How to Make a Travel Scrapbook

by | Jul 1, 2024 | Creative Living | 0 comments

How to Make a Travel Scrapbook

Day trips, mini breaks and holidays are my favourite things to document. Capturing travel memories is how I was first introduced to scrapbooking as a child and it remains a huge passion of mine. When the children were little, I used to help them create travel scrapbooks. Now they’re older, I’m back to making my own. We have a few trips planned this summer {including Paris for the Olympics} and I can’t wait to document our adventures!

Whenever I share one of my projects on Instagram, I receive quite a few questions, so I thought I’d do my best to answer them here. Here’s how to make a travel scrapbook…

  • 1. Choose an Approach

There is no single right way to make a travel scrapbook. Some people like to take their supplies with them and scrapbook on the go. Others prefer to make notes or journal while they’re away and then put their scrapbook together when they get home. I do the latter, but there are a few things I do before and during any trip to set myself up for success.

  • 2. Give Your Travel Memories a Home

I always decide how I’m going to scrapbook my travel memories before I go away. I’ve tried a few different options, but notebooks have my heart. I’m currently working in a Dotted Leuchtturm 1917 Softcover A5 Notebook and I’ve used something similar to Field Notes in the past. For obvious reasons, the Japanese brand Traveller’s Company is a popular choice for travel journaling and scrapbooking.

  • 3. Gather Ephemera

The thing I love most about travel scrapbooking is collecting and working with paper ephemera. Once you start looking for things to include in your scrapbook, it’s hard to stop! We may live in the digital age, but there’s still a surprising number of things you can gather while you’re away. Keep an eye out for maps, tickets, postcards, receipts, food packaging, shopping bags, business cards, paper placemats and napkins.

If you’re travelling in a group, get everyone on board with your mission. Carl and the kids know not to throw anything away without asking whether I want it for my scrapbook! I’m also not adverse to asking shops and restaurants for something specific. If you want a perfect paper bag or your burger comes in a branded wrapper, ask them for a fresh one. When I explain it’s for my scrapbook, they often find extra things they think I’d like!

  • 4. Journal As You Go

Although I prefer to make my scrapbook when I get home, I do journal or make notes while I’m away. Sometimes I do this by sharing a trip via Instagram Stories. When I’m ready to journal properly, I can revisit my archive for all the details. I’ve also used the Notes app on my phone to jot down things I want to remember.

Again, there’s no single right way to journal about your travels. I like to include a good mix of facts and feelings. Where we went, what we saw, what we did, how I felt, and what I want to remember about the whole experience.

  • 5. Edit and Print Your Photos

I’ll be honest, my least favourite thing about scrapbooking is photo management. In an ideal world, I would cull and edit my photos at the end of each day while I’m away. If I did, they’d be ready to print on my return. Realistically, I take too many pictures, never cull and edit as I go and feel completely overwhelmed by the task when I get home!

I’m trying to be more organised and procrastinate less over this task! I love the Get Sorted app for cleaning up my camera roll. A Color Story is my go-to for editing and I use Odd Prints for custom size photos.

  • 6. Create Your Travel Scrapbook

I work in layers. I start by figuring out the overall flow. I tend to scrapbook chronologically, documenting what we did each day, but you don’t have to. For a longer trip, you could approach it topically. Where we stayed, where we ate, what we did etc. I like to start with a title page and leave space for some post-trip reflections at the end. Once I’ve roughed out the structure, I adhere my photos and ephemera before adding stickers and other embellishments. The final step is to write up my journaling.

Love Audrey xxx

P.S. What I’m Learning About Prioritising Creative Play

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