There’s something special about tucking tiny bits of a journey between the pages of a handmade travel journal. Ephemera—those little, everyday paper pieces you collect along the way—add texture, character, and a deep sense of place to your travel memories.
Whether you’re heading out on a grand adventure or a weekend getaway, here are 15 types of ephemera to collect for your travel journal—from ticket stubs to café menus—to help you turn your handmade travel journal into a rich and meaningful record of your adventures.
1. Boarding Passes and Luggage Tags
Start your travel journal with your very first step: your flight. Cut out your name, destination codes, or airline logos to glue onto your pages.
2. Maps and Tourist Brochures
Local maps, city guides, and attraction pamphlets are excellent visual additions. Use them as backgrounds or foldouts in your journal.
3. Restaurant Menus and Food Wrappers
That pastry you devoured in Paris? Save the bakery’s paper bag, paper placemat or a copy of the menu—it adds a delicious layer to your memories.
4. Foreign Currency and Coins
Tuck in a low-value bill or glue down a coin. It’s a small detail that packs a visual punch—and captures the culture of your destination.
5. Ticket Stubs and Entry Passes
Train tickets, museum stubs, and event wristbands are perfect storytelling tools for your travel journal spreads.
6. Postcards
Whether mailed or blank, postcards add instant flair. Use the photos as inspiration or write notes on the back to capture a moment in time.
7. Shopping Bags and Boutique Tags
Cut pieces from branded paper bags or packaging from artisan shops—great for adding color and design elements to your journal.
8. Coffee Shop Napkins and Drink Coasters
Many cafés have custom-printed napkins or coasters—quirky, charming, and often easy to glue in.
9. Business Cards
Collect business cards from galleries, hotels, stores, and restaurants—they’re miniature works of art and a great way to remember hidden gems.
10. Receipts
Include receipts to remember what you purchased—or even just how much a cappuccino cost in Rome!
11. Hotel Stationery and Key Card Envelopes
Hotel paper goods are classy and nostalgic. Use them to write down reflections or glue them in as mementos.
12. Postage Stamps
Whether they’re from postcards you send (or receive) or extras picked up at a local post office, stamps are tiny works of art that capture a country’s culture and design style. They add beautiful visual interest and a vintage touch to your pages—plus, they’re flat and easy to glue in!
13. Stickers and Food Labels
From fruit stickers at a farmers’ market to quirky product packaging, these add personality and local flavor to your travel journal.
14. Pressed Leaves and Flowers
A small pressed flower from a trail walk or park can beautifully symbolize a special day—just be mindful of local customs and conservation rules. Add a layer of matte medium or modge podge to preserve the botanical.
15. Your Own Notes and Scribbles
Keep those napkin sketches, brainstorms, or reflections—these spontaneous bits of writing are deeply personal ephemera.
Bonus Travel Journaling Tips
- Carry a pouch: Bring a zip-top bag or envelope to collect ephemera each day.
- Don’t glue it all at once: Wait until you’re home or relaxed in your hotel to thoughtfully arrange your keepsakes.
- Layer your memories: Mix text, photos, and ephemera for a rich, scrapbook-style journal.
- Bring a mini pocket printer on your travels to add favorite photos to your journal.
Every little piece of paper you collect is more than just clutter—it’s a memory made tangible. By curating these scraps in your travel journal, you create a layered, living document of your journey—one that feels as real and beautiful as the trip itself.
What’s the most unique piece of travel ephemera you’ve ever saved? We’d love to hear what little treasures have made it into your own travel journals! Let us know in the comments!
Peek Inside my Italian Travel Journal
Want to see one of my travel journals up close? Check out the video below!
HI! I’M ALI MANNING
Years ago, I learned about handmade books, and ever since then, I’ve been hooked. I love creating new designs, learning about different techniques, and expanding my collection of paper. But what I love most about bookmaking is the community.
Through Vintage Page Designs and the Handmade Book Club, I’ve met thousands of other passionate bookmakers, mixed-media artists, and crafters. We all share a love of book arts and crafting, just for the joy of it.
I believe that bookbinding and book arts are for everyone, regardless of skill level or equipment. All you need is a little creativity and, of course, paper!
Not really unique, but I like to get the stamped Pennie’s out of the machines then punch holes in them and make dangles to hang on the journal.
I’m usually drawn to that machine but can never think what I’d do with the penny afterwards. This is pretty brilliant!
I have taken the red double sided tape and put one side into the sands of different beaches I went to.
Great idea!
Just read an article on arsenic in green book bindings. Apparently that is how the books were made. Good on you for the Madge lodge.
I use my own travel photos to make ephemera for my travel journals too.
I always take a small playing card for each day on my travels. At evening I collage the card for what I did that day with collected maps, passes etc.
Love this✅
Genius
great idea
Amazing idea!