How to Create a Travel Photobook in 24 Hours: My Bali Adventure

After returning from our first overseas family trip to Bali, I knew I had to break the cycle of "I'll make a photobook someday" that never happens. Instead, I challenged myself to create and order a beautiful photobook within 24 hours of landing back in Melbourne. Here's how I did it, and how you can too!

My Simple Process

1. Create a Dedicated Album from Day One

On the first day of our Bali trip, I created an album in Google Photos called 'Bali with Zak 2025' and consistently added the days best photos each evening.

2. Gather Everyone's Photos

On our last morning, I created a shared album with my husband and added his best shots to my collection.

3. Consolidate Photos in One Place

I accessed our shared album and saved his photos directly to my library - this is an important step because if I didn’t save his photos into my library, they would only exist in the shared library - I now have a copy and they are also being saved in my backup system.

4. Edit During Travel Downtime

During our flight home, I went through the album and removed any photos I didn't want to include.

5. Find the Right App

The morning after landing, I downloaded the Journi app. I’d never used it before but I chose it specifically because it uses AI to automatically design the photobook leaving me to do minimal work.

6. Connect and Create

I connected my Google Photos account to Journi and selected my curated 'Bali with Zak 2025' album. The app automatically created a complete photobook design.

7. Make Final Adjustments

Throughout the day, I made minor tweaks—removing a few images, adjusting page layouts, and adding text where needed.

8. Order and Wait

Just 24 hours after landing, I submitted my order. Eight days later, our beautiful photobook arrived!

The Quality Surprise

I took a chance with Journi since I hadn't used it before, but was pleasantly surprised to discover the book was actually printed by "Once Upon"—the same company I plan to use for my son Zak's first-year book. The quality was excellent!

Breaking the Procrastination Cycle

Now that I know how simple it is to create a photobook—essentially just curating a Google Photos album and letting the app do the heavy lifting—I'm finally tackling our long-overdue honeymoon photobook that's been waiting for two years!

What travel memories have you been meaning to preserve? With this streamlined approach, you might be just 24 hours away from holding them in your hands.