Disney Layouts: Journaling your Magical Memories
4 August 2011
Author: Karen Bulmahn
Scenario: your kids are old enough to travel longer distances well, and are still gaga about Mickey Mouse. Your spouse has saved up some extra vacation days and you find yourself looking at your calendar to schedule your first trip to Disney! The excitement builds as you begin your research for hotels, which parks to visit and how long your stay will be, knowing full well that the absolute end result will be returning home to create Disney layouts to fill one-of-a-kind scrapbook masterpiece of the glorious event!
Prepare in Advance:
We all know that we get caught up in the excited moments of fun activities, preparing for a trip to Disney! If you are planning to capture your trip in a scrapbook after the excitement is over, here are a few tips on how to document the details along the way. If you prepare ahead, it will be easy to put the memories in writing to go with your five hundred photos after they are developed!
Two Essential Tools:
The best suggestion I can give is to purchase a journal or a simple notebook and a good writing pen. These become your most important possessions and should be taken everywhere you go!
Think of all the things you can document before you even leave the driveway:
- The details of your children’s reaction to the announcement that you are going to Disney
- Document your trip planning, like the hotel options or parks you plan to visit
- Write down your ideal Disney itinerary
Once you are on the road, document these other small details:
- How long it took you to get there
- How many times your kids ask, “are we there yet?”
- Where you stay on the journey to the location
- Funny comments said in the car
Journaling At Disney:
- Once you have arrived and are in the parks, keep the notebook in a backpack or purse and make sure to note all the special photos that you take or places that you visit.
- At the end of each day or on the ride home, interview and document each family member, having them provide their favorites from the trip (rides, characters they met, restaurants, new foods, or shows they saw).
- If you are not a fan of carrying around a notebook for the entire trip, take a video of your travels! You can replay these videos afterward and take notes on the order in which you did activities or properly quote a funny comment! Use these recap notes to help journal your trip. Just like your scrapbooks, these video memories are fun to revisit over and over again!
Once the Trip is Over:
- After the trip has concluded and you are ready to get organized for scrapbooking the momentous adventure, you will have your journaling neatly ready in your notebook.
- Match the photos you want to use for your layouts to the writings in your book, then decide how to arrange each page.
Journaling Tips:
- Use the computer to document long paragraphs in tight spaces.
- Add journaling cards with handwritten notes for smaller elements.
- Or even consider tearing sheets right out of your notebooks to add texture and documentation to the layout itself!
What If You Already Went to Disney?
- If you are reading this article AFTER a trip to Disney, and are looking for some advice on how to start and journal the occasion, it is still possible to create journaling for your photos.
- While going through your printed photos, jot down any memories that you strike up on an index card and file the card behind the photo in a storage box. This way, when you do find time to create a scrapbook, you will have some of your memories already documented for journaling on your pages.
However you decide to capture your thoughts regarding your Disney vacation, you will be so thankful down the road to have those memories written in word form to support your printed photos. If possible, think ahead with journals or video cameras and make sure to think outside the box with other documentation, such as funny family quotes, written itineraries or interviews! Being prepared with your journaling already written will make creating your Disney layouts quick, relaxing and enjoyable.