Bringing Travel Home
In this post, Bethany explores how to bring a bit of each trip back home to enjoy travel memories for years to come.
If you’ve been following along on my blog, you can see that I adore travel (and hey, if you haven’t been following along, what are you waiting for?). I have been ramping up my travel over the past several years. I have found ways to bring those travel experiences home so I can enjoy them long after the trip is over. Below are several different things I have in my home related to my travels.
Small Travel Trinkets
While I am traveling, I try to get one small trinket from each country, state, and/or city that I visit. I have found that sticking to small souvenirs helps two ways. First, they are much easier to pack and bring back home. Second, they are easier to display in my home. While I do have a few groupings of similar items, I don’t necessarily look for one particular item. Instead, I try to find one small thing that reminds me of experiences I have. My trinkets are currently displayed in one tall, thin curio cabinet. But I’m quickly growing out of this one. So, I will likely need to expand the display case soon!
Travel Wall Art
Another thing I always try to get from each place I visit is something to hang on the wall. These are small, so they take up virtually no space in my suitcase. I definitely try to find something hand-produced by local artists. Sometimes, however, I have to make do with a mass-produced photo or postcard. Like the trinkets, I try to find something that highlights a particular view or experience I have in that location.
Once back home, I enjoy spending time in my local hobby stores finding the perfect frame for each new item. I have learned that many things I buy do not fit in standard American frames. So I have learned to get creative with the use of mats or “floating” frames (where the art floats alone behind clear glass in a larger frame).
Travel-Themed Christmas Tree Ornaments
The third thing I try to get from each place that I visit is a Christmas tree ornament. Like the trinkets and artwork, the small size of ornaments makes them easy to bring back home with me. Also like the artwork, I have learned that I sometimes have to improvise to get an ornament. I have been known to buy keychains, bookmarks, or other like items if I cannot find actual ornaments to purchase. Click the button below to read my full article about my travel-themed Christmas decorations:
Travel Photo Books
For many years I would make my own scrapbooks of my travels. This was a great way to display both photos and other memorabilia I collected along the trip. However, it takes a long time to put scrapbooks together (at least the way I do them!). So I decided to forego that practice and instead started making photo books. I use Shutterfly (Shutterfly | Photo Books, Cards, Prints, Wall Art, Gifts, Wedding) to make my travel photo books. I use the same size, template, and styles so they all coordinate well together. While these photo books also take some time to put together, I have gotten quicker at them over time. I love the finished product. They are stacked on the coffee table so visitors can peruse them if they would like to.
Because I take a ton of pics along the way, these books can quickly become very expensive as I add more pages. My tip here is to look for sales that Shutterfly has on occasion – they often offer set percentages off of all projects, but they also have times where they offer free extra pages on photo books. While I like to get these books made quickly after I return from a trip (when the memories and experiences are fresh in my mind), I often wait a while before getting them actually printed if there are not any decent sales available at the time.
Travel Boxes
When I stopped making scrapbooks, I found that I still had some miscellaneous mementos from each trip lying around. In this digital age, some of this has been reduced, but it is amazing how much “stuff” I still manage to accumulate on each trip! My solution for this is to make a travel box for each trip. I found these sturdy white boxes at The Container Store (Premium Glossy White Gift Boxes | The Container Store) which are perfect for this. I add letter stickers on the side of each box to spell out the trip taken, and inside I store all of the tickets, passes, brochures, itineraries, and other items I accumulated.
Country Rings
Another way I commemorate my travels is with my travel ring clip from Traveller Collective (Commemorate Your Travels – Traveller Collective). I get a new ring for each new country I visit and add the ring to my clip after each trip. My clip is attached to my purse and makes for a nice conversation starter when I am out and about. I have had several people notice it and ask me about it.
Scratch-Off Map
Finally, the last way I commemorate my travels is with a large scratch-off map hanging in my home. After I return from each new country, I get to scratch off the country itself and its corresponding flag at the bottom of the map. It is a simple way for me to see where I have been and to plan where I would like to go next. I purchased mine on Amazon (Amazon.com: Scratch Off World and USA Travel Map XL Poster w Precision Scratch Tools 33″ x 23″ –197 Countries/Flags w Detailed Cartography, Great Wall Decor, Gift : Office Products) but there are lots of different options available. It is another great conversation starter for those who visit my home!
Conclusion
I find several ways to bring a part of each place I visit home with me – small trinkets, artwork to hang on the walls, and Christmas tree ornaments. There are also things I do after each trip to commemorate the journey – photo books, travel boxes, country rings, and a scratch-off map. Each of these things helps keep the wonderful memories of each trip I take front and center in my home. I enjoy re-living the trips every time I see something that reminds me of that trip.
