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How to Create the Perfect Travel Photo Book: 7 Must Haves

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You captured unscripted fun, gorgeous scenery, and unforgettable moments on your last trip - and now it's time to create a fun, memorable recap with a travel photo book you'll adore for years. The first step is simple: Invite everyone who was on the trip with you to collaborate by sharing their own photos and memories.

From there, choose your template (or start from scratch) and include all the right sections to paint a well-rounded picture of your entire trip.

Related: How to collaborate on Mixbook photo projects

7 Must-Have Sections in the Perfect Travel Photo Book

A well-rounded travel photo book includes these seven sections:

  1. Top moments
  2. Food
  3. Anecdotes
  4. Favorite sites
  5. Entries from family or friends
  6. Photos from others
  7. Itinerary

Here's a closer look at each.

How to Create the Perfect Travel Photo Journal

1. Top Moments

Zero in on your top vacation moments, whether you made a wrong turn on a way to a sightseeing destination and ended up having a great time or you stayed on the beach until the sun came up. Your favorite moments with those you care about may include someone behaving completely out of character (or completely predictably), surprise twists, or even doing exactly what you were scheduled to do - the important part is that you narrow down your favorite memories of the trip and highlight them.

Related: 4 essential tips for amazing photo book layouts

2. Food

Whether it was your first time trying international cuisine or you opted for fabulous desserts every night, food should have a special place in your travel photo book. You might choose to include photos of the food's presentation or candid shots from around the dinner table, outside a restaurant, or anything else related to eating. If you walked down the boardwalk with an ice cream cone, tried street foods at a night market, or had a formal dinner where everyone dressed to the nines, those photos will be a great addition to your memory book.

3. Anecdotes

Everyone has a story to tell after vacation, so connect with others who went on the trip with you to pull together anecdotes that really made it special. The stories can be funny, touching, or serious - the point is that you put them on paper in your travel photo book. Look for stories that explain where you went, what happened, who was involved, and what made special moments stand out. Don't forget to write your own, as well.

Related: How to make a modern scrapbook

4. Favorite Sites

Maybe you planned your entire trip around one special event, like seeing the Eiffel Tower or whale-watching, or maybe you were winging it the whole time and wanted to sightsee an entire city. Take some time to choose the most memorable sites you visited, whether you visited historic ruins, explored an urban jungle or had a great time at a specific restaurant. Although there's plenty of room in your travel photo book for everything you saw and did, designating a special section to your favorites can help you relive the best times.

5. Entries From Family or Friends

When you collaborate with your family or friends - anyone who was on vacation with you - you can gather other people's impressions of the trip, too. Create a special section just for family and friends' contributions so you can see your vacation through others' eyes, which will make you appreciate the memories even more. This section can include notes and stories, travel itineraries, and other information about your trip.

6. Photos From Others

Ask friends and family who were on your trip with you to upload their photos, which is extremely easy when you use Mixbook's collaboration feature. Anything is fair game - including candid shots of you. (You're usually behind the camera, so you deserve your time to shine!) Ideally, your friends and family will share photos of favorite destinations, food, fun, and everyday activities that help you recap the entire trip.

Related: How to print photo books using Google Photos

7. Itinerary

Whether you make your itinerary the first section of your book or the last, it's important to include it somewhere in your travel photo book. That way, you can look back and review all your activities - and keep everything in the right order, too. Your travel itinerary might be a simple list that states the main attraction each day or it may be a more detailed review of each thing you did. For example, you may wish to say, "Day 1: Visited Lotte Tower in Seoul," or you may choose to say, "Day 1: Took the KTX high-speed rail to Seoul, then took the subway to Lotte Tower - the 5th-tallest building in the world." You can include as much (or as little) detail as you want. Remember, your photos can help you fill in the gaps and tell the story.

What's Your Favorite Travel Book Section?

If you've created a travel photo book, we'd love to hear all about it. In fact, we'd love to see it - snap a few pictures of your favorite sections and share them with us on Instagram (we're @Mixbook). Your travel photo book can inspire other adventurers to create their own spectacular memory books!

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