I’ve been creating scrapbooks for over 20 years and taking photos and saving random stuff for my entire life. I love to travel and I love to create scrapbooks based on my travels. Over the years, I’ve learned what are the kinds of things I should save for travel scrapbooks
I am a strong proponent of creating making scrapbooks or travel journals. If you only share on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok you are the mercy of these companies and their algorithms. Remember MySpace? I do. Remember when Flickr let you upload unlimited photos? I do.
While it is certainly fun to share on social media, I want to preserve my travel memories for myself, too. I create a paper-based scrabpook or a digital scrapbook (that is then printed) after every trip. I always journal on my travels — either in a notebook, on journaling cards, or my laptop.
What follows is a list of the best things to save for travel scrapbooks or journals.
What are the best things to save for a travel scrapbook or journal?
1. Currency
If you get local currency, save a couple of coins. You can use glue dots to save them in a travel scrapbook or journal. Or, you can save them in a jar.
Keep in mind, however, that some currencies can not be taken out of their country of origin (like the Moroccan dirham).
Also be sure to check the value of your leftover currency. My daughter was once gifted British pounds that were worth about US$50. She put that in the bank!
2. Tickets
It is harder to save tickets for a travel scrapbook. Many tickets are digital-only. If you get printed tickets, they may be printed on thermal paper that fades.
If you want to preserve most tickets, you will need to photocopy them onto archival paper, or scan them for digital use.
Note, the ticket stub at the top of the following photo (from a few months ago) is already fading. I will make a digital photobook for that trip and will scan my tickets to add to it. I use PhotoScan by Google Photos app.
3. Napkins, Coasters, and Menus
Some restaurants have their name and logo printed on their napkins or on paper coasters. I also pick up paper copies of menus if they are available. If not, I snap a photo. This ephemera are fun to save and help remind me where I ate and what I ate while on vacation.
4. Food or drink labels
Food and drink labels can be tricky because you don’t want to save food remnants. But, you might try something unique and want to remember it.
✅Pro tip: Take a photo of the packaging or hand it to someone in your group for a photo so that you don’t bring food remnants home. Or, save part of the packaging that did not come in contact with food.
5. Pamplets or Brochures
Pamphlets or brochures are an obvious item to save for travel scrapbooks. I use pamphlets for information to add to my travel journals. This includes the name of the destination, but also interesting facts about the place or its history.
Sometimes, I include the whole pamphlet. You can use adhesive pockets in a travel journal that will fit most brochures. Other times, I cut up a pamphlet and use pieces of it in a scrapbook.
6. Maps
Many hotels in cities will have tourist maps of the touristy area of the city. Maps designed for toursists are great because they highlight the places you went.
If you are on a roadtrip, you can pick up road maps at most rest stops (in the United States).
7. Interesting packaging
I have saved shopping bags, boxes, and other forms of packaging from items purchased when traveling.
I may cut out the logo or other design from the item for use in a travel journal. Depending on the material, you might be able to write directly on the item if you create mixed-media travel journals.
Ocasionally, I’ll save a drink bottle or can. Many places are much better at recycling than in the United States, so I try to only save a bottle or a can that I purchased outside of a restaurant because the restaurant may be counting on payment for recyclables.
✅Pro tip: Pack some dish soap in your luggage to clean any interesting packaging you want to bring home. (Bonus: You can also wash your refillable water bottle, too!)
8. Postcards
Postcards are less available than they once were. They are plentiful and inexpensive in some destinations. In other destinations, they are rare and expensive (US $4 or more!). Some places will have them for free as a promotional item (a hotel).
You can use postcards a few different ways. You can send yourself a postcard from your destination (then you get local postage and the stamp crossing out the postage).
You can use the postcard as paper for journaling by writing directly on the back of the postcard. Or, you can just save the postcard as is for your travel album.
9. Clothing tags
If you buy clothing during your travels, the tags may be interesting to include in a travel journal. In some cases, a destination ise known for producing certain kinds of clothing.
10. Reciepts
Like tickets, reciepts are often printed on thermal paper. Therefore, I usually only keep a reciept for information and then discard it.
I can get the name of the restaurant or shop, a list of what I bought, and how much I spent from a reciept. Any of these details may be something I want to record to help tell my travel story.
11. Hotel Keys
Some hotels are very good at collecting the plastic hotel keys after your stay and others, not so much. If a hotel has not collected their key, then I have kept it for for my scrapbook.
✅Pro tip: You will need a strong adhesive for anything heavy, like hotel keys, coins, and some cardboard packaging, for your travel journal.
12. Business cards
Hotels, restaurants, tour guides, and even taxi drivers may have business cards available. A business card provides you with information for your travel stories (like a reciept), but can also be added directly to a travel album.
FAQs
What do you actually write in your travel journal?
I go over my day – what did I do, what did I eat, who was I with? I include any interesting stories from the day. The story is the most important thing to save for a travel scrapbook!
What do you put in a travel journal besides from photos?
I save all kinds of stuff for potential use in a travel journal as described in this post. I don’t use all of it, but I use what I need to tell the story.
Do you scrapbook as you go when you travel or wait until you have all of your photos?
I’ve done both. I have created a scrapbook while traveling — literally gluing ephemera to pages, writing the story, and saving space for photos. More often, I journal when I travel and assemble a scrapbook after the trip.
What are the differences between a travel journal and a diary? Which one is more beneficial and why?
Audience. A diary is private. I would not want anyone else to read my diary. A journal on the other hand, could be private, but it is designed so that others could read it.
How does travel journaling enhance the travel experience?
I tend to pack a lot into my trips. Travel journaling does a couple of things. It forces me to slow down while I’m traveling to take note and reflect on what I’ve been doing. It also helps me remember everything I experienced and felt on the trip.
Conclusion
Overall, keep your eye out for paper-based items on your travels. These are easy things to save for a travel scrapbook. You can either add these items directly to a journal or use them for information to help complete some of the details of your trip.
Read More About Travel Memory Keeping
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