If you travel a lot, it’s only natural that you will end up with a lot of mementos from all of the different places that you’ve visited. Each memento holds a special and significant memory for you, but it can also start to take up an awful lot of space!
If you’re trying to live a minimalist lifestyle or just don’t enjoy clutter, this can be a problem. Not to worry, though; there are a few ways that you can organize your precious mementos so that they take up minimal space and are easier for you to enjoy.
Shadowboxes
A shadow box is a great way to display any three-dimensional objects and keep them safe at the same time.
Perhaps you collect spoons from every place you visit? Or perhaps you have some beautiful shells and sand from a beach. Whatever it is, you can use a shadow box to display your precious memories and be reminded of them every day.
You can create a shadow box using a ready-made box frame, or if you are feeling ambitious, you can even make the frame yourself so that it’s a perfect size.
Once you have your frame, simply choose a fabric for a textured background, and then mount your keepsakes.
Memory blankets
Do you or your family love to collect t-shirts from every place you visit? After a few years of extensive traveling, that collection of shirts can start to spill out of drawers and onto the floor… and in all likelihood, you never actually wear them!
If you’d like a way to keep your collection of shirts in one place and perhaps even display it in your home, then memory blankets are a great option. A memory blanket is created by taking the designs from your favorite shirts and arranging them into a gorgeous design. The design is then turned into a blanket which you can use to snuggle up in or even hang up on display.
Travel journal
Some people love to collect postcards from each place they go; it’s a great way to have a small visual reminder of each place.
If you want to both organize your postcard collection and make it more meaningful, then you can’t go far wrong with a postcard journal.
Collect your postcards as you usually would, but write an entry on each one about what you did while you were in the location and what you loved about it. You could even get each family member to create their own postcard in each place. Once you get home, join all of your postcards together, and you have a journal!
Memory jar
One of the most important things about your travels is the memories that you bring back with you, what you learned, and the fun you had.
A truly wonderful way to capture those memories is to create a memory jar. Each time you experience something new, learn something or create a great new memory, jot it down and put it in your memory jar. You can even keep small souvenirs in the jar like currency or ticket stubs.
Then when you’re home again and a little fed up with work or school, you can pick a memory for the jar and look at it as a little pick me up.
Collage
A collage is a great way to make a display that is made up of your photos and keepsakes combined. Choose your favorite photos, menus from your favorite restaurants, even your plane tickets and display them all together in a frame.
Every time you walk past it, you’ll be reminded of some of your most treasured memories.
