Check out these awesome ways to preserve vacation memories.
I have always been a collector of vacation memories. Pictures, little mementos, and fun ways to remember all of the adventures that were enjoyed. I’ve already passed that love onto my daughter, so now it’s time to pass the love onto you.
(This post may contain affiliate links to items that help preserve vacation memories.)
Ways to Preserve Vacation Memories
Shadow Box: Fill a Shadow Box with plane tickets, pictures, and other mementos from your trip. You can switch them out with each trip or fill a wall of memories.
Apothecary Jar/Cookie Jar/Clear Bucket: This is a great way to preserve vacation memories from a beach trip, camping trip, or other outdoor adventure. Fill your Apothecary Jar with sand and shells, rocks and twigs, or pinecones and needles to create a centerpiece that double as a memory!
Spoons: State Spoons are a great way to not only remember your trip but also to log your travels. Tween Girl collects State Spoons. She has them from places she has traveled to, her father and I have traveled to, and places friends have traveled to that we more than likely will never visit. She has a decent collection going and it’s fun trying to get a spoon from every state!
Ornaments: Whenever you take a vacation, pick up an ornament for your Christmas Tee to remember that special trip. This has become my choice for preserving memories. I started on my first trip that involved a plane and no family. Every time I fly somewhere new, I pick up an ornament for our tree. I love getting them out every December and remember the fun I had.
Magnets: If you love displaying your memories on this fridge, this is for you! Collect a magnet from each place you have been and stick it right up on the fridge when you get home.
Stepping Stone: This is a great way for kids to preserve vacation memories! Pick up a DIY Stepping Stone Kit and gather up little things on your trips like pressed pennies, rocks, and shells to put in your stone. Start a path in the garden and make it longer with each trip!
Annual Picture: Gather everyone on your trip for a group photo! If you always take a family trip, have everyone do that same pose or action each year. It will be fun to see how everyone changes and grows over the years!
What fun ways do you Preserve Vacation Memories?
If you are surprising your kids with a vacation, use one of these Vacation Announcement Scavenger Hunts to tell them!
Jessica says
I love the stepping stone idea! We have made one before for the front yard but I NEVER thought to add vacation treasures to it. I am definitely making one from our 1st Disney trip.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
I love the shadow box idea! Actually, I love all your ideas. They are very creative.
Mitch says
Thanks for this list. We live in an apartment so saving a lot of stuff is hazardous to our well being, but we do have to have some mementos! Of course, as I look at the 3 Harry Potter wands we have, I relaize it is easy to get carried away!
thanks,
Mitch
mary says
My mother in law collected bells everywhere she went. My mom – spoons. Me- shotglasses. Funny since I don’t even drink.
Love the shadowbox
Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? says
What fun ideas. And so different and creative! I will have to remember this!
fancygrlnancy (Nancy Partin) says
Those are some great ideas. I usually take lots of photos and I try to get a magnet from the places we visit. My boys each get to get 1 thing for themselves. They usually pick a toy. I really like the shadow box idea.
Brandi says
I’m big on just putting them online. I have a few that we print out and display, but I’ve never been a scrapbooker. My daughters like scrapbooking though.
Jaime says
I try to scrapbook our vacations (I’m somewhat getting better about this.) My son usually gets a book from a place we’ve visited – or that my husband or I have visited. And we always take photos!
Veronica says
I keep my vacation pictures in albums. I know people don’t do that anymore but I think it is important to do that
Kathy says
These are good tips. I often leave the pics on the camera for months and then kinda forget about them!
Terry says
Pictures are the best way to preserve memories. I sometimes pick up rocks from each area I visit, then I put them outside in my flower beds.
aimee fauci says
Most often we try to do the Christmas ornament esp if we are at Disney! My girls will most often get a stuffed animal with a logo from where we went.
Dawn Lopez says
These are such fabulous ideas! I absolutely adore that DIY Stepping Stone Kit, that is such a an awesome way to preserve memories!
Danielle @ We Have It All says
Great idea! I love the picture idea and the jar idea. We went to Sanibel Island last summer and we brought home shells. We have some in our fish tank and some in a pretty jar with sand.
Christie says
We make sure to get LOTS of family photos! I love the jar idea for little keepsakes
Aimee Smith says
We grab a magnet everywhere we go! I love seeing all our travels on the fridge!
Rosey says
We get an ornament for our Christmas tree, everywhere we go. Well, every special place we go. 🙂
Jeanine says
Photos and keepsakes! Usually when we go on vacation and do something fun we have a silly photo taken and put on a shirt, frame, mug etc so keep the memories with us after we go home!
Debbie Denny says
That stepping stone idea is fantastic. Love shadow boxes also.
krystalskitsch says
I have on my list to make a shadowbox for my son… he is now two! I Wanted to fill it with his onesie, hospital bracelet, etc.
Chrystal @ YUM eating says
Lately I have been taking a Smash Book on our little road trips and adding things from our trip to it. I also take a lot of photos and then get on Shutterfly and make a photo book. Maybe someday I’ll get my millions of photos printed since going digital so many years ago.
Virginia @thatbaldchick says
I didn’t realize they still made state spoons. My grandmother had a collection of them, and I thought they were the coolest!
Family Travel Blogger says
I like the idea of ornaments. We also collect sand from the beaches we visit.
Rachael says
I take lots of pictures and videos. And I’ll buy a key chain or ornament or something.
Toni says
A shadow box is such a great idea, I have never thought about doing something like that. We make photo books each year and highlight things from the entire year.
Brett says
These are cute ideas! I love to take photos when we travel, but I’ll have to try some of these too!
Christina S says
We always get an ornament wherever we go (sometimes 2 or 3, I’m obsessed). For the beach this year, I already have plans to make a shadow box!
Janeane Davis says
These are great ways to make memories last. It is important to create memories and preserve them.