You and your family likely look forward to a vacation every year, whether you’re heading to a local beach or leaving the country. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many families to postpone or cancel their vacation plans. Remembering some of the trips you’ve taken in the past can help cheer you up and give you the inspiration for planning your next vacation. Here are a few creative ways to remember the vacations you never want to forget.
Photo Albums and Displays
Taking lots of pictures during your vacation helps you capture memories of trying new activities, tasting delicious food, and staying in a luxury hotel. When you look back on candid photos of you laughing with friends and loved ones, relaxing on the shore, or dancing the night away, you’ll feel relaxed and the photos will likely bring a smile to your face.
You can place all the vacation pictures into a photo album and decorate the album with colors and images that fit the theme of your vacation. For instance, if you went to a tropical island for a vacation, decorate the cover of the album with seashells or choose an album in blue or yellow to represent the water or the sun.
It’s also a good idea to enlarge and frame photos that stand out from your vacation. For instance, if there’s a picture of your entire family posing in front of a beautiful natural backdrop, place the photo in a postcard frame and display it in the living room as a reminder of the great time you had.
Create a Vlog
If you want to capture enjoyable moments during your vacation on video, consider recording a vlog. Just imagine staying at the best luxury hotel and filming the surroundings while you are sipping from a refreshing cocktail. Such experiences deserve more than taking photos. When you keep a video diary of the day’s activities and get video footage of the natural scenery around you, you’ll feel like you’re in a cozy log cabin or sunbathing on the balcony of your hotel room all over again. Recording videos during vacation also allows the people who are traveling with you to weigh in on how much fun they’re having or which activities they enjoy the most. In addition to taking lots of pictures, recording a vlog will help you remember the things you did and allow you to rewind to the parts of the vacation you liked the most.
Keeping a Journal
If you took a vacation alone, with friends, or with your significant other, you can remember the most significant parts of your trip by keeping a journal. At the end of the day’s activities, or in the morning before you start the day, you can write about what you enjoyed the most or what you hope to accomplish in the day, whether you’re looking to relax, learn about the culture where you are, or enhance your relationship with your vacation partner(s). Once you return home, you can read over the things you wrote to remember how beneficial the vacation was for you. It’s also a good idea to decorate your journal by preserving a flower or plant from the vacation and storing it in a plastic sleeve or using glitter to decorate the cover to remind you of the sand on the beach. A journal can also give you perspective about why you need a vacation the methods that are effective for you for relieving stress or gaining new cultural experiences.
These are just a few of the ways you can make sure you never forget some of the best vacations of your life. If you’re traveling with your loved ones, you can also record a short video on the way home so that everyone can share their favorite memories or keep a family journal so everyone can write down the moments that stood out to them.
You may even be inspired to re-create some elements of your vacation while you’re in quarantine. For instance, purchasing a pool or waterslide for the backyard can encourage you and your family to enjoy summer fun. Or, you can build a tent in the family room and make s’mores to remind you of your last camping trip. Taking pictures or keeping a vlog for these special times can make your modified vacation more enjoyable as well.