5 Fast Tips For Creating Your Travel Scrapbook Journal!

Scrapbooking is a fun and easy way to capture life's most treasured memories... and holidays are no exception. Some of the best moments in our lives that inspire some of our greatest travel scrapbook ideas are spent traveling: we're off work, meeting new people, discovering new things, eating delicious food, and exploring breathtaking locations.

Rather than sifting through thousands of photos, poring over a 300-page journal, or relying on your memory, compiling a scrapbook journal is the perfect way to provide a snapshot of the most exceptional moments you experience when on vacation.

So, what's the secret to the perfect scrapbooking journal? Here are some of the things we feel are essential to consider both during and after your trip.

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Of course, photos are an unmistakable element of scrapbooking. This one seems blatantly obvious, but not always the easiest to achieve. Instead of mercilessly clicking away at everything you see without a passing thought, take the time to think about how you can make the photo really stand out.

Think about things like a focal point, and find the right camera angles. Also, don't be afraid to use the built-in features of the camera to get those unique shots. Experiment with zoom and taking shots in black and white or sepia.

A well thought out photo on your planner, journal, or scrapbook pages should highlight your experiences and are always the best things to write about or go back to across your scrapbook pages.

We're not suggesting you spend hours looking through the viewfinder or risking your neck to get the perfect shot, and you certainly don't have to pretend you're a professional photographer. Just take an extra second or two to consider what's in the frame and whether or not it's in focus—you'll thank us later!

While we're on the topic of photos: don't forget to add some variety. You're going to be journaling about them later on and photos are great inspirations to spark ideas into writing.

We're all guilty of getting mesmerized by a beautiful landscape, but your scrapbook won't benefit when 900 out of your 1000 photos are of the same beach sunset.

Journals and scrapbooks all encapsulate beautiful memories but if you fail to put into writing or pictures these best moments, it's hard to capture the essences and feelings you had when you were in that moment. Just make sure that you at least take into account

Equally, no one will become immersed in a scrapbook if it's chock full of selfies, so be sure to include a bit of everything: the landscape, the people, your travel buddies, yourself, the food you eat, the strange things you see—nothing beats variety!

If you're traveling alone, don't be afraid to break up the selfies by asking people to take a photo of you. One of the things I suggest you do is actually bring a polaroid too. It's great to have a picture ready to add to your scrapbooking journal.

Finally – try and take shots of the things that make your location unique and special! For instance, when my Dad was on vacation in Portugal he photographed the amazing antique doors in the old city. Each door was painted an incredible color and they all had door handles that were works of art!

Just like what we said about taking photos, we aren't about to suggest scribing your entire holiday and turning it into an epic saga (in fact, less is often more).

Just carry around a small notepad and jot down a brief itinerary for the day along with anything you find particularly interesting, whether it be thoughts on the local food, strange customs, the people, aspects of daily life, or anything else. Oftentimes, one or two-liner scrapbook titles are enough to explain what's up.

It can be as brief you like because the main aim here is to jog your memory when you start scrapbooking as it's easy to forget some of the finer details at the end of your journey. If you are with a guide, do some quick bullet points to remember interesting facts that you can use to explain a photo or describe a location. This is great for your scrapbook journals, fun info is always one thing you'd love to read again about a new place.

You can write down brief exchanges with the locals, funny comments someone from your traveling party made, or perhaps some amusing thoughts or anecdotes.

For those who want to expand on this a little more, keep a daily travel journal of where you go, what you see, and how you feel—you can even rip out the page and stick it straight in the scrapbook!

On the downside, if you're trip involves a ton of water time like scuba diving, island hopping, or a ton of swimming, taking your polaroid and a permanent ink marker is enough to jot down ideas and small snippets you can read again later on. They're also perfect for your scrapbook or journal.

Great scrapbooking goes beyond a few photos and some fancy penmanship. Make it a habit to collect souvenirs like stickers, keychains, postcards, currency, and other knick-knacks when you're on the road and use them as unique reminders of certain places and memories. Entry passes, hotel cards, and transport tickets can even act as chapter markers to introduce each new location. Want to get really creative?

Grab some sand from the beach and use them on your beach themed scrapbook layouts! You can also take small brochures from a local shop and use them on your scrapbook journal as well. There are no limits, as long as you can think of a way to secure it in your scrapbook.

There are virtually limitless options when it comes to getting the layout right, and a bit of outside-the-box thinking never goes astray. Try coupling photos and descriptions with numbers to utilize space more effectively; consider a storyline or a non-chronological order for something different; or incorporate maps into the page decorations.

We've got heaps of scrapbooking ideas, scrapbook tips, cruise scrapbook ideas, and other travel related scrapbooking guides here at our Scrapbooking Coach blog, so have a browse and you'll have everything you need to document your next vacation in a unique and engaging way!