As I write this article, I am on my way home from a 10-day vacation. A wonderful time, relaxing yet filled with fun and educational things to do. In this article, I want to share with you some tips and ideas for Scrapbooking your trip on what to do before and during your vacation to ensure a pleasurable scrapping experience for when you return.



Prior to leaving, have in mind what you want to accomplish. Do you want to document your vacation and incorporate it into your present album? Do you plan on creating a theme album, making the entire album about your vacation? You may always change your mind, but if you know prior you may take more or less photos.

Here are some ideas for during your vacation:

1. Save your ticket stubs. Use as an accent on your page or tuck into a pocket, mini envelope or file folder.

2. Save brochures, programs and other items to be used as embellishments or accents in your scrapbook.

3. Have a street map, map to the amusement park or any other kind of map? Maps tend to be large and would make a great background paper. You can also use for matting photos, page borders, or fold into a pocket or envelope. (use the map itself to create the pocket/envelope).

4. Can't get the perfect photo? Weather or lighting not cooperating? Too many people? Whatever the reason may be, make sure you make a stop at the gift shop and look for postcards. Postcards are inexpensive, typically .25-.35, and offer beautiful glossy photos.

5. Start your journey with a large envelope or file folder. Keep maps and information about your possible destinations. After visiting, file your memorabilia there. This will keep everything together in one place and be ready for Scrapbooking upon your trip home.

6. Immediately jot down funny stories, important events/happenings on the way home (from that days event) to keep the memories fresh. Again store in the same large envelope/folder.

7. Did you learn an interesting fact while touring? Be sure to document it. Whether in a photo or as journaling. Write it down and store away.

Upon your return, once you get back all your photos from the trip, look them over. Look for a common theme or color. Based on your findings, decide what papers and colors you want to use. Purchase or gather papers, embellishments, stickers or anything else you want or may need to include in your album. By using the same theme and colors of paper your vacation will be more unified into one theme. Plus this will ensure scrapping your entire trip much easier and quicker. Each page can have a different background yet coordinating. For each page, choose your photos, accents and embellishments from your trip or some you may have purchased with the papers. Add your journaling and then see what needs to be done to complete it. Now you have a completed album or pages to remember your vacation and to share with others.

Do you have extra photos from your vacation? Here are a few ideas on how to use those extra photos:

1. Ask all those involved in the vacation what there favorite part was. Create a top 5 or 10 page and use up the extra photos of the top favorites. Be sure to include a quick summary in the journaling.

2. Use extra photos and let the kids make their own vacation memory album.

3. Use extra photos to make a mini album of the vacation for someone who went along and may not be a scrapbooker themselves. What a great gift idea!

4. Mount an extra photo to a piece of cardstock and use as a thank you card to give to someone who may have taken care of your pets, mail or plants while you were away.

I hope the above tips will prepare you for your next vacation and help you "Scrap your Trip"!