her lifetime of travels. It was such a simple, yet lovely way to look at someone’s life and spot the different adventures. I’d say pick something you love – postcards, magnets, the cheesiest souvenir you can find in a store, notebooks, etc, and try to find it everywhere you go. Right now I have a small collection of illustrated magnets and postcards that I hope to grow with each new trip.
4. Put together a playlist of all the songs you heard during your trip
I recently stumbled across a playlist I made when I studied in Spain and a whole slew of memories came back. Some memories I hadn’t thought about in ages but there I was, sitting in my room and laughing. You can make playlists just about anywhere from Spotify to Youtube. If you want to get a little old school, you can always make an actual mix CD (I can’t believe that’s considered old school now!).
5. Print out your photos and get crafty
Have you seen the sheer number of ways to print out photos these days? There are so many options! You can even turn your Instagram photos into magnets these days. One option I love is printing out all your images in little squares and finding ways to decorate a wall in your home with them.
6. Make a little video of your trip
If you’d prefer not to have a lot of messy craft cleanups or physical items around, then this might be the perfect option for you. Take little video clips of your travels. Nothing crazy, just little snippets of what you see on your phone. If you’re traveling for a long time, you can always download the 1 second a day app so at the end of your time, you can look back at a mini-video. A free app I always loved is Cameo (run by Vimeo). They have plenty of song options and fun filters so you can create your own home movie while you’re sitting on the plane to go home!
7. Start a blog
All the writers here on The Department of Wandering are bloggers too so of course, we’d suggest blogging! You don’t even have to make it professional or public. Just a fun online journal to upload your photos and write about your day. You don’t need anything fancy either. When I studied abroad, I kept a Tumblr blog. Sometimes I uploaded long posts babbling about my night out and other times I only uploaded a photo.
And there you have it! Seven creative ways to document your travel memories.
For more travel tips, read these next:
- 5 Essential Tips for Staying Safe Abroad
- 10 Ways to Travel More Responsibly This Year
- A Post Travel Detox Guide
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What are some fun ways you document your travel memories?
