I don’t know what possessed me in this hot humid weather, but I decided to clean out our large storage cupboard a few days ago. It was literally bulging at the seams with memorabilia and stuff I have collected over the past 13 years. In the process of sorting through the large pile of stuff I came across so many mementos and keepsakes that it got me thinking about creating memories rather than moments.
Let me explain. My definition of creating memories is firstly experiencing the moment, enjoying it and capturing it so that is lives on forever. Most people do this by taking photos or videos of the event or experience. However I notice that a lot of Gen Y’ers and the Millennials like to take a selfie, publish it on social media, store it on their iPhone, iCloud or hard drive. The problem with this is that you can sometimes lose photos if your electronic device fails, is lost or stolen or is dropped in water. In an instant all of your wonderful memories have vanished!
Back in my day we had to take a photo with actual film in our cameras, take it to be processed and then wait maybe a week prior to getting our photos processed and printed. We then inserted these photos into photo albums so that we had a permanent record of the event or moment. It sounds like such an archaic process these days with the innovations made in digital photography and storing photos on hard drives and iClouds as opposed to be displayed in albums.
A photo album with photos circa 1980
On cleaning out that storage cupboard I discovered at least 30 photo albums with memories so precious that I could never part with. So where does that leave photos not printed and only stored on electronic devices or hard drives? If you’re not careful in ensuring you have backup copies of photos or videos they could be gone forever. Believe me I have lost photos in this fashion!
It appears to me that a lot of travellers take trips to destinations and quickly dash around ensuring they see all the main tourist attractions, take a few selfies and then move onto the next place. This is what I mean about creating memories rather than moments. How can you really see and experience a destination unless you at least spend a few days there? How can you create memories when you are dashing about on a strict itinerary and not really living in the moment?
Tourists taking selfies instead of living in the moment
So my advice is that you focus on a travel destination, select the places you really want to see, walk the streets as much as you can to really experience the vibe of the place and yes, take plenty of photos. But also I recommend taking a travel diary, whether it be an actual notebook that you write in or an electronic notebook, and detail your trip every single day so that you don’t forget the name of that stunning beach or that charming village.
Examples of Travel Diaries or Journals
Most travel diaries or journals include a world map, a page for each day of your trip, an expenses register, a pre-trip checklist, world times, Australian Embassy locations, a place for names and addresses for contacts and blank pages or envelopes for pasting and storing admission tickets, receipts, etc.
Travel Diary Page with an admission ticket pasted in
On return from your holiday I recommend that you create photobooks to document your travels and display your wonderful photos. If you have admission tickets, postcards, souvenirs or brochures from your trip you can also scan or photograph these and insert these in your photobook. You can even write a brief account of your travels alongside the photos.
Photobooks create great memories
I have created photobooks for the majority of our trips and overseas holidays, and they make lovely coffee table books, plus keep all your memories alive forever. The greatest advantage of these lovely books is that the photos don’t fade or discolour like printed photos can. You also have total control of how you layout the photos on each page, select different backgrounds, themes, frames, decals or stickers and label each image or page as you wish.
An example of how you can layout your photos in your Photobook
There are many websites where you can create Photobooks, such as Harvey Norman, Officeworks, Vistaprint and Big W, but my personal favourite is Photobooks Express that you can create in the comfort of your own lounge room, by downloading their software onto your computer and then taking your own good time to be creative. The other one is Snapfish that you can prepare online. However the book and paper quality, price, variety of books and layouts of Photobooks Express I have found to be superior.
Another way to create memories is to take videos of your holidays and then put together a movie of your travels. Using a free video editor, you can easily add music, captions, and still photos to make your movie even more engaging. Over the years, I have created videos for my two children for their milestone birthdays, such as their 18th and 21st. These personalized videos are wonderful for families to look back on and reminisce about their childhood and the special events in their lives.
An annual photo calendar showing off your wonderful travel photos or special occasions for the past 12 months is also another great way of creating memories. I usually make a calendar every year utilising the best travel photos from the previous year so that when I flip the page to a new month I can remember what a great holiday I had at that particular spot. I have a blogging friend who takes spectacular sunrise photos and used them to make stunning calendars that she has sold quite successfully.
An example of a Photo Calendar created in Snapfish
If you have a couple of photos that are an absolute work or art, why not immortalise them by having them printed onto canvas? They look fabulous hanging on your wall and remind you of the trip or event each and every day. I have several of these hanging on the walls in my house and they look great.
Our two Labs at North Stradbroke Island immortalised on a canvas photo print
A relatively new innovation are Australian journal maps where you can trace your journey, highlighting as you go on a journal map. Fellow blogger, Linda does these beautifully over at Journal Jottings. One of these would look fantastic on your wall and would forever retain the memories of your Australian trip.
Australian journal map
Maybe I’m a bit nostalgic about events and holidays that have occurred in my life. My children tend to think that I overdo the photobooks, videos and calendars. However I feel at the end of the day I have created some wonderful memories that my children and maybe my grandchildren will enjoy looking at when I’m long gone. By then I’m sure there will be new ways to capture and keep memories!
This post is part of the Lovin’ Life Linky with a Lovin’ Life Team of the “ageing positively” kind who are as keen as I am to promote the Lovin’ Life mindset. The Lovin’ Life Team includes:
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Lydia C. Lee
January 26, 2017I’m terrible at the photo books – at least when you had to get a film developed, you had to put them in albums! Ha!
Kathy
January 27, 2017A lot people don’t even bother to put photos in albums and leave them in boxes! I have to preserve precious memories, otherwise they can soon be gone. Particularly when you get older and start to forget! :) #TeamLovinLife
Sydney Shop Girl
January 26, 2017Your photo of your photo albums brought back memories, Kathy.
Thanks for chatting about all the other options out there for keeping memories and moments alive.
I agree with you about visiting new places, walking their streets and just absorbing the local every day is such a powerful way of getting an impression that will become a memory.
SSG xxx
Kathy
January 27, 2017My parents lost all of my baby photos because the film got left in the camera and the camera was destroyed. So I have very few photos of myself as a baby. I think this is why I’m so obsessed about retaining memories in the form of photos. :) #TeamLovinLife
Jo Tracey
January 26, 2017In packing up the house I’ve found boxes and boxes of photos and about 30 albums full. Of the loose pics, I’ve thrown anything without a person in it, but am still left with cartons. As I went through them all the memories came flooding back. I have even more boxes full of travel diaries. They’ll be coming to Queensland with me too. Great post.
Kathy
January 27, 2017I bet you have been having a walk down memory lane as you’ve been packing up Jo. I get sidetracked by photo albums very easily and before I know it hours have passed by! I’m happy to hear I’m not the only one that writes travel diaries. :) #TeamLovinLife
Jo@JoSimplyWill
January 26, 2017Kathy what a terrific post! I am a mad srapbooker, and have also wondered what all these young people are actually going to do with the photos they constantly take on their phones. Probably not put them into albums. I’ve only made 1 photo book, and prefer to put the photos and other memorabilia into an album using a simple decorative style. I have been doing albums for my grandson since his birth, and the older he gets the more he enjoys looking through them. I want to make sure that he has something that he can hold in his hands throughout his life, and can be passed on and still be in existence in a hundred years time. The question is, how do we get more young people to appreciate the value of doing something with all of those photos they take?
Kathy
January 27, 2017I love scrapbooks Jo. My daughter has several of these from her travels in Europe and they look fantastic. Unfortunately I’m not very artistic nor patient, but one day I should try scrapbooking instead of photobooks. I think it is wonderful that you are creating memories for your Grandchildren. They will treasure this. :) #TeamLovinLife
Min@WriteoftheMiddle
January 26, 2017What a wonderful post Kathy! I have plenty of those circa 80’s photo albums in my cupboard! It is sad the we’ve stopped the old practice of putting photo’s in a photo album like we used to. However, I love your photo books! How beautiful! Even though I do photography I am yet to get any of my photo’s on my walls or create a photo book. I must get my act together! BTW – I don’t think you’re over doing the memory keeping at all. Your children, grandchildren and beyond will be very grateful for these things in the future! :-) #TeamLovinLife
Kathy
January 27, 2017I think photobooks are a great way of displaying your photos rather than photo albums. Hopefully my kids will appreciate my efforts when they are older and have children of their own! :)
Deborah
January 26, 2017I love this Kathy and have something similar I drafted years ago. I travelled to Melbourne – for the first time in forever – and spent the entire trip from the airport busily on social media, checking in etc… then I realised I’d seen nothing of my drive into the city where we were staying and was filled with regret!
Kathy
January 27, 2017So true Deb! My husband often tells me off for taking too many photos when I should be enjoying the moment. That’s why walking around a place helps you absorb the experience and makes you slow down and take in the scenery. :)
Michelle Weaver (@pinkypoinker)
January 26, 2017I really like the idea of a travel diary. I recently found one of a European trip I took in 2000 with all five of my kids. Amazingly, I remembered it all in great detail in my head. That was before I had a mobile phone.
Kathy
January 27, 2017I’ve always enjoyed journalling my travels, either handwritten or electronically, otherwise I forget names of places etc. How fab that you took your kids to Europe and you wrote a diary. That is gold! :) #TeamLovinLife
Melissa @ All Around Oz
January 26, 2017I had so many photos in photo albums from my teens and early 20’s and half the people in them I didn’t even remember. I went through and culled them keeping only ones that were important to me. All our digital photos are stored on two hard drives, the second one being a backup. As a blogger, I sometimes have to remind myself to stop and enjoy the moment and not just think of a place in terms of a blog post!
Kathy
January 27, 2017Good for you throwing away photos. I struggle with throwing them out! Yes it is a good practice to have backups of treasured photos. I would die if I lost any of the photos of my kids as babies and youngsters. :) #TeamLovinLife
Rae Hilhorst
January 26, 2017Hi Kathy, you have just given me the perfect idea for a present for my 83 year old father. A photo book. I am now bursting at the seams. Rae xxxx
Kathy
January 27, 2017Oh great. I also have recently helped my best friend do a photobook for her Mum’s 100th birthday. It was pretty special. :) #TeamLovinLife
Deb @ inner compass designs
January 26, 2017Love this. I am way behind on photo books but have not given up yet. I love the ones we do have. Your photo canvas of your dogs is fabulous!!
Kathy
January 27, 2017Thanks Deb. It is difficult finding time to organise photos. I’m a little behind myself and we are off to Italy in a few months time and know I will have thousands more from this trip! :) #TeamLovinLife
Jo
January 26, 2017I’m very like you! We have lots of photo books on our coffee table, I make photo calendars and keep copious notes in journals and a selection of note pads (whatever I have to hand). Totally agree about giving up the moment for a quick selfie memory – we need a little more time for cultural immersion than just to stop, snap and move on :) #TeamLovinLife
Kathy
January 27, 2017Yes we travel bloggers absolutely have to journal every detail of our trips, particularly if it’s a paid assignment. I always have a notebook or diary with me when we are travelling and I make myself write notes every night. I like to do 50/50 – half of the time taking photos and the other half enjoying the destination. :)
jodie
January 26, 2017I’m sure it’s our age and what we are used to regarding printed photos!!
But I know more than one person who have lost their printed photos in a flood or fire. So there is no perfect way, I guess…
Looking back at these memories is quite priceless. But I guess the true way to look at it, is realizing that the experiences you had made you a better person?
Not that I’ll ever get rid of my photos—I absolutely love looking through them!
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Kathy
January 27, 2017Definitely Jodie. Travel is one thing that makes us more appreciative for what we have in our own wonderful country. It also broadens our minds and makes us more tolerant to other peoples and cultures. I guess keeping hard copies is an age thing. I know a lot of my age group are very nervous about having electronic copies of documents or photos. :) #TeamLovinLife
Janet Camilleri
January 26, 2017I learned the hard way after our 2015 Europe trip that I really need to keep a travel journal! I thought I would remember everything for ever but it’s funny how the details blur after only a few weeks or months. So I kept one of our recent trip to Bali. Yes, I got slack the last couple of days but at least I have captured the rest of our trip – and used my notes even to help me write today’s post about our underwater experience :-) . Besides it was a lovely tradition, the hubster and I would sit on the balcony and write our diaries – him on a laptop, me the old fashioned way with notebook and pen!
Kathy
January 27, 2017That is great Janet. I like to write down every detail of our trips, because I always blog about them a few weeks later and I can’t rely on the old memory anymore! I will look forward to reading about your Bali experience in detail! :) #TeamLovinLife
Linda - Journey Jottings
January 27, 2017This post is of course very dear to my heart!
There has been research to show that if you snap and run (as in a quick selfie) by assuming the camera will do all the remembering for you, you don’t bother to take any of the actual moment into your memory bank –
Whereas if you at least stop, look and maybe zoom in on a detail then that observation gets lodged in the brain for future reminiscing –
Thanks so much for including my Journal Maps of Australia!
For those who feel there’s not the time to keep a journal they are great for simply summarising your trip on a single sheet – even after the trip before the memories get any more distant and fade into oblivion! :D
Kathy
January 27, 2017I thought it might be Linda! Sorry I was going to contact you to let you know that I had featured your wonderful journal maps in this post. I’m currently away for a few days and only have limited internet. I’m a big fan of your maps and journals. It was a pleasure to feature them. :) #TeamLovinLife
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit
January 27, 2017I have a cupboard full of photos and albums. Photos are so important to me when recalling the wonders of my life. Facebook has become my photo album now. If my Facebook ever collapsed I’d be devastated because I am really bad at getting any pictures printed these days.
#TeamLovinLife
Kathy
January 27, 2017I think most of us do Leanne. Ha ha, yes we do tend to rely on Social Media now to store our photos and other memories. However I still love have hard copies of my photos. It’s probably an age thing! :)
Lyndall @ SeizeTheDayProject
January 27, 2017So many great ideas for capturing memories here Kathy. I’ve done quite a few of them too. I so agree that it’s important to live the moment first … so many people miss the experience in their effort to capture it on video or in a selfie :) #TeamLovinLife
Kathy
January 27, 2017Thanks Lyndall. I like to take heaps of photos and have been guilty of being obsessed with getting a photo instead of really looking at the beauty around me. I try to do both now. :)
Chris
January 27, 2017I’m a little bit crazy about photos and sometimes have to remind myself to stop taking photos to live the moment a little more. Having said that, I also ‘see’ things differently and with more appreciation with a camera in my hands – it really does make me more aware of what’s going on.
Kathy
January 27, 2017Yes as an avid photographer I am always looking for that perfect scene, and once I see it I have to capture it, and then enjoy it afterwards. I think photography has given me a new appreciation of the beauty that surrounds me every day. :) #TeamLovinLife
Life Images by Jill
January 31, 2017I agree Kathy – and making photo books is something I need to do more of. I’m going to take a look at Photobooks Express as I hadn’t heard of them before. I take lots of notes while we are away in an ongoing travel diary which goes from one trip to the next. But all those tickets etc get shoved away in a bag. And yes I have a cupboard that needs clearing out of all those old pamphlets I collect and store. Some of them are so out of date. I love old photo albums, I need to keep that trend going. Thanks Kathy. Another fabulous post. Sorry I missed the link up.
Kathy
January 31, 2017We had a friend housesit for us on the weekend and he was delighted with my photobooks under the coffee table. He said he spent hours looking at them and thought they were wonderful. I love creating them and putting keepsakes in them to remind me of particular places and attractions. I would highly recommend Photobooks Express as they are very good quality and I think are based in Perth. :) #TeamLovinLife