I've always said that if I was caught in a house fire I would go for the photo albums first. Photo albums, laptop, hard drive, and then get the hell out of the house. I wouldn't save the Eiffel Tower statue on my mantle-piece, or the Venetian mask hanging on the wall. Nor would I bother with my wardrobe. I can buy new clothes later or steal from my sisters if need be.
Because when push comes to shove, the souvenirs I've collected over the years can be replaced. And if I'm honest, half of them are destined for a box in my parents basement anyway. But photos - they can never be replaced. And I've learnt that the hard way.
[gallery type="circle" size="full" ids="35355,35354"]I've always said that photos are the best souvenir. Because nothing plastic can bring as much joy as a photo can. Sure, a snow globe or a key chain might represent a country or place you've been, but it's not able to capture the moment like a photo can. Not able to remind you who you shared the moment with, or preserve the emotion you felt at the time.
And we do need reminding - over the years I've found that even the most precious moments in our lives have a tendency to slip away. Like the seven grueling days I spent climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, where I stood proudly on the highest point in Africa, after the most challenging hike of my life.
I remember that I reached the top of the mountain, and remember that it was tough as all hell. But I forget the smaller details of the experience, and need prompts to recall the journey I went through for each of the seven days. 7 years later, I'm only able to travel back to that moment through my photos which captured the raw emotion of each day.
There's nothing more valuable than a photo. They're the only thing we have with the power to transport us back in time.
Mike and I have 10 years and over 45 countries worth of cherished memories, each moment having defined our lives along the way. But just like our memories, the thousands of photographs we accumulate also have a habit of fading away.
They're always accessible of course, sitting there on the cloud, but just like the Eiffel Tower statue collecting dust in my parents basement, we forget that they're sitting there saved. So we've started to favor print over pixels, and put our most cherished photographs into beautiful books. Because these moments deserve to be printed. They're the most valuable thing I've got.
To preserve our travel photography we've teamed up with MILK Books, a company who produce custom photo books and albums created with archival-quality materials to last for at least 100 years (they believe that some moments should last longer than a lifetime). And to kick start the new year, we're give away a beautiful 120 page archival medium photo book so you can preserve your memories too!
With the freedom and flexibility to drag and drop our photos into the MILK platform and build a custom book any way we saw fit, it was only a few hours before we hit ship on a gorgeous book full of travel memories.
Designing a beautiful book is effortless, as their team of designers has created over 2,000 editorial templates to help easily create a publisher-quality book.
You can choose from ten elegant cover options in linen, buckram or wibalin, and as the books are are invisibly bound along the spine to lie perfectly flat, we were able to create stunning panoramic spreads.
So here’s to always choosing print over pixels, watching more sunsets than Netflix, and creating moments that are truly worth celebrating.
[button link="http://www2.milkbooks.com/" type="big" color="teal" newwindow="yes"]Create Your Own[/button]
Want one? We know you do! In partnership with MILK Books, we’re giving away a 120 page archival medium photo book! Can’t wait for the competition to end? Head to http://www2.milkbooks.com to create one now.
Competition is open to residents of all countries, and runs until 11:59PM 23rd January 2017 Pacific Time (US & Canada). Please read the terms and conditions for further competition details.
120 Page MILK Archival Medium Photo BookCAMERA GEAR WE USE & RECOMMEND. CLICK PHOTO ↓
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[/learn_more] [author] [author_image timthumb='off']http://www.mappingmegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Bio-photo-Hawaii.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; a website dedicated to opening your eyes to the wild & natural world.
Committed to bringing you the best in adventure travel from all around the globe, there is no mountain too high, and no fete too extreme! They haven't been everywhere, but it's on their list.
Follow their journey on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.
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