Cataloging my national park brochures brought a new clarity to my travel dreams
Last weekend, I spent hours sorting through a box of old park guides and maps that had been sitting in my garage. Putting them in order by state and season showed me which parks I keep returning to and which I have yet to explore. It was surprising how this simple organizing task made future trip ideas feel more tangible and exciting. Now, I have a dedicated binder that serves as a visual wish list, and it’s already changed how I approach planning my next vacation.
Digitized my own park maps into a Google Drive folder last summer. Made it way easier to share with friends when planning group trips, and seeing them all in one spot sparked new ideas.
You know what would be cool? Scanning those brochures into a digital map, so you could click a state and see all your wishlist parks pop up. Makes that physical binder feel like a living document.
Yeah, hugom40, that clickable map thing would be so handy. Like @piperb93 said, having everything in one spot is a game changer. I tried something similar with my own list, and being able to see all the parks in Texas at once totally changed my road trip plans. Instead of flipping through pages, I could just zoom in and out, check driving times between spots. It made the whole process way less stressful, and I found a few hidden gems I would have missed otherwise.