Four AU Ambassadors Preserve Their European Vacations in Print

Whether you have a family destination you like to return to again and again, or you’ve been saving up for a bucket list trip, there is nothing sweeter than deciding where you want to go and booking the ticket.

“My dad was born in Norway, and there is a lot of family history in his hometown. I have been back a few times before and this time bringing my two daughters along was so special. It feels like a part of me is rediscovered when I am there.”

“My favorite memory was waking up at the cabin on the ocean and looking at old photos of when my great-grandmother and great-grandfather built the cabin. It felt so surreal to be enjoying that same space and the same views that they did years ago.”

Stacie Lang keeps a running list of dream places to visit and keeps an eye out for deals on flights. “Whenever we find a really great deal on flights that we can't pass up, we pounce! So thanks to a great promo back in 2021, you could say that Copenhagen chose us.”

“After we flew into Copenhagen and explored by bikes and foot for a few days, we rented a car to drive to our next stop, Sweden. I don't know why this got filed under such a core memory in my brain, but leisurely driving through the open roads of Denmark with all my girls singing and playing in the back of a big gray Eurovan was something I'll always remember.”

Clara Jünemann took nostalgic memories from the past and her desire to learn a new language as motivation to spend the summer in Scandinavia.

“There are many pictures of little me in Denmark and Sweden, and I’ve always wanted to visit again. In my freshman year of college, I also started studying Swedish — there’s nothing better than practicing with native speakers! So last summer, I joined a Summer in Scandinavia study abroad program. I loved everything about it and wished I had more time to explore. I’d love to go back!”

“Biking in Copenhagen is one of my favorite [memories from the trip]! I biked to class every day and spent hours exploring Copenhagen, even on rainy days! This was my main way of getting around the city. In the evenings, I often biked to Nyhavn, sat along the pier eating sorbet and watching the sunset.”

Taking on a big trip with kids might sound daunting, but the memories created are worth all of the mid-day meltdowns and chaotic travel days.

“Traveling with young kids can create some low lows and some even higher highs, but really, isn't that every day with kids? Something I always need to remind myself when my kids are complaining on the hike or melting down in a quiet museum, is that by exposing them to new experiences and hopefully doing things out of their comfort zone together, they'll only become stronger, smarter, and fingers crossed, closer as sisters. Luckily, my girls have always been pretty great little travelers, but I think the key to enjoying any family adventure is having extremely low expectations, a loose schedule, and lots of snacks.”

“Traveling with kids is definitely different from traveling pre-kids — it's a lot more challenging but it's always worth it in my opinion! I have a few tips and lessons learned:

1. Go with the flow, planning for one major activity daily, as kids need a lot of extra time.

2. Stay in a local home — this makes us feel like we are able to experience the local lifestyle, meet other families, have space, and find the most convenient location for us to explore places we want to go together.

3. Encouraging simplicity — kids don't need many toys when traveling. They seem to find random things in nature to play with and get imaginative with each other.

4. Pay extra for ice cream over fancy restaurants. This is what they will remember way more — the out of ordinary everyday treats and playing with you.”

“My hope is to help my kids learn to live a life of compassion, with love and respect for our planet, the people, and the different cultures.”

After an anticipated trip, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the 12,000 photos in your camera roll and then forget to do anything with them. Lucky for you, our community has some advice on how to make this post-travel task one filled with joy and purpose.

Joy Kinna says all it takes is five minutes a day: “Throughout my trip I'd spend a few minutes each day favoriting all the best images and then when the trip was over, I had hundreds of photos that I knew were all the best shots. I curated down again from there, but it was a great place to start.”

“Luckily with lots of time to kill between flights and layovers on the way home, I spent a good chunk of time going through my camera roll and photos, deleting anything I had doubles (or triples or quadruples!) of. I usually have the tendency to either take way too many photos on a trip... or none at all. Luckily I ended up with more great photos than I knew what to do with, so from there, I uploaded everything to Artifact Uprising's gallery and got to work. The key to squeezing in as many photos as possible while also showcasing some of my favorite images in a big, bold way, was utilizing their user-friendly templates that provide endless possibilities. “

Katelyn explains how she used her desire to capture and preserve more candid shots as the guide for curating her camera roll after the trip. “I wanted to capture and keep all the small and big memories, mostly the natural captures rather than the staged. I love that everyday look that will be our memory for the long run.”

To create order, flow, and a storyline, Clara went chronologically through her photos to pick her favorites and then created a book with photos in chronological order. “Eight weeks abroad means a lot of pictures! I used photos from my phone and camera. Some scenic travel pictures mixed with silly, candid moments, which win best memory but not necessarily best picture. For this book, I decided on a chronological order as a storyline and chose a few layouts to use and repeat throughout. To make it more personal, I added some handwritten notes and drawings.”

Reliving a trip through photos can be almost as magical as the trip itself — there is something about holding a memory in your hand that allows all of the details to come rushing back. The smells, the colors, the flavors, the laughter. We asked our community to share which Artifact Uprising products they chose to preserve these special moments.

Joy created a Signature Layflat Album to act as a keepsake for her family’s Norway memories. “I wanted it to be the perfect coffee table book to share and look through when friends and family came over.”

“I chose the Hardcover Photo Book in 10x10 with the beautiful parchment-colored fabric. The personalized photo-wrapped cover is so stunning, that the book itself almost doubles as home decor. I love to leave our albums out or style open shelves with them, but unlike regular decorative or coffee table books, I always catch myself flipping through pages and reliving so many special family memories.”

We love the way Stacie uses our multi-photo layout to optimize how many photos could be included from the trip.

“I picked Artifact Uprising's 11 x 8.25 Hardcover Photo book. I love the fabric cover and the partial photo sleeve with digital foil. The beige color ‘parchment’ is one of my favorites!”

Katelyn chose our gallery frames to preserve her trip so that the memories could always be front and center in her home. “I wanted to keep them on the walls so that the kids can easily see. We created large print frames for our hallway, so every time people enter or pass by they get a chance to see, too.”

With the summer behind us, it is easy to move onto the next season and forget about all the amazing memories you just created, but there is nothing that can replace the feeling of holding a memory in your hands. (Especially ones you planned and dreamed of for so long!)

Want to follow our ambassadors for their next adventures? Find them on Instagram here: Joy Kinna / @joyynaomi , Stacie Lang / @stacielang, , Katelyn Jun / @katelyn.hj, and, and Clara Jünemann / @manujunephoto!