How to Make a Vacation Photo Album

Guide Note

If you love to chronicle your vacations through photographs, keeping the images stored in boxes or developer's envelopes may prevent your family from enjoying them. Discover how to print, organize and incorporate the pictures into an album that you'll treasure for years to come. Our guide, How to Make a Vacation Photo Album, will also show you how to record the feelings and memorabilia that accompany the memories.

Table of Contents

Vacation Album Tips

  1. Be selective about the photos you print. Only output the images that best represent your vacation memories and back up the rest on compact disc.
  2. Print images with a photo-quality printer, take your camera's memory device to a photo lab or upload photo files to an online developing service.
  3. Buy an archival quality photo album that will accommodate the number of photos you've printed.
  4. Write about additional vacation memories on acid-free cardstock to include with the photos.
  5. Organize the photos and memorabilia you'd like to include in the album chronologically or into categories.
  6. Add items to the album, leaving a few empty spots for additional photos.
  7. Label the album spine and decorate the cover with stickers, stamps or a decorated tag, if desired.

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Introduction

  • Whether your last vacation was relaxing, adventurous, romantic or filled with family fun, you've probably amassed an assortment of photos that document the sights, sounds and experiences. Compile your pictures and even some memorabilia and written memories in an album that will let you relive your travels with every turn of the page.1

Step 1: Preview Your Vacation Photos

(Creative Commons photo by Phil Scoville)
(Creative Commons photo by Phil Scoville)
  • Select the images that best represent the memorable moments from your trip to avoid printing every image on your camera's memory card.
  1. Download the contents of your camera's Compact Flash, Secure Digital card or memory stick onto your computer hard drive before you attempt to delete images from the card.2 This way, you'll have a back up in case you accidentally delete a "keeper."
  2. Study the images and delete any poor-quality shots. If the only shot you have of that once-in-a-lifetime vacation memory is dark, out of focus or overexposed, however, you may still want to keep it for posterity.
  3. Keep only the images that best represent each memorable moment, sightseeing excursion or activity. If you have several shots of the same sight or event, delete the ones that are near duplicates.
  4. Back up all of the images (particularly those that you're not printing) onto archival quality compact discs and use an image editing program like Adobe Photoshop to create an index print of the images.34 Store the discs and index prints in a safe place away from your printed photos in the event of a computer malfunction, flood or fire. Consider keeping the discs in a fireproof safe, a safety deposit box or at a relative's house.
  • Note: If you use a film camera instead of digital, find a photo lab that only requires you to pay for the images you want to keep since you can't "preview" a roll of film before it's developed. Ask for an index print of all the pictures in case you want to make additional prints from the negatives later.

Step 2: Print the Images

(Creative Commons photo by Cheon Fong Liew)
(Creative Commons photo by Cheon Fong Liew)
  • Choose the most convenient and inexpensive method to output the vacation shots to include in your photo album.

Choose a Printer

  1. Get instant results by buying a photo-quality printer for your home. A portable model will print 4 x 6 inch images to fit in standard photo sleeves and also allow you to preview and print them directly from your digital camera's memory card.5 Opt for a large-format printer if you'd like to print enlargements of group shots or picturesque vacation sights up to 13 x 19 inches.6
  2. Take your camera's memory device to a photo lab or chain store with a photo developing service like Target or Costco to print the images if you'd rather not buy a dedicated photo printer.7 8
  3. Upload your photo files to an online developing service like Shutterfly that will print the pictures and mail them to your home for added convenience. You can also use the site to share your vacation shots with family and friends.9

Aim for Longevity

  1. Be sure you or the photo lab outputs your photos on archival quality paper that's fade resistant and compatible with the specific printer being used.10
  2. Choose a matte or glossy photo finish. Although the colors on glossy photos seem to "pop" a little more, the shiny surface will also make fingerprints more prominent.
  3. Ensure the ink you're using is compatible with the printer and photo paper if you're printing photos at home. Using ink cartridges recommended by the printer's manufacturer can prevent smudges and ensure you get true colors and the best possible images.
  4. When printing at home, also follow your specific printer model's instructions to adjust the picture quality (such as its brightness, sharpness and saturation), choose decorative borders or crop the image, for example.

Step 3: Buy a Photo Album

(Creative Commons photo by Peter Dutton)
(Creative Commons photo by Peter Dutton)
  • Purchase an archival safe photo album to organize, display and preserve your snapshots.

Select a Style

  1. Choose an album that houses one photo per page or holds images in a 2-up format if you don't have many pictures and souvenirs to store.11 12
  2. Consider a 3-up expandable album that will allow you to add sleeves to accommodate the number of vacation photos you've printed.13
  3. Use an 8.5 by 11 inch 3-ring binder if you'd like to incorporate both 4 x 6 inch photos and enlargements, as well as big pieces of memorabilia like travel brochures, airline tickets, take out menus or panoramic postcards.14 This will allow you to store both 8.5 x 11 inch page protectors and photo sheets in the same album to accommodate an assortment of items.15 16

Consider Archival Safety

  1. Whatever type of photo album you choose, ensure the materials are acid-free and archival quality to properly preserve the photos and slow their deterioration over time.17
  2. Buy polypropylene page protectors or photo sleeves that are PVC-free to protect the images. The proper storage materials and conditions can keep photos from fading and paper goods from turning yellow and brittle. Avoid using magnetic photo albums with harmful adhesive pages, for example.18

Step 4: Organize Pictures and Memorabilia

(Creative Commons photo by Jeff Hitchcock)
(Creative Commons photo by Jeff Hitchcock)
  • Prevent endless rearranging by organizing your photos (and pairing them with any flat vacation souvenirs) before you start filling the album.
  1. Gather all of your printed photos, along with any flat memorabilia you'd like to save like ticket stubs, receipts, pamphlets or business cards. (If you want to include bulky memorabilia, consider taking a picture of the objects to include in your album.)
  2. Consider treating any paper goods like pamphlets, coasters or receipts with deacidification spray to preserve the items and prevent acid migration that can harm your photos over time.19 20
  3. Put your photos in an order that will tell the story of your vacation chronologically or divide the adventure into different categories. Try sections for meals, accommodations, activities and sightseeing, for example.
  4. Record your thoughts about the vacation with a photo-safe pen on acid-free cardstock trimmed into 4 x 6 inch pieces to fit into the photo sleeves. Also hand the writing duties over to your family members to capture the memories that you didn't catch on film.21 22

Step 5: Place Items in the Album

(Creative Commons photo by gazorama)
(Creative Commons photo by gazorama)
  • Tell the story of your vacation by placing images, memorabilia and notes into album for your family to enjoy.
  1. Begin the album with a dated photo (such as an image with your vacation location and dates carved in the sand) or a piece of cardstock with the information added with a photo-safe pen or rubber stamps and archival safe inks.23 24
  2. Place photos, memorabilia and slips of journaling into the photo sleeves in the order you've previously chosen. Handle the photos by the edges to prevent fingerprints. If you're concerned that oils from your hands may transfer to the photos, consider wearing protective gloves as you work.25
  3. Leave spots open in each section if you plan to get additional vacation photos from family or friends. It's better to have extra sleeves that you can fill with additional tidbits or decorative accents than to have to repeatedly remove and rearrange existing photos.

Step 6: Add Embellishments

(Creative Commons photo by cstrick)
(Creative Commons photo by cstrick)
  • Express your creativity by adding scrapbook-style accents to your pages if you'd like an extra decorative touch.
  1. Label the spine of the album so you'll be able to easily spot it on a bookshelf. Consider using letter stickers to list the location and date. You can also try alphabet stamps or applying decorative rub-ons with a blunt stick.26 A labeled metal-rimmed tag affixed with double-stick tape or a colorful piece of ribbon is also effective.
  2. Embellish the cover if desired. If you didn't purchase an album already adorned with a vacation theme, add a cluster of vacation-related accents or a decorated tag to the bottom-right corner.27 28
  3. Decorate the pieces of cardstock that feature your journaling with inks, stickers or small images clipped from brochures or the index prints from your vacation photos.
  4. Add borders to the page protectors with rub-ons or images stamped with solvent ink that won't smear or harm the photos.29

Conclusion

  • Creating a comprehensive photo album that showcases your vacation memories doesn't have to be a daunting task. With a little organization and the proper acid- and lignin-free album, photo sleeves, pens and embellishments, your family can enjoy your photos for generations to come.30

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References for How to Make a Vacation Photo Album

  1. ↑ Money and Values: Free Souvenirs
  2. ↑ Steve's Digicams: Types of Flash Memory Cards
  3. ↑ Delkin: Archival Storage Discs
  4. ↑ ePhotoZine: How to Make an Index Print
  5. ↑ Epson: Portable Picturemate Zoom
  6. ↑ Canon: Pixma Large Format Photo Printer
  7. ↑ Target: Find a Photo Center
  8. ↑ Costco: Photo Services
  9. ↑ Shutterfly: Online Photo Processing
  10. ↑ HP: Choosing Photo Paper
  11. ↑ FindGift.com: Vacation Album for Single Photos
  12. ↑ ArchivalUSA: Spiral-bound 2-up Photo Album
  13. ↑ ArchivalUSA: Expandable 3-up Photo Album
  14. ↑ American Crafts: Archival 3-ring Binders
  15. ↑ ClearBags.com: 8.5 x 11 inch page protectors
  16. ↑ ClearBags.com: Photo Sheets for 4 x 6 inch photos
  17. ↑ Memories and Nostalgia: Importance of Archival Quality Materials
  18. ↑ Ancestry.com: Proper Ways to Preserve Photos and Memorabilia
  19. ↑ ArchivalUSA: Deacidification Spray
  20. ↑ Maine.gov: What Is Acid Migration?
  21. ↑ Sakura: Archival Quality Pens
  22. ↑ CardstockHeadquarters.com Acid-free Cardstock
  23. ↑ Hero Arts: Alphabet Stamps
  24. ↑ Tsukineko: Archival Safe Ink Pads
  25. ↑ USRecording: Photo and Document Handling Gloves
  26. ↑ American Crafts: Decorative Rub-ons
  27. ↑ HelloTraveler.com: Vacation-themed Photo Albums
  28. ↑ Scrapbook.com: Vacation-themed Embellishments
  29. ↑ Tsukineko: StazOn Solvent Ink Pads
  30. ↑ Scrapbook.com: Why Are Acid-Free and Lignin-Free Important?


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