From Passport Stamps to Custom Trophies: Creating Personalized Travel Keepsakes

Now that the world has reopened after COVID-19, everyone is anxious to return to a plane and explore their favorite tourist destinations. And while everyone enjoys long strolls through an art museum or a visit to a world-renowned landmark, most of us love to pick up a few souvenirs and travel keepsakes along the way. Coming back home with train tickets stuck into a journal or tourist maps packed into the bottom of a suitcase allows travelers' to bring back beloved mementos to remember their journey.

For most travelers, picking up postcards and magnets is a popular souvenir—items that inevitably get stuffed into a drawer and then forgotten until spring cleaning unearths them. However, a simple solution to this problem is personalized travel keepsakes. Why not try creating fun, customized souvenirs to remember your journey?

Several clever craft projects will turn even the humblest travel souvenir into a beautiful piece of art. And for those less inclined to bust out the decoupage glue, consider having a company do the hard work for you.

DIY Passport Stamp Keychain

Everyone loves flipping through the pages of a passport and admiring the many different stamps. Don't let those gorgeous spots of ink go to waste. These passport stamps often include the date of entry, and many are miniature works of art in their own right. After the passport has expired (and you've already received a new one), a great way to use these stamps is with a personalized keychain. Many companies can engrave a likeness of the stamp or create a printed photo keychain; simply send in a picture or copy of the stamp, and voila–a happy memory every time you unlock your front door.

Creating Custom Travel Trophies

What better way to memorialize a family vacation (or a friendcation) than with custom trophies? This trophy company creates unique custom trophies, a perfect travel keepsake to commemorate your trip. Who was the most stylishly dressed? The friend who's best with directions? How about the person most likely to get lost? And, of course, a trophy for the biggest shutterbug for that one family member who has to take a photo at every stop.

Printing Travel Photos into Mini Calendars

Are you tired of only sharing travel photos on social media? Instead of only uploading them, print out your favorites from your trip—365 pictures, to be exact. Turn these beloved photos into a mini calendar by printing them with the date on each one; these can be bound at your local print shop or even at home. Then, you get to reveal a new photograph and memory of your trip every day.

Framing Travel Itineraries as Art

Take all those plane, train, and event tickets and do something fun. Often, train tickets are beautifully printed, and many entry tickets to museums and events are tiny works of art. Rather than stuffing them into a scrapbook or an old journal, consider framing them. Use thick paper or cardboard as the backing and organize the tickets. This design can be happily disorganized or laid out in careful rows. Once the design is right, glue the pieces to the backing and add a wash for an antique look. You'll love seeing these tokens of your travel memories hung on the wall.