Creating a photo travel journal is a special way to preserve your favorite memories from a trip. Perhaps you enjoy using an instant photo camera like a Polaroid. Or maybe you like getting your photos developed after you’ve arrived home and looking through the physical copies. Whichever option you prefer, adding photos to a travel journal lends a tactile feel to your vacation journal. You get the detail of a visual medium combined with the old-school authenticity of a handwritten, handheld album.
Wondering how to make a photo travel journal? Below, we’ve gathered 10 ideas for photos to take on vacation. Paste your photos into your journal, write thoughtful descriptions, and relive your trip on repeat.
10 Photo Travel Journal Ideas:
- Departure & Arrival Shots
- Landscapes & Scenic Views
- Streets & Everyday Life
- Architecture & Design Details
- Food & Drink
- People & Interactions
- Nature & Wildlife
- Textures & Close-Up Details
- Activities & Adventures
Add this list to the front of your journal to easily reference on your trip. At Leatherpress, full-grain African leather covers make our notebooks long-lasting—crafted with your adventures in mind. With wrap ties and marbled page edges, our Traveler’s Journals provide the unique home your travel memories need. Or try our Refillable Leather Jacket Journals to sort by trip, or a pocket-sized notebook for easy carrying.
Read on for details on each photo idea!
1. Departure & Arrival Shots
Your adventure begins the moment you leave home. In the rush to get out the door, don’t overlook taking photos of your packed luggage, boarding pass, passport—even your travel companions mid-journey. These shots place your story on the map.
2. Landscapes & Scenic Views
Wherever you are, capture it. Snap pictures of green fields, glittering coastlines, or a sparkling skyline. Wide, landscape shots give your journal context. These photos will transport you back to the physical setting of your trip and remind you how it felt to be there.
3. Streets & Everyday Life
Take pictures of the details of daily life in each new location: forms of transportation, local markets, dogs playing in parks. These shots show culture beyond simply the tourist attractions. As you watch, imagine and write about what it might be like to live your life here. What would you enjoy about it?
4. Architecture & Design Details
Travel opens your eyes to incredible architecture, from grand cathedrals and intricate ceiling frescos to stunning skyscrapers or unique door knockers. Photograph buildings inside and out, if you can. Try different angles, like shooting upwards to capture the magnitude of a building, or standing at the top of a stairwell and looking down. Consider the people who crafted these buildings and how much time it must have taken them. What about the people who entered and lived here before you? What might their lives have been like?
5. Food & Drink
Dive into another culture through cuisine and photograph your meals. Capture the best-tasting or well-plated ones—perhaps a colorful dish or a new entrée you’ve never tried. Write a bit of context in the margins with space for the photos. Who’s with you? What’s the restaurant’s name? How did you discover it? What was the best thing you tried—and how about your least favorite?
6. People & Interactions
Photos of people, whether locals or your travel companions, bring the story of your trip to life. Capture candid moments like talking with a friend, watching a street performer, or walking with a tour group. These add a human touch to your travel journal. Of course, remember to be mindful and respectful when photographing others—ask permission beforehand, especially with strangers.
7. Nature & Wildlife
Nature photos will bring a sense of awe and wonder to your journal. From gardens and mountains to rivers and waterfalls, share the sights that take your breath away. Capture plants, flowers, animals, insects, natural formations, and even simple moments like the sun reflecting off turquoise water.
8. Textures & Close-Up Details
Small, often overlooked elements can add the most depth to your story. Look for signs, labels, ticket stubs, coins, and anything with interesting texture or typography. Zoom in on the details: perhaps a cobblestone street or a woven fabric in a market. Each detail shot adds a unique and sensory twist to your photo journal.
9. Activities & Adventures
Show yourself doing things—whether you’re hiking, rafting, taking a cooking class, or riding a scooter. Ask someone to snap a candid or set a timer if you’re traveling solo. Activities are often the most memorable parts of the trip. You’ll be glad to be able to relive them through your photos.
10. Endings & Reflections
As your trip comes to a close, take a moment to document the quieter scenes—the moonlight on your last night or your final local meal. These photos remind you not just of where you went, but what you felt, learned, and took home with you.
Don’t forget to add this list to your travel journal to remember how to make a photo travel journal while you’re gone!
Have a great trip!