(NAPSA)—According to the Travel Industry Association, Americans make over 1 billion trips each year, the vast majority of these dedicated to leisurely pursuits. No matter how briefor long the trip, one of the best ways to pre- serve and share travel memories is storytelling through words and photos immediately after returning from a vacation. Professional photographer and author Dane Howardstresses the importance of storytelling as a way to preserve memories of spe- cial times spent as a family. According to Howard, “As a child, I treasured my collection of National Geographic magazines and loved the travel stories that the photos told. Now, as a husband and father of two, I strive to create that same referencelibrary for my family’s memories.” Howard believes that one of the best ways to do this is to create a photo book, which allows travelers to customize hardcover books with photos and captions that truly tell their story. Photo site www.Shutterfly.com is a leading online resource for @ Photo books can be a great way to document a vacation, event or lifetime. and the “make onelike this” fea- ture makes it simple to use someone else’s book as a template. In fact, the Web site cites its No. 1 gallery topic as “Travel” with the most popular Travel subgroups being “Europe,” “Tropical” and “U.S.” Howard says, “Life is filled with significant events that become yourlife’s story. Periodically documentlife ‘chapters’ to share online and in person.” He offers the following tips for maintaining memory preservation year-round: Make a habit of reviewing your memories. Revisit at least once a month. such photo booksthat only require a quick photo upload. The site has several travel-themed books, or visitors can find inspi- Author while you browse your photos. This saves time and gallery community, available at can serve as coffee-table fodder ration for travel styles and stories from other users though its http://community.shutterfly.com. There, thousands of books are posted, rated and commented on, helps with editing. Let the images jog your memory and the story will follow. “When complete, photo books and create opportunities to gather as a family and relive special times,” says Howard.
