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Traveling is something we prepare for, save for, and daydream about. Plus, it can grant you remarkable experiences and many things to learn.
At these exciting times, our memory can be unpredictable and sensitive. Due to that, it can be hard to recall your memories, feelings, things you learned, new people you met, and even where you went.
Therefore, I highly suggest you have a travel journal with you.
What is a travel journal?
A travel journal helps you keep track of your large to small physical and emotional experiences, people you met along the way and things you learned.
Besides that, you can use the travel journal to plan your trip.
To sum up, a travel journal is a collection of memories, adventures, discoveries, and stories of yours.
What do you write in a travel journal?
Remember that you don’t have to be a ‘writer’ to write a travel journal. Grab yourself a notebook that is only for travel journaling.
You can start by writing small impressions in short sentences. It doesn’t necessarily have to be you describe yourself in your own words. You can express yourself with anything that inspires you at the moment.
It could be a sketch, a receipt, a postcard, a new phrase you learned, doodles, pressed leaves/flowers, labels, photos, tickets, seashells, candy wrap, flyers, songs, texts, money, you name it.
The things you write in your travel journal should not be an endless record of facts and truths.
When you write, think about the places you saw and what lasted as a memory of that particular place.
Here are a few things that you can start with.
- Bucket list of destinations
You can start writing your travel journal by writing down a list of your favorite destinations that you would love to visit. Writing these locations and why you like to go to them adds a fine introduction to your tour journal.
When you finally go to these destinations, you can simply recall and add more to your travel journal. Was it as great as you expected? Did you get to see everything in that location? Documenting how your expectations are in contrast to your travels is an extraordinary way to reminisce.
- Travel Research
Once you write down all your destinations, you can do research and jot down the findings of your desired destination.
- Schedules of your trip
This is another thing that you can write in your travel journal. You can add prior planning of your trip like, what activities you can do at your destination and when you plan to do them.
If you find things to see in a specific destination, take notes on information like open hours, reservations, and costs.
Years later, when you look back at your travel journal, you will be able to recall the things you did and what made you happy at the time.
- Buying list
When you start planning your trip, you may realize that you need to buy things before the trip. Take note of those too.
- Things to pack
You can use your travel journal to list things that you need to pack for your trip. For example, chargers, medicine, hygiene products, and the things you may forget easily.
- Significant travel memories
To complete your travel journal, document your travels by writing down significant memories along with visuals such as photos or sketches. A photo can refresh your memory more than a thousand words.
- Post-trip reminiscences
The ending of your journal should be dedicated to reflecting on the things after the trip. There you will find a collection of your sentiments on your trip. You’ll have the privilege of recalling the exact feeling you had back in the day.
Here are 35 travel journal prompts for more inspiration on what to write in your travel journal.
Why should you keep a travel journal?
Journaling is a great way to keep you out of stress and release tension. It can also add a boost to your creativity, bring the vision to your life, and most importantly promote gratitude in yourself. You will learn to appreciate the adventures and the moments you have lived in your life. You’ll be able to find your voice. On top of that, you will become more aware and stay alert about the things happening around you.
Having a travel journal allows you to ponder, examine, and process the complex emotions and experiences you face as a traveler. Moreover, as you write down the names of special places you went to, new cuisines you discovered, names of bars, and other details, you will be able to recommend those to a friend who is visiting the same place. Your travel journal can be an excellent reference for your friends and family to get an insight into the places you have visited. You don’t necessarily have to share your travel journal with others. You can keep it to yourself if you wish. Anyway, years later, you will be fascinated when you read all your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge you grasped while traveling.
How do you make a travel journal?
Let me tell you how you can make a fun and creative DIY travel journal for yourself. First, you have to grab the tools and supplies you will need to make a travel journal. So, the obvious item you will need is a diary or a notebook. How you arrange your travel journal is up to your preference. You can decide if you want more visuals than writing or the other way around. To decorate your travel journal, you will need glue sticks, photos, stickers, washi tape, scissors, highlighters, colored pencils, pens, and a ruler.
I will share some ideas and layouts you can use in your journal. When you are writing a list, you can use a cute bullet-style format. You can draw or paste a map of your destination. You can attach Polaroid photos to your journal. They are really cute and can make your travel journal appealing to read. You can try drawing things you see. You can attach travel tickets where necessary.
Just don’t worry about it not being perfect. It doesn’t matter if you are bad at drawing or have bad handwriting. There are no RULES! Just write what pops into your head.