How to make a holiday photo book: a complete guide
By Photobox on 25 June 2026
Learn how to create a personalised travel photo book with Photobox in a few simple steps – from picking a design and organising your photos to adding captions and extras.
Making a holiday photo book is one of the best ways to preserve your best travel adventures – whether family trip or city break. In this guide, you’ll find out how to choose a free Photobox theme design, customise your layout, structure your story and add captions and extras to make a custom travel photo book that does your memories justice.
Why should I make a travel picture album?
How to create a travel photo book with Photobox
Our travel photo book ideas: a theme for every holiday
How to customise our travel-themed photo albums
Choosing the right photos for your holiday photo album
How to structure your travel album
How to write captions for your holiday book
What to avoid when making a vacation photo book
Best practices for the best vacation photo books
What is a holiday photo book?
A holiday book is a travel-themed photo album with your best vacation photos, all collected in one book. Whether beach holidays or ski breaks, road trips or round trips, it turns your favourite memories into a beautifully organised keepsake.
Why should I make a travel picture album?
Creating an album with your holiday photos is the best way to keep your travel memories alive. It’s the book you flip through longingly to relive your favourite holiday and the one you reach for on rainy days that makes you plan your next outing.
Printing your holiday photos also lets you experience them differently. Rather than scrolling through your phone, you can see them laid out on stunning double-page spreads, with every detail visible. The result is a unique souvenir packed with special moments you’ll love revisiting for years to come.
How to create a travel photo book with Photobox
Capture your trip with a unique photo album by following these three simple steps:
- Choose a design. Pick a free photo book theme from Photobox.
- Add your photos. Fill your travel book with pictures of the best, funniest and most memorable moments of your holiday.
- Add the details. Write some captions and add little extras to make your very own personalised holiday photo album.
Ready for a deep dive? Let’s go.
Our travel photo book ideas: a theme for every holiday
Photobox offers free themed designs that make it easy to get started – no design experience needed. Simply pick your style and give your personalised travel photo album a truly professional look. Here are some ideas:
Destination designs
Want to capture the flair of your trip? From New York to Santorini and Norway to Spain, discover our country and city designs that are perfect for your unique vacation photo book.
Our favourites
Our colour block designs are bold and bright statements that stand out on the bookshelf. If you like something more subtle, go for our “Travel Hues” or “Sights of” designs.
Editorial themes
Classy, trendy and effortlessly chic, these magazine-style themes make every trip look amazing. Whether you want to add lots of text or let the images speak for themselves, there’s plenty of room to be creative here.
Our favourites
Editorial Earth is perfect if you want to create an adventure photo album. The travel chapter is ideal for those stunning snaps, and Travel mosaics comes with a cover that wows.
Scrapbook styles
Love recording every detail of your trip? These designs are perfect for releasing your inner travel blogger. Our scrapbook templates have a DIY charm and offer plenty of space for comments and little anecdotes.
Our favourites
Scrapbook snapshots or My travel book are great for those handmade looks.
How to customise our travel-themed photo albums
Want a book that truly says “you”? No problem. Our themed designs are fully customisable and leave lots of room for your creativity. You can personalise each page of your vacation photo album: change the layout, adjust the background colour, or add stickers, frames and masks.
This turns a template into a custom travel photo book that perfectly matches you and your memories.
Choosing the right photos for your holiday photo album
We get it: your camera roll’s probably full of 1000 shots of the same beach view or the Eiffel Tower from every possible angle. But here’s how to choose the best ones for your holiday album:
Focus on high-quality photos
First, start with the obvious: delete blurry shots and only pick high-quality photos that will look great when they’re printed.
Add your favourite memories
Next, go for those special moments you don’t want to forget. The sandcastle the kids built, the sunset on the beach, the silly group shots and the poolside mayhem. Opt for a balanced mix of the people and places that made your trip unforgettable.
Throw in some creative shots
The colourful street view, the close-up of the ice-cream cone or the waves crashing against the rocks. It’s those sensory details that take you straight back to the feeling of being on holiday – what it tasted like, what it smelled like, what it looked like.
How to structure your travel album
The best travel photo books don’t just show photos, they tell a story. So before you start, think about which narrative you want your holiday photo album to follow. Here are some ideas:
- Chronologically: Start at the beginning and work your way through the whole journey with chapters for different days or destinations.
- Thematically: Group photos around shared themes like food, architecture, landscapes or colours to create a book full of variety.
As you build your book, give your moments room to breathe. Alternate between striking single-page shots and grids full of favourite moments. This way, every page will feel fresh and your book gets a balanced look.
Add extras for a proper holiday memory book
The little details turn your book into a proper keepsake. Add maps, tickets and itineraries to give your holiday photo book more depth and personality. Details like these make flipping through it feel like you’re reliving the holiday.
And with our wide selection of travel-themed stickers, you can add even more creative accents to your pages.
How to write captions for your holiday book
It’s the words that make your picture travel book truly come alive. Don’t worry, no need to be a great writer for this. Start simple by adding the names of sights and culinary highlights. Then, add the stories behind the photos to remember them later on, even if you just describe them in a few simple words.
And if you include funny quotes, anecdotes or comments from your fellow travellers, your vacation picture book will preserve those precious memories forever.
Could do with some inspiration? We’ve collected 130 ideas for summer captions. Read them here.
What to avoid when making a vacation photo book
Cramming too many photos on one page
We get the urge to include every snapshot. But your photo book will become much more impactful if you curate a selection that represents your holiday.
Neglecting the storytelling
A holiday memory book should be more than just a photo dump. It should tell the story of your travels and transport you right back to the feeling of it. So don’t forget to let your book follow a narrative.
Inconsistent styles
The best books with travel photography have a coherent design – that’s where our theme designs can help. Every page comes with a curated layout, ready for you to customise.
Lack of layout variety
Having the exact same layout for every page can get boring quickly. Mix and match between grids and single-page shots for a balanced layout.
Best practices for the best vacation photo books
Here’s a quick recap on how to create the best holiday photo books, in a nutshell:
- Choose a theme that fits your story: bold or minimal, wintery or summery – pick a theme that sets the mood.
- Organise your photos chronologically: create a natural thread that tells a story
- Opt for a nice mix of photos: stick to the highlights and alternate between group shots, sights and landscapes
- Tell the story behind the photos: captions, quotes and little anecdotes give the book more personality
- Make it personal: add your colours, photos and layouts to turn the book into a unique keepsake
Ready to make your first holiday photo album? We hope you’ve found our tips useful and wish you lots of fun creating.
FAQs
1. How do I choose the best theme for my Photobox travel picture album?
Pick a design that fits the mood of your trip and goes well with the kind of story you want to tell. Go for minimalist styles if you prefer a clean and understated look that lets the images speak for themselves. If you plan on adding lots of text, an editorial style works better, as the text boxes are already built into the layout.
And if you want your book to steal the show on the shelf, choose a bold and bright design that makes a statement.
2. Are there tips to organise my travel pictures for my book?
If it’s your first holiday photo album, the easiest way is to go chronologically. Start with the journey, then work your way through the highlights of each day, page by page. Include a mix of people, landscape shots and creative close-ups.
3. Is it possible to collaborate with others on a Photobox travel book?
Absolutely. Just reel in your fellow travellers and turn it into a group project. Ask everyone to gather their favourite photos in one place and name one person to be the organiser. Then you can either create individually or hang out together and decide which photo goes where.
Need more help with that? Our guide on how to create a group holiday album is here to make it easier.
4. Can I customise the Photobox travel-themed photo albums?
Yes. You can adapt each page individually and change the layout, the position of the photos and the text. If you want to go the extra mile, you can also add frames, masks and experiment with different styles for every page.
