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Make a travel photo book

Preserve your memories, share your adventure, and sell your travel tips.

• Travel books made easy Make a vacation or travel photo book with your images and your words using free book layout software that’s as easy as drag and drop.
• Bookstore quality Formats for every project: Travel photo books are made to impress, while trade books and magazines are priced to sell.
• Print 1 or 1,000 Print one book at a time or print in volume with offset for deeper discounts and a lower per unit cost.

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The 12 Best Travel Photo Book Makers of 2024

Create a forever keepsake and preserve your precious vacation memories with a photo book.

In This Article

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• Our top picks
• Tips for Choosing
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We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Travel + Leisure / Alli Waataja

The old cliché dictates that a picture is worth a thousand words, and certainly photos are one of the best souvenirs you can bring home when you travel. But, let’s be honest: how often do you really scroll back through your phone reel or revisit those online albums? A photo book is a much more tangible, attractive way to keep those memories safe and accessible forever. 

There are many photo book makers out there, all with slightly different offerings. Some specialize in simple, budget-friendly books that you can make for every trip while others excel at luxurious coffee table art books meant to commemorate once-in-a-lifetime adventures. We’ve researched the best options to help you choose the right photo book maker for your next vacation — and beyond.

Best Overall

Artifact Uprising

The gorgeous, high-quality products come in a range of styles and materials to suit all tastes and budgets. 

You won’t find themed layouts or same-day production here. 

Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly softcover photo book to add to your travel collection or a premium layflat coffee table book to commemorate your destination wedding, Artifact Uprising has you covered. The company offers a full range of photo book sizes, shapes, and layouts including some more unusual options (board books for babies, for example, or Insta-friendly books designed especially for square images). Each book promises exceptional print quality and durable construction. 

You can customize every aspect of your photo book, although options vary depending on the product you choose. Examples include cover color and material (with possibilities including softcover, hardcover, linen, and leather), foil stamping, paper finish, the layout of your photos and text, and the page count. Most templates include 20 pages with an additional fee for each page thereafter. You won’t find colorful themes here; all products print on white paper for a clean, uncluttered look that puts your images front and center. 

For the most professional result possible, consider paying extra to collaborate with one of the company’s in-house design specialists. Production times vary from three to eight days depending on the complexity of your project. There are also four shipping options that range from standard to rush.

Best Budget

Their full range of customizable templates and colored backgrounds makes it easy to get the look you want. 

Expect additional fees for any project over 20 pages, upgraded paper, and finish choices. 

Although Snapfish also offers costlier products, their classic photo books are some of the most affordable out there. If you opt for a 7x5 or 6x8 softcover or hardcover book and stick to the included 20-page limit, you can easily spend under $20. Affordable upgrades include premium gloss pages and/or a matte cover; but bear in mind that extra pages can quickly add up. Making your photo book is simple. Choose the size and orientation, then design your own from scratch or use one of many premade templates.

Travel-themed templates include roadtrip, destination stamps, and tropical beach escape. After personalizing them with your photos and text. you can change the background color and add embellishments to each page. Optional layflat binding is worth the extra cost for seamless double-page spreads. If you find yourself with extra room in the budget, you can upgrade to a linen or leather cover. Production times vary, with the quickest delivery taking around three days with rushed shipping, but there are four total shipping options to cater to every budget.

Easiest to Use

Shutterfly’s in-house designers can create a photo book for you in 24 hours; all you have to do is provide your images. 

If you’re in a hurry, bear in mind that rush production and delivery is only available for certain products.

Most photo book makers require you to upload your images and then manually build each page or use an auto-uploader to add the pictures to a premade template. The first option is time consuming and the second often results in images being cropped or grouped in strange ways. Shutterfly offers a third option: upload your photos, then let an in-house designer create your book for you in 24 hours. Upon reviewing their design, you can order as-is or tweak it to suit your specifications. 

Best of all? This design service is offered free of charge. You can even use the Shutterfly app to upload photos directly from your phone. If you don’t want to use this service, no problem. You can still create photo books manually or use the faster autofill option. There are plenty of templates to choose from, with six square and rectangular size options and four cover types (softcover, matte or glossy hardcover, or premium leather). Production and delivery can take between one and 10 business days depending on the product and shipping option selected.

Best Themed Templates

Mixbook photo book.

With more than 700 themed templates to choose from, there’s an option for every kind of vacation. 

Not all templates offer the same number of free pages, so be sure to check before deciding. 

Mixbook photo books are divided into three main types: hardcover, softcover, and layflat for those seamless double-page spreads. Whichever you go for, there are more than 700 templates to choose from. These can be browsed by category with categories like year in review, seasonal, and, of course, templates for every major life event from weddings to baby’s first year. Travel-specific templates include options for photos only, or photos and text in a dizzying array of different layouts. 

Some are customizable to any trip while others are specific to certain adventures with themed graphics, text, and embellishments. There’s one for Disney trips, another for Royal Caribbean cruises, and another for national park adventures. You can also start with a completely blank canvas. Books can be landscape, portrait, or square and there are different paper and cover finishes to choose from. Production typically takes one to two business days with four shipping options available.

Best for Complex Designs

Canva photo books.

More than just a photo book maker, Canva lets you edit your photos and share your design with a team of collaborators. 

Some templates and features are only available with a paid Canva Pro account. 

For full creative freedom, choose Canva. Decide on a landscape or square book, then choose a hard or softcover. Next, browse thousands of templates (including a category dedicated to travel) and upload images from your phone, tablet, or desktop. All templates are fully customizable, which means you can change the font, the colors, and add icons and graphics. You can also edit your photos as you go with options to crop and rotate, adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation, and enhance with different filters and frames. 

All layouts can be adjusted to suit the number of photos you want on each page. If you upgrade to Canva Pro, you can remove backgrounds with a single click (kind of like cutting and pasting elements of real photos for a traditional scrapbook.) Canva autosaves as you go and creates an editing link that you can share to ask for input from friends and family. Recycled packaging and free standard shipping round out this company’s benefits.

Best for Simple Designs

Chatbooks is affordable and easy to use with the option to subscribe for repeat orders. 

Customization options are limited.  

If your photo book goals are a little less ambitious, opt for stackable, collectible designs from Chatbooks. The company’s classic photo books offer high quality printing at a price tag that’s reasonable enough to justify regular creations (if you like, you can even sign up for a monthly subscription.) How do they do this? By keeping things simple. You won’t find fancy templates or colored backgrounds, or an endless array of customizable graphics and fonts.

Instead, upload photos from your desktop or phone. Then, decide how many you want to appear on each page. If the answer is just one, choose whether you want it to cover the full page or have a white border around it. You can leave the layout text-free or add a simple location tag and/or caption. Other design choices include the book’s size, whether it has a hard or softcover, the color of the spine, and the cover. Books are made in the U.S. and include a generous 30 pages, with the option to buy more up to a total of 366. Standard shipping is free.

Best for Fast Printing

Walmart photo.

Walmart lets you design, order, and collect your photo book in-store, all on the same day. 

Most photo books must be no more than 40 pages to be eligible for same-day pickup. 

Walmart offers a solution for anyone who’s designing a photo book on a deadline, with more than 80 layouts that can be created online and then picked up in-store on the same day. You can choose from a variety of square and rectangular sizes in several different styles including softcover, matte and glossy hardcover; layflat; and premium layflat (with extra thick pages and a matte finish). Alternatively, upgrade to a linen or leather cover, or opt for a die-cut style that showcases your favorite image through a window. 

There are many themed templates to choose from, though most of them are fairly basic (don’t expect Canva-level creative flair.) Most templates include 20 pages with the option to buy more, but be aware that there’s usually a 40-page limit if you want to pick your book up the same day. If you have a little more time to work with and want extra pages, you can also opt for home delivery with free shipping on orders over $35.

Best Coffee Table Books

Once upon photo books.

Once Upon focuses on simple layouts that can be shared with and edited by multiple people. 

Designs may be a little too basic for fans of complex templates and embellishments. 

Once Upon offers three options for simple yet visually striking coffee table books. These include large and medium hardcover photo books with a sturdy build and a title of your choice printed on the spine, and medium softcover books for a flexible, lightweight feel that’s reminiscent of a luxury magazine. Choose whether you want silk matte or glossy pages, then create your book by uploading pictures directly from your phone, tablet, or desktop. 

Layouts are simple, with no themed templates, background colors, or fancy fonts. Instead, choose the number of photos you want featured on each page and let Once Upon create a collage automatically on the white background. You can edit the order in which they appear and add simple captions or separate text pages. Want to collaborate with your co-travelers? Share the editing link or QR code to get their input. The first 20 pages are included with a maximum of 200 available. Expect delivery in six to 12 business days.

Best Board Books

Pinhole Press

From their wipeable pages to their easy-turn binding, board books from Pinhole Press are designed especially with little kids in mind. 

The number of included pages varies from one template to the next, and not all templates allow you to add more. 

If you love the idea of making a photo book for the baby or toddler in your life but want it to last more than a few hours, check out Pinhole Press. Their board books are made especially for little people with rigid, high-gloss pages that can be wiped clean of errant crumbs or juice drops. A spiral binding makes for seamless page turning, while the 5.25 x 5.25 inch size is ideal for tiny hands. We love the clear, bright photos and just-right text size. 

There are lots of different templates to choose from, including a story board book that’s perfect for commemorating baby’s first vacation. The company also offers educational templates (think ABCs, colors, emotions, count with me, and my first cookbook options). Some have space for a fixed number of pages and photos while others let you pay to add more. For slightly older kids, consider Pinhole’s Itty Bitty books (miniature sized for long journeys) or their All About books with space for 10 photos alongside fill-in prompts your child can write on.

Best Mini Books

Nations photo lab albums.

Nations Photo Lab

Buzz Books are cost-effective and require minimal storage space, making them the perfect collector’s item.

Beyond choosing which photo appears on each page, customization options are very limited. 

Nations Photo Lab offers a full range of photo book products including templates for everything from travel to weddings and boudoir photography. Depending which one you choose, you can customize the binding, cover material, page thickness, and more. We particularly like their Buzz Books for those in search of something simple. At 6 x 6 inches, they’re both small enough and affordable enough to justify purchasing one for every trip. 

There are more than 120 pre-designed, soft-touch covers to choose from (you can also create your own) but the inside of each Buzz Book is the same: 40 pages, with one photo per page. The photos are printed on professional-quality Mohawk Matte paper against a white background for full visual effect. There are multiple shipping options available, including USPS First Class which delivers in two to six business days.

Best Sustainable

Paper Culture

Paper Culture photo books are made with recycled paper and every order placed equals a tree planted.  

Shipping rates are relatively expensive. 

Paper Culture is a certified Green Business that offsets its carbon footprint and has been recognized by the EPA as a Top 10 climate leader. All photo books use 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and with a tree planted for every order, you can feel good about your purchase on multiple levels. Books are 8 x 8 or 8 x 10 inches and you can choose a hardcover, a layflat hardcover, or a layflat with a foil-embossed Kraft cover and personalized dust jacket. 

There are multiple templates divided into categories such as travel, holiday, or wedding. Whichever you go for, you’ll be able to create an end result that’s entirely unique since all elements are customizable. Choose the layout and order of your photos, add text in different fonts and colors, and change the background color of each page. Templates include 20 pages with the possibility of purchasing more. Shipping options range from standard to next-day express.

Best Video Books

Heirloom lets you add up to one hour of video to a physical book that plays original audio with crystal clear quality. 

Video books can show vertical or horizontal footage, but not both. 

For a slightly different approach to preserving your travel memories, consider Heirloom which adds your videos to a physical book so that they can be looked at and enjoyed over and over again. Each book includes a five-inch HD screen. You can choose for yours to be oriented horizontally or vertically (more appropriate for those that typically shoot footage on their phone.) There are three options: up to 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or one hour. 

Here’s how it works: purchase your video book online, then receive an email with instructions on how to add video using the online builder. Your book will then be created and mailed to you. You don’t have to limit yourself to video. The books can also display photos as a slideshow and even mix photos and videos together. Add a personal message. Then, choose from 16 premade covers or pay extra for a custom cover printed with your own design. All video books include a charger and expedited delivery is a possibility.

Tips for Choosing a Photo Book Website

Be turnaround time.

If you need your photo book in a hurry, make sure to take production and delivery times into consideration when choosing which company to use. A handful — usually more budget-friendly ones — offer same-day production and the option to collect in-store, which is ideal for last-minute gifts. Others take several days to produce your book, but then offer expedited or rushed shipping to cut delivery time down to a minimum. Others can take two or more weeks to deliver. Check product descriptions carefully, since turnaround times can differ within the same company depending on the size and complexity of the photo book you choose. 

Look closely at the templates offered

Think about your desired photo book aesthetic and then look for a company with templates to match. These can vary from the simplistic (your photos and perhaps some text on a plain white background) to the complex (different background colors and designs, optional filters and frames, the ability to create collages and add text bubbles or other graphics.) Some companies offer templates that have been pre-designed to suit a specific theme, whether that’s travel in general or a Disney trip, tropical cruise, or camping adventure. 

Prioritize ease of use

If you have a background in design or count scrapbooking among your hobbies, you may relish in the challenge of building a photo book from scratch. But if you’re pressed for time or simply don’t want to spend hours choosing which photos go where and how to make them look their best, look for a photo book maker that does the hard work for you. This can either be through an autofill service that arranges your photos on the page (usually, you can tweak this afterwards) or through a collaboration over email or live chat with one of the company’s in-house designers. The latter service often costs extra but sometimes, as with Shutterfly, is offered free of charge. 

Image quality is key

The most important thing when making a photo book is ensuring that the photos look as good as possible. This means choosing a professional, well-reviewed company that uses quality paper and printing methods. It also means submitting photos that are good quality. Most photo book companies will have guidelines for optimum image size and resolution, and others will come up with a warning message if the image you’ve selected is not of a sufficiently high quality. You can usually choose to use it anyway, but be prepared for it to look a little grainy or pixelated. Top tip: use your lowest resolution photos for the smallest spaces on collage pages. 

Yes, most photo book makers can be used on your tablet or smartphone, either via a mobile-friendly website or with a special app. Just bear in mind that complicated layouts or photo books with lots of collage pages are often much easier to view and organize on a larger screen. 

The cost of a photo book varies hugely from under $20 to over $200. The price depends on which company you use but also on the size of the photo book, how many pages you want, and the materials you choose. Most templates include some pages in their starting price (20-25 on average), with a per-page fee for longer books. Softcover books are typically the cheapest, followed by hardcover and then linen and leather options. Traditional binding is cheaper than layflat, but layflat looks much better if you’re planning on having photos extend across a double page spread. Other factors that could increase cost include custom covers, premium paper finishes, design assistance, and expedited shipping. 

You want to find a company that prints photos that look as close as possible to the original, whether it was taken on a professional DSLR camera or downloaded from Facebook or Instagram. Images shouldn’t look grainy, blurry, or over- or undersaturated. Choose a photo book maker that uses professional printers and high-quality paper, and be sure to check customer reviews for the best insight into the kind of results you can expect. Don’t forget, though, pictures can only ever look as good as they were to begin with. So choose the crispest, best resolution images you have and use a light hand when editing them for a natural look. 

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

Jessica Macdonald is a published photographer with a passion for finding new ways to preserve and display her travel photos. For this article, she drew on her own experience with photo book makers and also spent several hours researching the best options online. She compared services, prices, and reviews before choosing her category winners.

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9 Best Photo Book Maker Websites

Print your favorite photos and don't let them go to waste.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Best Overall Photo Book Maker

Shutterfly photo books.

Best Value Custom Photo Book Maker

Walmart photo custom photo books.

Most Aesthetic Photo Book Maker

Artifact uprising photo books.

Best Themed Photo Book Maker

Mixbook photo books.

Best Photo Book Maker for Beginners

Printique photo books.

Best Photo Book Maker for Amazon Prime Members

Amazon prints.

Best Photo Book Maker for Young Kids

Pinhole press photo books.

Best Photo Book Maker for Google Photos Users

Google photo books.

Best Photo Book Maker for Families

Chatbooks custom photo books & albums.

The product analysts and experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Media & Tech Lab continuously test everything from photo book maker websites to the best wedding photo albums , printers and much more. When making our selections, we reviewed each product for factors like ease of use and intuitiveness of the website and app, if applicable, photo quality, speed of delivery and extra features like templates, cover options and style. These are the best photo book maker websites of 2024, according to our pros.

Shutterfly offers basic photo books at an affordable price. You can choose from a wide selection of themes, like birthday, travel or wedding, or neutral styles , such as modern or rustic. You can also create your own book and choose the book size, cover style and page style, then embellish it with Shutterfly's extensive library of stickers and ribbons to make your book extra special. We appreciate how easily users can edit within their chosen template and the brand's high-quality photo book paper, making Shutterfly a top pick.

You can also opt for one of its 6" x 6" Instant Books , which let you add photos from your phone, tablet or computer in minutes. These mini photo books have only 20 pages, but they're a great place to store goofy candids or Instagram posts you never want to forget. The possibilities are essentially limitless, though the vast array of options could be overwhelming for those getting started.

If you don't want the pressure of deciding on a layout, the brand offers a convenient Make My Book option, in which Shutterfly's professional designers curate your photos and design the book for free. Plus, you'll still have the opportunity to put finishing touches on it before it gets printed. Whether you opt for 50 or 800 photos (the maximum), you'll receive an email notification within 24 hours that your book is complete.

Crunched for time? Design your photo book online and pick up select styles at a Walmart store near you in as little as one hour. Photo books picked up in one hour can have 15 single-sided pages and a linen cover, while same-day pickups (ready in a few hours) can have up to 20 double-sided pages and the option of a hardcover.

On top of the speedy turnaround, Walmart has a great selection of styles : You can choose everything from the photo size and layout to the type of cover, including hardcover glossy or matte, linen, leather and lay-flat glossy or matte. If you need help narrowing down the choices, there's also the option to shop by occasion, whether you're looking for a one-year anniversary or 15th-year anniversary gift .

Despite the fast shipping and variety, our expert tester, Rachel Rothman , former chief technologist and executive technical director at the Good Housekeeping Institute, did note that the quality is not as high as the options offered by other photo book makers on this list — but that may be expected considering the bargain price tag. Regardless, these photo books still make a superb present that can cost under $10 without compromising on sentimentality.

No matter the occasion, you can't go wrong with one of Artifact Uprising's high-quality photo books. There are numerous design options, including preset books to celebrate the birth of a new baby or commemorating a marriage. You can choose from lay-flat albums, books with photo strips and even softcover Instagram Friendly Books for the influencer in your life. The company even has an iPhone app that lets you create a photo book right from your smartphone. However, Rothman found the app to be glitchy at times and noted there's room for improvement with the software. Still, the books come out on top for elegance and simplicity .

One online reviewer wrote, "The fabric cover is beautiful. The photos are amazing quality and look amazing even though the photos were taken on film and therefore are a bit grainy." The overall 4.6-star rating (out of 5) backs up that review. Quality and elevated designs come with a higher price tag, but there are options for $20 or less if you're shopping on a budget.

If you have a special project and a little more money to spend, Artifact Uprising offers Design Services , which allow you to work one-on-one with an expert to bring your special moments to life. Just note that the design fee is rather steep at $119 and requires an additional $100 album deposit.

When Mixbook says it has "custom photo books for every occasion," it really means it. There are 374 different themed templates to choose from, including everything f rom travel and sports to weddings and recipes. But that doesn't mean you have to give up creative control. You can still customize the look to your liking, from fun backgrounds to stickers to text using the Editor tool. Plus, there are plenty of paper varieties, from semigloss to ultra-thick matte.

Rothman appreciated the nice balance between good photo editing and price, but she did experience issues with the lay-flat option, in which the photos bled into the crease. You can also use the iPhone app to organize your photos with a tool that the brand calls "Automagic": Simply choose the images you want and select a theme. The goal of Automagic is to help arrange your camera roll so your photos are in order when it comes time to add them to your photo book.

If you're not sure where to start, our pros love Printique because it's super easy to use. You can select one of the many predesigned layouts or create an entire photo book from scratch. Choose among portrait, landscape and square orientations, as well as hardcover and softcover options. You can even store your memories in a genuine leather or vegan leather book or pick from five different fabric colors. Although you can't choose the color for a hard- or softcover photo book, you can still customize the shape, size and paper type.

Looking for something more advanced? There'sa tool for professional photographers to design and create their own photo books. But if you want to keep things simple, consider starting with one of Printique's 4" x 4" Mini Softcover photo books , which have a maximum of 40 pages and come in three sizes.

Is Amazon Photos already your preferred destination for uploading photos? Then creating a photo book through its interface is an easy solution. Similar to other photo book makers, you can create by occasion and size, or choose its 8" x 8" Premium Photo Book for a versatile option that has a laminated cover and lay-flat binding. There's also an option with standard binding at a lower cost, and all Amazon Prime members get free shipping . (Everyone else is eligible for free shipping with a minimum order of $15.)

In addition to photo books, you can shop large prints, calendars, cards and metal tabletops. There are fewer size and style options than most services when it comes to photo books, but the other photo product choices make up for the lack of available styles. After all, sometimes it's easier and quicker to have fewer options to choose from if you need to pull something together by a certain date, like a last-minute gift for your boyfriend .

RELATED: 37 Best Personalized Gifts You Can Find on Amazon

With Pinhole Press, you can choose from various photo book styles ranging from board pages to softcovers to accordion-style setups. Upload your photos and let the system do the work, or manually place the photos into the layout yourself. Rothman says her kids love the Custom Board Books , which have themes such as " Count With Me ," " Healthy Habits " and " I Can Be Anything ." These photo books aren't just visually stimulating, but they can also educate and entertain kids for years to come .

"I got my daughter the ' My First Photo Book ' as a toddler and made it all about her — like pictures with family, doing things she likes, her favorite toys, at the playground and beach, etc. — and she still is obsessed with it," says Lexie Sachs , executive director of strategy and operations at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Rothman also notes the custom Photo Puzzle is a fun option for kids, and the Itty Bitty Books are easy to tote around in a work bag for on-hand entertainment. There's less variety in some categories, including Itty Bitty and hardcover books, but with so many additional photo categories other companies lack, there are still plenty of great options for kids.

RELATED: 12 Best Personalized Books for Kids

If you store your snaps in Google Photos, then Google's very own photo book maker might be the most convenient option for you. Even though there are no fancy designs, the process is seamless. Choose from two options: a 7" x 7" softcover photo book or a 9" x 9" hardcover photo book. You can include between 20 and 140 pages, and you have the option to add a spine title if you hit more than 48 pages for a softcover or any number of pages for a hardcover.

Another hallmark of Google Photos is that you can make one photo book and order multiple copies to give to family members and friends who are also pictured in the photos. Since they come at an affordable price point, you could give everyone on your gift list a copy, whether you decide to create a collection of candid photos for your closest friends or a tangible memento of a fun family trip. Though there may not be as many designs and styles to choose from, that can make the customization process less daunting.

RELATED: 50 Trendy and Most Popular Gifts of 2023

Chatbooks Custom Photo Books & Albums

"Set and forget it," Rothman says about the ease of using Chatbooks, which markets itself as "ridiculously easy." You can upload images from Instagram, Flickr, Dropbox, Facebook or your computer and edit them on your desktop or via the app . The service's Custom Photo Books & Albums option is great for families looking to personalize a family vacation , as you can choose colors, layouts, cover styles, collages, captions and more. Peruse its vast collection of more than 300 unique book covers, or shop the premium lay-flat and special occasion photo books.

You can also have fun with the Instagram and Facebook series — a 6" x 6" or 8" x 8" book with 60 pages — that lets you store your favorite social media posts in a tangible place to look back on for years to come.

Unique to Chatbooks is its subscription service, which allows you to receive a softcover, hardcover or mini photo book each month. If you and your family love taking photographs of walks in the park, weekend road trips or vacations, this service is ideal for getting your photos in your hands ASAP. One thing to note about the subscription option is that there are only two sizes available (5" x 7" and the monthly mini).

How we choose the best photo book makers

At the Good Housekeeping Institute , our pros in the Media & Tech Lab have been testing photo book makers for more than a decade . For this article, we referenced a robust test of photo book makers completed in 2009, examined updates to apps and ordered new products to test in 2023.

When choosing the best photo book makers, our Lab experts consider ease of use, performance and appearance . That means our pros take an in-depth look at a wide range of features, such as how easy it is to navigate the interface and add photos and text to the book; upload and delivery time; the number of styles, covers and templates offered; and the photo, paper and binding quality.

What to look for when shopping for the best custom photo book maker

Keep the following features in mind when choosing the right photo book maker website for your needs:

✔️ Size: Whether you're looking for a small photo book for kids or a much larger album to house snapshots from a long family vacation, there are regular, large and miniature photo book sizes available. It's best to think about how many photos you want to include and where you plan to store the album (i.e., will the book be too tall for your bookshelf or just right on top of your coffee table?).

✔️ Shape: Most photo books are rectangular or square in shape, but some companies also offer photo puzzles, calendars and tabletops to choose from too. The shape is really about aesthetic preference and the orientation you prefer for your photos.

✔️ Page count: Are you compiling 20 photos from your daughter's first-birthday party? Or are you putting together an anniversary album of pictures of you and your partner throughout the years? The number of pages determines the number of photos you can include in an album, so you have enough space to include everything.

✔️ Paper quality: This is probably a no-brainer, as the quality of material your photos are printed on is as important as the quality of the photos themselves. Although companies with higher-quality paper, like Artifact Uprising , may have a higher price tag, the extra money goes toward paper that won't lead to photos bleeding into the crease. But there are still services that are affordable and offer good-quality products, like our best value pick, Walmart Photo .

✔️ Binding quality: Some companies, like Google Photos , will add a binding to your photo album. This feature is especially important when considering the durability and longevity of your photo album. Whether it's a softcover, hardcover or lay-flat book, make sure the binding can withstand accidental drops and the wear and tear of passing the family album around at holiday parties.

✔️ Templates: If your photo album will have a certain theme or be centered around a specific occasion — or it's your first time using a photo book maker — choosing a service that has a variety of templates to choose from will let your creativity flow and also help you warm up to the design process.

✔️ Editing capabilities: When looking at beginner-level or more advanced designer tools, consider how robust or simple they are to use. Having lots of control over the interface is fun, but if you're looking for a more straightforward experience, opt for a service that does the majority of the decision-making for you or offers designer help, like Shutterfly .

What is the easiest way to make a custom photo book?

" It really depends upon the service and your preference ," Rothman says. Although some online custom photo book makers also have an app, it can have limited functionality, be buggy or not as easy to use as the desktop equivalent. "Often, an app makes it super simple to upload pictures from your phone (a major plus!) but doesn't allow as much flexibility for product assortment or editing once you've selected." That said, designing a photo book on your smartphone or tablet versus a desktop may come down to how many edits you intend to make .

"If you plan to do a lot of editing, the non-app version on a larger screen would likely be your best choice. If you want to quickly make a book with limited changes, an app on your mobile device may be the way to go," Rothman explains.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Elizabeth Berry is the updates editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute , where she ensures product reviews reflect accurate information. Prior to this role, she was an editorial assistant at Woman's Day , where she covered everything from gift guides to recipes.

To update this article, Elizabeth collaborated with former Good Housekeeping Institute Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman to gather testing notes regarding current picks. Rachel, who has tested several of the best photo book makers on this list, has more than 15 years of experience evaluating thousands of products, including toys and cars for Good Housekeeping’s annual Best Toy Awards and Best New Family Cars programs.

Amina Lake Abdelrahman is a product review writer and editor who worked as an editorial assistant at the Good Housekeeping Institute from 2018 to 2020, writing original content based on GH Institute Lab experts' product testing and analysis.

Amina is a product review writer and editor who worked as an editorial assistant in the Good Housekeeping Institute from 2018 to 2020, writing original content based on GH Lab experts' product testing and analysis. Amina graduated from Montclair State University with a B.A. in communication studies and journalism.

Elizabeth Berry (she/her) is the Updates Editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute where she optimizes lifestyle content across verticals. Prior to this role, she was an Editorial Assistant for Woman’s Day where she covered everything from gift guides to recipes. She also has experience fact checking commerce articles and holds a B.A. in English and Italian Studies from Connecticut College.

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Take Your Travel Photography to the Next Level: How to Make a Perfect Travel Photo Book

Travel photo book is made with one single purpose – to keep your travel memories fresh from day to day. A perfect travel book takes you back to your favorite destinations from the first page.

Take your Travel Photography to the Next Level: How to Make a Perfect Travel Photo Book

I’ve been pondering with the idea of making our travel photo book for years. The first time this idea got in my head when we were road-tripping in Alaska . Taking hundreds of pictures of all incredible natural wonders of the state, I was sure they needed a special place. In my head, I clearly saw Alaska photo book with our best pictures in it. But after that trip, daily routine little by little overshadowed the idea of bringing that book to life. Soon I almost completely abandoned my plan of making our travel photo book. Occasionally, “when I have more time” thoughts continued to quiet my mind.

Then a few weeks ago the idea of making a family travel photo book returned. I was looking for a perfect birthday gift for one of our family members. We’ve been traveling together, and I, a person with a camera, have most of our pictures. That was a start. I had our travel pictures, and now I was going to share them in a travel photo book.

Why do You Need a Photo Book

1. keep your travel memories fresh.

There are ample reasons people choose to make their own travel photo book. For me, it’s always been such a creative way to keep our travel memories fresh . Moreover, a coffee table travel photo book works miracles when sharing your travel adventures with your house guest.

2. Organize your travels by years

After traveling so much, you slowly start forgetting when and where this or that event took place. I decided to bring our travels in order and make yearly travel photo books with plenty of photos and short stories to summarize our trips

3. Photo Book as a Gift

I think a book is one of the best gifts. And if my new book includes ample beautiful photos from my favorite places, I’ll treat it as one of the greatest treasures. I’ve noticed that people who don’t even like books reacts almost the same to a travel photo book with their pictures in it.

4. Help with a special project

Travel photo books can also help your business or project. Instead of using PowerPoint slides, make your own photo book and take it to lunch with your boss or potential client. Surprisingly, some deals get sealed faster when pitched in a creative manner outside conference rooms.

5. Photo book instead of portfolio

You can make a photo book to show your work to your clients. Regardless of the style, the photo book can work as a portfolio that suits professional photographers, models, and even businesses.

How to Make a Travel Photo Book

While the idea of making your own travel photo book can seem overwhelming, the process in nowhere as complicated as you might think. Picking the best pictures from your personal photo collections presents more difficulties that the book itself. I personally spent a few days just organizing my photos. The photo book took only a few hours to make. You get the idea. Now, let’s look at my step-by-step guide to making your own travel photo book.

1. Select pictures

As I just mentioned, selecting the right pictures is by far the most time-consuming task. You definitely need to decide what is the main focus of your photo book. Is it going to include pictures from all your adventures for the last year? Do you need a photo book to illustrate one of your trips? Are you going to prove in your photo book that traveling with kids is possible?

Once you have a main idea, select your pictures to support it. Moreover, see if your photos need last minute editing or color adjustments to suit the overall pattern. This is the time to put your photo editing skills into practice.

2. Choose a photo book publisher

The next step in making your photo book is to choose a reliable company. Tavel and Leisure named Amazon Prints , Artifact Uprising, Mixbook, Shutterfly, and Snapfish as some of the best online photo book makers.

3. Select your travel photo book theme

Once you find a company to work with, set us a fee account with it and browse its theme options. Don’t limit yourself to only travel photo books as other themes will work just fine with your travel pictures.

4. Pick you template

Each photo book online company has pre-made layouts you can use for your pictures. I find them very useful if you are pressed by time or for somebody who need a “draft” to work with. On the other hand, you can alway go with blank book and create your own design.

5. Upload photos

Finally, you can upload your photos and start making your own travel photo book. The process of uploading photos is straightforward and almost the same for majority of the companies. Mixbook, however, enables you to uploads your pictures from your social media and phone.

6. Start designing

If you use a pre-made template, the photo book publisher already fills the pages of your book with your travel pictures. You can still edit the pictures and change design, write text, and add or remove pages.

If you create your book from scratch, begin filling the pages and editing them according to your   taste.

7. Review and send your photo book

Once you’re happy with your travel photo book, review it once again before saving and sending. You’ll get your book via mail in about a week. However, you can always choose expedited or next day shipping and have it sooner.

Congratulations! You just made your first travel photo book.

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How to Create Trip Photo Books to Make Your Travels Last a Lifetime

After a trip, it takes time to unwind, regroup, and reconnect with friends, responsibilities, and routines. But don’t let too much time go by before documenting your travel! Photo books are a great way to capture your memories , so our experiences can be relived for many years to come. I’ve been making photo books for years for family members (and me!). Actually, the photo books have become my favorite souvenirs of fun times away from home .

Write in a Travel Journal While Away

Journaling every day of the trip means you capture the little interesting, funny, or quirky things that happen on the trip. For us, we prefer an old-fashioned bound journal. It’s small and is usually tucked in our carry-on for easy access. It all begins when Pop or I write on our flight over, and we write every day of our trip. What’s great is that it captures the emotions (excitement at exploring a new place, frustration when the “automatic” transmission car wasn’t automatic, or when you get lost while driving the countryside) along with the new things we learned. Our journal has been on many trips over the years. Perhaps it’s time to begin using a shared app on our devices. That would sure free up a little space in our luggage!

Why Make a Photo Book?

One way that we’ve found to tell the story of our travels is to make photo books with our favorite photographs and captions. Creating a photo book can be time-consuming (especially for someone who is a little detail-oriented like me). However, many online companies make it so simple with easy-to-use templates that you just drop a picture in a frame on the page.

Check out providers online to find a company with the end product and online support that suits you. I started using Shutterfly years ago and have stuck with them because I like their photo books and the process of creating a photo book offers many options. A bonus of using one company is that your pictures (and the books you created) are online and easy to access years later. Alternatively, you can find a camera store that might provide personal support as you navigate creating a photo book there.

I like my photo books to tell a story, so I plan the pictures in chronological order which could begin with driving to the airport. The book continues with things we see and ends with us flying back or arriving back at an airport. Once we included a picture of the person coming to pick us up or our car waiting for us in the airport parking lot as our final picture.

In addition to adding pictures and captions to tell what the pictures are about, I like to include the history of places we visited. Also, I include interesting experiences — good or bad — along the way. For example, we did get lost and circled a roundabout multiple times in Dublin until we figured out the correct path to our destination. 🙂

How to Make a Photo Book

The websites have made it easier and easier to import and manipulate images and add text boxes. Many offer idea pages along with a variety of page layout options for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5+ pictures per page. Also, embellishments (stickers, ribbons, picture frames) add visual interest.

Choose a Book Size

Once you decide on the size of the book, you can choose to have a photo book created by the software or choose to customize the book. Typical book sizes are 8×8”, 8×11”, 10 x10”, or 11x 14.”. As far as book size, I opt for the 8×11 size because it fits so neatly on the bookcase. Once I started with that size, I continued because I like the uniformity of size. Plus it’s easy to view the destinations and years of trips along the spines.

Choose a Path to Create the Book: Let the Software Do It For You OR Do It Yourself!

I’ve created books in several ways, but I like the Custom Path best because I can place the pictures where I want them. For example, if I’ve got 5 really good pictures of a visit to a castle, I may want them all on a two-page spread. If I let the software choose picture placement, some of those castle pictures may end up on another page with a visit to a vineyard.

So I choose the best photographs of places we visit along with some that remind us of special moments. One such moment was when Pop parked our rental car in a tiny garage off a narrow cobblestone road in Florence. In addition, I add a bit of text to describe where we were, why we visited a certain spot and funny or interesting things that happened to us along the way.

Photo Book Tips

However, if you choose to remember your trip, don’t let too much time go by before tackling a project like a photo book. (I didn’t act right away on creating a photo book on a trip a few years ago, and then realized many months later that I really couldn’t remember the details about some of the pictures I took.)

Give a Photo Book as a Gift

I create photo books after a trip and present the finished books as holiday gifts. For this, I get multiple copies so each of my children’s families has their own copies. It’s fun to look through the books together. Before long, there are chuckles when someone turns a page to find a funny forgotten memory.

For books about family trips, I usually reserve a page that includes:

• sayings that develop during the trip
• quirky things that happen
• references to pop culture or the news at the time

Create a Wall of Vacation Pictures

One thing Pop and I did in the past few years is create a collection of photographs from favorite places. We chose beautiful sights and included pictures of things that matter only to us. One such picture shows the small church in a Swedish town from which Pop’s ancestors emigrated in the 1800s.

We chose pictures and frames of different sizes and displayed them on floating shelves on one wall in our den. You can make your display look traditional to modern depending on the frame and shelf style and color you choose. Some prefer canvas prints or simply black & white photos, but we chose color photographs and brown frames. Another idea is to have your pictures displayed going upstairs.

Final Thoughts

Traveling opens so many windows to new cultures and people. You’ll be thankful in years to come if you spend a little time after a trip to capture the highlights you experience — with pictures and text (so you remember why you took the pictures in the first place!). A little investment in time now will yield happy memories in years to come when you want to relive a little of your past travels.

Feel free to share your suggestions about and experiences with creating photo books or other ideas to capture favorite travel memories. Your thoughts could help other travelers. Thanks! 🙂

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Are you looking for an itinerary planner to plan your next trip? We know creating a customized travel itinerary manually is an overwhelming task. You have to put a lot of time into selecting destinations, booking hotels, flights, and comparing prices. On top of that calculating budgets & booking hotels and flights is another challenge that makes itinerary planning tough.

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Do you want to create your travel itinerary quickly & easily? Are you ready to use this tool now? TripHobo's trip planner plays a major role to ease the itinerary creation process and helps you overcome the pain in the trip planning .  Follow these 4 simple steps to plan a trip & let us know your experience.

1) Choose Your Destination & Dates when you want to travel

Visual algorithmic trip planner lets you choose destinations you want to travel to. You have the freedom to choose the real dates from the calendar. After selecting travel dates, planner runs algorithms to optimize a trip. It starts suggesting activities, sightseeing spots, tours and transport options with the details. For every attraction, it suggests open/close timings, time to spend, and nearby restaurants.

You can drag & drop activities and complete your itinerary within a matter of minutes. You can book yourself a nice vacation once you are sure of all the details, making you plan your trip very easily.

2) Refer to User Created Itineraries

If you have a lot of travel ideas but confused about where to start? Don't worry. Thousands of other people have visited the same destination before and created itineraries with us. Choose from a pool of more than 1 million user-generated itineraries around the globe. You can view other travelers’ itineraries for any location and duration to inspire yourself and then customize them to suit your own preferences.

3) Book Hotels and Flights

TripHobo always tries to offer the best from the travel industry to our valued planners. It has formed alliances with Expedia , Skyscanner, Zomato and Booking.com. Its ratings and reviews come courtesy of TripAdvisor whereas Google (as well as other partners) powers its location data.

TripHobo aims to cater to travelers at every stage of the travel planning process. It provides one platform to create personalized itineraries and hassle-free bookings .

4) Get Ready with a Perfect Itinerary

Once you’ve created your customized itinerary, you can print it. Save your plan for future reference or share it with your friends. When you’re ready, you can finalize and have a perfect travel itinerary ready.

Why Is TripHobo a Smart Trip planner?

There are few things included in the Triphobo planner algorithm & app which builds itinerary within minutes.

• A free virtual map-based trip planner with a smart algorithm
• International trip planner with about 1,50,000 popular destinations
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• Hassle-free booking options for hotels, tours & flights
• Provides local transit options like metro, rail, bus, and car
• Calculates an estimated budget
• Provides options to save, print and share itinerary
• Strategic Partnerships with leading travel companies

TripHobo: Around the Web

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• Interview: Praveen Kumar, Founder & CEO of TripHobo
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• How a trip planning startup can succeed
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Great tool for trip planning. Impportantly it's free and automatically tailors travel plans to your preferences and is completely customisable. The integration with skyscanner and booking.com, and other OTA like priceline and expedia makes it very easy to plan the whole trip along with the bookings in one place.

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Photo Books

Wedding invitations, how to make the perfect photo book.

Written by  Shutterfly Community Last Updated: Nov 20, 2023

You’ve captured the birthday parties, the family reunions, the vacations, and the weddings, and now it’s time to do something with all those photos. Sure, you could share your pics on Facebook and Instagram, or even stick them in an old-fashioned photo album, but those options are limited. With Shutterfly’s easy-to-use service and tools, the most convenient and elegant way to share your photos is to create photo books . Why? Photo books provide beautiful, true reproductions of your digital photos, make perfect gifts for any occasion, offer neat and tidy storage of your photos , and they preserve your memories exactly as you wish.

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Need another reason? Our exclusive pro tips and tricks guide you through the steps to making the best photo books . And with Shutterfly’s brand new Photo Book Experience, it’s easy and fun to do. Our unparalleled collection of styles — from modern to rustic — plus design ideas for kids’ and baby books , travel photo books , and of course wedding photo books results in personalized, professional photo books you’ll love to own or give. We’ve rounded up some photo book tips and tricks and offer an easy guide to learn more about the process.

• Photo Book Tips
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Let Our Designers Create a Photo Book for You

Create a photo book on the shutterfly app, how to make the perfect photo book: tips and tricks.

Whether you choose a hardcover or softcover style — or go all out on a premium leather cover — our photo books have the look and feel of books you’d get at the bookstore. But they are actually very easy to create on your own for a personalized final product that’s truly impressive. Browse all of the photo book styles to get ideas for the overall design you want to go with.

Once you decide on a photo book style , there are additional choices to make about your photo book. You can choose from six different sizes and three page styles, including standard pages, standard layflat pages, or deluxe layflat.

After you have familiarized yourself with the different options and styles, it’s time to start uploading your photos. You can upload your photos from anywhere, including your desktop computer, mobile device, Shutterfly mobile app , Google photos, Instagram, Facebook, and the Shutterfly Art Library — or all of the above!

If you’re using the Shutterfly app to create your photo book, it automatically pulls in all the photos stored on your phone. You can switch back and forth between the app and the website while you’re creating your photo book, and easily upload photos from the app to the site.

While our photo book editor offers helpful tips throughout the design process, it’s a good idea to know a few things before you get started so you can truly unleash your creativity while you’re designing. First, you need to organize your photos. Next, you want to choose the right photos to display in your book. Once you’ve gone through those steps, you can pick a theme to use throughout your photo book. You can pick a theme such as “ Year in Review ,” “ Family ,” or go simple with an “ Everyday ” theme. Finally, writing some helpful text for your book will help you tell the story you want to tell with your photo book. This helps you develop a narrative that makes your book unique. Here are Shutterfly’s 7 steps to creating perfect photo books:

• Organize your photos
• Choose the right photos
• Highlight your favorites
• Create variety in spreads
• Pick a theme
• Include helpful text
• Tell a story

1. Organize Your Photos

The key to enjoying the photo book design process is to organize your photos beforehand. These days, many of us have digital photos scattered all over the place: Facebook, Instagram, our camera apps, email — the list goes on. Spending a few minutes collecting and organizing your photos will save a lot of time later on — plus you may find photos you forgot you had. Create a folder on your device and label it something easy to find like “photo book photos.” If you’ve already chosen the photo book style you’re going to use, go ahead and use that for inspiration on naming your photo collection folder to make it easy to find and remember.

Copy the photos you want to include in your book in one folder that you can upload all at once. You can categorize them by date, subject, people or whatever system will make it easy for you to keep them arranged in an orderly fashion.

2. Choose The Right Photos

Once you’ve gathered your photos, it’s time to sift through the ones you want to display. Start by including all the photos you like, then narrow them down based on quality. Keep in mind that if a photo is out of focus, it will show up even more blurry when it’s enlarged and printed in a photo book. You may have lots of photos of the same subject matter, but each photo may have slightly better lighting and angles. Review them carefully and highlight your favorites.

Choosing the right photos for your photo book is a bit easier with Shutterfly’s photo editing features. To improve your pics, you can crop, resize, add backgrounds, and other embellishments in the Edit view. So, even if your photos aren’t perfect, you may be able to make them look better. When you’re selecting photos, do keep in mind how people will react to seeing their photos printed in a book — and make sure the pics are flattering.

3. Highlight Your Favorites

It may be challenging to curate your photo collection. You may need to make some tough calls. If you’re having a challenge curating your photos for your book, you can always crowd-source the task. Post them on your social media and poll your friends as to which ones are best. On the other hand, if you want to keep your photo book a secret — for example if you’re making premium wedding photo books to give as gifts — just ask a close friend or family member for their opinion on the best photos to include. Getting a second opinion cuts down on stress — and will probably give you great new ideas!

4. Create Variety In Spreads

Variety is the spice of life, and our photo books deliver on this front. There are endless options when it comes to photo book styles and templates. Most styles offer a wide variety of page layouts to vary the presentation and add visual interest. With Shutterfly’s photo book maker, you can choose different layouts for every single page of your book, choosing from one-photo layouts all the way up to 5 or more photos on a page.

Creating variety in your photo book page layouts helps you tell your story because different page layouts can put emphasis on photos differently. You can place one photo on a full page, center a small photo in the middle of a page, or feature multiple photos on one page. Since photo books allow you to create two-page spreads, you’ll want to pick photos for these pages that relate to each other, or even a panoramic photo that can span the spread.

5. Pick A Theme

A photo book theme gives the book a storyline. Fortunately, with our wide range of themes, styles, and customization options, you’re guaranteed to find a theme that perfectly matches your narrative. For example, a photo book from our Kids & Baby collection can be transformed from a regular baby book into an ABC book or a story about your baby’s first year. A travel photo book dedicated to your recent vacation is redefined when photos from a cross-country road trip are accompanied by an old western typeface. It’s completely free (and a fun creative outlet) to experiment with different ideas and themes to determine which style fits best for the story you wish to tell through photos.

6. Include Helpful Text

One way to capture time is through photos. Another way to secure a memory is through words. Our photo books offer plenty of space for your text and captions to describe the photos or to tell a story. You can write in dates, place names, anecdotes, quotes from an event, or colorful descriptions to help recreate your memories in the years to come. In a year in review photo book for example, you could write messages such as, “what a year!,” “family memories,” or simply “our family.”

7. Tell A Story

At the end of the day, your photo book is just one tiny slice of a story in your life. So, when you’re collecting and arranging your photos, organize them in your photo book in a way that tells a story. The easiest way to achieve this is to create the book in chronological order. The album story will be easiest to follow if you recreate the sequence of how the event occurred.

For example, wedding photo books  might start with a photo of your engagement rings and end with a photo of the happy couple driving off to their honeymoon. A photo book of your baby’s first year might start with your pregnancy and then progress to a photo of the baby at the hospital. Some photo books can tell a story that recreates significant phases of your life. A “love” book, for instance, could be modeled on a children’s story using our Everyday Fairytale by Jenny Romanski Photo Book style, full of unicorns, mermaids, and rainbows.

Making a Photo Book With Shutterfly

Shutterfly offers three ways to create photo books: using our website photo book service on your computer, allowing our designers to create it for free with our Make My Book ® service in just 24 hours, or using the Shutterfly app on your mobile device. Here’s how each photo book process works: 

Creating Your Book on a Computer

If you prefer to think big, using your computer to design photo books may be best for you. Once you decide on the basics using the tips above, you will be directed to the editing page that will display the outline of your book. Upload your photos and begin adding them to the empty pages. Play around with background colors and embellishments until the pages reflect what you envisioned. You are able to crop the photos to your liking and include captions to help tell the story. Design your own photo book cover page and add your desired title to add the finishing touches to your album.

No time? Not a DIYer? No problem! Use our free photo book designer service and our designers will create it for you. To get started, first choose the size and style you want. Next, you will be prompted to upload your photos from your desktop or select ones you’ve uploaded through the Shutterfly app .

You will then be prompted to answer questions that will help the designer, like your preference of order (chronological, self-sort or themes), layout density (number of photos you would like per page) and book design elements (how many stickers and embellishments you would prefer). Finally, you will choose a title and include any special instructions for the designer.

The designer will place your book in your account within 24 hours.  You can then edit the book, add finishing touches (such as captions) and place your order. You pay a small design fee only if you order the book. There is no charge if you don’t order the book.

For those who are on the go and want to use an iPhone or other smartphone, Shutterfly’s iOS and Android App is there to help. Easily upload your photos to the app, using its unlimited free storage to transfer your photos off your phone and clear up space on your device. Once your photos are uploaded, choose your desired book size and theme and start creating.

The app allows you to simply tap and drag your photos to where you want them positioned on the page layout for easy photo books. Once on the page, you can edit and adjust them to your liking. This allows you to create a personalized photo book in a matter of minutes from anywhere.

Wrapping Up

Photo books provide a fun way to organize all the photos you’ve taken. They are also an impressive way to relive memories with your friends and family. However you choose to make your photo books , make sure to add unique touches to make it extra personal.

More Resources:

• Shop All of Our Photo Books
• Browse the Best Photo Books
• Free Photo Book Designer Service
• 6×6 Photo Books
• Wedding Photo Albums

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Create a travel map for your photobook

Are you looking to create a travel map for your photobook or travel blog? Gathering all the beautiful memories of your travels is a great way to hold on to these valuable experiences. Look back at your journey and adventures with a personally designed map that shows your exact travel route.

With the Printmaps online map editor you can easily draw a route on existing roads on your selected map area. Add points of interest, country and city shapes in different colours and receive a high resolution map, ready for any further editing and print. Learn about  the features of the Printmaps editor  and how use them.

We’re happy to share some ideas and tips to help you make your travel map as awesome as the trip itself!

Design your photobook travel map with coloured shapes

Add the shape of a country and choose “invert”. This way, with a single click, the surroundings of the country, both water and land, turn to the colour of your choice. For example, you can make them the colour of water (RGB, 173, 255, 209), or white, to separate the country of its neighbouring countries and create a floating effect. With the option to adjust the shape transparency, you can colour countries without losing the display of roads, rivers and mountains. Would you like to create a world map and show all the countries you visited? Give all of them a different colour.

Use different POI markers to pin different trips  

You can mark your points of interest with dots, squares or any of the standard shapes provided in the editor. Add a label to the markers or number them to display the chronological order of your trip. Or, display the label without a surrounding marker, like an airplane or a ferry. Mark your favorite restaurants, hikes or beaches. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the editor, easily upload your own custom markers!

Easily  create a route map  with the route editor that draws on the exact roads you travelled!

Combine Printmaps to show your travel in world view

If you want to show a close-up of your travel route and a world view with your destination highlighted, then combine two Printmaps! After creating your maps you receive a file that is ready for editing in Photoshop or Illustrator, or any other editing program you might use, to add the finishing touches to the maps and to put them together into your awesome, personalised travel map.

Try Printmaps

Our map-editor lets you create printable maps worldwide in no time.

How to Practice Travel Photography at Home

David Wilder  

Scroll through photographer Karthika Gupta ’s Instagram feed and you probably won’t notice anything out of the ordinary at first glance—there’s a photo of a man and a woman rock climbing and another of tourists looking at animals on safari .

But if you slow down and take a closer look, you’ll see that these “travel” photos are actually tiny scenes made using household materials, miniature figurines, and some very clever photography on Gupta’s part.

Gupta, like the rest of us, is spending more time indoors these days. As a travel photographer, it’s not an ideal setup, but Gupta is making the most of it by practicing her craft in new ways. She was inspired to take the clever indoor photos by the #OurGreatIndoors Instagram challenge, created by Los Angeles-based travel photographer and blogger Erin Sullivan .

Thanks to this and other photo challenges making the rounds online, amateur and professional photographers alike are staying active and honing their skills, even while respecting stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines.

“At the end of the day, it’s just getting out there and photographing, whether it’s in your backyard or from your balcony or patio,” Gupta said. “Anything to keep your creative juice flowing. It really doesn’t stop you from trying to perfect your art.”

Think you can’t practice your travel photography skills in quarantine? Think again. Even the pros are using this opportunity to stay inspired and work on their form.

“The last couple of days, I’ve been shooting these made-up scenes in my house with props and stuff,” said Stevin Tuchiwsky , an outdoor lifestyle photographer based in Calgary, Alberta. “It’s not the real thing, but it slows it down a bit to where you can understand some concepts better or understand why you might have framed it that way or why you focused on something a certain way.”

We checked in with a few travel, nature, and adventure photographers and asked them to share some useful tips for practicing travel photography at home.

Experiment, Experiment, Experiment

With so much time on your hands, now is the perfect time to experiment and get outside your comfort zone. If you love taking wide landscape shots, practice doing portraits of your family members instead ( if you live alone , practice with a pet or even a stuffed animal). If you typically photograph people you meet during your travels, mix it up and master the art of food photography. 

Even though you’re not taking travel photos, you’ll open yourself up to more diverse shots when you do get back out there. After all, travel encompasses so many things beyond the physical landscape or geography—food, culture, people, art, movement, and more. And no matter the subject, practicing the fundamentals will make you a better photographer overall.

“If all you have ever done is one genre of photography, branch out and learn a new one,” says David Wilder , a photographer based in Calgary, Alberta. “Food photography, product photography, or even fine art. Heck, get some incense, a flashlight and a dark room—now you can do some fine art smoke photography.”

Get to Know Your Camera

How many of us rushed to open the box when our new camera arrived, thumbed through the instruction manual for a few seconds, and simply started clicking? Sure, you can learn a lot about your camera on the go, but there’s no substitute for actually studying how it works and why. 

Take a deep dive into the manual (or watch the thousands of instructional YouTube videos out there) and figure out how to get the most out of all the buttons and settings on your camera. Practice shooting in different modes, then compare the results so you’ll be able to make quicker decisions when you’re on the move.

Now is also a good time to evaluate your travel photography gear and do some research on new technologies or tools for specific scenarios, like taking photos underwater or using a tripod to photograph animals and birds.

Return to the Basics

Even the most skilled photographers welcome an opportunity to revisit the basics—lighting, composition, depth of field, framing, and more. And you can practice these principles whether you have an iPhone or a fancy DSLR camera. The ideas are the same, even though the tools are different. 

In fact, now is the perfect time to practice taking better pictures with your phone camera so that you can spring to action when you’re out in the real world, even if you don’t have another camera with you. 

"It’s not just looking at something and clicking,” said Gupta. “Take your phone and turn on the grid view. Just kind of rotate it around to see different angles, different compositions, and see what catches your fancy. The goal right now is not perfection, but actually more so training your eyes to look at color, light, and composition in an aesthetically pleasing way."

Play With Lighting and Perspective

And while you’re at it, try experimenting a bit more with lighting and perspective, which can help you capture unique images in popular destinations. Getting up at sunset or shooting from the top of a building will come in handy whether you’re camping in a national park or wandering around a big city like Paris . 

Take pictures at different times of the day, or use lamps around your house to create different effects. Master changing the exposure on your iPhone camera quickly so that you can react to dark or fluid lighting situations. “Always pay attention to the light, where it is coming from, the quality of the light, and what it is doing to your subject,” said Wilder.

And be sure to move around. Stand (carefully) on a chair, take some photos looking down from your balcony, or get low to the ground and take pictures of your dog, for example.

“We all see the world from eye level,” said Wilder. “The moment you change up your perspective is when your image stands out from the crowd. My best example is we all look down at pets, but if you get onto the floor with them, everything changes.”

Practice Photographing Small Details

In the same vein as the #OurGreatIndoors challenge, practice photographing small scenes or focusing on one object in a group. This will help you consider new perspectives the next time you’re at a street market or wandering through a botanic garden , for example. You’ll want to capture the entire scene, yes, but you may also want to photograph a particularly colorful piece of fruit or a bee resting on a flower.

“Often, photographers get stuck shooting the same sweeping hero shot every time they go out,” Wilder said. “Small details that really show what it’s like to be in a place are often ignored, so spend some time finding those details and shooting them.”

Enroll in Online classes and Webinars

Now is a great time to level-up your travel photography skills with classes, workshops, and webinars. Tons of photographers are sharing tips and tricks with livestreams on Instagram, Facebook, and elsewhere right now. 

You can also check out sites like CreativeLive , Skillshare , Nikon School Online , Professional Photographers of America, and Sony’s Alpha Universe .

Become a Photo Editing Pro

If you’ve got folders and folders of unedited (and unshared) photos on your hard drive because you just hate editing, now is the time to get over that roadblock. 

Aside from working through your backlog of unedited photos, use this time to become more comfortable with whatever editing software you use. Practice really does make perfect in this case, and it can also make you a faster, more efficient photo editor down the line.

While you’re at it, try editing older photos in different ways, suggests Gupta. You might stumble across a technique or a style you like even better than what you’re used to doing. “Crop them differently, or if it’s black and white, make it color,” she said.

Research Your Next Trip

Although it may feel a bit premature, start thinking about where you want to go when travel becomes safer, and start doing some photo-related research for that destination, too. 

Consider the best time of day or year from a photography perspective for visiting certain locations. Read how other photographers tackle shooting super popular tourist destinations. Look into off-the-beaten path locations that could produce some surprising or interesting pictures.

If you do all the administrative legwork now, you’ll likely get better photos and have more fun on the trip. Plus, research has found that simply anticipating an upcoming vacation can make us happier .

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11 Mistakes Travelers Often Make When Booking Cruises, According to Travel Advisors

B ooking a cruise may seem straightforward enough—pick a location, find a ship, pay your deposit and start packing. But, in reality, it can be one of the most confusing travel experiences to navigate on your own.

From selecting a cabin to getting a good deal, there’s a lot to consider when planning out your dream vacation on the water. These are some of the biggest mistakes travelers often make when booking cruises on their own—and how a travel advisor can help.

Thinking All Cruises Are the Same

Big ships versus small ships. River, ocean or expedition. Luxurious or laid-back. Educational or just for fun. These days, there’s a cruise for just about everyone under the sun—and then some.

But a big mistake travelers often make is assuming that all cruises are the same, says Michele Lindsay, the owner and lead travel advisor at Blue Pointe Travel . This often leads to a major mismatch: If you’re looking for a calm, relaxing vacation and you end up on a cruise with a party-like atmosphere, you’ll probably be pretty unhappy. 

A travel advisor can help you choose the perfect cruise, based on your likes and dislikes, as well as your goals for each specific trip. During her discovery calls with clients, for instance, Lindsay likes to ask about their food preferences, what kinds of activities and entertainment they enjoy, who they’ll be traveling with and how they’d like to spend their time on vacation.

“Cruise lines each have their own distinct personality,” she says. “Rushing to book a cabin on a cruise line based on an Instagram reel without doing your due diligence first could land you on a ship where it's not your ideal fit.”

Putting Too Much—or Too Little—Emphasis on the Ship

Travelers also often end up putting too much or too little emphasis on the ship. The vessel’s amenities are absolutely important to the overall cruise experience, but it all really boils down to the itinerary. During excursion-heavy trips, you may not have any free time to explore the ship, whereas on longer journeys with more sea days, the opposite is true. 

“Families often make this mistake, in particular, when they are searching for that bucket-list cruise to Alaska or the Mediterranean,” says Lindsay. “They prioritize a kid-friendly ship over time in port, or they don’t realize that on a seven-day Mediterranean cruise, there might only be one day at sea, so the ship's amenities—like water slides —may not be as important as they would be on a winter getaway to the Bahamas or the Caribbean.”  

On the flip side, some travelers get so excited about where a ship is taking them that they forget how much there is to do onboard, says Lori Stephens, founder and chief executive officer of Sojourney Travel . The key is talking with your travel advisor to understand the ins and outs of your particular trip.

“While the destinations of a cruise are undoubtedly highlights, they are far from the entirety of the trip,” says Stephens. “It is essential to look at your cruise app to see what activities are offered on board so that you can plan accordingly.” 

Overpacking For The Trip

And speaking of planning, travelers also have a tendency to bring way too many clothes for the journey, Stephens says. She recommends taking advantage of onboard laundry rooms or laundering services to help keep packing to a minimum.

“Consider repurposing dress pants for multiple nights, reusing swimsuits and cover-ups and limiting shoes to a few pairs that can be used with various outfits,” she says. 

Also, remember: Your airline has a weight limit for suitcases, and the more space you leave empty, the more souvenirs you can bring home, adds Windy Dockum , an independent agent for Love of the Magic Vacations.

“Cruisers always feel the need to take all these clothes with them on this trip but, in reality, they’re only going to wear half of them,” says Dockum.

Showing Up the Day of the Cruise

Another big misstep? Arriving in the embarkation city the same day the ship departs. Even a small mishap—a flight delay, a traffic jam, car troubles or some other hiccup—can throw off your entire timeline, meaning the ship might just leave without you on it.

Stephens recommends arriving well ahead of boarding time, if possible. Coming a day or two early also gives travelers a chance to adjust to new time zones if necessary, and spend some time exploring the embarkation destination.

“It is always important to expect the unexpected when planning for a cruise,” she says. “Choosing to arrive early gives you a lazy start to your first cruise day, allowing for a slow and stress-free wake-up and an excellent local restaurant for breakfast—ask your travel advisor for recommendations.”

Not Taking Advantage of In-App Offerings

As soon as you put down your deposit, download the cruise line’s mobile app on your phone. Check it regularly for in-app discounts on excursions, drink packages and WiFi, says Stephens. This is an easy, money-saving step that many travelers simply overlook.

The app can also help you in other ways, such as making dinner reservations or checking out the onboard entertainment lineup. Some cruise lines will even allow you to pre-book shows and kids’ club reservations.

“Utilizing a cruise line’s app ensures that you can customize your sailing to your liking and get first pick at excursions and activities with limited availability—all while securing discounts for booking in advance,” says Stephens.

Assuming That Booking Last-Minute Will Get You The Best Deal

Many clients assume that waiting until the last minute to book a cruise will get them the best possible deal. Not so, says Jesse Morris, owner of We Book Travel LLC , an independent agency in the Avoya Travel Network.

“This may have been true at one point, but cruise lines have made inventory management into a science and it is extremely rare in the post-Covid world to see big price drops anymore,” he says. “The best time to book is as early as possible to ensure you get the cabin you want and the lowest possible price.”

Many cruise lines also offer price-drop protections, so if affordability is your top priority, consider booking with one of those lines, he adds.

Not Buying Travel Insurance

New and seasoned cruisers alike often opt-out of travel insurance , but Dockum says this is a big mistake. Hopefully, you won’t need it—but if you do, you’ll be glad to have it.

“Anything can happen while on vacation and it’s best to be prepared,” she says. “Travel insurance can cover things like lost luggage, missed connections and more serious problems like medical issues that could require medical evacuation.” 

Overplanning Your Vacation

Reviewing shore excursions and onboard entertainment options can make you feel like a kid in a candy store. But many travelers have a tendency to overplan, says Dockum, which leaves little room for spontaneity or time to actually relax.

“Many cruisers try to do all the things and it’s just not possible,” she says. “Don't overdo it, or you’ll end up needing a vacation from your vacation. Take some downtime—you can’t do everything. 

Waiting Too Long to Book Excursions

That said, if there are certain excursions you have your heart set on, don’t wait until the last minute to book them, says Dockum.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve heard, ‘But it’s sold out?’” she says. “You booked a once-in -a-lifetime trip, don’t miss out on that once-in-a-lifetime excursion. Book excursions as soon as you can—that way, you get what you want at the time you want.”

Misunderstanding ‘Guaranteed’ Rooms

If you’re cruising on a budget, you might be tempted to book what’s known as a “guaranteed” room to save a little extra cash. These staterooms are typically cheaper because the cruise line will assign you one randomly based on availability—you don’t get to pick your own.

But not all cabins are created equal—and you might end up in a part of the ship that ruins your vacation, says Dockum. 

“If you are a light sleeper, you could be placed above a nightclub or dining room and hear noise all night long,” she says. “If you are susceptible to motion sickness, you could be placed in the forward or aft of the ship where you will feel the most movement. It’s best to spend the extra money and pick your cabin location.”

In addition, the name of these staterooms is misleading, because you’re not really guaranteed anything. If the cruise line oversells a voyage, they might have to bump passengers—and guaranteed rooms are some of the first to get the boot, says Stephens.

“No one wants to have to cancel plans at the last minute,” she says. “Go ahead and get an assigned stateroom at the time of booking. It's not worth the savings, many times, and it's better to be safe than sorry.”

On top of all that, ultra-low fare categories often don’t include onboard credits, drink packages or other add-ons. If you want any of these perks, you may actually end up spending more than if you’d booked another rate category that, on the surface, seems more expensive. Your travel advisor can help you do the math and ensure you’re getting everything you want out of your cruise experience at the best price.

“Travel advisors are experts in navigating the promotion mazes and can help clients determine what will get them the most for their money,” says Morris. “We can help clients avoid taking a dream vacation to nightmare scenario easily.”

Waiting Too Long to Book Your Next Cruise

Cruising is wildly popular right now and, even with new ships coming online all the time, there’s still a finite number of berths available, says Lindsay. If you wait too long to book your next trip, you may have to make some compromises.

“Everybody wants that perfect mid-ship balcony, but if you wait too long to book, you may be left with an interior cabin without any views—or, speaking from experience, so far forward that your cabin shakes every time the anchors are dropped,” she says.

If there’s a specific ship you can’t wait to experience or a particular cabin category that’s ideal for your group, get a jump start on booking ASAP. Connecting cabins, in particular, tend to sell out quickly, says Lindsay, so if you’re traveling as a family and you know you’ll need multiple staterooms together, then don’t wait.

“I encourage my clients to look ahead a year or two for school breaks and holidays, as those are the most popular times to sail,” she adds. “Booking early also means that my clients benefit from group space pricing and incentives that are typically available six to 10 months out from sailing.”