Me (and my 10 cameras) in Venice

I don’t know about you all, but I’m always looking for something new and creative to make with my travel photos. My camera roll is overflowing (seriously, I have 47,000 photos on my phone.. help), and while in quarantine, I’ve made it my mission to try out some new photo ideas. I wanted to share some of the best things I’ve seen or tried so far in case any of you are looking to do the same! So without further ado, here are 10 things to do with your study abroad photos.

The first page of my scrapbook I’m working on

1. Photo Album or Scrapbook
   This is a project I’m currently working on and I’m super excited about it! I printed a bunch of photos from my last trip to Anza Borrego and I’m going to include other elements like receipts from the trip, dried flowers, old newspapers, etc. I’m so excited to see how this project turns out. I’m not going to lie to you though.. A targeted Instagram ad got me, so I bought my photo album from Kolo. Honestly, I feel like my FBI guy knows me better than I know myself sometimes.
   

   A photo I posted on Insta from a trip to Portugal

2. TBT (but not because no one says TBT anymore)
   Okay, this is an easy one, but who doesn’t love a good reminiscent Insta post? I always think back and reflect on some of my favorite memories and I enjoy sharing those moments with my friends. If you post a little TBT on Instagram, tag us @saiprograms!
   

   This is a digital collage I made using one of my photos of the Colosseum in Rome

3. Create a Photo Collage:
   There are a lot of different directions you could go with this one. You can print your photos and make a physical mixed media collage, or you can do it digitally. I love playing around with Photoshop, so I tend to sway towards digital collages. Not a fan of photoshop? A lot of sites will create a collage for you — like this one. You can even get your photos printed in the shape of Italy or France! The options are endless.
   
4. Turn Your Instagram Feed into an Actual Book
   Photo books can be a lot of work, but Chatbooks makes it simple. It syncs with your Instagram or Facebook account for an effortless import. I just loaded in 138 photos in about three seconds, and they automatically arranged chronologically — one per page — with the ability to add captions and locations if you want. To buy: chatbooks.com, from $10
   

   Some of my photos from Copenhagen and London in 2018

5. Hang Them on a Cute Display
   Get those photos out of your camera roll and into the physical world! I printed some of my travel photos through Artifact Uprising and I love how they turned out. I change them out almost daily and it’s such a good addition to my desk! You could also turn to Pinterest for inspo, which would most likely lead you to a spool of string, clothespins, and if you’re very motivated, some twinkle lights. If that sounds like a lot of work, this five-tiered frame is $20 on Amazon. Work smarter not harder, ya know?
   
6. Turn Your Photos Into a Puzzle
7. Be honest.. How many times have you thought about starting a puzzle while in quarantine? I’ve seen my fair share of anti-puzzlers the past few weeks, but what if you could turn one of your study abroad photos into one? You can order one (or five.. we won’t judge) from Shutterfly. So what’s it going to be? 60, 252, 520 or 1,014 pieces?
   
8. Turn Them Into Stickers
   Business cards are the bread and butter of Moo.com, but they also offer these cute, pocket-sized sticker books. To buy: moo.com, from $10
9. Paint Them (or hire someone to do so for you)
   We can’t all be good at everything, so for the less artistically inclined, there’s always Etsy. The CarlinArtWatercolor shop creates beautiful custom watercolors from your photos. If you’re more of an acrylic person, the lindywhittonstudio shop offers custom work for $64. To buy: etsy.com, from $64.
10. Get Nostalgic with a Retroviewer
    Ever find yourself wishing you could be visually transported back to both your vacation and the ’90s simultaneously? Image3D.com lets you make a custom seven-photo reel! Plus, there’s an option to add 3D captions to your photos. To buy: image3d.com, from $30
    
    
11. Customize a Deck of Playing Cards
    I’ve been playing a good amount of rummy the last two weeks and I’m about due for a new deck of cards — the ones I got for free when I studied abroad (s/o to GiffGaff) have seen better days. I’ve been wanting a custom deck for a while and now feels like a perfect time to do so. There are a lot of different places to get a deck printed, but I’ve been looking at Shutterfly. 

Me (and my 10 cameras) in Portugal — signing off!

If you do any of the projects above, I’d love to see them! Join our Facebook group, SAI Virtual Viva Experience, where SAI staff, students, and alumni are sharing activities we’re doing from home and make a post telling us about it! Happy crafting!