Do you travel full-time in your RV as we do? Or maybe you have a family reunion every year that you attend. Is there a family travel tradition you’d like to remember year after year? There are several ways to travel, and all of them are special and memorable. There are also some great ways to celebrate and remember your travels.
When we first hit the road 4 years ago on our full-time RV journey, we didn’t write anything down or keep track of anything. Including all the millions of pictures we took. Looking back and trying to find pictures from 2017, well, let’s just say I go kicking and screaming into that adventure. There was no organization at all, and nothing is titled.
When we started 2018, I made a plan to track our travels and be more organized with my pictures. I do it in several different ways. I keep track of every place our RV lands for the night, and we have travel maps for the last 3 years. Inside the travel map, I keep lots of great information to help us (and others) with boondocking information, cell service speeds at those locations, and other great information. I also keep an adventure journal to pass on to my kids someday. But there are so many more ways to celebrate your travel history! As an example, you can see our 2019 travel map here.
Map Your Travels
There are some fun maps we highly recommend for RV travel. These physical maps can be both fun and educational for kids. And, can absolutely be something you hang in your house and enjoy too. You can pick how you track those states you travel through. Will you have to spend the night in that state, or just simply drive through it for it to count? The possibilities are endless.
- Scratch-Off World Map
- USA Photo Map (this one is my favorite! But make sure you mount it on something other than just your RV so you can always move it out and take it with you)
- USA Scratch-off Map
- Push Pin USA Map
- Colored Push Pins for Maps
- Vintage Push Pin Map
Photo Gallery Wall
RVs have limited wall space, but even our RV has enough wall space in a few areas to have a gallery wall on a small scale. Travel memories through your own photography is always a great way to remember your travels.
Decorate Your Refrigerator with Memories
Travel memories can come in so many ways. Since we live small, we know several people who collect magnets from places they visit and display them on the refrigerator. Or how about magnetic photo frames.
Journal Your Travels
I think journals have been forgotten. Some people think of them as time-consuming and a chore they have to do. If you think of it more like a creative outlet, where it includes drawings or pictures, it’s more like a little mini scrapbook. When we traveled on weekends or for vacation, we had a simple spiral notebook that both Justin and I and the kids would write in during our travels. Those are priceless (and often funny) memories to look back on. Whatever you decide to do, make it fun. You can read how we journal about our travels here!
- Small Travel Journal/Scrapbook
- Adventure Scrapbook
- Small Adventure Journal/Scrapbook
- Don’t forget the kids! This is a great challenge activity book for them!
Photography For the Kids!
If you’re looking for ways to get our kids involved in making travel memories from their perspective, we have many ideas! Get them a small, inexpensive camera they can take their own pictures with. We highly recommend these three for the kids. What fun to let them take their own pictures, and see them on your computer that night. What a great gift for a grandson or granddaughter who is interested in photography, but you aren’t ready to spend a fortune on a camera yet.
Make A Calendar
With everyone going digital, photo calendars are sometimes forgotten. But you can use it more than just a calendar to see what day it is or to keep your schedule. You can also use it as a way to write down where you are and a quick memory about your fun time exploring.
The Best Digital Photo Frames
We love our digital photo frame! Compiling many travel and family photos that rotate through is our favorite way to display our travel memories. Sometimes I will actually jump on Canva and do text overlays on our pictures such as this one.
Finally, upload it back onto my camera card and insert it into my photo frame. It’s a great way to share those memories with others, or just remember where you were. Here are our favorite picks for digital frames.
- Good – Digital Photo Frame by Atatat – Comes in different sizes – with and without Wifi
- Better – This 10-inch Digital frame has one of the best reviews and so many options including Wifi and a touchscreen
- Best – I love this Digitial Photo Frame by Dragon. They had me at wireless! Love having the option to hang it!
Destination Boxes
Have you heard of these? The possibilities are limitless! One of the most simple and enjoyable ways to keep your travel memories is these fun destination boxes. As well as pictures, you can put collectibles inside from your travel destinations.
What a great idea for kids as well! You can include tickets, receipts, postcards, souvenirs, and all sorts of mementos that will spark a memory. This is similar to a time capsule, but even more fun! Head over to Hobby Lobby or your favorite craft store and make them yourself! If you live tiny, you can even make these in tiny 4×6 sizes.
If you don’t want to make them yourself, you can check out these ones and customize them in your own way!
- Nesting Memory Boxes
- Wooden Storage Box
- Shadow Box of Memories
- These 8.5 x 5 plain white boxes are perfect for making your own destination boxes
Explosion Boxes
This is another super fun way to keep your big memories in small places. Easy to store on a shelf, and fun to make. Additionally, you could easily make these into small destination boxes too! Simply get stickers and customize each little box on the outside.
- Explosion Box Set
- Lights Included Explosion Box
- Hexagon Explosion Box – includes a small middle-box for souvenir items.
Travel Tokens
I love collecting my travel tokens! There are so many different ideas. Here are the travel tokens and holders I have. These fit great right in my glove box of our truck and these are a great idea for kids. Typically the little tokens are $1 and the book is about $5. You can find them at just about every national park, national monument, most national lakeshores, state park visitor centers, and more. It’s also a great way for kids to collect something and you’re able to keep it small. I really find these fun and it’s an inexpensive thing to collect since we live tiny.
Here are a few other great ideas for collecting small travel tokens
- Smashed Penny Collection
- Token Keychains
- Head over to Etsy! You can find a bunch of fun travel tokens here!
National Park Stamp Book
This is a super popular way to document your trips to the National Parks! Fun for kids, and a great way to learn the history of the parks as you collect your stamps and stickers!
- Collectors Edition Passport Book
- National Park Adventure Journal and Passport Stamp Book
- Passport to your National Parks Stamp Book
Collect Shot Glasses
If you have room, this is a fun way to remember your travels. And I’m sure I’ve seen fun shot glasses in every travel location I’ve ever been to. Here are a few ideas for displaying them!
As you can see, the possibilities are endless. There are so many ways to document and remember your travel adventures. In any event, whether you travel full-time like we do, or you enjoy your weekend getaways or annual long vacation destinations, there is something fun for everyone. One thing we have learned is just to make sure those memories are saved somewhere. A journal, a series of photographs, or simply a push-pin map. We just hope you find what works for you and enjoy creating those memories.
Here are a few other blog posts we think you’ll love!
- What To Do With Sentimental Items When Downsizing
- Top 10 Must-Have Travel Books
- Simple DIY RV Renovation
- Off the Beaten Path in Texas. 10 Amazing, Cool and Unique Places to Visit
- 11 Unique Places to Visit in the USA
- Bisti Badlands ~ New Mexico’s Most Hidden Gem
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