You’re having the vacation of your life and don’t want these memories to fade away. Months from now, what’s the best way to reflect on your travels? Here are a few tips on how to log your travel journey and keep your memories alive.
Journaling
Before you hop on a plane or climb into your car for a road trip, purchase a travel-friendly journal to make observations on scenery, various landmarks you enjoyed and the restaurants you loved the most. It is a great way to remember specific names and places you might forget — revisiting these pages later will create a sense of nostalgia and it may help you reconnect with people you met along the way. With your personal journal, you don’t need to worry about making it perfect or fretting over grammar, simply jot down what makes a place most memorable for you.
Blogging
Do you love to keep your family and friends updated on your travels? Instead of emailing or texting each person individually, create a blog detailing your travel experiences and letting your loved ones peek into your journey. Maybe you already have a great following on your personal blog, but want to create more of a buzz — try adding music from Shutterstock to enhance your online posts. If you’re blogging about a place that made you feel relaxed, access the music library for some peaceful tunes. Background music will heighten your personal travel journey in a novel but interesting way. Since you are creating a digital imprint, you are welcome to revisit your favorite travel memory anytime.
YouTube Videos
Do you love to experience adventure while you’re traveling? Do you want to catch every single detail of your destination? By filming your trip with a smartphone, within minutes you can upload your personal movie on YouTube. The travel videos may focus on honing in on a sunset or a clip of you swimming with dolphins — you have the green light to add your personal reflections on what made this particular activity special for you. If you want more of a scenic and quiet reflection of your trip, string together a montage of clips from all of the places you traveled. Weeks after your vacation, you’ll smile at what you captured on film.
Photography
With today’s savvy options available to organize your photographs, create a visual essay of your journey. Favorite sights and sounds, hotels, restaurants and selfies are all likely possibilities in your photography feed. Even if you take several random pictures, a slideshow app on your computer or phone will create the perfect montage for you to revisit whenever you please.
Social Media
There is no escape from social media, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Instagram allows you to touch up, filter and instantly add special features to your photographs. If you want to print these pictures in one place, there are services that will compile the perfect coffee book for your dining table. How great would it be to reach over and grab your memory book during your morning cup of coffee? Other social media feeds like Twitter and Facebook let you tell a story in real time about your travels.