Stories Of Summer : Travel Layouts By Kathy Passmore


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TRAVEL LAYOUTS
BY KATHY PASSMORE


I have a goal of traveling to all of the National Parks in the United States. So far, I've been to 20.

Each time I return home I create a two-page spread, all of them done exactly the same way to keep it simple and focus on telling the story.


I am single, without children, so I thought these pages may represent another group of memory keepers. Also it's a great example that the memories and opportunities to document our lives don’t stop when the kids are grown.

For my National Park project pages, I take a lot of information about
the park itself from the pamphlet that the Park Service provides as well
as a book by National Geographic entitled Guide to the National
Parks of the United States
. I mention it at the bottom of the
journaling panel as the source the factual information about the park
was taken from.

Sequoia_Kings Canyon NPLR


I also include anything of interest that happened while I was there, or something that really stood out to me. For example, I'm convinced that the cabin I stayed in at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks was haunted. I got locked out of my cabin in the middle of the night when I went to the bathhouse to use the bathroom, and had to climb in through the window. There was no way that lock should have locked. The next morning I took photos of the lock to tell a whole story about that experience on another layout (which I have yet to complete).


While on the road I use a little travel journal book I picked up at a stationery store called Vacation: The Travelers Journal which is purse/pocket size and measures 3”x5.” If I have a lot to say, then I’ll get out my laptop and create a word document. Other times I’ll use a piece of random scrap paper from my purse to write down something of interest.

Sometimes I don’t journal at all because there just isn’t time or I am too tired at the end of the day to write. In that case, I rely on the photos I take to help me remember the details, and I try to document my trip as soon as possible after I get back home while the memories are still fresh. I don’t beat myself up about it, I just do the best I can and move on.


In addition, I always carry a gallon size Ziplock bag on my travels to hold all of those ticket stubs, receipts, travel guides and other memorabilia I collect. I write on the bag in permanent magic marker the trip information and everything is in one place when I get ready to scrapbook.



Yosemite National ParkLR2


The National Park pages get done almost immediately after arriving at
home because I already have a template in place for scrapbooking these
pages, and all of the photos are 4x6. No agonizing decisions to make. I
feel such a sense of accomplishment with a system in place to document
these memories.

Another element to my travels is that I often go alone, which was REALLY hard to do initially, but I was determined not to let opportunities to travel pass me by, even if I had to go alone. Now I really cherish these times, when I can do exactly as I please, take as many photos as I want and be on my own timetable without worrying if I’m holding up anyone else. I try to remember to give the camera to a total stranger so that at least I am in some of the photos.

When someone else can go with me on these adventures, I am so happy for the company. My Mom and I just got back from an 11 day trip where we flew to Arizona and drove a car back here to Maryland with lots of stops on the way.



Dry TortugasLR


Also, I tend not to travel in the summer when the kids are out of school
because places get really crowded, and it’s invariably more expensive. I
am fortunate to have the opportunity to travel in off-peak times and
the shoulder seasons when it’s less crowded, and usually less expensive.


I had an “AHA!” moment while typing this — my National Park pages get done almost immediately because I already have a template in place to scrapbook these memories. I have so many photos, journaling and memorabilia from so many trips that haven’t been documented yet and the problem is lack of a template to get them scrapped and the overwhelming amount of photos and stuff that I tend to collect while traveling, and oh, all of that perfection stuff too... ;-)


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29 thoughts

  1. Amanda A says…
    07/07/2010

    I have the same goal to visit the National parks! What a fabulous idea!

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Carrie Woosley says…
    07/07/2010

    I just love to travel! I have tons of travel pictures and DUH! A template would have been a wonderful idea a long time ago! Thanks for the Aha!
    http://www.ucutathome.com/index.php

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. Anita says…
    07/10/2010

    LOVE this article! Love the simple template and way of documenting your travel adventures because it is simple and focuses on getting the information down while it is fresh and new and exciting.
    My husband and I enjoy visiting the national parks - they are a treasure!! Creating layouts is a way to reflect on the experience and remember the special moments. Looking at the pictures just makes me happy :-)
    Thank you SO much for sharing your process!

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  4. Chatty Scrapper - MN says…
    07/10/2010

    Love your layouts. Great idea, I think that template thing & not being a perfectionist are key.
    I too have tons of travel stuff. Sadly not much of it actually documented. Using a template would be a great way for me to try to get though at least one layout per trip. I seem to have a hard time knowing where to start. That way at least some of it is documented. I have a bunch of digital templates, many made for 4x6 pics after taking a few classes at BPS. That would be a great way to use those templates & make it though my huge stash of travel stuff. I can always add other pages later if I ever get around to it. Or I can just purge most of the stuff I've been keeping, just in case, and move on once I have preserved some of the memories from my travels. I do have one trip I did get several pages done from & it felt so great, and they are so fun to look at. It was a case of getting it done soon after arrivng home, I think that was another key to my success in that project.

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