5 Fun Ways to Keep your Holiday Memories

When I was in primary school and we had class photos, my Mum told me to write the names on the back. I scoffed at this – the concept that I might one day forget the names of my classmates was unthinkable! But now I struggle to remember names of those in primary school, secondary school, university, and previous colleagues.

The same goes for travel – at the time I know all the names of all the places, hotels, airports, and even metro lines we took. But fast-forward several years and it all blurs into one. So like my primary school class photos, there’s a lot to be said for writing the names on the back.

So what’s the best way to do this?

Journal

The old fashioned diary / journal / travel log is a classic and arguably best way to record all your adventures and memories. The best thing about this is it is very personal, written by hand, and can go everywhere with you so it’s a fun thing to update while you’re sitting at lunch people-watching, or in the hotel at night. The main disadvantage is that it is one copy and if you lose it / set it on fire etc, it’s gone forever. Still, I play the odds and I love this method of recording my holiday. I have kept a journal for every one of my adult holidays, and I also write down all the funny stuff that happens, quotes, anecdotes, people we meet, stuff we did, etc.I always buy a small one so it’s portable, and always with a ring-binder spine so i can bend it backwards, and a plastic cover so it’s durable.

Blogging / Vlogging while away

Blogging, like this very blog you are reading (all 3 of you 😉 ) is a great way to record your holidays and you can upload photos or videos too. Vlogging (Video Blogging) is the modern sister of blogging, and allows you to capture footage while you’re there. I guess these methods are great for capturing the immediacy of your adventures, and are especially brilliant for the folks back home.

But for me, I wouldn’t like the pressure of trying to think of funny or clever ways to say things, and trying to come up with a coherent piece. For me, a holiday is a means of getting away from all responsibility. At the end of a long day on holiday, sometimes I’m so tired all I can manage is to scribble a few bullet-points into my journal before my head hits the pillow.

Blogging at home

Of course you could do a blog once back at home, giving you time to download photos and gather your thoughts before writing it. This is also a great way to reminisce, which is especially good if you need to take your mind off your painful 9-5 job! Again, this is a lovely keepsake account of your travels.

Scrapbook

Making a scrapbook of the tickets, receipts, and leaflets – basically all the crap you have accumulated throughout the trip, is a lovely way to remember your holiday. It is also a good way of doing something productive with all this stuff you think is kind of special so don’t want to throw away, but also have no use for! After our first holiday to Japan, we kept stuff with the Japanese alphabet on, as it was so exciting to see tickets and even mundane receipts in Japanese letters!

Photo Album

The old classic, which seems to have fallen out of favour these days, following the advent of digital cameras. But it is really satisfying to go have some photos printed and make a photo album or photo book. It’s lovely to look through or show friends. And the process of selecting photos is also really fun and nostalgic!

next blog: Ottawa, Canada

previous blog: Thousand Islands, Canada and US

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