8 Crafty Ways to Display Travel Keepsakes

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We’ve all been there: After a trip, you find ticket stubs, room keys, and other souvenirs in your pockets and bags for weeks. It seems like a shame to toss all those memories away, but keeping them in a box just adds to the clutter. The enforced time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic is a good excuse to finally get all your travel mementos in order. Here are eight cool ways to display your travel keepsakes.

Three-Ring Binder

There are plenty of decorative binders out there that don’t look like you stole them from the office supply closet. Find one you love, or create a personalized cover for one using travel photos. Then, take all of your paper mementos—postcards, brochures, restaurant menus, etc.—and punch holes in them. Soon you’ll have a library full of binders from all your trips. Find instructions here.

Sand Jars

Want to remember that beautiful white-sand or black-sand beach forever? Scoop up a little bit to take home with you (and maybe some shells, too) if that’s permitted at your beach. Use your souvenir sand to partially fill up a glass mason jar. Insert a photo in the jar and maybe some shells or other memorabilia. See how to do it (and how to protect the photo in the jar) here.

Make a Ticket Collage

Put your tickets on display by making a collage. You can use ones from events, flights, and more. Best of all, it’s easy and cheap to do. All you need is a frame and a map. Use the map as a solid background, and then overlay your tickets on top. See some examples here.

Shadow Box

Got bulkier objects that you want to show off, like coins or even an old passport? Get a shadow box, a type of frame that lets you fit way more than a photo inside. Find ideas and instructions here.

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Photo Book

If you’d rather get crafty on your phone or computer, turn your travel snaps into a photo book from Shutterfly. You can customize photo sizes, layouts, captions, backgrounds, and more, and then add a memorabilia pocket to store boarding passes, tickets, or other mementos.

Room-Key Magnets

If you ask nicely, most hotels will let you keep those cheap plastic room keys. Once you’ve stockpiled a few, all you need is some magnetic tape to turn your keys into refrigerator magnets. Now every time you look at your fridge, you’ll be reminded of all of the amazing places you’ve stayed. You can also create magnets out of other memorabilia, such as casino chips, as shown here.

Fillable Ornaments

Wound up with a handful of foreign currency that you can’t bear to throw away? Grab some of these fillable ornaments and add in your coins for a sentimental decoration.

Passport Art

This project requires some crafting skills, but the end result will be more than worth it. Basically, photocopy and enlarge your favorite stamps from your passport, and transfer them onto wooden panels. Here’s what it looks like when it’s all done (plus detailed instructions).

More from SmarterTravel:

• 7 Travel Decor Ideas to Make Your Home Feel Like Your Favorite Place
• 6 Cozy Ways to Feel Like You’re on Vacation at Home
• 5 Ways to Make Your Bedroom Feel Like a Hotel Room

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2015. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

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