Looking for inspiring ideas for DIY travel mementos?
I LOVE to travel. And I love remembering my travels…but for years I had difficulty organizing and preserving those memories. Souvenirs and photos would get set aside to deal with later, and I’d never get around to it.
And I know I’m not the only one.
I have literally tens of thousands of photos I’ve taken.
And I have souvenirs from nearly every place I’ve visited.
People would ask about a certain place or activity and I would have to scroll through thousands of photos to find those one or two or ten to show them.
So, I started paying attention to what souvenirs I collected, and what I did with the photos I took.
Now, I feel like I have a much better grasp on my travel mementos and I enjoy showing them off.
So if you’re like me and need ideas and inspiration when it comes to displaying and presenting your travel mementos, here’s a list of nine inspiring DIY ideas I’ve put together.
I’ve broken this list up into travel souvenirs and display ideas.
Every single one of these I currently do, so if you have questions I’ll be happy to answer them. Leave a comment below or send me an email!
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Travel Souvenirs
Wine Glasses
To commemorate our travels, I usually collect a few things from each place we visit.
My favorite mementos to collect are wine glasses.
I try and pick up a unique souvenir wine glass from wherever we travel and I use them once we’re back home.
Each glass has a special memory that comes to mind every time I use it.
If I can’t find a glass, and it’s a memory I want to commemorate, I make one! I’ll either etch or paint a design and it ends up meaning twice as much because it’s something I made. Family and friends have even been known to make requests of their own!
Stickers
Another inspiring idea for DIY travel mementos, is collecting stickers during your travels.
They are usually very common at national park monuments and state parks. I just started collecting these in the past two years.
The stickers I add to my travel thermos and our coolers. They make great inexpensive mementos!
Stones & Sand
A second great souvenir idea (especially if you have a tight travel budget) is to collect stones from each place you travel. I’ve also collected sand that was either an unusual color or from an especially memorable beach.
I label each rock (or display jar) with the location and the date and that way I have a little piece with me to mark my travels! (Unless it’s Hawaii. I’ve never taken any sand or stones from the Islands…I have no desire to test Pele’s Curse!)
Ornaments
Another inspiring idea for DIY travel mementos is to collect ornaments.
I have to admit, I do go a little overboard sometimes on ornaments and end up with two or three from one place if they’re especially unique.
I love collecting ornaments because every Christmas I get to unwrap each one and enjoy the memories they bring.
The kids love it too and have already said they plan to carry on the tradition with their kids one day.
With the ornaments, even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, they can be great décor pieces and not necessarily Christmas-only.
I actually display them around the house throughout the year then add them to the tree in December.
Only then when we wrap the ornaments back up in January, do the ornaments we’ve collected throughout the year get packed away with the rest of the Christmas decorations.
The national parks usually have really great ornaments in their souvenir shops and believe me, I have more than a few!
Those are the three primary souvenirs I collect on our travels. Some people also collect postcards, artwork, decorative spoons, coffee cups, hats and more. Whatever you’re into, there’s a way to celebrate your travels!
Displaying Travel Memories
This brings me to the question of “How do I display my travel memories at home?”.
Photo Albums
I mentioned that I have tens of thousands of pictures taken over the years.
One way that I organize these is into albums on my phone. You of course can use digital albums or put together actual photo albums – whichever you prefer. The majority of my photos are taken with my phone so that’s where I organize them.
You can also organize and post them on social media apps like Facebook or Instagram.
This way you can share them with family and friends, and it’s an easy way to keep great pictures you’ll enjoy for years ahead.
Create Wall Art from Photos – Canvas, Wood Tiles, Framed Prints
Keeping the pictures in albums serves another purpose too.
It helps keep the photos organized so that when we get home, I can take the pictures in the album and upload the ones I like to an online print store like Shutterfly or Walgreens.
Their apps make it very easy to upload photos and order prints.
I’ve even taken pictures I especially like and had them printed and framed or made into canvas prints or wood tiles to hang on the wall.
When friends and family come to visit, there’s always new pictures on the walls that I rotate out and freshen up with new images.
TIP: These also make great gifts for grandparents!
Printed Photo Books
Speaking of online printing, I’ve also used travel photos to create unique, personalized photo books highlighting our trips.
Hardback or paperback, they make great mementos to display on your coffee table or to give as gifts.
TIP: I use the RetailMe app to find coupons for printing services. I don’t think I’ve ever paid full price for any order. If you can’t find one, wait a week or so as they’re usually offered pretty frequently.
Calendars
Wall calendars can also be an inspiring idea for a DIY travel memento.
I started this tradition almost 15 years ago now.
Every Christmas the entire family gets a calendar that I’ve designed as a gift which are full of pictures I’ve taken or collected throughout the year.
I usually go through and collect photos others have shared and save them to a special calendar album to make the project a little easier.
It has become everyone’s favorite gift – useful and fun!
The calendars have also become a kind of yearbook now as well.
Since everyone has ended up keeping the calendars rather than throwing them out at the end of the year, we now have a stack of photo memories compiled by year.
It’s fun look back and see how everyone has changed and remember special events and family vacations.
The calendars have become a travel memento, yearbook, and source of family history and tradition all in one!
Travel Maps
The final display I want to mention are travel maps.
We have a couple that are a bit different.
One is a canvas map of the United States that we’ve added push pins to for every state the kids have visited.
It’s their way of keeping track of their 50 State Bucket List.
Another map I started a couple years ago is a scratch-off map of the world.
I admit, this one is more my bucket list as I’ve used it to keep track and commemorate my travels since I was young.
It also has a list of famous sites around the world that are fun to mark off as well. I found this one on Amazon and unfortunately it’s no longer available. I did find this similar one that has great reviews if you’re interested. I’ve given two to family as gifts and they’ve loved it.
If you’re looking for other gift ideas, take a look at 25 Gift Ideas for the Outdoor Woman, or my list of Road Trip Essentials for your next road trip vacation.
Well, that’s it.
These are the nine inspiring ideas for DIY travel mementos that I’ve developed and used for our travels to help celebrate and display great travel memories. They’re a great reminder of all the places we’ve been.
Wine glasses, photo books, calendars, and travel maps. Each memento is unique and holds memories of great times with family and friends.
Each trip changes us in ways both big and small and though we may not realize it, our minds are broadened with each new experience.
I believe something that profound deserves to be remembered and displayed.
If you have other travel traditions or souvenirs that you collect leave a comment below so everyone can benefit from your ideas as well! Happy travels and embrace your inner dragonfly!
