How is your sanity these days? Jacob is going crazy with cabin fever. Me, however? I feel right at home (pun intended) with my puzzles, painting, and crafts. Today, we’re sharing our favorite DIY travel projects we’ve made and plan to make during our quarantine.
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Last Updated: April 9, 2020
15 Insanely Creative DIY Travel Projects and Gifts to Make Right Now
As you already know, no one can travel right now, so it’s the perfect time to get crafty for your future trips.
We had first seen a version of them sold at a store and thought how cute would they be if they looked like actual tacos. You may have seen similar ones around the web, but we were super proud that we were the first ones to be crafty enough to come up with this alternative. ;)
Materials You Need: Gold Leather (3.5 x 9.5 to make 3), Acrylic Felt (Green, Yellow, Brown, Red), Snap Buttons + Attacher Kit, Fabric Scissors, Hot Glue Gun, Hammer, X-acto Knife, Pen
2. Flat Iron or Curling Iron Holder
This is by far the easiest and cheapest tutorial. You can head to the nearest dollar store and pick up a potholder.
Materials You Need: Potholder, Needle and Thread
Instructions: Fold the potholder in half and sew the bottom and the sides. As a bonus, you can also decorate it as you like.
Pro Tip: Acrylic paint works as a great alternative to fabric paint. You can use a fabric medium to thin it out, but it worked perfectly fine on its own.
Lately, I’ve been using youtube tutorials to teach myself how to watercolor. I’ve only been painting at home, but eventually, when we visit beautiful landscapes I would love to sit and paint. It’ll be a great way to be more present.
Materials You Need: Altoids Tin (the classic one), InstaMorph, Watercolors (this is a great beginner’s set I use)
Pro Tip: This water brush pen pairs great with this DIY since you don’t have to carry a cup of water with you.
Instructions: How to Make a DIY Travel Watercolor Set
4. DIY Kindle Case or DIY iPad Case
This tutorial was for an iPad cover, but you can also measure your device and modify the tutorial as needed.
Materials You Need: Heavy Chipboard, Fabric (this one is travel inspired), One inch Elastic, Sewing Machine (or you can hand sew)
I also found these amazing handmade book covers on Etsy, and there’s a high chance I’m going to buy one.
I’m trying to find a way if we can make a DIY version, which requires us to find vintage books that are roughly the same size as a kindle. We’ll be on the lookout once the quarantine is over.
5. Adventure Together Map Art
This is another one I saw on Etsy, which is such a great place to find DIY inspiration. You can do a paper cut out version or a digital version, but I think a digital version is too much of a copy rather than a DIY. What do you think?
Materials You Need: Map, Colored Cardstock, Glue, Scissors
I suggest you go thrifting for a map, or it won’t be cost-effective. We used our old Rand McNally.
6. DIY Scratch Map
We love scratch maps and already have two world scratch maps and a US scratch map in our home. I didn’t realize until recently that you can make your very own.
Materials You Need: World Map, Contact Paper, Acrylic Paint, Dishwashing Soap, Candle, Brush
You can find the instructions here.
7. Packing Cube
Packing cubes travel with us everywhere. Not only do they keep all your things organized, but with their compression, you can pack in so much more.
Materials You Need: Rip Stop Nylon (1/2 yard), Mesh Fabric (1/3 yard), Zipper 36″, Iron on Vinyl
Find the instructions here or here.
Pro Tip: Our biggest concern for this DIY would be how they hold up since we typically stuff them to the brim. These are the ones we currently use, and they are super sturdy.
8. Travel Neck Pillow
We never travel with neck pillows, because we like to pack light and they are bulky. Instead, we use a hack and stuff our puffy jacket into a pocket to use as a pillow. We do, however, know plenty of people who love traveling with neck pillows, and this DIY Buckwheat Travel Pillow by SewDIY is perfect.
9. DIY Passport Holder
Passport covers don’t just make your passport look pretty. They protect it from wear and tear. Here’s a lovely DIY passport holder tutorial by Lovely Indeed.
10. DIY Luggage Tags
A luggage tag is a great way to let your luggage stand out. It’s also useful to keep your phone number in case the airline loses it, which has happened to us a few times. Here’s a beautiful DIY luggage tag tutorial to give your luggage some bling.
11. Jewelry Roll + Case
If you bring a lot of jewelry with you, this mini jewelry roll tutorial from Haberdashery Fun is a great way to keep them organized. It can also be used at home to store your essential jewelry too.
12. Sunglass Case
Sunglasses are an essential travel item. While I tend to toss them freely in a bag, I could give them more love and care. I think this cute DIY sunglass case tutorial by DIYCandy would do the trick.
13. Eyemask
14. Sewing Kit (Ty)
Is this DIY travel project not purrrfect? (Sorry I had to). Of course, you can decorate it with something other than a kitty, but do you really want to lose then pun? You can find the DIY Sewing Kitty tutorial here. Photo courtesy of Sew4Home.
15. DIY Vintage Book Travel Tech Organizer
This DIY travel tech organizer will also have to wait until the quarantine is over so we can go thrifting and look for vintage books.
More DIY Travel Projects
If you’re extra crafty and have finished all the above projects, here are plenty more to work on:
More DIY Travel Projects for the Home
Have you made any of these DIY travel projects? Which one would you fnd the most useful?
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Esther + Jacob
Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, which is one of the top 5 travel blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found both near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in Las Vegas.
