Easy Travel Gallery Wall: 7 Steps To Showcase Your Wanderlust

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Travel memories are priceless, and adding a travel gallery wall to your decor gives them a beautiful place of honor. In fact, it’s easy to turn your wanderlust into a visually stunning display!

Discover seven simple steps that go beyond hanging pictures to turn your travel gallery wall into an artistic showcase. Continue reading to create a meaningful travel collage that begs to tell the story of your adventure.

wall collage kit
A travel gallery wall can capture the essence of your travel memories.

CONTENTS โ€“ In this article, you will find easy steps to create a travel gallery wall showcasing your prized memories, including:

Preserving your travel memories is one way to reminisce about the moments you spent traveling with your family and loved ones.

While you can keep your pictures on an online storage platform like Google Drive or iCloud, it lacks substance. Instead, imagine creating wall art with a travel collage to immortalize a lifetime of your vacation memories.

Not only is it a more artistic presentation, but it puts your memories in plain sight. That way, you can remember your adventures on a daily basis. It’s a sophisticated way to showcase your travel memories over the years right in your home.

In short, you’ll need to plan a collage of wall art that focuses on your globetrotting adventures.

The trick is to create a travel photo wall that reflects your wanderlust in a classy way. For inspiration, look to Desenio, where you’ll find wall art ideas and the materials to elevate your display.

7 Tips for Creating an Artistic Wall Display of Travel Photos

Here are helpful tips to select, arrange, and display your travel memorabilia and photographs on a wall. You’ll be delighted with the outcome!

1. Choose Your Starting Point

theme and color palette
Begin with your favorite travel photos and find the right place to showcase them.

In order to create some cool gallery walls from your travel photos, you’ll need to consider two things: some key photos and where you’d like to display them.

For instance, you may have some favorite photographs of your travels that will make a good starting point. If not, pick a few images that will be a good basis for your design. Make sure you choose a selection of photographs or prints you absolutely love.

Now, consider which wall is the right size and location to showcase your travel escapades. If you haven’t decided on where you’ll put your wall collage, now is the time. It can be any size and locationโ€”that’s the beauty of it! It’s about to become the perfect wall to display your travel memories.

travel gallery wall
A theme and color story can unify a series of photos on display.

Typically, wall collages have a central concept. So, you’ll want to begin designing your travel gallery wall with a theme and color palette in mind.

You might draw inspiration from the first few photos you’ve chosen. That helps make everything cohesive.

For instance, if you’re favorite photos include your family at the Eiffel Tower, you could create a themed collage showcasing:

  • Your trip(s) to Paris, France
  • Visits to various iconic landmarks around the world
  • Family vacations through the years

Try to incorporate detailed close-ups, wide shots, and photos with plenty of white space for the most pleasing combination.

When you have a consistent theme, consider using a timeless color palette that incorporates classic neutrals, like whites, blacks, and grays.

And if you find you’re photos seem to be competing with each other, color-wise, you can always convert them to black-and-white or sepia. This alway exudes a timelessness elegance to your travel collage.

You can always add some metallic accents with gold or silver frames to for a touch of sophistication.

3. Follow a Grid Layout: Easy as 1,2,3

wall art collage travel | Enjoy Travel Life
The simplest, most straight-forward design is a grid layout.

The easiest and most versatile layout for your travel photo collage wall is a grid. A well-structured grid layout displaying your travel memorabilia instills a sense of order and sophistication.

This is true whether your grid is 4 photos or 40 photos.

“Negative space,” or the space surrounding your framed photos is important, too. You’ll want to maintain a consistent spacing between the elements on your gallery wall. A good rule of thumb is to keep 3โ€“6 inches of space between each piece.

This is not guesswork: use a ruler or tape measure.

When you arrange your travel memorabilia using this organized approach, it will be easier to maintain a cohesive look and sophisticated faรงade.

You can further unify the collection by choosing identical frames, or by grouping a series of photos from the same destination using the same type of frame.

4. Select Only High-Resolution Images

high-resolution images
You’ll get the most pleasing results when you choose high-resolution images for your wall art.

It’s important to select your favorite photos, those which deeply resonate with your heart. But, as important is that you select only high-resolution images.

Ideally, you’re capturing your travel moments using a high-quality camera that shoots 20-50 megapixel images. Shooting in RAW mode on most cameras and smartphones will create the largest images and the ultimate flexibility when it comes to editing.

Whatever your camera of choice, learn how to use your it so you get high-quality travel photos.

If you’re looking at photos from a past trip and they don’t measure up, you can sometimes look to an AI-image enhancer online that will increase the pixel quality (upscale) of the image.

Another measure you should know is the pixels for every inch printed, or Pixels Per Inch (PPI). Aim for 150-300 PPI for good print results.

With high-resolution images, you’ll have a body of work worth displaying on the travel wall. 

5. Shop for High-Quality Frames | Elevated Aesthetic

high-quality frames
High-quality frames elevate the aesthetic.

Apart from the quality of the image, focus on the quality of the frames you choose, too. This will help elevate the overall look of your travel collage.

Even the best-quality picture will look sub-par when within a low-quality frame. Conversely, a high-quality frame enhances a photo’s appeal.

So, invest in high-quality frames that are:

  • Made of sturdy material
  • Well-crafted
  • Complement the style of your photos
  • Offer a cohesive appeal

You’ll be able to maintain the overall sophistication of your travel montage wall by paying attention to all the elements that contribute to the design.

italy photo collage | Enjoy Travel Life
Integrate artistic elements to enhance the visual appeal and impact of your display.

When you’re working on a framed wall art project, integrating artistic elements can enhance its visual appeal and impact.

For example, you could:

  • Add a vintage map of the world
  • Ansert an inspirational quote about travel
  • Incorporate some sketches or illustrations inspired by your travels
  • Include memorabilia, like boarding passes or museum tickets

When you see a blend of various mediums displayed on your travel wall, it makes the montage all the more unique and meaningful. Plus, it imparts a deeper expession of creativity.

Once you’ve chosen your display space, photos, and frames and arranged them neatly in a grid, you could be done.

Or, it could beckon for more photos, yet to be taken. As your travels expand, so could your travel photo wall collage!

Crafting a travel gallery wall that captures memorable moments of your travel is a delightful blend of creativity, decor, and nostalgia. For the short money you’ll invest in prints and frames, and a little elbow grease, you’ll have a unique, meaningful, and elegant art form that brings you joy!

Moreover, it’s a story about the incredible journeys you’ve taken, just waiting to be told.


Jackie Gately at the beach


About Jackie Gately, editor-IN-CHIEF

I'm Jackie Gately, your travel confidante and the creative force behind Enjoy Travel Life, awarded the "Best Casual-Luxury Lifestyle Blog (USA)" in Travel and Tourism by LUXlife Magazine for four consecutive years.

With 25 years of published expertise, I'm a seasoned writer, editor, and photographer curating inspiring travel guides and lifestyle tips for empty nesters. I hope to kindle your spirit of exploration, encouraging you to overcome obstacles and turn your dreams into reality.

Learn to minimize your pre-travel angst and maximize the joy of exploration with insights from my experiences. Let's make every adventure a celebration of this exciting phase of life! 

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