I hope you enjoy these Smash Book Ideas, I loved using my Smash Book as a Travel Album and Travelers Journal for our recent trip to South Africa!
Last summer I had the great opportunity to travel to South Africa with my extended family. It was an amazing trip and I’d go back again in a second! You can read about my trip here if you’re curious.
Smash Book Travelers Journal Tutorial:
Before I left, I knew that I wanted to document my trip as it happened. I find that so many details get lost if you try and remember a trip afterward.
I’ve done this with most of my big trips, usually,I make a small travel scrapbook to take with me, you can see some of the past ones here and here and here.
About My Book:
This time, I ran out of time and didn’t get the chance to make anything before I left. Instead, I purchased a SMASH book for myself and my girls to document our trip while in Africa. The book pictured is the International Travel edition Smash Book.
While I was in South Africa I sat down each evening and recorded my thoughts for the day, things we did, things I felt etc… I made my girls do the same thing. Some nights it was a struggle to get them to sit down and write, but I think in the end they will appreciate having a record of our trip. My son also journaled while on the trip but I could only convince him to write in a composition notebook, he had no interest in any scrapbookey stuff.
I left spaces in the album to go back and add photos when I got home. It worked out well since there seemed to be a page with lines on it every few pages.
When I got home I printed some of our photos and added them to the album with some embellishments.
On a few of the pages, I hand-lettered some inspirational quotes.
Tips for Creating a Travelers Journal:
1. Take time each evening to jot down your thoughts for the day.
You think you’ll remember but you won’t. It only takes a few minutes per night and you’ll thank yourself later.
2. Save space for photos.
After you’re home from your trip, print out some of your photographs and add them to your album. I remembered what photos I had taken each day and left notes in pencil for myself to remind me what photos I’d like to add after I was home.
3. Add personal touches.
Don’t be afraid to doodle and use your own handwriting. It’s a journal about YOU it doesn’t have to be perfect but it should be personal.
One thing to note.
Once I got all the photos in the Smash book it got TOO thick. I had to pull out a few of the pages so the pages would turn easily. Also, the design of a few of the pages didn’t match well with the mood I had in mind for my album. So I cut scrapbook paper the same size as the album pages and glued it over the top of the page I didn’t like.
I finished the whole thing a few weeks after I got home, while the trip was fresh in my mind. I was just going through and reading it the other day and thought that I would share it here.
What about you guys? Does anyone else like to keep a record of their adventures?
julie cluff says
Your book is fabulous! Love it! I wish I had done this with some of my trips. I’ll just have to get Ron to take me on another trip so I can make a travel album! 🙂
Julie,
I think that is an excellent idea 🙂
Laura says
I have journaled while on trips and it does make a difference with the remembering! Ten years later I can feel and almost hear the sounds and smell the smells of our trip to France, Belgium, Itlay and Switzerland.
What a wonderful trip to remember. And my husband has asked questions about different places and we have looked them up in that travel journal. Worth taking the time to write. it. down.
Nicole B says
My daughter and I have done a couple smash books. She is keeping things from school and pics of her and her friends in hers. I like to keep notes cards or post its from my family in mine. I add pics and comments when I can. They are like a diary only better!
Trena says
Lovely smash book. So glad I saw this. The tabs on the pages, are they for each day? Thank you for sharing.
Trena
Dee says
I love this style of holiday documenting. I have done it several different ways and it seems to vary based on the activities of the trip. One road trip with just my husband and I gave me the time to get photos printed at chemists along the way and journal each night. Most trips though I can only manage to make notes along the way and assemble it at the end.
I had been wondering if the smash book leant itself to this as it didn’t seem to have a big enough wire ring to allow much extra to be added to it. I have found it tricky to find books with thick enough paper and a big spiral – they seem to be mostly one or the other.
I did notice that I had to pull out about 1/3 of the pages to give the rings enough space to turn the pages- but it had so many pages in it already that it wasn’t a problem for me.
Julia says
What a shame you couldn’t let your children enjoy themselves on this trip. What a miserable parent you must be. 🙁 I feel very sorry for them.
Tauni says
What a unique take on this post Julia.
A trip to South Africa? I can’t think of a more enjoyable experience for a family to undertake together. It looks like the simple steps they took to documenting their activities will help to ensure the memories will remain with them through the years and for generations to come.
My grandmother passed away two years ago and we’ve been working our way through some of her keepsakes. Each piece is a little window into the life she lived and we’re so grateful to have it.
Bravo for the Mom’s who think ahead, like Melissa, and plan to preserve precious family memories!
Thank you Tauni,
We found a few similar keepsakes after my Grandmother passed away. We had no idea that she was such a fantastic writer until we found some stories from her childhood that she had taken the time to jot down before she passed away. I spoke at her funeral and read some of the stories, it was such a joy to hear her thoughts at such a tough time and they all became such a treasure for our family. Thanks for sharing your story with me and the other readers here…
Gisela says
Love your planner. I went back home after 50 years and I wish I had done that. I did noticed you had different pages and wondered how did you match the holes?
I just glued them ontop of the pages that were attached to the album already.