Anyone who stores digital photos in a computer can easily design their own photo book by dragging photos onto page templates and completing the layout using photo software. Some programs such as www.MyPublisher.com offer a short video to watch before you begin. What you get by mail is a professionally printed, glossy, soft or hardback book with a cover of your choice. Prices average $9.99 for a 6-by-8-inch softcover book to $70 for a sleek 15-by-12-inch covered hardback. Delivery is in about one week. Top sites include: www.Apple.com/iLife/iPhoto, www.Shutterfly.com, www.Snapfish.com, www.Blurb.com, www.Picaboo.com and www.MyPublisher.com.

Here are five lovely travel books, each with a different tale to tell.

AFRICA 2008

Jill Trigg-Smith traveled through Zambia, Botswana and Namibia last summer with daughter Romy and son Callum and created a stunning deluxe 12-by-15-inch photo book as a present to husband and dad Alwyn Trigg-Smith.

"I wanted to create more of a personal souvenir than a photo album for my husband and first daughter who could not go on the trip to Africa," Trigg-Smith said. "I thought it was a lovely idea to have the dedications on the cover and I chose to keep an empty page inside for handwritten notes to recipients. I also thought the photos would be more preserved in a book and able to be enjoyed by more people. That has become a fact!"

Trigg-Smith used www.MyPublisher.com and spent about seven hours having fun with it. "A lot of my time was spent in making decisions," she said. "Having 1,600 photos to choose from slowed down the process as well! The step-by-step guide makes it very simple to use."

And Trigg-Smith was delighted with the book's quality. "I was concerned that with an automatic camera and using the zoom a lot, the quality may not enlarge well. This was not the case. I was thrilled and so were my recipients. The photographic paper used is outstanding."

MyPublisher keeps your file so you can reorder at anytime, Trigg-Smith said, and she also used the "Share" option to send the book online to relatives in the U.K.

"They literally could turn the pages and enjoy the whole book, the hard copy of which was in Hawai'i," she said. From $60 for 20 pages; www.MyPublisher.com.

STORY OF CITY HEIGHTS

In 2006, artist Sayoko Kay Mura's massive sculpture "The Storyteller" was installed at the Rosa Parks Elementary School in San Diego. The project, commissioned by Price Charities, celebrates the diversity, people and history of the City Heights neighborhood. Mura, a professor of ceramics at Leeward Community College, worked on the sculpture in Hawai'i for more than a year. Following its installation, Mura flew to San Diego to be honored at the dedication. When she returned home, Mura received a surprise gift. A Price employee had used her photographs of the occasion to create a 46-page memory book as a heartfelt thank you.

The 11-by-8 1/2-inch hardback leatherbound book from Shutterfly captured a special journey in the artist's life. "I was so thrilled with it," said Mura. "This was my day and the book tells the story of the dedication in photographs. For me it's very personal book, a wonderful remembrance and a great gift." From $29.99 for 20 pages; www.shutterfly.com.

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Judy Richardson's 8-by-8-inch memoir of her visit to the Galapagos Islands is filled with wildlife: birds, iguanas, sea lions, crabs, giant tortoises, cacti and shore life, captured in stunning detail. "The Galapagos Islands is the kind of place where you don't need an expensive lens on your camera to get a close-up of the animals," she said. "You are that close to them; it was an amazing experience."

Richardson likes to edit her own photos in Photoshop, and spent around 10 days designing her book and adding 80 extra pages before she was completely satisfied. "I'm looking forward to creating more books, possibly in a larger format," she said. From $19.99 for 20 pages; www.shutterfly.com.

CHILLY TRIP TO CHINA

Advertiser assistant sports editor Bart Asato and his workout buddies traveled to China in February to visit the Harbin Snow and Ice Festival, and spend a few days in Beijing. With daytime temperatures near zero, the trip was also an exercise in how to stay warm, sightsee and have fun, a theme reflected in Asato's photo book.

Lit up at night, the fabulous architecture of Harbin's ice city was the highlight of the China tour and a perfect subject for Asato's 40-page memory book, made with Blurb. From $29.99 for 40 pages; www.blurb.com.

EXOTIC TRAVELS

Maui businessman Earl Stoner enjoys organizing travel to exotic destinations for small groups of friends. After a 2006 trip to Laos and Myanmar, Stoner presented members of his 15-strong travel group with a photo book of their Southeast Asian adventure.

The 12-inch-square hard-cover book recreates their journey through rice paddies, street food, monasteries, city streets and fabulous temples. Using Stoner's photos, Renee Zaima of Photographics Maui designed the layout and sent it to AsukaBook USA, a company that works with professional photographers and Web designers to offer high-quality printed books.

Stoner, who admits to being "computer illiterate," said he deliberately chose the "cadillac option" but was delighted by the quality of the books that came back. "To do this properly requires time and thought and a certain amount of humor," he said. $200 for 40 pages; www.asukabook.com.