Highlight Your Home With Your Travels

I hope you love to travel as much as I do. There’s nothing more exciting than having the opportunity to explore, see and try new things. Whether you are taking a weekend trip to a nearby location or you have planned an international adventure in hopes of seeing the world, you are going to make memories that you will cherish for a lifetime. Why not turn your travel treasures into features of your home?  These travel-inspired DIY decor ideas will help you incorporate those wonderful moments from adventures near or abroad into your home’s interior design.

Map Magnets

Map magnets are a subtle yet powerful way to showcase the places that you have visited throughout your lifetime. If you are looking along the way buy a few that represent the best of your memory for a certain place. If you decide to be even more creative, you can take the backings off of small frames, and attach a magnet so that they hang on the fridge and cut out pieces of maps that you brought home from your adventures. You can display these magnets on your refrigerator as a way of commemorating your recent travels.

Travel Shadow Box

A keep sake box from your trip. With the variety of souvenirs from your most recent vacation such as pictures, ticket stubs, maps, paper money or brochures you can create a space where the best memories stay together and evoke the feelings that the trip gave you. Many people opt to make their own background for the shadow box, either featuring a favorite landscape photo from their trip or the name of the destination they visited. It is an excellent talking point for company that visits you and it also reminds you why you make the time to plan and discover new places.

Framed Coin Collage

If you are a world traveler who collects foreign currency, then one of the most unique ways to display your collection is to design a framed coin collage. I also like to discuss the coins and paper currency with my kids as they come from multiculural backgrounds and need to recognize the differences and uniqueness that each country offers through their currency. You can use a sturdy piece of cardstock or slim piece of cardboard to mount your favorite coins. Once you have completed your collage, you can frame it and display it in your hallway, study or living room. It is sure to make an interesting conversation piece for anyone who comes to your home. If you are really into multi-currency you can test your kids on the value changes that occur as the markets shift.

Push Pin Map

One unique way that you can mark your past vacations while still looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead is to design your own push pin map. You can complete this project by taking a new map of a specific country or of the entire globe and attaching it to a framed bulletin board. Use colorful push pins to mark the places that you have already visited and keep an extra set handy so you can keep adding destinations along the way. This concept was something that I did not really embrace until I had kids. The musical “Come From Away” discusses a pilot’s conversation with her family as she is waiting to return to US airspace after 911, and she tells her husband to put a pin in the map. That really stuck with me, and as a visual kids learn where things are and have a lot of very interesting questions about how the world works. It is always a talking point about where you are, where you were, and where you are going.

Sand Souvenir Jar

The sand souvenir jar is the perfect travel-inspired home décor project for those who like to frequent the beach. Whenever you head to a new beach far away or bring home sand from your favorite spot you have the ingredients to make a memory. Pour that sand into a small bottle and add a few shells or other treasures that you found on the beach. Label the jar with the name of the beach where the sand was collected and use a cork to seal it shut.

When you display these mementos from your travels in a way that is inspiring and inviting, you find yourself sharing more about your adventures. The memories evoke emotion, conversation, and future travel. Incorporating the outside world into your home inspires balance.

Happy Travels