Whenever we travel, we take a lot of pictures, and for the longest time, we never really knew what to do with the shots besides uploading them to the cloud and scrolling through them once in a while.
Recently, we discovered that there’s plenty of fun stuff you can do with travel photos, and making photo collages has become our favourite. In case you are new to the idea, a collage is a single composition that brings together different photos, usually around a theme.
Today, we’re sharing why we love making them and how you can do it too.
Why Photo Collages Are Our Favourite Way to Preserve Travel Memories
Collages Are Easy to Make and Share
Collages are really easy to make. You don’t need to be an expert photographer or have any design skills. For us, it’s been even easier because we use online collage templates. They give you a ready-made layout, so you just add photos, and you’re good to go.
Once you are done, you can download your collage and print it or share it as a digital keepsake. We’ve printed and framed a few, and they make great wall art.
Collages Tell a Complete Story
A single photo only captures one moment. A collage lets you stitch those moments together into an experience.
We especially love combining pictures from one destination – showing the different activities we did in the same place. When it’s finished, it feels almost like you are watching a video instead of looking at still photos.
Our Little Process of Creating Travel Photo Collages
We follow a pretty simple process when turning our photos into collages. Here it is:
Choosing the Photos (That Tell Our Story)
We usually start by scrolling through everything we shot during the trip. The goal is to identify and pick out photos that capture different parts of the adventure: the places we visited, the activities we tried, the meals we couldn’t stop talking about, and those little in-between moments.
We’ve noticed that a mix of shots works best. We’ll pair a few landscape photos with a couple of selfies or two and some candid moments (like us laughing at a market stall without realising the camera captured it).
Try not to pick too many similar pictures (we have all taken ten versions of our faces against the sunset). Instead, look for images that complement each other and tell the story of your trip together.
Picking a Layout
Once we have the pictures, the next step is finding a layout. We’ve learned that the best collages are the ones that give every photo enough room to breathe (doesn’t feel overcrowded).
Creating a layout from scratch can be a pain. That’s why we choose to use ready-made collage templates, which save time and make arranging pictures easier. Some tools, like PicCollage, even let you pick a template, upload your photos, arrange them, and download the finished design right in your browser, with no app to install.
Feel free to experiment here. Try a few different layouts and see which one suits the number and orientation of your photos best. We often swap a couple of times before something just feels right.
Adding Personal Touches
This is our favourite part. We like to add small details to help tell the story and make each collage a little unique. Think destination names, travel dates, short captions, and little notes about a memorable moment or bucket list adventure.
You can also play around with stickers, backgrounds and borders. They are a fun way to differentiate one trip’s collage from the other. Just try to keep things balanced so the decorations complement your photos rather than steal the show.
Making Memories Last
Collages tell a complete story and are easy to make. You don’t need fancy tools or design skills to create something nice from the photos. A handful of your favourite shots, a simple template and a few personal touches are all it takes.
So, the next time you are back from a trip, go through your camera roll and turn some of those travel photos into collages. You might be surprised how much of the trip comes flooding back.
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