How to Document Your Family Travels as a Creator
River and Sky walking through a blue-lit sky at White Sands National Park in New Mexico.
How to Document Your Family Travels as a Creator: Photo, Video, and Storytelling Tips
Traveling as a family is always an adventure — sometimes magical, sometimes chaotic, often both. Over the past few years, I’ve learned that documenting our trips isn’t just about snapping pretty photos. It’s about capturing the feel of the moment, preserving the little details, and telling a story we can look back on later.
Whether you’re traveling across the country or just taking a weekend road trip, here’s how I document our family travels in a creative, meaningful way — and how you can too.
1. Capture the Story, Not Just the Highlights
Skylar hugging Stitch.
It’s the small moments that make storytelling so important, and also the things you will remember the most.
When I first started documenting our trips, I focused on the big moments — the landmarks, the picture-perfect views. But the truth is, the little things are what we remember most:
The cracked windshield that stuck with us the entire road trip
The early morning donut runs in a sleepy small town
The kids swimming in the hotel pool after a long drive
Crack in the windshield.
After starting our trip to Grand Canyon, we hadn’t even gotten 2 hours down the road and got a huge rock in our windshield that resulted in a long crack. We had just replaced the windshield the week before…
👉 Try This:
Snap photos of what’s real — messy hotel rooms, gas station snack stops, your kids’ goofy faces.
Film short clips, even if you don’t think you’ll use them. Candid video brings the story to life later.
2. Use Your Phone (Consistency Beats Gear)
You don’t need a fancy camera to document your travels beautifully.
I use both my DSLR and my phone, but most of our best moments get captured on the fly with my phone.
Have a B-Camera Operator.
River has been learning how to use the camera, so he helped A LOT to capture shots on my phone while I captured footage on my DSLR.
👉 Tips:
Clean your phone lens before every shot (seriously, it makes a huge difference).
Shoot both horizontal and vertical photos/videos for flexibility when posting.
Use burst mode for movement shots like jumping, swimming, or playing.
3. Keep a Simple Shot List (But Stay Flexible)
Before each trip, I quickly jot down:
Wide shots of the scenery
Detail shots (food, souvenirs, signs)
Family interactions (holding hands, walking, laughter)
Travel transitions (packing, driving, boarding)
👉 But I don’t let the list take over.
It’s a gentle guide to remind me what to look for, but the best moments are the ones I don’t plan.
4. Write Down the Details While You’re There
Even if I don’t post right away, I like to jot down:
Funny things the kids said
What the town smelled like
Little emotions I felt in the moment
👉 Why?
These details help me tell a better story later when I’m editing photos, writing blog posts, or creating travel videos.
You can use the Notes app, a travel journal, or even voice memos on your phone.
5. Think About How You’ll Share It (But Don’t Let It Ruin the Moment)
I used to get caught up in creating content for social media while I was still on the trip — and it drained me.
👉 What I Do Now:
I document everything first.
I wait until we get home (or at least the end of the day) to edit and share.
I focus on living the experience in real-time, not just curating it.
When you create from a genuine place, your audience can feel it.
My Favorite Travel Documentation Tools:
Canva: For creating photo collages and Pinterest pins (seriously the best investment)
iPhone: For most of my candid photos and videos
Lightroom Mobile: For quick photo edits
Capcut: For quick social media reels posts
Da Vinci Resolve: For long form video editing (YouTube)
Google Maps: To save locations we want to remember
Travel Journal: For notes and little sketches
Want to Document Your Own Family Adventures?
🎁 I made a Free Travel Storytelling Checklist that will help you remember what to capture and how to tell your story authentically.
Sign up below to receive your FREE Travel Storytelling Checklist!
Final Thoughts
Your family trips don’t have to be perfect to be worth documenting.
Some of our most treasured memories come from the in-between moments — the quiet roads, the small towns, the early mornings with messy hair.
If you’re starting to document your family travels, I hope this encourages you to focus on the feel of the journey, not just the final photo.
Let’s tell stories worth remembering.
~ Hali
