So you’re planning a big trip, and you’ve made all the preparations. You’ve got plane tickets, you’ve reserved an Air BnB, you know where you’re eating dinner, and you’ve made your packing list.
But you’ve still got one detail to decide on: how you’re going to record your journey.
In the old days, you might have kept a travel journal, but let’s be real – this is the twenty-first century. Any documentation you’re going to be doing is going to be on your phone. So read on for some great new ideas on how to document travel memories.
Start an Instagram Series
Instagram is one of the best ways to document your travel in the digital age. The social media platform has more than a billion users, and its photo-focused approach makes it the platform the perfect place to share all your travel pics. Not only will you have your memories to review later, your friends and family back home will be able to follow along on your adventures.
If you want to use Instagram, it may be fun to come up with a theme for your trip. If you’re with a significant other, you may want to do the “leading me around the world” series, or maybe a picture of you kissing in major cities around the world.
You could also do photo “collections” – say the sign at every London Tube stop you visit or a photo of all the coffee you drink.
Take Live Video
Live video is another way to bring your loved ones along with you on your adventures. Although Snapchat was the live video pioneer, a lot of social media platforms now offer it.
When you get ready to do a live video, you may want to pick a time when most people in your home time zone will be awake.
The one downside of live video is that in many cases, it may not save automatically. If you’re using Snapchat, make sure to save all your video to your memories. The same goes for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all of which offer live video or story options.
Use a Hashtag
As you’re going through your trip, you’re likely to be posting across a few different social media platforms. You can cross post to most other social media platforms directly from Instagram, and some things you may prefer to tweet instead.
You don’t want to lose any of your memories from your trip in the shuffle of a timeline.
Using a hashtag is a great way to keep all your memories organized across platforms. It will help you find your memories later, and it can help your loved ones keep track during your trip. Make sure to choose a distinct hashtag for your trip.
Write a Travel Blog
One of the most valuable parts of the old-school travel journal is the in-the-moment thoughts you record. Sure, you can sit down later and write about your trip if you want to. But there’s nothing like sitting in a café in Paris writing about what you’re seeing and feeling and thinking in the moment.
Writing a blog can help you keep that quality and share it with your loved ones. Travel blog posts don’t have to be long or elaborate. Just once or twice a day jot down a few words about your experience and share it on a free platform like WordPress.
Keep a Sketchbook
If you’re the artistic sort, one of the most magical ways to document your travels can be to keep a sketchbook. Like a travel blog, this can help capture what you’re experiencing in the moment in a special way. This method just happens to use sights rather than words to capture the experience.
Also like the travel blog, keeping a sketchbook doesn’t have to be a huge endeavor. If you see something interesting while you’re walking around Budapest, maybe pause for a moment and do a quick sketch. This can also help you notice details about the city around you in a special way.
Keep an Audio Record
Another great way to capture the essence of your travels is to keep an audio journal. This has a couple of benefits; for one thing, it lets you be more present in the moment. Instead of focusing on taking a great photo or video, you can watch what you see and describe it as you go.
You’ll also get a lot of great ambient noise in the background of your recording. Sure, you could just have a picture of Notre Dame, or you could have a recording of the evensong mass held there. Grab an audio recorder app and start documenting your journey.
Create a Playlist
On the subject of audio methods of travel journaling, why not get musical with it? Every great adventure needs an awesome soundtrack, and this is your chance to create one. Creating a playlist for your trip can be a fun way to document what you’re feeling during your trip.
Have you ever heard a song and been immediately transported back to a certain point in your life? Imagine creating that for every leg of your trip along the way; every time you hear “Pompeii,” you’ll remember touring the ancient city. Pick up an app like 8Tracks or Spotify and get rolling!
Find More Ways to Document Travel Memories
There are dozens of ways to record your travel memories thanks to the miracles of modern technology. From music to video to photos to recordings, whatever your medium is, you can find a way to record your trip. But the most important thing is to also remember to put down the phone sometimes and drink in the amazing experiences around you.
If you’d like to find more ways to live your life a little fuller, visit the rest of my site at Stayful. I write about hotels, travel, and all things lifestyle. Check out my reviews of Miami hotels today.
