10 ways of capturing your travel memories

Last Updated on January 5, 2023

My number one gift for family and friends these days? Photo gifts! Which makes sense, considering I’ve taken well over 100,000 photos in the past six years of traveling the world, and I think it is a shame that most digital photos go stale on our hard drives these days – maybe they’re being shared on Facebook, but most of the time, that’s it. But there are so many ways to showcase travel photos around your house now – and prices for canvas prints, photo books, etc., have dropped considerably in recent years. So today I am sharing some ideas of how to keep your travel photos alive after a trip.

One thing to consider though: While photos you take with your smartphone usually look great on your phone screen, they often don’t look that great anymore when blown up to canvas size or even printed in a calendar – too pixely, the colors too saturated, or the image not sharp. If you are planning to print pictures from that trip of a lifetime you’re taking, a DSLR camera or a mirror less camera (like the Sony Alpha A7R II or the Fujifilm X-T2) is still your best option. And if you don’t want to invest in a good camera for that one safari trip to Africa you’ll take in your life – don’t worry, there are places in major cities that offer camera and lens rentals. Just find the equivalent in your city. That way, you won’t have to invest thousands of dollars in expensive camera gear but still get decent photos of your trip.High quality photographs captured on your phone or DSLR are just begging to be displayed around the home and office, and the good news is that online ordering presents a vast number of fantastic possibilities. Here are ten of the best:

10 ways of capturing your travel memories

Photo Memory Books

Photo books are the most popular way of capturing travel memories, and it’s easy to see why: you basically create your own coffee table book! These days, it is so easy to create a memory book online, using your own travel photos. This is not only a great memory for you to have in your home, but if you’ve traveled together with friends or family, a personalized travel memory book makes for a truly unique and memorable gift.

Canvas print

It could be postcard or full-banner size. It could be one giant picture of a beautiful holiday beach or lagoon, or a collage combination of 50 scenes from the same holiday. The canvas print is now well-established as a centerpiece for the room of distinction.

Chalkboard frame

Place the picture in the middle and scrawl whatever messages you want around it; reminders that you need eggs, jokey comments about the photograph subjects, or sayings and phrases that mean plenty to you. If you don’t like the words, rub them out and start again. And if this doesn’t quite fulfill your artistic needs, why not place a photograph in the center of a whole chalkboard room?

Fridge magnets

If you’re tired of the dreadful cliched ‘Welcome to Blackpool’-type abominations, then why not make your own? Either fix a magnetic strip to the back of a printed photograph, or upload hi-res snaps of anywhere from the north-west to Norway and get the magnet made by a professional company.

Mugs

A cheeky tea and a glimpse back at good times with families or workmates, momentous moments such as baby’s first smile or reaching Machu Picchu, can all be captured within a personalized mug. It makes an ideal gift for any age and can contain as many pics (and hot beverages) as you like.

Photo clock

There’s a huge amount of versatility in the noble photo clock. It could be a simple plate-shaped hanging plate-shaped picture with hands, or alternatively the clock could just be at the center of a ring of photographs, each denoting one hour of the day. “Ah, 3pm, or as I like to call it, Caribbean holiday time.”

Calendar

Since we’re talking about the passing of time, a calendar is a great way of both looking at events in the future and those from the past, if one incorporates photographs of great memories of loved ones and wonderful events.

Recycled door

This will take time and effort, but the old-style doors with glass paneling are perfect for preserving photographs. You may have to remove a panel or two, and you’ll need to be confident with DIY if you want to hand the completed door horizontally. This Pinterest page will give you more inspiration.

Pillow/cushion case

A way of cuddling up to memories and people at bedtime, although a giant photograph of drunken escapades may not be the ideal partner to snuggle up to. However, it’s a perfect way of displaying pets and children in a soft and lovely fashion.

Snow globe

I was gifted a photo snow globe myself, with a photo frame in the middle. The photo frame fits a photo on both sides, the front and the back, and it is sitting on my desk. That means I see it every day while I work on my laptop and picking it up and shaking it so that I can watch it “snowing” makes for a relaxing break – which always puts a smile on my face.