Do you have a travel journal?
Journaling is about more than keeping a record of things. It's about exploring your thoughts and experiences. When traveling, those thoughts and experiences can be personal but they can also be about your destination and what you learn about yourself being in that destination.
Travel journaling can take many forms, from doodling to composing rich narratives, from writing in the most traditional leather-bound journal using a fountain pen (that's my niece's preference) to going full-on digital using an app for your phone.
However you journal, you'll want the details of what you did and where, but at the end of a trip, contemplating the meaning of your travels is equally important.
Go Old School with Your Travel Journal
My preference is the traditional notebook and pen.
Given the current popularity of crafting (I recently saw an instagram reel about a crafting rave), I'm guessing an old school journal or scrap book is the way that many prefer to record their travels.
Handwritten or handmade journals slow down the process. They give you a tactile connection to your journey. It will look great on your shelf. As an added bonus, the information will never be lost with a technology change.
- Choose a sturdy journal. It could be the classic Moleskine Notebook or one that is a little more fun such as I Was Here.
- Document your itinerary. Rough out your itinerary in a few pages at the front of your journal. You can do this before you leave. Allow lots of space between points so you can keep track of how your itinerary changes as you travel.
- Every entry doesn't have to be brilliant. But every day should have an entry. Writing every day, even small details, will help you maintain your momentum. Miss a few days and sometimes the practice of writing a journal can be lost for the entire trip. Try to make a notation daily, no matter how small.
- Aim for brilliance once in a while. When you can take the time to sit down and think back over the day, think about the places you went, the people you met, the food you ate, the scents you took notice of, your activities, and the things you learned. As you do, take note of what makes you smile or frown. Such responses indicate important moments. If you want, you can even itemize these under a heading such as: What Made Me Smile Today.
- Find your theme: Consider all the things that made you smile or caused concern. Is there a theme? As a whole, what did the day mean to you? What did you learn? How did you change? What surprised you? State one of these in one sentence or a series of three short sentences. This is the beginning of a great journal entry.
- Expand on the theme. Once you've completed your short introduction, expand. Explain what you learned. Provide details of the history or technology or your own potential – whatever it is that you learned. Describe what you thought before and after, why you changed your thinking, how it felt when it happened, what it means to you.
- Get down the details. When you're home sharing your travel stories, or perhaps years later when someone asks you for a recommendation, you'll want to remember some of the details of the day. Write them down in bullet points: where you stayed, the name of that great book shop, where you got that fantastic coffee, the restaurant you want to make sure no one goes to. Capture the details that you think will be important but don't labor over the mundane.
- Go multimedia. Don't be afraid to sketch what you saw. Have glue with you so that you can add theater tickets, postcards, or part of a brochure to make your pages interesting.
- End with gratitude. You spent the day exploring a place other than home. We understand the world by contrasting one thing to another. Compare what you saw to what you live daily. Identify what you're grateful for in everyday life.
The Basics for Writing a Good Journal Entry
Here are some basics about the writing aspect of journaling. I've adapted the WRITE acronym for a travel journal.
- W – Share what actually happened. When, where, and why it happened.
- R – Reflect on how all those Ws make you feel. Close your eyes to go deep into it.
- I – Now allow your writing of these events, feelings and thoughts to flow through your pen or keyboard. As you do, you'll investigate them more deeply. If you get stuck, close your eyes again or re-read what you’ve written. Then continue.
- T – Take the time to enjoy your reflecting and writing process.
- E – Embellish what you've written with photographs, ticket stubs, and other souvenirs.
Apps for Keeping a Travel Journal
There are a lot of travel journal apps available in free and pro versions.
Day One has been around for 4 years and has 200,000 5-star ratings. This is important as you don't want to journal using a new app only to discover that it doesn't survive. You may want the pro version which is about US$50 annually. On the free version, you can only add one photo to each journal entry and there isn't syncing to multiple devices.
Diaro is another choice that has both free and pro versions. The pro version is about US$40 for lifetime access.
Both apps are easy to use and integrate seamlessly with the photos on your phone and the data captured through them. You can tag entries and go back in time to see the journal entries from a specific trip searching by date, tags, folder or even location.
