Happy Magazine Monday, my SCT friends! As we embark on June, our minds turn to summer fun and the memories we will make in the next few months! Summer to me is all about travel. Do you have any exciting travel plans you’re looking forward to?
Vacations are definitely a favorite subject of scrapbook layouts. I’ve made many in my day, and I dug out this one created probably ten years ago since it’s a fitting complement to this blog post.
Journaling:
Road trips with mom and dad are probably hazy childhood memories for most people, but not for my sister and me. Our parents are great travel companions to this day. We’ve hit the road to Orlando, Nashville, Syracuse, El Paso, and LA, and it seems like we are always cooking up ideas of where to go next. Dad is the master of the map, and Mom provides travel games to help us pass the time. We even divvy up days for decisions about dining and such. Sure, Dad balks at stopping at every state line to take a picture of the welcome sign, and Mom comments on how fast Beth and I drive, but the four of us treasure our trips by car around the USA!
My mom loved nothing more than a good road trip! She was a serious planner from beginning to end. It’s funny, she wasn’t particularly organized in a lot of ways, but those trips we took together were always mapped out very carefully. Here’s an example of an itinerary of a trip we took to California in 2004.
See what I mean?
Probably one of the things I cherish most about our trips is that for each trip we kept a journal. Everyone took turns writing, and those journals passed the time as we drove many miles a day. The entries outline where we went, what we ate, and hilarious happenings along the way. What a treasure!
It’s obviously not beautiful, but ohhhh the memories! And what a delight to see my mom’s beautiful handwriting and thoughtful and funny musings.
The Summer 2017 issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today includes gorgeous ideas from Paige Evans for creating a travel journal. It is soooo gorgeous! I can’t wait for you to see it! Here’s a little sneak peek of the cover…
Give travel journaling a try this summer! Here are some ideas of what you can do:
- Keep it simple and take along a spiral notebook. Maybe grab one with a pocket for memorabilia.
- Gather journaling cards to jot down fun memories.
- Make EVERYONE write. They will grumble (trust me, I did!), but it will be worth it!
- Designate an envelope for postcards, ticket stubs, and fun finds.
- Upon your return, make something beautiful like Paige did. It’s the perfect way to relive the adventure and preserve the memories.
Here’s time with family time, summer fun, and wonderful travel memories!
Susan R. Opel, Editor-in-Chief
Great tips! On our only family vacation we have ever taken I actually followed them and we all love looking through the memories that are well documented because of the notes taken while on our trip! It gave me a little down time to take the notes which was so nice! It made me remember to sit back and smell the roses! TFS!
A wonderful keepsake that becomes more valuable thru the years. I have even begun doing a monthly “yearbook” in a similar style. Once you start it becomes a fun habit.
What wonderful memories! My dad always kept a trip diary. And, when I was cleaning out my mom’s apartment after she passed away, I found it. Like you, it’s the handwriting as much as the words that I treasure. For this reason, I try to hand journal on many of my layouts, despite the fact that I don’t love my handwriting. I think handwritten journaling will have more meaning to my kids years from now!
travel journals are so awesome. i have done only a few, but hope to do more. great work Susan!
Great article and advice…
Wonderful memories and ideas for travel journaling! Another tip for young children – have pages with a blank space at the top for a picture and lines below for writing a few words, or they can dictate them to an adult or older sibling.
Journaling a trip is a great idea, I also find collecting post cards are great memory joggers also and of course the pics.
So lovely that you have those memories to hold on to. I will have to give this a try!
How wonderful you have the journals from your family trips! Looks like AAA copied your mom’s planner idea–haha! Must admit, we rely on AAA & I write notes in the margins, but your mom’s is so personalized–love it! Paige’s travel journal is a stunner–love the bits of gold I see!