A great way to remember your adventures is to create a travel photo book. Now that most people capture digital photos, they don’t take the time to print them and enjoy them later.
You can make a photo book for individual trips, topics, quarterly, or annually. Photos can be grouped by date, region, trip, or theme. I have been printing an annual book for the last 4 years to highlight my favorite trips, sights, and activities. They also make great gifts for holidays or birthdays.
There are several companies that create and print books for you. I use Google Photos but these services are also offered through Shutterfly, Snapfish, Artifact Uprising, Mixbook, Chatbooks, and more. I like Google Photos because of its clean layout. You may want to add themes to your book.
My Experience Building a Photo Book
This is not a sponsored post – I just want to share my process in case it lets you see how quick and easy photo books can be.
Creating a photo book with Google Photos is simple if you have their app. It can make a book from an existing album, or you can make a new one.
Log into Google Photos and select the Print Store. Then click on the button for photo books. You have the option of a 9” x 9” hardcover or 7” x 7” softcover book. I prefer the hardcover books, but I also printed a softcover book in my first year.
1. Select Your Photos
Start with a pre-made compilation by Google, one of your albums, or from scratch by individually picking images. I find it easiest to put the photos I want into a new album before starting the process rather than selecting them off the top of my head.
You can select up to 140 pages. The system will automatically lay the photos out by date; however, you can drag pages around wherever you want. You can also replace the automatic cover image.
2. Format and Design
Each photo can be formatted in one of four ways on each page – true photo ratio, square, full page, or a collage. To change the format, hover over the photo and your options will appear beside the image. For collages, there can be up to four images per page. I’ve shown all the options in the images below but, for myself, I prefer the square ratio.
After you’ve chosen your images and formatted them on the pages, you can add captions. I like a clean border without captions.
3. Finalize and Review
You’ll see a preview of the book to the right. After you review your final edits, select your book size, then checkout.
I’ve had great experiences and love my books! I’ve found people are a little more willing to listen to your travel stories if they have the book to look through and can experience the sights.
What would your ideal photo book look like? Comment below!
This would be great to choose my favorite paintings for the year and share with family and friends. Coffee table books here we come! Thanks
Photo books would be great for paintings! What a way to display and share your artwork!