Best use for travel photos?

By Mark Varnau
This item appears on page 47 of the April 2016 issue.

My wife, Ann, and I have traveled to more than 100 countries. For the first 90 of those countries we took pictures with film, keeping records of where we were, the number of each roll of film, the date, etc. Upon our return home from each trip, we developed an album, complete with written narrative in the margins, so we could go back and review the trip years later.

There were always unused photos and, of course, negatives, which we put in a box along with maps and other information about the country we’d visited. Now we find ourselves with a LOT of boxes with negatives that, on the surface, seem to have no value or interest to anyone but ourselves (and even that is highly questionable).

We’re attempting to simplify our lives and unload things that are no longer of interest or value to us so that our children won’t have to do it later. What do others do with their old trip negatives and unused pictures? Are any groups interested in having them? Or should we just grit our teeth and toss them?

We’d be interested in knowing what others in the same situation have done about it. I can be contacted c/o ITN.

MARK VARNAU

Indianapolis, IN