Everything You Need to Know About Travel Scrapbooking
The classic Traveler Conundrum:
You want to travel, but you don’t want to break the bank. You want to remember your travels, but souvenirs are expensive. You like collecting mementos of your trips, but you don’t want to haul around the extra weight.
What if I told you I can solve all those problems with one perfect answer?
*Cue 40’s transatlantic radio announcer voice*
That’s right! I present to you: The Travel Scrapbook
If you’ve never heard of a travel scrapbook before, let me explain what it is.
This is a scrapbook:
AKA: A book of scraps. These can be as artsy or plain as people make them.
Scrapbooking is a creative way to journal and/or create art. You can tape receipts to your diary, or buy $300 worth of supplies to assemble detailed collages, complete with patterned paper, drawings, and aesthetic quotes.
It’s all scrapbooking.
Travel Scrapbooking is just an extension of this: it’s a creative way to record your travels.
I’m not exaggerating when I say I truly believe this is the perfect travel souvenir, and here’s why:
(I’ll expand on these points later in this article)
Travel scrapbooking is accessible to everyone. I mean everyone.
It’s more personal than any other souvenir.
It takes up very little space.
You can make it for FREE.
When I first started budget traveling, I realized I could save a lot of money by opting not to buy souvenirs. However, I hated the idea of experiencing something incredible and completely forgetting it when it ended.
It just so happened that my first budget trip was a two month long solo road-trip through the United States, during which, I basically planned on living in my car. I wanted to feel at home, so I started thinking I should bring one of my hobbies on the road, when it hit me; I could take one of my favorite hobbies, scrapbooking, and turn it into the perfect record of my adventures. I could create a travel scrapbook!
And you can too. Here is Everything You Need To Know about Travel Scrapbooking…
Supplies to Start a Travel Scrapbook:
Here is everything you need to buy to start a travel scrapbook:
A notebook
Glue Stick
Actually, you probably already have those things at home, right?
Scrapbooking doesn’t need to be complicated, and it doesn’t need to be expensive. You can probably start scrapbooking right now, for free! And that’s why a Travel Scrapbook is the perfect souvenir to commemorate a trip. Especially as a Scrappy Traveler.
A Travel Scrapbook will mean more to you than any object you can buy, it will occupy virtually no space in your suitcase, and also (did I already mention this?), you can make one for free.
Scrapbooking is Accessible:
When I first began scrapbooking, I wasn’t especially talented at drawing or painting, but I could make a beautiful scrapbook page simply by ripping up and aesthetically assembling paper, then slapping a poetic quote on top. And you don’t even need to do that to scrapbook.
Think about the word “Scrapbook.” Scrap. Book. All you need are some scraps and a book. (And maybe some glue to put it all together.)
Your travel scrapbook can be as comprehensive or simple as you like. It’s yours! Even if you’re just gluing pamphlets and maps to a journal, that’s probably going to be enough to jog your memory and help you recall precious moments from your trip.
It’s a Space Saver:
You could pack along your diary to write about your trip, purchase souvenirs from every destination, and take tons of pictures and videos that clog your phone storage and end up getting lost in your camera roll-
Or you could have it all at once by creating one comprehensive travel scrapbook.
In your travel scrapbook, you can include things like your itinerary, favorite photos, journal entries describing your day- the sights, the sounds, the smells- the key card from your hotel, the pamphlet from the whale watching boat ride you embarked on, the napkin from the restaurant where you met an attractive and fascinating stranger… You get my point.
All this information, embellishment, and color stored in one little book. It almost seems like magic- like Mary Poppins’ carpet bag- the gift that keeps on giving.
It’s Affordable to All:
I may be beating a dead horse here, but did I mention you can do this for free?
Not only can you do this for free, you can do it well for free. It just takes a little flexibility and creativity- a little scrappiness, if you will.
If you don’t think you have that, don’t worry about it. You don’t need it. Even a somewhat bland, yet personalized travel scrapbook can meaningfully commemorate a trip. Plus, you’ll likely discover you’re more creative than you thought, and your creativity will only increase the more you scrapbook.
If you decide you want to invest a little more into your scrapbook, you can, even without breaking the bank. Postcards normally cost .25-.50 cents, and can add an interactive quality to your page. You can write on the back of one and paper clip it to your page, tape along one side, allowing it to flip open like a book, or glue it straight on and add designs around it.
Quality stickers usually cost no more than $3-4 and can add an elevated feel to your page. Envelopes cost pennies and are great for storing scraps you’d rather not tape or glue. Stamps are time capsules that uniquely depict each destination you visit, and cost less than a gas station Snickers bar.
Things You Can Include in Your Travel Scrapbook:
Scraps from your travels (Brochures, Maps, Scroll Down for more Examples)
Journal Entries about what you did each day, your thoughts, and feelings
Itineraries
Packing Lists (& Other Lists)
Sketches of Iconic Buildings, or other meaningful sights
Historical Information/facts about the locations you visited
Descriptions of People you met
Funny Quotes you overheard from friends or strangers
Famous Quotes that feel relevant
Printed Out Photographs (Polaroids, Printed Paper Photos, Walmart Printed Pictures, a Wireless Instant Photo Printer)
Diagrams/Facts about local plants and wildlife, geology, weather patterns, or other science facts
Recipes of Meals you enjoyed on your trip
5 Senses- What you smelled, touched, tasted, heard, and saw.
Anything else you learned on your trip!
You can put together your travel scrapbook on the go, or collect material and information on your trip to assemble once you get back home.
25 Free Things I Collect on Trips to Include in my Travel Scrapbook:
1. Maps
Not only do they make for beautiful backgrounds, but you can also trace the outline of your travel route to depict exactly where you traveled.
2. Fabric
Threads from the bedsheet of a hostel you loved, or maybe cloth that ripped off your pants during an especially memorable hike. Textiles can add a special sensory element to your scrapbook.
3. Place mats
From the restaurant where you ate the best carbonara pasta you’ve ever had, or the dive bar where you befriended strangers who took you on a wild adventure through a foreign city.
4. Pressed Flowers/Dried Autumn Leaves/Dried Plant or Animal Life
These natural items add diversity to the physical textures on your page, contribute to an earthy motif, and can provide a window into the flora and fauna of the place you visited.
5. Tickets/ Ticket Stubs
From the carnival you want to remember forever, even if you did get scammed trying to win a giant unicorn plushie. Or from the first musical you ever saw on Broadway- perhaps you’ll never forget how you felt leaving the theatre, but the ticket will remind you of the excitement and anticipation you felt going into it.
6. Tea Bags/Coffee Filters
7. Stamps (U.S. National Parks all have unique stamps that are free to use!)
8. Letter Stamps
9. Newspapers
10. Magazine pages
11. Stickers
12. Postcards
13. Business Cards
14. Food Wrappers (clean first to avoid contamination)
15. Paper Napkins
16. Cardboard Coasters
17. Paper Menus
18. Yarn/Ribbons
19. Receipts
20. Clothing Tags
21. Key Cards
22. Bookmarks
23. Scraps of Writing
24. Advertising Pamphlets
24. Small Trinkets- pierced earrings, coins, rocks stored in sealable envelopes
Final Thoughts:
Whether you want to save money, save space, or save time looking for the perfect souvenir, travel scrapbooking is for you.
If your priority is to have a beautiful and personal memento of your trip, you can redirect the money you would have spent on a souvenir towards making your scrapbook extra decorative and special. If your priority is to save money, there are countless free trinkets you can collect during your travels.
I hope your travels take you far, and your memories follow you home. Visit my photography gallery for more scrapbooking inspiration.
As always, scrappy trails to you.
