How to write a travel journal like a pro

One of the best ways to immortalize the trip of your life is through a travel journal. Sure, photos and videos are great for capturing special moments, but they won’t be able to tell you the name of the coffee shop you visited or the name of that Swedish girl you met at a hostel. Photos will not tell you how you felt at the time: how the air smelled, what emotions you were feeling, the sounds around you, or what you were thinking. Enter: your travel diary.

Why should you keep a travel journal?

The reasons mentioned above are the reasons why you should keep a travel journal. More than photos, words on paper will help you remember those little details that one day will fade from memory, capture smells and sounds, and encourage you to delve into where you are at that moment. However, they are not the only reasons:

To show your family members: How good will it be in 50 years to sit with your grandchildren and show them a record of when you traveled the world? What about your parents when you return? Or your friends? If you keep your journal and share private memories, think how amazing it will be to remember them in a decade or so when all your travel memories come back to you.

For a detailed record of your trip: Your email confirmations and photos only tell so much of the story. If you have a travel journal that details each place you visited, how you got there, when you were there, you will have a detailed itinerary to remember later. If a friend asks for travel tips, you can immediately share what a place was like with them. If you are desperately trying to remember the name of a cute cafe you went to, or the cute backpacker you met, it will all be written in your journal.

Fewer distractions: When you write your thoughts with a pen and paper instead of typing on a laptop, I find that you are more in the moment. Writing takes longer, so it gives you a chance to really think about what you have to say and how you feel at the moment. There are no notifications to take you away from your journal, like when you write online. For me, it leads to a much clearer record of how my journey was.

To give you something to do: traveling seems like it will be a non-stop adventure, but the truth is that there are often moments of sheer boredom. Like when you haven’t connected with anyone at the hostel and you sit in a busy restaurant for dinner alone. Or when you enter your fifteenth hour on a European train ride, you’ve run out of battery power on all your devices and have nothing to do. Keeping a travel journal is perfect for those times when you feel bored and have nothing to entertain yourself.

For Inspiration: When you travel, you meet many people who tell incredible stories about the places they have traveled. A travel journal is the perfect way to keep track of all those places that have now convinced you to visit in the future. Maybe you’re heading to a new city and someone gave you a recommendation on where to eat, or you’ve always wanted to go to India and someone tells you their favorite city and where to stay while you’re there. Write down all those places as future inspiration, so you never forget about them and one day you can get there.

What should I keep a journal about?

Your journal is, of course, your journal, so what you write is entirely up to you! However, if you are like me, you are always looking for inspiration on what to include in yours. After all, you will only be doing this trip once, so you want to make sure you keep a record in the best possible way. Here are some of my favorite things to include in my bag:

The planning stages: your trip doesn’t start when you arrive at the airport; It actually starts as soon as you decide to take it! I always love documenting the planning stages of my trip – how I feel before the big departure date, the travel gear I’ve been buying for the trip, the vaccinations I’ve had, the goodbyes I’ve shared. I also love sharing my hopes, dreams, and goals for my adventure, what I hope to gain from the trip, and the experiences I would love to have.

Weekly Summary – A fun way to record some of the little details of your trip is to write weekly summaries. Mine include the places I have visited, the most interesting person I met, the best hostel I stayed in, the best food I ate, the most unexpected thing I did, and the most unfortunate thing that happened to me.

The People You Meet: One thing I didn’t realize before I traveled was how much I would forget about the amazing people I met along the way. Names fade quickly, as do faces and nationalities, and then several years later I will suddenly remember an inspiring conversation I had in a hostel with someone, but I can hardly remember anything about them. Now, I make sure to include details about each person I meet while traveling. I jot down his name, his looks, and a few things we talked about, so I can remember him and remember all the amazing people I met while traveling.

Directions: On travel days, I always make sure to write down the address of the hostel I am staying at in case I need to show it to a taxi driver or someone you ask for directions. At the end of my journal, I write the date, the name of the hostel and the address. At first, it wasn’t really part of my journal, but now I find that looking back at the list of where I stayed brings back fun memories. It reminds me of the time when I got lost in Shanghai and the time when a local in Marrakech walked me to the door of my hostel.

Business Cards and Tickets: I always carry a small glue stick so I can collect little souvenirs to keep in my travel journal. Some of my favorite things to keep are restaurant business cards (write a sentence about what I ate there when I attach it to a page), bus and train tickets (along with a note about how the trip was), maps that I chose from the tourist offices, or tickets to the attractions I visited. It all helps to paint a clearer picture of my experiences on the road.

What equipment do you need for the travel journal?

Your travel journal: Of course, you will have to buy a travel journal! There are hundreds of options for travel journals, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding the perfect one for you.

If you want a high-quality, sturdy, and simple-looking journal (so it draws less attention!), Look for a Moleskine. They are one of the best diaries and are difficult to destroy. If you’re a map geek like me, there are plenty of options for magazines with maps printed on the cover. I especially like the old school style maps! Otherwise, search Amazon for “travel journal” or “travel journal” and choose the one that best suits your personality.

Pens and / or Pencils – Standard pens and pencils will work well for your journal, you don’t need to buy anything special. If you are a creative person and can see yourself drawing little scenes in your journal and keeping things colorful, check out a pencil organizer for your travel as it will help you keep all your pencils clean and organized.

A Glue Stick – I recommend traveling with a small glue stick so you can collect little moments and attach them to pages or your journal. I use these extra strong glue sticks from Elmer’s to ensure everything stays in place. If you don’t want to travel with a glue stick, just grab a dozen clips to hold everything in place until you get home.

Travel Stickers – Definitely not a journal essential, but a fun addition to your journal if you can justify taking them with you. There are dozens of travel-themed sticker options on Amazon, ranging from passport stamps, travel quotes, maps, and more! They are definitely worth taking a look at your journal and giving it a little more personality!