Four Easy Ways to Document & Preserve Your Travel Memories
In a fast-paced, digital world that values impermanence and change, I think it’s more important than ever to take our travel memories and make them into something tangible. While posting our travels to social media can be quick and fun, your posts can be removed at the whim of whatever outlet you posted them on. Similarly, phones and computers break and you can lose those incredible photos you took on your last trip. Below I’m sharing a few of my favorite methods to preserve your travel memories for years to come, without concerns about losing them to the digital ether.
Make a photo album
When was the last time you made a physical photo album from your travel photos? In this day it's rare - many of us are satisfied with keeping our photos digitally. But this can be risky. Creating photo albums and having a tangible souvenir from your travels is a wonderful way to save your memories. Plus, there's nothing better than turning the pages of an album you made, and reliving the details of your trip.
When I ran my photography business, I always encouraged clients who were interested in getting their images or albums printed to use Mpix and I still recommend them! The quality is great, the design software is easy to use, and their albums are well-priced.
Keep a travel journal with sketches, tickets, etc.
Travel journals can also be a great way to preserve your travel memories, and can go beyond writing to include sketches, small paper items and more. Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration for this type of memory keeping.
Write postcards and send them to yourself
This is a fun way to recount your trip once you return home. Write yourself a postcard each day during your trip, detailing what you did, saw and ate, then pop them in the mail to yourself. When you get back from your trip, you’ll have a nice, day by day record of your trip. You can then put them in a scrapbook or other storage container to save them.
Buy art from a local artist
One of my favorite travel souveniers is a small painting I bought from a local artist in Arizona. It perfectly captures a storm rolling over the mountains into a valley, something that actually happened while I was visiting the mountain town of Jerome, AZ. Buying from a local artisan helps support the creative economy of wherever you are in the world, and has the bonus of giving you a beautiful piece to display in your home when you return.
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hi there, I’m angi the founder of roam & gather. My mission is to curate joy-centered, small group journeys that are relaxed, intimate, and rooted in culture, community and slowness.
Roam & Gather is a small travel company offering soul-nourishing, curated travel experiences that help connect people with global communities, like-minded travelers and themselves.
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