Tips for Keeping a Memorable Travel Journal

A well-maintained travel journal is a gift that you give your future self: a physical memory of past physical and emotional journeys. It does take some effort to produce a travel journal worth revisiting. Too often people start one with the best intentions, only to end up with a few scribbled pages or an exhaustively boring laundry list of what they did and saw.

Here are a few suggestions to make sure your travel journal stands the test of time as an enduring souvenir.

Find the Right Journal

Before you leave home, before you write a single word, put some thought into picking out the perfect notebook for your trip. Think about what kind of notebook you most enjoy writing in: spiral or book bound? Lined or unlined pages? Spaciously big, or small enough to fit in a pocket? Making sure that your journal is easy to carry and pleasant to write in highly increases the chances that you will actually put it to good use.

Don't Treat Your Journal Like a Diary

The fastest way to suck all the joy out of journaling is to treat your journal like a middle school writing assignment: forcing yourself to document every last detail of what you did and saw every day of your trip. This is terribly boring both to write and to read.

Instead of simply writing what happened, focus on capturing small details, humorous moments and interesting impressions. Chances are you will always remember that you visited the Colosseum, but will you remember the strange feline youmet outside, or the way the ruins smelled, or the amazing lunch of fried zucchini blossoms you ate later? These are the kind of small stories and colorful details that a journal can help preserve.

Try to Capture Sensations

A good travel journal doesn't just remind you of what you did, it reminds you of how it felt. Instead of just journaling in your hotel room at night, take your notebook out to lunch, or to a busy plaza and record what you see, hear and experience.

Remember, there are other ways to capture your emotions beside just descriptions. Try including relevant song lyrics, poems and quotes. You could even add in a sketch or two, depending on your ability.

Add Mementos

Why limit yourself to just pen on paper for that matter? Make your journal a multi-media experience by pasting in ticket stubs, postcards, flyers or anything else that enriched your journey. Get creative, there are no rules and no limits to what you include.

Do you keep a journal when you travel?

Note: Available plans and coverages may have changed since this blog was published.