4 Creative Ways to Remember Your Adventures

Travel TricksTravel TipsTravel Souvenirs

Nov 2

Written By Ashley Federoff

Unconventional Travel Mementos

EST. READING TIME: 4 MIN

red world map with black push pins in it

IN THIS GUIDE ✺

**You know the feeling when nostalgia for your new experiences hits before your trip even ends?**

stack of travel scrapbooks wrapped in maps

Like all good things, even the best vacations must come to an end—but that doesn’t mean you can’t capture the sentiment of your journey with a personal keepsake or memento.

So, how can you make those unforgettable trips last a lifetime? Here, you’ll find four creative ways to remember your travels that go beyond the typical photo albums and tacky souvenirs. Whether you're a seasoned globetrotter or on your first big international trip, these remembrance ideas will add a unique touch to your travel memories.

#1. Postcard Diaries: 
Sending a Piece of Your Heart Home

There's something undeniably special about postcards. They're like miniature time capsules, capturing the essence of a destination in a single frame. But here's the twist: instead of just collecting postcards, make it a tradition to buy a postcard from each destination and write a message back to yourself about your experiences. Once you've penned your thoughts, send the postcard to your home address.

pile of travel postcards from around the world

Picture this: years down the line, you'll open your mailbox and find a collection of heartfelt messages from your past self, each with a unique postmark and story chronicling the highlights of the trip. Parsing through them is like re-living your adventures and discovering the magic of each place all over again. These postcards can serve as a tangible reminder of the emotions you felt and the experiences you had in now distant, far-off lands.

Pro Tip:

Don't forget to date each postcard! This will help you track your journey through time and reminisce about all the places you've been.

#2. Digital Scrapbooks:
Curating Memories Online

With the digital age in full swing, creating a traditional scrapbook might not be on your radar. Instead—for the iPad girlies—consider making a digital scrapbook when you're back home. You can do this by compiling your photos, videos, and mementos into a beautifully designed digital album. This way, your memories are easily accessible and can be shared with friends and family at the click of a button.

There are plenty of tools and apps available to help you create digital scrapbooks, some of which even offer pre-designed templates to make the process a breeze. For example:

A user-friendly graphic design tool that offers a wide range of templates, including those specifically designed for travel-themed scrapbooks. Canva offers a free version of the software with plenty of creative features, or you can upgrade to a premium version for more advanced options.
An online platform that specializes in creating photo books, including travel scrapbooks. The finished Mixbook product is printed and can be shipped to you as a physical photo book or kept as a digital chronicle.
A popular online service for creating personalized photo products, including travel scrapbooks. Shutterfly provides various templates, backgrounds, and stickers to enhance your scrapbook.

Include captions, anecdotes, and personal reflections to add depth and meaning to your collection. If you end up printing your digital scrapbook, consider saving and affixing tickets, pamphlets, and other small paper scraps from your travels to add sensory depth to the finished product.

london trip digital travel scrapbook page

When you're feeling nostalgic, just open your digital scrapbook and take a virtual journey through your adventures. It's an incredible way to reminisce, and it's eco-friendly too!

#3. Souvenir Collectibles:
Keep a Piece of Every Place

Many travelers like to bring home souvenirs from our adventures, but how about starting a collection of a particular item that you can get in every location you visit? It could be anything that tickles your fancy—candles, Christmas ornaments, shot glasses, or even quirky T-shirts. The beauty of this idea is that you're not just collecting random souvenirs; you're building a cohesive story through your travels.

For example, if you collect ornaments, each one could depict a popular local food item from every place you've been. Then every year when the time comes to hang ornaments on your Christmas tree, you'll be flooded with memories of those incredible meals in which you tasted regional delicacies for the first time!

perfume collection arranged on gold rimmed geode

Candles or fragrances characteristic of each place you visit are also two fantastic options that can transport you back to a particular trip in an instant. Scent is strongly linked to memory in a way that's deeply ingrained in our biology. When you light a candle or catch a whiff of a fragrance, your brain instantly connects it to the memories associated with that scent. A simple spray can evoke vivid memories of the bustling bazaars of Marrakech, the lavender fields of Provence, or the salty sea breeze of the Mediterranean coast. So, why not use this powerful sense-memory connection to relive your adventures?

Pro Tip:

Make a travel log to accompany your collection. Note down the date, location, and any special memories associated with each collectible—it’ll make your collection even more meaningful and save you the trouble of remembering each nuance!

#4. Map Your Travels:
Charting Your Journey

If you’re not feeling artistic but still want a record of everywhere you’ve traveled, there's a quick and easy way to document exactly where you've journeyed: travel mapping apps. One of the most popular ones—and the app I personally use—is been, which allows you to mark off countries, states, and cities you've visited. It provides a visual representation of your adventure and helps you keep track of your travel goals. There’s also:

A free and user-friendly tool that allows you to create personalized, customizable maps. You can add markers, lines, and shapes to categorize the places you've been after creating a new map in Google “My Maps”, and you can also include descriptions, photos, and links.
An online tool that lets you create personalized travel maps. It's simple to use, and you can mark your visited destinations with pins or icons. TravelMap allows you to aesthetically customize the map's design and add additional information, such as dates or notes about your visits.

Using these apps is like creating a digital scratch-off map. As you explore new destinations, you can proudly check them off your list. It's an excellent motivator to keep the adventure alive and plan your next exciting trip. This visual guide is also a great conversation starter when you meet fellow travelers, and a handy tool for sharing your travel experiences with social media followers.

So, What Are You Waiting For?

Don't just let your memories gather dust in the back of your mind. Use these digital tools to re-live your adventures and inspire others to embark on their own journeys.

Travel isn’t just about the destinations you visit; it's also about the experiences you collect along the way. These creative ways to remember your trips go beyond the usual trinkets and photo albums, allowing you to capture the memory of your vacations in a unique and heartfelt manner.

Whether it's by writing postcards to your future self, creating digital scrapbooks, curating a souvenir collection, or mapping your travels with digital tools, these ideas will help you cherish your experiences and share your passion for exploration with the world.

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