This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products and services we personally use and trust on the road.
If you love junk journaling or making your own ephemera, this is such a fun way to turn travel brochures into tiny memory pieces. Whenever we travel, I always end up collecting little things along the way — brochures, maps, postcards, ticket stubs, anything that holds a memory. They usually end up tucked into pockets of my backpack or the glove box of our van… until I finally found a way to turn them into something I actually love flipping through.
I started using a postage stamp craft punch to cut out tiny “postcard moments” from the brochures we pick up on the road. It’s such a simple tool, but it completely changed how I save our travel memories.
Why I love using a stamp punch for my travel journal
There’s something so satisfying about looking through the little window of the punch and choosing the exact moment you want to keep — a mountain peak, a trail sign, a scenic overlook, a color palette that reminds you of the day. It feels like reliving the trip in tiny snapshots.
And… it’s therapeutic. The click of the punch, the little pile of cutouts, the slow rhythm of gluing them into a journal — it is a quiet craft.
What I’m using
- Postage Stamp Punch — my favorite tool for cropping out the best parts of brochures.
- Travel Journal — the journal I designed for collecting these mini memories.
How I make my mini postcard pages
- Gather brochures, maps, postcards, or anything you picked up on your trip.
- Use the stamp punch to frame your favorite details through the window.
- Punch out your favorite details to create DIY ephemera for your junk journal or travel journal. Punch out as many as you want — I usually do a whole batch at once.
- Arrange the mini ephemera pieces on your page like a patchwork.
- Glue them down and add notes if you want — dates, locations, little moments you don’t want to forget.
- I have been organizing mine by year, and including a printed list of where we traveled.
DIY junk journal ephemera from travel brochures
Junk journalers love using found paper, brochures, maps, and postcards as ephemera because it adds real‑life texture and meaning to their pages. These mini postcard cutouts are an easy way to turn everyday travel paper into something beautiful and personal.
Why this journal means so much to me
Page by page, it’s becoming a quilt of everywhere we’ve been — the hikes, the campsites, the road snacks, the unexpected stops. It’s a way to hold onto the small things that usually get lost or thrown away.
And the best part? I can keep adding to it for years.
If you want to start your own, I linked the exact punch and journal I use above. It’s such a fun, simple project, especially if you love collecting little pieces of your travels, like I do.
You can also check out my other journals in my shop.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you choose to make a purchase. These programs help support our travels and allow me to keep creating helpful content. I only recommend products and services we genuinely use or believe offer real value for RVers and pet parents. Creators are required to disclose when they use affiliate links so readers understand that I may earn a commission. It doesn’t change the price you pay, and I only recommend tools we personally use or have researched thoroughly.