Creative Ideas for Documenting Travel Memories for Your Family and Children

When it comes to traveling with our little ones, most of us want to do more than just fill our phones with endless blurry photos. We want real travel memories that we can revisit with our kids, especially since they’re not likely to remember these adventures themselves.

It’s all too easy to end up with a mountain of digital clutter and no real plan for making memories in a way that you’ll actually look at again.

That’s where this article comes in! I’ve gathered all the best, most doable ideas for documenting family travels and to display travel souvenirs that will make looking back on these trips a joy for both you and your kids.

1. Photo based ideas

a. Create a travel photo book or photo album

You’re definitely going to capture memories with hundreds of photos on your amazing trip with your little one.

One of my favorite thing to do is choose whichever I like and compile them into a photo book. There are many services online that you can send photos and receive a hard copy of a photo book or photo album. Popular ones are like Shutterfly and Artifact Uprising.

Pro-tip : Arrange the photos by day or time so you can tell a little story of the journey.

b. A highlight photo from the trip

Choose 1 photo from the trip that captures the best moment or memory from the entire trip. Maybe it’s the cute family OOTD or the toddler’s first swim at the beach.

What we like to do is have it as a single photo and put in on a travel map or into the photo album as the cover.

c. Instant photos

Come on. It is definitely a different feel when that instant film rolls out of your camera after you click it and waiting for it to show a photo.

These instant photos make great additions to a travel journal. Write down dates along with it so when you look at it years later it will be nostalgic.

2. Travel journal and diary

a. Daily travel diary

Keep a small diary with you to help keep track of things. It is a simple way to capture memories by noting down all the funny or cute things your toddler did along the way.

Doesn’t have to be a whole paragraph. Could be just a short line in a bullet journal that just enough to bring back all the memories back.

b. Interactive scrapbook or memory book

This hands on activity that you can do together with your kid is one of the best. It is so much fun to just pick and choose what you’re going to put into it.

Photos, prints, art, train tickets, postcards, drawings, and so much more. Let your kid decorate it as well!

Pro-tip : Some tickets or receipts will fade over time. Make copies of them or even laminate them so they last longer in the scrapbook.

c. Postcards

Pick up a postcard and write a quick note on the back. It could be something simple, like a highlight of the day or a funny memory. Over time, you end up with a beautiful collection of postcards that tell the story of your travels together.

3. Video

a. Family travel vlog

You don’t need an expensive and complicated set up. Back in the days we had video cameras to capture memories.

Nowadays just your phone is all you need. Take videos of everywhere you go. Baby’s first dip in the swimming pool. Exploring the city on a bus or train. At the end, stitch it all together for a mini travel vlog.

b. Highlight reel

In the quest for making memories, you’re definitely going to end up with hundred or photos and videos in an endless scroll on your phone.

Make a highlight reel! Something that you’d post up on Instagram. Best of the best moments from your trip. Something you can quickly see or show your kids later on.

4. Keepsakes or souvenir

a. Memory jar or memory box

You can make it a jar a box or any type of container actually. The idea of this is for you and your children to bring back something from the place you’ve travelled and keep it inside the jar. It could be entrance ticket to that museum or that cool looking foreign currency coin.

Pro-tip : Get an aesthetically looking container or memory box that to display travel souvenirs in your living room.

b. Family travel map, travel art or travel board

If you and your family travel quite a lot of are on a long vacation away from home, have a travel map at home! Something that you will be able to pin things on top. Kids definitely would love to pin that photo on that map on the wall.

You can make a personalized wall travel art or travel board too! Put some amazing prints from your travel with your family on it.

c. Personalised souvenirs

Almost wherever you go (especially tourist destinations) there’ll be someone selling personalized souvenirs. Here are some you can get for yourself and your children:

• Engraved key chains
• Tiny bracelets
• Custom T-shirts
• Photo snow globes
• Matching t-shirts
• Engraved luggage tags
• Custom destination mug

5. Social media

In this new day and age, who doesn’t use social media? This is another cool idea you can do for your baby or toddler.

You may create a separate profile, let’s say on Instagram. If you’d like you can keep it private. Upload memorable travel photos for your child every time you go for a trip.

A few years down the road you’ll have a profile filled with special travel memories. This is one of those priceless travel memories gift you can give your kid.

Pro-tip : Create meaningful travel captions or travel quotes. One fine day when you or your child is looking back at all this, it will be worth it.

6. Bonus : Tips for Staying Organized with Travel Memories

Yes, we get it. Traveling itself is tiring and as soon as you’re back you either want to hit the beds and unpack your luggage. Here are our tips on travel memories post travel to get the most of out the experiences:

• Establish a post travel routine not too long after you’re back.
• Sort through photos, videos, keepsakes and souvenirs in a dedicated time to decide which to keep, which to discard and which to highlight.
• Use digital storage tools like Google Photos or iCloud to sort them into folders for easy access later.
• Do it together with your kids! Let them choose too! Even if their favorite memory was picking up a stick at the park rather than that visit to that expensive museum.

By creating a post-travel routine, you can avoid the overwhelm of unorganized memories and keep the joy of the trip fresh in your mind.