Family Travel Guide Project

I've been wondering what to do with all those brochures we collect in our travels. (I think I picked up that habit from my mom.)

My original idea was to use them to scrapbook our journeys, but since Facebook (and the baby) came along... scrapbooking has become a fun idea that I rarely get around to. Digital cameras and the ease of uploading pictures to the internet has really decreased the amount of actual photo prints I have around!

But, I can't bear to get rid of these brochures, because they remind me of fun things we've done, and who knows? Maybe someday when we revisit the International Crane Foundation they will be all out of trail maps...? So I've just been keeping them in the car door well. Because, what else is that for, other than collecting candy wrappers and storing our Road Atlas? (Yes, we have a Road Atlas. If you're not familiar with it, it's kind of like a GPS that doesn't annoy you.)

There is an advantage to hoarding these wonderful little pamphlets, though... every once in awhile, when we visit one of our favorite places, like Horicon Marsh, I actually DO get out the brochure to remember where different parking lots and nature trails are.

But, we bought a "new" car. ('06 minivan to be exact.) And the door well is much shallow-er. So, we decided it was time to do something with all those brochures.

Well, this is not PRETTY but it is PRACTICAL which is just as good, right? Here's my solution.

Get yourself a binder.

Use a 3-hole-punch and get those babies organized! Some brochures fit nicely when unfolded; others you have to fold down one or two of the flaps to make them fit. But I've noticed that MOST brochures will fit in this size binder.

The scrapbooker in me can't let an opportunity to preserve a memory go to waste, so I write down the first time we visited. (Labor Day weekend, Vacation with Grandma and Grandpa, etc.) You could get as detailed as you want... you probably AREN'T going to be looking back through these that often, but it's a nice idea.

The back flap is a good place to store all those Too Big or Too Small brochures.

This probably ISN'T a problem most people have, but for us, it was a fun way to organize some clutter I just couldn't bear to throw away. As a kid, we would collect these to put in homeschool portfolios, which I'm sure I will do with my kids someday, but for now, this seems to work. And the best part is... our minivan has a compartment underneath the passenger seat that is just right for storing our Family Travel Guide. SCORE.

Thanks for reading.