journal about travel

31 Travel Journal Prompts + Creative Travel Journal Ideas

Looking for travel journal prompts and creative travel journal ideas ?

Then you’re in the right place! 

Especially right now as travel is limited and people are searching for ways to travel at home, such as through relaxing staycations , keeping a travel journal can be a great way to relive your favorite trip memories. 

Moreover, it can keep travel alive, allow you to explore the world from home, and help you stay curious. 

Keep reading for a list of fun journal writing prompts related to travel as well as tips for creating something tangible that truly helps you feel inspired. 

Table of Contents

Downloadable Travel Journal PDF

Before we dive into the post, though, I want to offer you the chance to grab my free printable travel journal . 

The trip journal includes 56 prompts in total. 

This inspiring printable and fillable journal is great for exercising your creativity while traveling from home as you remember your favorite trips. 

Grab it, and then feel free to message me on Instagram ( @jessieonajourney ) to let me know which travel journal writing prompts were your favorite and why.

I plan to update the journal in the future — and you’ll get any revisions I make — so your feedback is appreciated!

What Is A Travel Journal?

A travel journal is a place where you can document your trip memories, whether you’re spending 7 days in Cancun , going on a solo USA road trip , off completing the world’s best hiking trails , or something else.

These can be paper or digital, bound or looseleaf, thin or thick. And— when it comes to how to write in a travel journal — it can include just text or a variety of mediums.

The point is, it offers a way to record what happens to you on the road — though you’re welcome to take your entries and give them a fictional twist for fun! 

Choosing Your Travel Journal

I may be a little biased, but if you’re looking for the best travel journal with prompts, I recommend grabbing my free printable journal here . 

Because I made it fillable, you can also use it as a travel journal online!

Additionally, there are loads of inspiring options online if you’d prefer to purchase one. A quick note that the below journal links are affiliate links. 

On Amazon, I love this vegan leather option as well as this mindful travel journal .

Additionally, I’m a huge fan of the travel journals at Modcloth. Click here and search “journals” to view their latest collection.

Creative Travel Journal Ideas

Wondering how to be creative in your journal?

First of all, remember that a journal doesn’t just have to be writing. Use markers, paints, stickers, glitter, and even momentos from your travels to really bring the text to life. 

Of course, don’t forget about travel-themed accents, too, like stamps, tickets, postcards, and maps — you can even cut out sections of a map to showcase your favorite destinations. 

If you’re artistic, you might also consider bullet journaling and other techniques to make your journal more visual. 

In terms of keeping your travel writing fresh, having details to pull from can be a huge help.

When possible, try to experience a place with all five senses so you have more to draw from later. I personally like to take notes right after any experience I think I may write about later. 

Keep in mind, being fully present in this way is also just an overall healthy practice. 

If you’re having trouble remembering details, try to sit in silence and do a visualization. Personally, when I do this exercise I aim to not only see myself in a place, but to put myself back in the place so that I am seeing the scene through my own eyes. 

Feeling writer’s block?

Sometimes all that it takes is a change of scenery to get inspired again. Try going for a walk or trying a new cafe to see if that helps.

If not, put the journal away, give yourself some mental space, and pick it back up tomorrow. 

And if you’re proud of what you’ve written, feel free to post it on social media, share it in an email with friends or, of course, keep it to yourself. 

How To Keep A Travel Journal: Quick Tips 

As an avid journaler myself, these are some of my personal tips for having fun, feeling creative, and staying inspired while writing.

As with travel tips and trip styles, everyone has their own process when it comes to journaling, and something that works for me may not work for you. Feel free to try out this advice, keep what works, and let go of what doesn’t.

Overall, the goal is that you get something beneficial out of these pages.

Tip #1: Journal when you feel most creative.

For instance, you might choose some mindful ways to start your day and have completing daily journal prompts be one of your morning rituals. 

However, if you find you feel more creative in the afternoon or evening, plan your writing for then.

Tip #2: Don’t edit as you write.

Allow your first draft to be all about getting your ideas and thoughts down onto the paper and getting into a creative flow state.

You can always tweak things later.

Tip #3: Remember the power of lists.

This is one of my favorite trip journal ideas!

Writing in lists can be helpful when you’re:

• having trouble getting started
• wondering what things to put in a travel journal
• feeling like your sentences just aren’t flowing together

This way, you can at least get your ideas down and edit them together in a cohesive manner later on.

Tip #4: Write stories.

While this isn’t mandatory, those who are curious how to write a travel journal that’s worth reading should consider writing your thoughts as stories instead of in a stream-of-conscious fashion. 

To write a story, make sure you have a beginning, middle, and end. Actually, if you really want to do it right, you should also consider character, plot, setting, and tension.

For a lesson in storytelling, make sure to check out this video on how to improve your creative storytelling skills for more engaging writing:

Tip #5: Go beyond text.

Wondering what to put in a travel journal?

Realize there is no right or wrong answer to this question!

Keep it text-based, or add paintings, drawings, stickers, momentos from your trip, and more. 

Personally, I’ve started writing out my journal entries and then drawing them to add some additional creativity and really bring the pages to life. 

The Best Travel Journal Apps

Prefer a digital journal option over paper? 

There is an app for that! 

I’ve talked about my favorite travel safety apps before, but here are a few of my favorite apps for keeping a travel journal:

Travel Diaries .  This free app allows you to create both public and private journals. The layouts are customizable, and you can easily add text, photos, and even maps. 

One really neat feature of this app:

You can turn your travel diary into a physical creation to be shipped to your home!

Day One Journal . This is another great travel journal app that makes it simple to record your memories using photos, videos, drawings, and even audio recordings. 

The “On This Day” feature allows you to go back in time to revisit your favorite trip moments, while automatic backups ensure your content never gets lost. 

Unique app feature:

You can handwrite in your journal using your finger or Apple Pencil. 

This travel app has both free and paid premium versions. 

Polarsteps . Dubbed “the personal travel log in your pocket,” Polarsteps is an app that helps you plan your trips as well as record them along the way in a visually-appealing manner.

In fact, this app puts an emphasis on adding experiences to maps and using video to document, so you can really bring your trips back to life later on. 

A feature I love:

You can turn your travel memories into a stunning hardcover book to keep!

Unique Travel Journal Examples

Looking for some travel journal inspiration?

Here are some mood boards with journal examples to help get your creative juices flowing.

These are also helpful if you’re wanting to learn how to make a travel journal.

By the way:

Check out the bottom right photo in the top collage if you’re looking for travel journal layout ideas.

Travel Writing Prompts – Quick Picker 

If you’re like me and often feel indecisive when choosing a prompt, I’ve got a fun little tool that can help:

The above video moves through the list of writing prompts quickly.

To use it as a quick picker, press play, turn your gaze down, and then stop the video at a random moment.

Then, voilà , you’ve got your travel writing prompt chosen for you! 

31 Travel Journal Prompts

Whether you’re physically traveling or at home dreaming of the road, use these travel prompts for your journal.

I love these prompts for when I’m feeling stuck and am searching for things to write in a travel journal:

1. Remember a time when you met people while traveling that felt like family. Describe your time with them in great detail.

2. Write a postcard to a friend from a place you’ve loved visiting.

3. Think about a problem that exists in travel. Now, invent a solution to the problem. Hey, could this journal help you come up with your next million-dollar idea?

4. If you could go on a trip with anyone, dead or alive, who would you go with? Where would you go and what would you do?

5. Share a time you were lost or that you lost something while traveling. 

6. How has travel changed or shaped you? Note: This is one of my favorite self-discovery journal prompts!

7. Start your travel story with the following: “It was a dark and stormy night…”

8. What is the first vacation memory that comes to mind? Come up with your memory in 10 seconds or less!

9. Think back to the most beautiful place you’ve ever been to. Now, describe it using all five senses.

10. Write about a multi-destination trip — from the perspective of your backpack.

11. What is a sticky situation you’ve gotten out of on the road? Hint: Allow this to also be a reminder of your strength!

12. What is a fear you’ve overcome while traveling? How?

13. Take your story from the previous prompt about overcoming a fear while traveling and rewrite it from the perspective of an onlooker.

14. What has been your craziest transportation experience?

15. Write a review of the best hotel you’ve ever stayed in.

16. Write a review of the worst hotel you’ve ever stayed in using humor.

17. Write a letter of gratitude to someone who showed you an act of kindness on the road .

18. Write about the last trip you took — from the perspective of yourself in the year 2600.

19. Write about a hike you loved doing using all five senses.

20. “Travel makes me feel _____.” Why?

21. Write about a trip you took last year from the perspective of your favorite book or movie character.

22. What is the biggest lesson that travel has taught you? Share a story that brings this to life.

23. Pretend that you were given an extra day on a trip you loved. What would that day have looked like?

24. Choose a trip you haven’t written about yet. Now choose a different time period, and write about the trip as if it happened in that time period.

25. In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception about travel?

26. Think back to an interesting conversation you’ve had while traveling and begin your story with that dialogue.

27. Transport yourself to a beautiful beach you’ve visited. Suddenly, a message in a bottle washes up onto the shore. What does it say? How do you react?

28. Here is a road trip journal idea! Write about a road trip you went on, but have someone else from the trip be the narrator. Hint: If you traveled solo, have the car or an onlooker be the narrator.

29. Think of a time you went on a trip that took you out of your comfort zone. Write the end of the story, then the middle, then the beginning.

30. What is one piece of advice you’ve been told by a local while traveling? Have you applied it to your life? Why/why not?

31. If you were to write a travel memoir, what would the first chapter look like?

Bonus: Pair Your Journal Prompts With Self-Care

In my opinion, the best way to enjoy time spent journaling is by pairing it with other self-care activities.

In the video above, I share my top 10 favorite self-care tips and rituals for travelers — though they can also be enjoyed at home!

My recommendation:

Make a day of it! Use the journal prompts and the self-care rituals to create your own DIY retreat .

Want more travel-themed prompts?

Don’t forget to grab my free downloadable Inspired Storyteller Travel Journal — featuring inspiring quotes, writing tips, and 56 fun prompts to help you recount your favorite trip memories and write creatively. 

Do you have any travel journal prompts to add?

What are your favorite creative travel journal ideas, related posts:.

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These prompts are just the inspiration I needed to capture my thoughts about travel. Not only do they tap into my travel memories, but they feed my creative spirit. Who says you have to actually go anywhere to be well-traveled? 😉

I have trouble keeping a journal, but have always want too – these are such good prompts ill have to give it another try!

Wow, what an incredible article! I’m so grateful to have come across this treasure trove of travel journal prompts and ideas. The suggestions provided here are truly inspiring and have sparked my wanderlust even more. From capturing the sensory details to reflecting on personal growth, these prompts cover every aspect of a fulfilling travel journal. The beautiful descriptions and practical tips have motivated me to start documenting my adventures with a renewed passion. Thank you for sharing such a valuable resource that will undoubtedly enhance my future travel experiences. Keep up the fantastic work!

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Travel Journal: Ideas, Tips, and How To Write a Travel Diary

• Travel Journal

Traveling has the potential to be wildly fulfilling. It exposes you to new cultures, different perspectives and unique experiences. The further you travel the more you are pushed out of your comfort zone. And the more you are pushed out of your comfort zone, the more you learn about yourself and the world around you.

One of the most popular types of journals is a travel journal. By having a travel diary, you can keep all these new experiences and knowledge in one place where you can reflect on them.

What is a travel journal?

Travel journals are a place where you can write about trips you have taken, what you learned during and the experiences you had. It is a collection of adventures, stories, memories and discovery.  It doesn’t matter where you're going or who you’re traveling with, an online trip journal can come anywhere. 

Why Write A Journal When Traveling?

There are many benefits of keeping a journal when traveling, but here are a few to start with:

Remember More

By writing down the things you want to do on your trip and the things you have done during it, you won’t forget the reasons you wanted to go and will remember more of your visit.

When traveling somewhere new, you will learn a lot about that place’s culture, customs and people. By having a place to write down your observations, you will absorb more of your surroundings.

Reflect More

A journal is a place to record new things you have discovered while exploring various places you visit. By having all these new findings in one place, you will be able to look back and reflect on what you have learned and apply it to other parts of your life.

How To Write Travel Journals: 5 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Journaling

You don’t need to be traveling to Timbuktu to write a travel diary. Your writing can start with a family vacation or a weekend getaway. All you need is a destination and your holiday journal can begin!

1. Use your journal to plan your trip

Your trip journal can begin before your trip has even started. Use your journal to start planning the things you want to do. It can be anything from a cool restaurant you want to eat at, a hike you want to go on or different sights you want to see. Write down whatever is on your trip check-list, so you don’t forget it.

Once you know what you want to do, do some research and figure out the best way to do it. If you want to go see a special monument, figure out the best way to get there and put it in your journal. If you want to do some cool activities, write down the contact information of the people, places or tours that facilitate them. Your journal is also a great place to keep the contact information of your accommodations and transportation.

2. Write about what you imagine it will be like

Sometimes when you travel, your destination is wildly different than what you expected. Maybe you expected the local food to be bad and it turned out to be delicious. Maybe you imagined the town to be smaller than it actually is. Maybe you thought you would be more comfortable with the language. Whatever it is, think about writing it down before you arrive. It will be interesting to compare these predictions to what you actually experienced.

3. Write during your trip

It is always easier to remember things when they are fresh in your brain, so try and write as much as you can while traveling; every day if you can. Your journal entries don’t have to be long, but let them highlight what you feel was most important or exciting. How did you feel during your visit to the local market? What did you smell, taste and hear? Did you learn something new from the person you spoke to at the bar? Were you surprised by the clothes people were wearing? What was the view from the top of the mountain like? Before you go to bed, try and recall what you did that day, what you thought and how you felt. This will serve as a great way to remember more from your trip, but will also help you reflect and grow from what you encountered.

4. Add pictures to your journal

Even though your journal is meant for writing, pictures are still worth a thousand words. Combining pictures with your first-hand accounts of what they represent, or what happened when they were taken, will make for an even more comprehensive narrative of your travels. Don’t worry about glueing or taping anything either. Penzu allows you to upload pictures straight into your online travel journal, so you can keep your pictures and words connected and organized.

5. Write about your trip after you leave

Since you write about your trip before you arrive, you should also write about it after you leave.

• What was it like?
• What did you learn?
• What surprised you?
• What disappointed you?

It is important to reflect on your travels, so you can retain new understandings and apply them to future adventures. This is also a great way to learn about yourself, other people you may have travelled with and how you can grow. Step back from all the things you did and try to see the big picture. It may surprise you.

10 Travel Journal Ideas To Inspire You

The blank pages of your travel journal may not be serving as great inspiration, but your new trip should! Here are 10 travel journal ideas to get those creative juices flowing, kick-start your writing and help you get the most out of your travels. We hope these journal prompts help!

1. Why are you going?

Not every trip needs an explanation and not every vacation needs a justification. People travel for all sorts of different reasons or for no reason at all, but if your travel has purpose, write about it. Even if you’re traveling for the sake of it, that is a reason worth talking about too.

2. Write about your expectations.

As we mentioned above, expectations can wildly differ from reality, especially when going somewhere you’ve never been or going with someone you have never travelled with before. Jot down what you think the trip will be like, or hope it will be like.

3. What are you going to do?

Write about the things you want to do, the sights you want to see, the music you want to dance to, the food you want to taste. Writing it all down will get you excited and help you not to forget.

4. Write about the people.

Did you meet anyone new? Did you make a new friend? Were the locals welcoming? Did you learn something new from a stranger? Did you learn something new from a friend? People can really make a trip. Whether you came with them, or met them there, write about how the people you encountered affected your experience.

5. Write about the food.

Just because you call it your travel diary, doesn’t mean it can’t double as a food diary . If there are any foods you loved, dishes you hated or recipes you can’t live without, write them down to remember them all. Maybe some new fare you tried will influence your tastes when you return home.

6. The ups and the downs.

What did you like most about the trip? What did you like the least?

7. Write about yourself.

Reflect on the new experiences you had, what made you uncomfortable and what enticed you. Did you learn anything new about yourself on the trip? Did being somewhere else expose something you hadn’t seen in yourself before? Traveling can help people grow. Think about your journey and if it helped you grow in any way.

8. Write a travel guide.

If you knew friends were going to the same place, what would you tell them to do? Write down your recommendations and the stuff that should not be missed.

9. What would you have changed?

Is there anything about the trip you would have changed? Is there anything else you wish you did? Anything you wish you didn’t do? Write about your travels and how you can improve them for the next time you go away.

10. Where do you want to go next?

We all have a wish-list of places we want to go. Write yours down and try to start checking them off.

Using Penzu for Your Travel Journal

Penzu’s journal software allows you to access your journal from any computer, smartphone or tablet. Penzu will be your travel journal app ; all you need is your mobile phone or tablet and can write in in it, with or without wifi. You never have to miss an entry or forget a moment, as Penzu can come with you around the world. No internet necessary.

Now that you know what to write in a travel diary and how to write one, all you need to decide is where to go. Pick a place get start your online journal today!

There's no time like the present - start your free online journal today!

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Get access to your diary wherever you are – download the free Penzu app for your all of your iOS and Android devices today!

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33 Terrific Travel Journal Ideas, Tips + Prompts!

Looking for the best travel journal ideas to help you remember your next trip–plus some prompts to help you think of what to write?

You’ve come to the right place!

As a lifelong lover of both journaling and travel, I have experimented with all kinds of travel journals over the years, ranging from the time-consuming to the simple, from the unique to the very basic.

I absolutely love the travel journaling system that I use now (more on that below), but depending on your habits and writing style, there is no limit to the number of ways to preserve your travel memories on the written page.

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more detail.

This guide to travel journal ideas and prompts covers everything from the physical kind of travel diary to use, to tips on journaling effectively, to travel journaling prompts to help you get your writing started.

Remember, though, that the #1 rule of travel journaling is that there are no rules!

Anything that helps you preserve the intense memories of your travel experiences counts.

That being said: here are some of the best travel journal ideas out there!

Table of Contents

Terrific Travel Journal Ideas

Travel journaling tips, inspiring travel journal prompts, planning a trip.

While there are plenty of beautiful travel journals on the market, don’t feel like you need one to keep a memorable travel diary!

I’ve kept travel journals in everything from a $0.99 composition notebook to elaborate leather-bound notebooks to the Notes app in my phone, and I can confidently say that the best travel journals come from the heart–the physical place you put them is the least important function.

That being said, if you are looking for beautiful travel journal examples, I highly recommend these!

One Line a Day Journal

This is my current favorite travel journaling system, and I’ve been using it for nearly 5 years now!

Here’s the format: each page in this diary has a date at the top (say, August 17), and 5 small sections to write 1-2 sentences below it.

For 5 years, keep a daily journal of a memorable moment, and at the end, you’ll be able to look back and, on a single page, see what you did on all your August 17ths.

While this isn’t specifically a travel journal, I absolutely adore using it as one: the tracking of time through both days and years simultaneously is incredible, and the short time commitment is perfect for my lifestyle that already includes lots of writing.

I do still try to keep a long-form travel journal once a week or so, too, but I love my One Line a Day Journal so much that I recently bought two more, just to ensure I have the next decade covered if they stop making them!

Page A Day Travel Journal

Looking for something formatted for you, but with more of a travel theme and more of a long-form approach?

The Page A Day Travel Journal is perfect for that!

In addition to space to write about your day, there are spaces to note your destination and event the weather.

Classic Leather-Bound Journal

What reading-and-writing nerd among us hasn’t dreamed of owning a leather-bound journal to track their travels in?

I have always enjoyed this journal style and have owned a few in my life!

There are tons of similar ones on the market these days, given how popular they are, but I love the compass detail and great reviews on this one .

Postcards To Yourself

Looking for more unique travel journal ideas?

Consider sending postcards to yourself from the road!

In many destinations, you can mail yourself (or someone else) a postcard right from the souvenir shop where you purchase it–so bring a pen along, write some quick thoughts about your day, and drop it in the mail.

By the time you get home, you’ll have a collection of memories delivered right to your front door that you can save forever.

Travel Checklist Journal

If you’re the kind of traveler who wants to make sure they don’t forget a thing, the Travel Checklist Journal is the perfect choice!

With daily prompts covering everything from the restaurants you ate at that day to your most memorable moment of the day, it’s an in-depth log of your adventures.

I’ll be honest: I could never keep up with this much travel journaling on a daily basis.

But, some people absolutely can!

If you find yourself not sure what to put in some sections, though, don’t worry about it–better to skip a prompt than make your journal feel like work instead of fun.

Bullet Journal

A classic bullet journal like this makes a fantastic travel journal idea!

In addition to writing, consider including drawings, hand-drawn maps, charts, and more.

Standard Notebook

You don’t need anything fancy to keep a beautiful, memorable travel journal!

Anything from a simple composition notebook to the back of a receipt will do in a pinch, and I would never recommend putting off writing because you don’t have the “perfect” vessel to store your memories in.

If you’re looking for a fairly standard, lined notebook that is durable without including much formatting to get in the way of your creativity, though, I love these notebooks .

I’ve owned them in various colors and designs for years, going out of my way to replace my old ones with the same brand when they get full.

Buy one on the road!

While I definitely recommend keeping a travel journal from hour one (airports and train stations are great places to write!), there’s also something special about buying a diary on the road.

If you find a journal you love while you’re traveling, consider picking it up and journaling there from then on.

On Your Computer or Phone

I’ll admit, I’m very biased toward analog travel diary ideas–it’s just my style!

But if you prefer typing to writing, or you just don’t want the hassle of carrying a physical journal on the road, you can easily keep a detailed travel journal on your phone or laptop!

Evernote is a fantastic app for journaling on your phone, though a basic Notes app works fine too.

A Word document or Google Doc can work as well.

Alternatively, you can type and send emails to yourself and store them in a certain folder in your inbox!

There is no wrong way to keep a travel journal–whatever works for you, is more than fine.

That being said, based on my personal experience of keeping travel journals over the years, here’s my best advice for preserving your memories!

Try to write as often as possible.

Here’s the sad truth: you will forget much of your vacation.

Even if you remember the basics such as where you went, what you did, and who you were with, the passing years will steal the sensory details from your memory, jumble the order of events, and soften the edges of your stories, making it hard to recapture the emotions of your travel experience.

While some of that is the inevitable result of living a full, exciting life packed with beautiful memories, a travel journal can absolutely help preserve those experiences for you for decades to come.

The period of time that I was worst at keeping a travel journal– the first year of our full-time travels –is also the one where memories have faded the most.

It’s my #1 travel regret that I didn’t keep a detailed travel journal that year!

Imperfection is better than procrastination.

Don’t have time to write pages and pages?

Can’t find the right words to capture exactly how you felt seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time?

Don’t worry about it: a couple of sentences jotted down that afternoon while waiting for your coffee to arrive will capture your emotions far better than waiting weeks to find the right words.

Write what you can’t see.

Photographs and videos can do a lot to preserve visual and even auditory memory–but they can’t capture scents, or the feeling of the humidity lingering in the air, or how soft the dog you stopped to pet was, or the expression on the waiter’s face as you managed to order lunch in a language that you barely speak.

These kinds of recollections, paired with photos and videos, are invaluable for helping place you back in that moment of travel, even years after it has passed.

You don’t have to be a “good” writer.

Forget the English essays of your youth: whether you consider yourself a skilled writer or not, you can absolutely keep the world’s most perfect travel journal for yourself.

Because travel journaling is nothing but a conversation with your memory, and you know exactly how to talk to yourself!

It doesn’t matter if you wouldn’t want to publish it as a memoir or that other people wouldn’t understand what you’re trying to say, because you’re the only audience!

Trust me, as a professional writer of sorts, the things that I write publicly–even in more personal blog posts like this –are not nearly as unguarded as the conversations I have with myself when preserving my own travel memories.

Don’t edit yourself.

This goes somewhat with what I wrote about being a “good” writer, but it’s a solid tip for travel journaling even if you’re a very confident one.

Each of us sees the world in a completely unique way and will use entirely different experiences and criteria to jog our memories.

If none of the travel journal prompts in this blog post speak to you, ignore them.

Write about literally anything you like–anything that speaks to how you experienced your day.

The uniqueness of how we each see the world is never more obvious to me than when I compare the things that Jeremy writes in his travel journal to what I write in mine–many times, we each remember things that the other person didn’t even notice!

Save more than words.

Ticket stubs, brochures, boarding passes, postcards, even foreign currency–anything small and tactile that you can tuck into your travel journal is a fantastic addition.

If you print out any photos along the way or purchase any of the cheesy-but-fun souvenir photos for sale around the world, those can be great components of a travel diary, too.

Full maps are often too big to save in a traditional travel journal, but you can save them separately–or cut out your favorite section(s) and place them in your journal!

Sadly, the ink on receipts tends to fade within a couple of years, but you can try storing a few memorable ones for a while as well.

Depending on your travel journaling style and how much you collect, you may want to tape these extra items to individual pages or keep them tucked into a separate pouch (cheap and fun cloth zip pouches can be found at souvenir markets across the world–maybe you can buy one along the way!).

For something more fun than basic tape, buy a few souvenir stickers along the way and use those to secure your mementos to the page!

Avoid spiral notebooks.

If you want a very inexpensive place to save your memories, opt for a composition notebook over a spiral one–trust me.

Between the spirals being pulled out of place from being moved around so much during your adventures to the fact that they’ll scratch up anything they’re stored near (like your laptop, for example), they’re just not worth the trouble.

I learned this lesson the hard way and will never use a spiral notebook (without a cover, that is) for anything while traveling again!

Always keep your travel journal in your carry-on.

I’ll admit, I’ve broken this rule before, but it’s terrifying checking your travel journal–especially when, like my current one, it contains years worth of irreplaceable memories.

Much better to keep careful watch over it in your carry-on/hand luggage!

Wondering what exactly to write down in your travel diary?

These travel journal writing prompts will get you started!

Choose any of these travel journal topic examples from below and expand upon it in detail, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself jotting down details of memories that would otherwise be lost to time.

As always, the point of travel writing prompts like this isn’t to limit what you write–it’s to provide a jumping-off point.

If you find yourself veering off in a different direction after a few sentences, just roll with it!

What did you do today that you’ve never done before?

Make a list of everything you bought today, from food items to metro tickets.

Describe the most memorable person you interacted with today.

What was your favorite thing you ate today?

What new thing did you learn today? How did you learn it?

Describe your morning routine in detail: what was different from home?

What was your most memorable form of transport today?

What animals did you see or interact with today?

What was the weather like? How did it impact your day?

What were you wearing today? How did it impact your day?

Did you use any words in a language you don’t speak today? What were they?

What’s the big news where you are right now? Is it the same as at home?

What’s the funniest thing that happened today?

What’s the most memorable thing that you physically touched today?

What did you eat for breakfast?

Look up, and describe everything that you see in detail.

If you took a tour: describe your tour guide, including their name!

What did you do today that you didn’t expect to do before your trip?

What’s an interesting story or legend from your destination?

Describe your route from where you’re staying to your first destination of the day.

What’s your favorite word to say in the language of your destination?

What was your least favorite moment of the day?

What was the most surprising thing you saw today?

What interesting conversation did you overhear today?

None of these travel journal ideas or prompts speak to you?

Have something different in mind?

There’s no wrong way to keep a travel diary–whatever feels right when you’re on the road, that’s the best travel journal for you.

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About Kate Storm

In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Since then, I have visited 50+ countries on 5 continents and lived in Portugal, developing a special love of traveling in Europe (especially Italy) along the way. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, I’m working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA.

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Journal of Travel Research

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• Description
• Aims and Scope
• Editorial Board
• Abstracting / Indexing
• Submission Guidelines

The Journal of Travel Research ( JTR ) is the premier, peer-reviewed research journal focusing on the business of travel and tourism development, management, marketing, economics and behavior. JTR provides researchers, educators, and professionals with up-to-date, high quality research on behavioral trends and management theory for one of the most influential and dynamic industries. Founded in 1961, JTR is the oldest of the world’s top-ranked scholarly journals focused exclusively on travel and tourism, reflecting the worldwide importance of tourism, both economically and socially.

Published by SAGE, an international leader in social science and business publishing, JTR publishes the most current and influential scholarship on travel and tourism.

The Journal of Travel Research publishes state-of-the-art research on the most important trends and issues in travel and tourism. JTR offers an international and multidisciplinary perspective on the best development and management practices by publishing research which enhances knowledge of important travel and tourism phenomena. JTR thereby contributes to the development of theory which enables improvements in tourism development policy and strategy; managerial practice; economic, social and environmental outcomes; and education and training programs.

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Travel Research are double-blind, peer-reviewed by leading tourism scholars. The JTR editorial review board includes top tourism scholars identified on the basis of their current research and scholarly contributions. This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The mission of the Journal of Travel Research is to be the premier, peer-reviewed research journal focused on the business of travel and tourism development, management, marketing, economics and behavior. Given the multifaceted, multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder character of the tourism economy, this focus implies a concern for both the public and private sector spheres of interest as well as economic, socio-cultural, political, environmental, legal, technological, and demographic issues. Specific goals are to be international in scope with geographic diversity, to be multidisciplinary with diversity in research topics and methodologies, and to be germane to the needs of the travel and tourism industry and its stakeholders.

All manuscripts published in the Journal of Travel Research are double-blind, peer-reviewed by accomplished scholars in the topical area. The standard for publication in the Journal of Travel Research is that a paper must make a substantive contribution, either theoretically or methodologically, to the travel and tourism research literature. Additionally, a paper should specify its contribution to pragmatic tourism management concerns and practice.

Published manuscripts must be on research of the highest standards, on topics of major significance and widespread interest, and relevant to the progress of this important global sector.

• A Matter of Fact
• CAB Abstracts Database
• CABI: Forestry Abstracts
• CABI: Global Health
• CIRET - Centre International de Recherches et d'Etudes Touristiques
• CRN: Business & Industry
• Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
• Clarivate Analytics: Current Contents - Physical, Chemical & Earth Sciences
• Corporate ResourceNET - Ebsco
• Current Citations Express
• EBSCO: Business Source - Main Edition
• EBSCO: Vocational & Career Collection
• Geographical Abstracts: Human Geography
• Land, Life & Leisure
• Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Abstracts (in CAB Abstracts Database)
• MasterFILE - Ebsco
• OmniFile: Full Text Mega Edition (H.W. Wilson)
• Rural Development Abstracts
• Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science)
• Soils and Fertilizers
• TOPICsearch - Ebsco
• Wilson Business Periodicals Index/Wilson Business Abstracts
• World Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Abstracts (in CAB Abstracts Database)

The Journal of Travel Research publishes articles examining the business of travel and tourism development, management, marketing, economics and behavior. Its purpose is to serve as a medium through which those with research interests can exchange ideas and keep abreast of the latest theoretical, methodological and best practices research.

This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics .

Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jotr to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned or rejected.

Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of the Journal of Travel Research will be reviewed.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 6.3 below.

As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

1. What do we publish?

1.1 Aims & Scope

Before submitting your manuscript to the Journal of Travel Research , please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope .

1.2 Article types

Three types of manuscripts can be submitted to the Journal of Travel Research .

1.2.1 Empirical Research Articles

The Journal of Travel Research encourages data-based articles which describe, explain, or predict a tourism phenomenon. Articles using quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods data are encouraged. These articles should be “problem based”, focusing on a practical tourism development, management, marketing or economics problem. The standard for acceptance is that a paper must make a substantive theoretical and/or methodological contribution to the tourism research literature.

1.2.2 Foundations of Tourism Research Conceptual Articles

The  Journal of Travel Research  encourages the development of high-quality articles which are broadly conceptual with the goal of building theory and/or reviewing and evaluating the body of research in a substantive and important area. The goals of these papers should be improved conceptual clarity, holistic review of the current research, theory building and expansion, and innovation with forward looking outcomes that propose new opportunities and ideas. These articles may be wholly conceptual or conceptual/empirical with meta-analytic data. Authors of such articles must be invited, or commissioned by the Editor. Lead authors will be internationally leading experts in the field. Researchers who feel they may be in a position and have an interest in writing such an article must first contact the Editor directly with a detailed proposal (not a manuscript at this stage) including a detailed case as author demonstrating a leading international reputation and expertise to be able to write such an article. If the proposed article potentially meets the above goals and the author demonstrates a clear capacity to produce the article, the Editor will then invite the author(s) to proceed. Articles in this series will nevertheless be evaluated through the normal double-anonymize review process.

1.2.3 Letters to the Editor

The Journal of Travel Research encourages conversation. The purpose of these letters will be to provoke conversation, review our research endeavors, and commentary on our research problems, assumptions, methodologies and evaluation. Also included are comments about our publication process and expectations. Finally, constructive commentary concerning research publications is encouraged.

All Empirical Research Articles and Foundations of Tourism Research Conceptual Articles submitted to the Journal of Travel Research are first assessed by the Editor to determine their suitability for potential publication in JTR . Subsequently, selected manuscripts are then double-anonymize, peer reviewed by accomplished scholars in the topical area. Acceptance of Letters to the Editor will be the prerogative of the Editor. In all cases, the standard for publication in the Journal of Travel Research is that a paper must make a substantive theoretical and/or methodological contribution to the tourism research literature.

1.3 Writing your paper

The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice and on  how to get published , plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance their article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation .

1.3.1 Make your article discoverable

When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online .

1.4 Coronavirus (COVID-19) requirements for manuscripts

COVID-19 has fundamentally affected travel and tourism and therefore impacted the way in which travel and tourism research is conducted and reported. Consequently, manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Travel Research must acknowledge the effect of COVID-19. For this reason, JTR has introduced some additional manuscript submission requirements. Please carefully read the following requirements and ensure you have addressed these appropriately:

• The relevance and usefulness of research conducted pre-COVID-19 will, in general, have declined and in some cases may now be obsolete. How we make use of pre-COVID-19 research to inform post-COVID-19 research design must recognize this reality. A thorough review of the relevant literature is still required, but authors must now acknowledge and discuss the relevance and usefulness of this earlier research in light of COVID-19 developments.
• Researchers who have already collected or used pre-COVID-19 primary data (on or before January 31, 2020) but are yet to finalize their analysis and complete the writing of their manuscript must consider how they may need to address the effect of COVID-19 on their interpretations and conclusions.
• For research involving the collection of data, in part or in whole, after January 31, 2020, during dramatically changing circumstances, will be difficult to analyse and interpret leading to potentially false assumptions and erroneous conclusions. For example, research dealing with tourism consumer behavior cannot ignore how tourism consumers are seeing the world differently. The design, analysis and writing of such research must not ignore this seismic change. Because research topics and circumstances vary so widely, it is not possible to provide prescriptive advice on how researchers must address these challenges; suffice to say that manuscript reviewers will want to clearly see and understand that authors have convincingly addressed such issues in their manuscripts.
• We are of course seeing a large influx of COVID-19-related travel and tourism research. Descriptive research which simply confirms what is already largely known does not meet JTR publication requirements. Hence, when researchers are thinking about potential post-COVID-19 research topics, it would be most helpful if they reflected on this likelihood so that: a) certain topics are not over-researched, and b) the research is not merely descriptive (the what) but is also explanatory (the why) and prescriptive (the how) thereby contributing to theory..

2. Editorial Policies

2.1 Peer review policy

Sage does not permit the use of author-suggested (recommended) reviewers at any stage of the submission process, be that through the web-based submission system or other communication. Reviewers should be experts in their fields and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Our policy is that reviewers should not be assigned to a paper if:

•  The reviewer is based at the same institution as any of the co-authors

•  The reviewer is based at the funding body of the paper

•  The author has recommended the reviewer

•  The reviewer has provided a personal (e.g. Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail) email account and an institutional email account cannot be found after performing a basic Google search (name, department and institution). 

2.2 Review criteria

As a leading journal in travel and tourism research, the standards for publication in JTR  are very high. There are five primary criteria which determine whether a manuscript is suitable for publication, as follows:

• Relevant - the manuscript must be directly relevant to the stated aims and scope of the journal.
• Significant - the subject and outcomes of the research must make a significant, important, and valuable contribution to travel and tourism knowledge and theory.
• Original - the research must be original, new, and leading-edge such that it adds new knowledge to a topic of importance to JTR readership.
• Rigorous - the research design and methodology must be of a very high standard.
• Articulate - the manuscript must achieve a very high standard of English grammar and expression and must communicate all important aspects of the research in a very clear manner.

JTR receives several hundred submissions per year. The page budget for the journal permits us to publish only a small portion of these (around 114 articles per year currently). Hence, the competition for a publication slot is quite high. JTR is therefore unable to publish many of the manuscripts it receives. So, to provide authors with some further guidance on the factors which have the greatest impact on manuscript acceptance/rejection, the following additional points may be helpful as a general guide. JTR  is not primarily a hospitality/hotel management, leisure and recreation management, or even management research journal. Yet, JTR  does publish some research which blends into these fields of research providing the focus of the research has a strong travel and tourism aim.

• JTR publishes papers which are on the ‘leading edge of the wave’ or are breaking new and important ground that will become the foundation for interest in tourism research into the future. JTR seeks to lead travel and tourism research and to help shape the tourism research agenda rather than serving merely as a follower. Many studies are undertaken on topics for which there is already a major body of literature. JTR welcomes further research on these well-established research issues providing they lead to important, new results. This might occur if the research advances findings further into new important situations or helps to fill important gaps. It might also occur if the findings challenge orthodox assumptions and paradigms, or revolutionize knowledge on the issue. But if work on already heavily-researched issues simply adds yet one further similar study to the mix, JTR is unlikely to be interested in publishing the manuscript.
• JTR does not have a bias towards or away from any particular methodologies. What matters is whether the research is designed and executed well, and the research topic is of significant interest. It is important to explain and justify why the selected methodology is the most appropriate from among the various approaches available, given the research aims and objectives.
• Many studies are undertaken with a focus on addressing a particular local situation or context. The results from such studies need to have broader relevance and the context itself should be of widespread interest. The findings may indeed be of great interest and relevance to the local tourism sector, but if findings cannot be generalized to other populations,  JTR is probably not the right target journal.
• Minor English grammar and expression problems can be potentially addressed by the author through the manuscript review process, but major problems will result in rejection. Only manuscripts with a high standard of English in the final manuscript version are publishable. It is always the author’s responsibility to ensure a high English standard.
• Finally, every manuscript is competing for a limited number of publications slots per year. So sometimes very good research can miss out on a place in JTR simply because there are other more deserving manuscripts.

Reviewers are asked to consider and assess each manuscript on a 5-point scale for each of the following 14 items:

• Is the topic directly relevant to the stated aims and scope of JTR ?
• Does the research make a valuable contribution to travel and tourism knowledge and theory?
• Is the research substantially original and leading-edge for publication in JTR ?
• Is the research design rigorous, methodologically sound, and of a high standard?
• Is the manuscript highly articulate and clear? Does it contain a high standard of English grammar and expression?
• Is the literature review appropriate up-to-date?
• Is there a significant theoretical contribution to the literature?
• Is there a significant methodological contribution to the literature?
• Is the methodology sufficiently explained for future research to follow/replicate?
• Are there clearly stated and significant practical and applied contributions in the conclusions of the manuscript?
• Are there clearly stated and significant theoretical contributions in the conclusions of the manuscript?
• Are there clearly stated and significant methodological contributions in the conclusions of the manuscript?
• Are there clearly stated and exhaustive limitations in the conclusions of the manuscript?
• Are conclusions warranted?

2.3 Authorship

All parties who have made a substantive contribution to the article should be listed as authors. Principal authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status. A student is usually listed as principal author on any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation or thesis.

2.3.1 Writing assistance

Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and so should be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance.

It is not necessary to disclose use of language polishing services.

Please supply any personal acknowledgements for writing assistance separately to the main text on the title page only to facilitate anonymous peer review.

Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools .

2.4 Acknowledgements

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support. Please supply any personal acknowledgements separately to the main text and only as part of the title page to facilitate anonymous peer review.

2.4.1 Third party submissions

Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:

• Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
• Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
• Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.

Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves .

2.5 Funding

The Journal of Travel Research requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading.  Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Funding details should be added to the title page only in order to facilitate the anonymous review process.

2.6 Declaration of conflicting interests

The Journal of Travel Research encourages authors to include a declaration of any conflicting interests and recommends you review the good practice guidelines on the Sage Journal Author Gateway .

For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations here .

3. Preparing your manuscript for submission

3.1 Online submission system

Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you carefully read and adhere to all the guidelines and instructions to authors provided herein. The Journal of Travel Research (JTR) is hosted on SageTRACK: a web-based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Please read the guidelines below, and then simply visit https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jotr to login and submit your article online.

Important note: If you are submitting to your journal via Sage Track, please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online, please visit ScholarOne Online Help .

3.2 File formatting

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

Manuscripts are submitted as two or more files. The first file is the title page containing the manuscript title, author names, affiliations, any acknowledgments and declarations, and both postal and e-mail addresses. The other file(s) should contain no information which might reveal the identity of the authors. These files provide the body of the article including the title, abstract, text body, and references. Tables and figures may also be included in this file on separate pages at the end of the manuscript or uploaded as separate files.

3.3 Manuscript preparation

To be considered for publication in the Journal of Travel Research, manuscripts must meet the following standards:

• Everything is double spaced.
• Everything is left justified, with a ragged right-hand margin (no full justification)
• Format is one inch margins on all sides. Minimum print size is 12 point, except in tables and figures where 10 pt may be used.
• Manuscripts are submitted as two files: The cover page and the manuscript body.
• The cover page should include the manuscript title, ALL authors’ name, position, affiliation, address, telephone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, and any acknowledgements. Please use title case when entering the article title into the submission form.
• The manuscript file should contain the title, abstract, 4 to 5 keywords, text, appendices, notes, references, each table, and each figure.
• Authors’ names are to appear only on the cover page. There should be nothing in the manuscript file that identifies the authors either by name or institution.
• Tables and figures are not to be embedded in the manuscript – each table and figure should be provided as a separate page at the end of the manuscript. Tags should be inserted in the manuscript indicating approximately where tables and figures should be located.
• Within the manuscript file, Title, Abstract and keywords should be on one page. After that, each section is to begin with a new page.
• Abstract is to be 150 words or less
• Manuscripts must be 10,000 words or less. This 10,000 word limit includes everything in the manuscript except the title, abstract, keywords, tables, figures and references. Due to page limitations and the desire to accommodate as many authors as possible, this should be considered a hard limit.
• Acronyms are only allowed in the following circumstances: where they represent universally recognised organisations, e.g. UNWTO, NATO, or internationally recognised classifications such as ISO, GDP, or for well recognised scientific methodological terms such as ANOVA, LISREL, PLS and so on. Acronyms are not allowed for field specific terms in any circumstances.
• American English spellings are used in all sections except references. Sage Publications requires English translations of all reference citations.
• Endnotes are to be grouped on a separate page. There are to be no footnotes.
• All in-text citations should be included in the reference list, and all references should have in-text citations.

3.4 Reference style

The Journal of Travel Research uses APA 7th edition formatting. Information on APA reference examples can be found here: https://apastyle.apa.org/ .

3.5 English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services . Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.

3.6 Artwork, figures and other graphics

For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines  

Figures supplied in color will appear in color online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. For specifically requested color reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Sage after receipt of your accepted article.

Figures are to be camera ready – they must appear exactly as they should in the journal. The Journal of Travel Research is published in black and white. Figures should be black and white with gray and pattern shading if necessary. Any color requirements for the printed manuscript version will incur a charge to the author(s).

Tables should not have cells or lines dividing the different elements. Preferably, each element should be separated by a tab.

3.7 Supplementary material

This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc) alongside the full-text of the article. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files

As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID . ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized.

The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.

3.9 Information required for completing your submission

You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

3.10 Permissions

Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway .

4. Manuscript revision requirements

To enable you to revise your manuscript so as to give it the best chances of reaching a successful outcome, please carefully read these guidelines and follow them meticulously. It is essential that you understand that the invitation to revise and resubmit a paper is not a commitment on the part of the Journal of Travel Research to eventually accept and publish the paper. Even if the author addresses the concerns raised in the initial review, the further review of the revised manuscript must determine whether the paper then meets the standards required for publication in JTR .

As you revise your paper for resubmission to the Journal of Travel Research , please make sure it meets the following guidelines. If the paper is ultimately accepted, you will receive the list of formatting requirements again with a “it must meet…” statement. It is critical that you take care to ensure you meet these requirements as it can save a great deal of your time and our time at the typesetting stage.

Please submit your revised paper via the Journal of Travel Research Manuscript Central process. It is important that the paper be submitted as a revision of your first submission. Specifically, this means it would be submitted under the same manuscript number and be treated both by Manuscript Central and by the Editorial Office as a revised paper. This will result in a much faster review process.

Include with your submission a supplementary file indicating how the paper has been revised relative to the substantive comments made by the reviewers of the original version as well as any additional comments or requirements indicated by the Editor as contained in the decision email. It is important that this file be submitted together with the revised manuscript so that it can be forwarded it to the reviewers. This paper must explain how the authors have addressed the concerns raised in the initial review. Subsequent reviews focus specifically on this response. When you finish with your resubmission, you can review a pdf file of the complete submission – make sure the supplementary file is included. Also, since it is potentially going back to the reviewers, please be sure not to include your name or identity in the supplementary file.

To create this supplementary file you should:

• Cut and paste all comments by each reviewer, as well any requirements indicated by the Editor in the decision email.
• For each substantive comment, provide a detailed explanation and justification of your response.
• Your response to each comment should clearly indicate whether or not a change has occurred in the manuscript and, if so, what that change is and precisely where it can be found.
• If you are in disagreement with the reviewer comments or suggestions, or prefer an alternative approach to address an issue they have raised, this is quite acceptable. However, in such cases, you need to discuss and explain your views and justify your preferred approach either not to change the manuscript, or to change it in a different manner. Again, any change should be clearly explained and its location in the manuscript specified.

Attending to these points adequately will significantly benefit the further review of revised manuscripts.

In addition to responding to the reviewer comments, it is important to make sure the paper is current in its review of the literature. Often the manuscript process, from inception to completion, can take many months. It is important that, during each revision process, you update the review of literature, including, as appropriate, how this paper fits within the related papers published in the tourism literature and JTR over the past few years. Please also make sure to check for relevant manuscripts in the JTR Online First ( http://jtr.sagepub.com/content/early/recent ) listing as that is the most current papers that will be published in advance of your paper.

5. On acceptance and publication

5.1 Sage Production

Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly.  Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate.

5.2 Online First publication

Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.

5.3 Access to your published article

Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.

5.4 Promoting your article

Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice. 

6. Publishing Policies

6.1 Publication ethics

Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway

6.1.1 Plagiarism

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Travel journal examples and how to get the most out of a travel journal

A travel journal: your new best friend.

Travel journal examples can spark ideas for your own journal. This matters a great deal because a travel journal can be one of your most helpful travel — make that life — tools. It can serve myriad purposes from recording your thoughts, emotions (an important aspect many overlook) and experiences to being a repository of creative ideas and even artwork. You can use it as a scrapbook, planning tool, contact book, organizer, reference book (for vital information such as passport numbers, hotel addresses, places to visit, etc.) and even a place to hide certain valuables.

It’s simple enough to put information into your travel journal. The hard part is being able to find or extract that information easily later on. But don’t worry. I’ll show you travel journal examples, techniques, hacks and tips for that and more based on decades trying a wide variety of travel journals and approaches. You’ll find these useful whether you’re an old pro at journaling or even if you’ve never used a travel journal before. And be sure to read all the way through this article since the Additional Resources section at the end is loaded with inspiring and helpful travel journal examples and ideas.

Getting started

The first and most important thing to remember is that there is no one right way to set up your travel journal. In fact, I’ve found that the best approach is to just start with something and learn as you go. My first travel journal was basically a daily diary: “Today I did this, etc.” Now, however, I use it in a very different matter. But it all comes down to this: What is the purpose of your travel journal?

Two typical entries from my first travel journal on my first trip to Europe in high school. I have upped my travel journal game a bit since then, or so I hope.

This is such an important question because it will guide what kind of notebook/journal/sketchbook you use, how you organize it and how you interact with it. If you’re just starting out, you may not even know your purpose other than to record your experiences. That’s fine. Start there. Then refine over time.

For me, I see my travel journal as a collection tool for travel drawing and notes where I gather ideas, sketches, some to-do’s, trip details and anything else that interests me. But the main difference between this and most journals is that as a tool, I want to use my journal after I return. Not just for nostalgic reminisces on my trip, but to glean from it what I’ve learned, gained and become. I’ll explain this more momentarily.

Picking the right journal

Again, I’m not sure there is a universal “right” travel journal. Your goal is to find what works for you. You can start by determining if you want a blank notebook or a travel journal that comes with prompts, quotes, organizing categories, etc. Here’s a helpful list of 17 travel journals to give you a sense of travel journal examples and possibilities. Mostly, consider if you want to do travel drawing or even painting in your travel journal. If so, you’ll want thicker paper that won’t warp with the water or bleed through with ink. You likely will want blank pages, as opposed to lines, grids or dots.

Just as there’s no right or wrong size (just what works for you), so too is the orientation up to you. As you can see here, I sketched holding the journal in a portrait orientation (left page) but wrote (right page, partial) using a landscape orientation. Both work.

If you want to use it as a form of a scrapbook, get one with pockets or that is expandable enough for when you’ve doubled the thickness with all those tickets, stamps, samples of currency, bottle labels and other elements you’ve glued to the pages.

Buying a nice looking or feeling notebook or journal can be motivating. But getting too nice of a notebook to use can be intimidating: You’ll be afraid to do any travel drawing or mess it up. Thus, I suggest starting somewhere in the middle. Find a journal or notebook that will hold up well (hard covers help in this regard), but isn’t so expensive you’ll only want to use it on special occasions. 

Even fancy patterns on your pages can be fun. I tend to prefer blank pages, but sometimes I’ll try different patterns just to mix things up.

Your travel journal is more of a workhorse than a show pony (though sometimes a bit of that too later on). You’ll get far more out of one you use all the time, where you write, do travel drawing or urban sketching, doodle and record with the intent that only you will ever see it. If you choose to show it to others later, fine. But don’t make that your main goal, at least as a beginner, or you’ll never get the most out of your journal.

How will you use your travel journal?

Back to purpose, you can choose to have a general-use journal or one devoted only to your trips (or to a particular trip). I have done both, and there are pros and cons to each. A journal for all situations allows you to connect everything you do so that if a great work idea hits you on a trip, you can reference back to a meeting about that, etc. You can also find things easier in some ways since your whole life, trip or home/work, is laid out in a chronological fashion in one book.

Here’s a recent journal of mine that I use daily, as well as for trips. You can see the basic outline for this article here that I wrote on the plane on a business trip. How do I know it was on a trip? From the notation that the sketch was done from a photo in the airplane’s magazine somewhere between Baltimore (BWI) and Seattle (SEA)

A really popular approach these days to general journals is the Bullet Journal . Many people swear by this way of organizing their journal and their life. I love many of the ideas found in bullet journaling. But I choose not to follow that approach completely. Why? Bullet journaling is primarily intended as a productivity tool. I personally don’t find it helpful in that regard because, for example, tracking all my calendar events and moment-by-moment to-do’s in a journal slows me down.

Combine digital and analog

Instead, I use a combination of Outlook, Trello , Evernote and Scrivener (the latter two for organizing ideas and writing projects or content) on my phone and computer. The main reason for tracking tasks digitally is that they roll over automatically. I don’t have to constantly move them manually from one day, week or month to-do list to the next.

But the main reason I don’t use the bullet journal methodology for my travel journal is that when I travel, productivity is not my goal. Exploration and discovery are. I use my travel journal to capture what I learn as I explore the world around me and the world within me wherever I go.

On a trip, I’m less interested in productivity than in explaining why this sketch was hard to do well.

In the last few years, I’ve taken up sketching and even watercolors, so for me, I now maintain a separate travel journal for each major trip. I use one that has thicker watercolor paper, so on a three-week trip, I can pretty much fill up the whole book. But for shorter trips, I do use my day-to-day journal. And I’ve even done both: Used my day-to-day journal to record words and a smaller sketchbook for travel drawing or watercolors. Again, no right or wrong way to do this. Just start with an approach and build from there.

Organizing your travel journal

What follows is how I organize my travel journal. It’s the same way I do my day-to-day journal but with some additional pages in the end for travel-specific information. My purpose, remember, is to capture ideas, information and experiences and then to be able to use these later. For that reason, the most helpful part of my journal is the index. I’ll explain that in a moment along with travel journal examples, but here’s what else goes into my journal.

Starting with a brand new empty journal

The first thing I do with a new journal is to put my name, cell phone number and email address on the inside cover.

Next, if the journal doesn’t have a rear pocket, I make one or glue/tape in a small envelope that fits on the inside of the rear cover.

If you glue in your own, consider hiding a few large denomination bills, both dollars and the local currency, behind the envelope or anything else you tape or glue inside the covers. It’s a great place for hiding back-up money. It works because once you start using your travel journal regularly, you’ll find it is one of your most precious possessions. You’ll learn to guard it like your wallet, passport or phone.

These are just some of the many travel journals I’ve filled up over the years.

In addition to the pocket or envelope in your journal, consider bringing a quart or gallon-sized zip lock bag to hold all the small items you pick up along the way. I used to shove them into pockets in my carry-on bag, but having a single location now keeps them from getting lost or mangled. And it keeps my travel journal from looking like George Costanza’s wallet on Seinfeld . This same bag can hold a glue stick, paper clips or anything else you want for adding items to your journal.

Start in the front and work back

I track everything chronologically noting the date at the top of each day’s entry. If it spans multiple pages, I’ll write “(cont.)” after the date on later spreads so I know to keep looking for the start of that day when I review the entry later.

I work in this chronological fashion for recording most of my entries because I find it flows better to write the item down right away and then figure out how to classify it later. I set up indexes in the back for classifying and locating the entry. But that comes as a review step, not a creative or collecting function.

What to write

Starting at the front section of the travel journal, I may use the very first page as a title page if the journal is devoted to a single trip. Otherwise, I skip over that page and then start with the date of the start of the trip and then just keep going from there. Here are the types of content I write/draw along with some of my travel journal examples:

Sometimes, I’ll devote a whole page or spread to nothing but sketches.

• General thoughts . These make up the majority of my journal and are what you’d expect in any journal.
• Sketches . I’m still just a beginner, but I’ve committed to one sketch per day, at home or on a trip. Sometimes they are involved. Others (most of the time), are just a quick gesture. But the discipline helps improve my skill.
• A daily log . At the end of each day, I do a very quick list of summary activities, where I went, who I met, what I did. I actually note it like this: “(Log 11/27/19 – Wed.):” so that I can see at a glance what were log entries versus other ideas. For logs, the shorter the better. Here’s where bullet journal techniques can help: Record a few words as a bullet rather than full sentences. At the end of every daily log, I also record two specific items in addition log entries themselves, gratitude points and what I’ve read or watched.
• Gratitude points : I jot down what I call a Goodness Journal (abbreviated as GJ) entry. This is the highlight of my day for which I am most grateful. On trips, this can often end up being multiple points.
• Read/Watched : The second additional component is what I call Read/Watched (R/W) where I list any books I’ve read that day or any movies, programs, concerts, etc. that I watched. It can include podcasts and anything else you want to track. Before I started doing this, I’d get to the end of the year and couldn’t recall all the books I’d read. Now I can just by referring back to these entries.
• Insights and Ideas . Most of my journal at home is filled with these. On trips, these happen more on plane, train or bus rides than every single day. But they could happen any time which is why I keep a pocket-sized travel journal with me or at least a note card or my phone so I can write the idea down immediately.
• Quotes . These can be formal written ones I encounter or snippets of conversations I overhear. As a writer, I want to always be gathering dialog examples or clever turns of phrases.
• To-dos. Yes, I said I record these digitally for the daily tasks. But sometimes on trips, you have opportunities for dreaming and planning. I mark all to-do’s with a checkbox I can fill in later. I like the bullet journal way they do this as well (a dot instead of a box).

I had a gentleman in China demonstrate his woodblock stamps by stamping some examples in my journal. You can paste in stamps, tickets, receipts, postcards or any other artifacts from your trip onto your journal pages as you go (if you remember to bring some glue or paste).

• Descriptions . These are either quick notes on what I’m seeing, hearing, tasting or tasting, or longer ways to capture the details of a place. See Look Closely for details on how to do this as a way to learn to see details better or to write better based on your travels. I also make sure to write down the names of places, people, food, local expressions and anything else I want to write about later. Don’t assume you’ll remember it or can look it up later. Write it down.
• Miscellaneous . I’ve had artists draw in my journal, had people stamp it (see photo above), record different colors of beverages spilled or intentionally dripped on it and a wealth of other things added. Be open to how you can use your journal. Or for fun, try this exercise: Come up with as many ways as you can think of to use your travel journal on your next trip.

The back of the journal

The front of the journal is used for a chronological input of information each day (or whenever you choose). The goal there is to record the idea, insight, drawing or information just like in a diary. The back of the journal is where you’ll organize it all for later retrieval.

Working from the last page backwards, I set up a series of index or topic pages (see the list below) where I record anything related to that topic either verbatim (if I have the time and forethought to write it down there such as contact info or a quote I came across) or as a page number reference and summary line from the front of the journal (hence the reason these back-of-the-journal pages are called Index Pages).

For me, I find that most index sections only require one page (e.g. for Contacts or Travel Details) but I leave two pages for Ideas or Vocabulary since they tend to have more entries. I write small (some would say ridiculously small), so if you don’t, you may want to leave more room.

Review your entries and record them for easier retrieval

I don’t assign page numbers as I write in the front of the journal. Instead, I jot down a page number later, maybe daily, maybe weekly, as I review my journal. Writing down the page number during the review phase shows me which pages have been indexed. No page number indicates it still needs to be indexed. As I review each page, I also code the entries themselves on the journal pages by highlighting the topic or assigning a word or letter to let me know what it is. For example, if there’s a quote, I will write “Quote” and circle it right before the quote. For blog ideas, I’ll write “blog” and circle that, etc. If  an idea that has distinct merit, I’ll draw a star next to it. Particular project ideas get a corresponding code, e.g. if it’s about  my book on Hidden Travel,   I’ll write “HT” and circle that. The whole point is to make it easier to spot the entry when you’re reviewing the page later.

Here you can (hopefully) see how I’ve written and circled page numbers at the top and put a box around the word “Quote” on the left page and “Visual appeal article” on the right page. Then, on the Quotes index page, I’ll write “108” and circle it with a quick notation like, “E.B. White on saving/savoring the world.” On the Ideas index page, I’ll write “109” and circle it with the notation, “Visual Appeal article questions.”

In case you’re wondering why the index/topic pages go in the back and not in the front like a table of contents, it’s because I often add topics as I progress through the journal. Working from the back gives me room to add new pages whereas if I’d started from the front and I didn’t guess correctly, I’d be out of room before running into my journal entries.

Travel journal examples of Pre-Trip Items

Some of my index/topic pages get filled in (or at least started) before my trip either as planning or to load my travel journal with important information to have on my trip. Here are some travel journal examples of the key sections.

Here’s a travel journal example of a shot list from my China trip journal. I tend to write pretty small in the back section of a journal! The whited out area was my passport number in code. Writing key information on pages with other entries makes it even less obvious this is something valuable.

• Vocabulary. On trips to countries where I’m learning the language, I’ll add new vocabulary words here usually starting long before the trip. These are key words to practice, as well as new ones I pick up as I travel.
• Shot list . When planning my trip, as a photographer, I make a list of specific places, scenes, techniques I want to try or even times of day I want to shoot. Check out my Beginner’s Guide to Making Awesome Travel Photos for more on this and other travel photo techniques. In addition, as I review guidebooks or articles, I’ll add interesting places to this list. Even if you’re not a photographer, you can make a list of “must see” places or “must do” experiences or activities. Writing them down really helps because it makes it so easy to find all these in one place rather than hunting through a guidebook or other pages on your trip.
• Themes and Moments . This is yet another pre-trip fill-in page. I try to come up with a theme or quest for each trip. Writing down ideas about that or defining it really adds to the anticipation of the trip. On this page, I’ll also jot down ideas for creating magic or defining moments for others on the trip. This includes ideas for the activities or contact info for places or people that will be part of the activity.

Travel journal examples of elements to add as you travel

Here are some typical index/topic pages in the back of my travel journal that get filled in as I go:

• Contact information . I keep a separate page to record the names, email addresses, etc. of people I meet along the way. If, in a hurry, I just write down a name and email address in the front-of-the-book journaling section. I’ll later record the page number and contact name on the page here so all I can find all my contacts in one place later.
• Ideas . This becomes a catchall for any creative ideas I’ve had. I normally start with the page number(s) followed by a brief summary such as “27 – 29: Dining room chair design” or “73: Article on architecture styles in Morocco.”

Here’s a specific travel journal example, the Ideas Index Page from my China trip journal. I had started the page on the left as a vocabulary list but made room from more ideas when I ran out of space on the page on the right.

• Books and Movies . This too is a catchall for any form of entertainment I want to read. I constantly get book and movie (and even song or podcast) recommendations as I travel that I add here with an open check box. I also record books I’ve finished to this list noting those with a checked box.
• Quotes . As noted above, these may be written quotes I come across or snippets of dialog I pick up. I either write the quote here directly or reference the journal page where I wrote the quote with a reminder such as “53-quote from Leipzig waitress on timing.”

You can do a trip highlights page on the flight home, but sometimes it helps to record a summary of details in the midst of your trip of things that stand out to you.

• To-do’s. I said I like to keep my travel journal free from productivity and time management, but I always have big-picture to-do activities that arise on a trip. I’ll record these as I go in the journal section, but for longer-term ones I don’t want to lose track of, I sometimes add a to-do index as well in the back of the journal. This can also be a great place to record future planning ideas for things you want to accomplish after your trip.
• Trip highlights . I’ll normally note the big moments in the journal section as they occur. But often on the flight home, I like to review these and capture them all in one place with the page reference and a brief notation. I may also add in additional ones at this point because sometimes, you don’t realize how powerful or meaningful a moment was at the time.

When your journal is full

Eventually, you’ll fill up your journal with entries. You’ll then review and have every page numbered with key entries noted in your index pages. Then what?

I use Scrivener (for writing projects) and Evernote (for others) as software/apps to track ideas over time. Thus, when I finish a journal, I go copy the content from my index pages into one of these digital programs.

There are several reasons for this. First, it helps to have all your ideas over time in one place so you can view them easier. Second, with the online tools, I can tag content by subject making retrieval later much easier. Most of us focus our efforts on having ideas and maybe writing them down. But those ideas won’t serve you well if you can’t find them later. Finally, putting everything into one place helps me see patterns and related ideas which, in turn, sparks new ideas.

It all relates to the concept of Collect, Connect and Share. If all you’re doing is collecting, you’re missing out on the main value of your journal.

Make a copy

This may be overkill to some, but my journals are precious repositories of life. I would hate to lose them. I could dictate the contents and transcribe that, but I don’t have that kind of time. Instead, Evernote comes to the rescue.

The Evernote app has a photo function. I open the app and take pictures of every spread or page of my journal. I save the results as an Evernote file and can even tag it by date, country or other criteria. It then resides on the cloud (and I also do a back-up on a drive at home). That way, if the original gets lost, I know that all those memories are secure.

Let’s review

Here’s a summary of the key points:

• Know the purpose for your journal
• Choose the type of journal based on your intended purpose.
• Start with something that’s not too nice so that you’re not afraid to mark it up.
• Keep daily entries in the front and a list of index pages in the back of the journal.
• Periodically review your journal entries. As you do, number each page and record that page number and a brief reminder on the appropriate index page.
• At the end of each journal, photograph each page and save to a secure location. Then enter the index information into whatever tool you use for tracking all of your ideas over time.

Additional resources and travel journal examples

Here are other resources and travel journal examples to both inspire and help you get the most out of your travel journal:

• A helpful article with visuals of different travel journal examples
• Writer and artist Austin Kleon’s comments on notebooks 
• Travel journal examples (and notebooks) of author Robert MacFarlane 
• Some additional travel journal examples and notebook types
• The Sketchbook Projec t, one of my favorite places to visit in Brooklyn, NY and a great source of inspiration for sketchbooks. If you’re looking for a single place for travel journal examples, it is this one. Here are just a few screen shots of some random travel journal examples I looked up by Julia Yellow . There are thousands of such journals at this site.

• If you really enjoy the travel drawing aspect of a travel journal, you might want to connect with the whole Urban Sketchers movement and see travel journal examples that include urban sketching. Here’s an example of an urban sketch by Stephanie Bower . I took some of her architectural sketching courses online at Bluprint and they were excellent.

Parting thoughts

Finally, if you want even more travel journal examples and information, be sure to read Lavinia Spalding’s excellent book on the subject, Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler. Here’s one of many great quotes from the book:

“If we’re committed to honest investigation, the travel journal can be a cornerstone of growth and a catalyst for great work, providing a safe container for astonishing discoveries and the life lessons we take away from them. We write words in an empty book, and an inanimate object is transformed into a living, breathing memoir. In turn, as we write, the journal transforms us. It allows us to instantly process impressions, which leads to a more examined layer of consciousness in both the present and the future. It’s a relationship, and let me tell you, it’s no cheap one-night stand.”

You might want to consider writing that quote down in your travel journal. Either in the daily entries or on the quotes index page. Or however you want to do it. It’s your travel journal and the possibilities are endless.

Thanks Steve! Informative and creative. Your sketching is lovely, too! Merry Christmas to you and the fam

Thanks, Alan. I was just editing a section in my upcoming book, “Hidden Travel,” on the subject of sketching and the advice I was given by Gabriel Campinario, founder of Urban Sketchers. He told me to never apologize or say, “Oh, I’m just a beginner” when someone compliments your sketching because no matter how bad you think it is, it is still better than that of the 99% of the population who never attempts to draw. So I will leave it at, “Thank you!”

[…] I mainly get inspiration from a Reddit group called Journaling, and also I get a few ideas on making travel journals. Despite it being fun to do having a physical notebook, at times it can be difficult to finish them […]

You’ve inspired me to resume creating tiny travel journals, with scrapbook like additions. I use photo double sided stickies, not glue. Someone asked what do I do with these? As if creating isn’t pleasurable. I often use them as primary sources to create photobooks. Along with my Bird lists.🐦😁.

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How to Start and Keep a Travel Journal: A Guide to Travel Diaries

When you capture your memories, you’ll never lose them.

Traveling is a transformative and enriching experience – and one of the best ways to capture and preserve those memories is by keeping a travel journal. A travel journal serves as a personal record of your adventures, reflections, and emotions throughout your journey.

A travel journal offers numerous benefits and can become a cherished keepsake for years to come. Here is a comprehensive guide on how to start and keep a travel journal – and how to make the most of your journaling experience.

Why Keep a Travel Journal?

Keeping a travel journal is a gateway to a treasure trove of memories , self-reflection , and creative expression . From preserving the details of your journeys to unlocking personal growth, a travel journal is definitely worthwhile. Let’s uncover the magic of travel journaling together.

Preserving Memories

Preserving memories is crucial when it comes to maintaining a travel journal. It is essential to capture the moments and experiences during your trips. Here are some techniques to effectively preserve your memories:

– Write comprehensive descriptions of the places, individuals, and activities you encounter. It is important to be vivid and use expressive language in your writing.

– Capture photographs of the landscapes, landmarks, and memorable moments you come across.

– Keep tickets, receipts, and other mementos from your travels as keepsakes.

– Maintain a daily log of your activities, thoughts, and emotions throughout the journey.

– Consider recording voice memos to encompass ambient sounds and conversations, which will add depth to your memories.

– Document the people you meet on your journey, including their names and stories .

Incorporating these practices into your travel journal will allow you to effectively preserve your memories for the years to come.

Self-Reflection and Personal Growth

Self-reflection and personal growth are essential aspects of travel journaling. When you take the time to introspect and process your experiences and emotions, you not only gain a deeper understanding of yourself but also foster personal growth .

Here are five effective ways to enhance self-reflection and personal growth through your travel journal:

1. Embracing emotions : Use your journal to describe your feelings and emotions during your travels. This practice can help you process and comprehend your emotional responses.

2. Contemplating experiences : Take the opportunity to write about the impactful moments, challenges, and lessons you encounter. By doing so, you can gain valuable insights, learn, and grow.

3. Recognizing strengths and weaknesses : Assess your reactions to various situations and identify areas where you excel as well as struggle. This self-awareness will optimize your personal growth.

4. Establishing personal goals : Utilize your journal to set realistic development goals for yourself. For instance, if you tend to be shy, challenge yourself to interact with locals. Regularly reflect on these goals and track your progress.

5. Documenting achievements : Take the time to celebrate your accomplishments in your journal. Whether it’s conquering fears, trying new activities, or pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, recognizing these achievements will boost your self-confidence and inspire further growth.

By actively engaging in self-reflection and personal growth through your travel journal, you can maximize your travel experiences and create positive changes that spill over into various aspects of your life.

Creative Outlet

Travel journaling provides you with a valuable creative outlet that allows you to express yourself and document your experiences in unique ways.

There are several methods through which travel journaling serves as a creative outlet:

1. Writing: You can vividly describe your adventures, including the places you visit, the people you meet, and the emotions you experience. By skillfully using descriptive language, you can bring your experiences to life on the pages of your journal.

2. Drawing and Sketching: If you possess artistic abilities, you can visually represent your travels through sketches and drawings. You have the opportunity to capture breathtaking landscapes or intricate architectural wonders.

3. Collages and Scrapbooking: Incorporating various mementos such as pictures, tickets, and postcards can elevate your travel journaling experience. By artfully arranging these items, you can create visually appealing collages that effectively capture your journey.

4. Mapping and Planning: You may enjoy incorporating maps and itineraries into your journals. By using different colors, markers, and symbols, you can highlight your routes, points of interest, and even plan future adventures.

5. Poetry and Prose: Travel journals offer a platform for you to explore your emotions and experiences through poetry, short stories, and song lyrics. This allows you to express your thoughts and reflections in a profound and meaningful way.

Incorporating a creative outlet into travel journaling enhances the overall experience, enabling you to express yourself artistically. It adds a personal and unique touch to your journals, reflecting your unique personality and perspective.

Editor’s Note : You don’t have to be a famed artist to enjoy adding artistic touches to your journal – even a postcard can help you capture a moment or memory, it’s art!

How to Start a Travel Journal?

You might be wondering, “Where do I start?”

You’ll need to start with a journal and a journey. Consider the following guidelines as you choose and prepare to record an adventure you’ll never forget. Are you ready to dive into the world of travel journaling and embark on an adventure of self-expression and reflection?

Choose the Right Journal

When selecting a journal, it’s important to choose one that suits your needs and preferences. Consider the following factors:

Consider these factors to choose the right journal that meets your needs and enhances your travel journaling experience.

Determine Your Journaling Style

When it comes to travel journaling, determine your style. This helps capture your travel experiences authentically and true to your voice. Consider these factors when determining your style:

1. Writing or Visual: Decide if you prefer writing or capturing your thoughts and experiences through drawings, sketches, or collages. Some may prefer a combination.

2. Length and Detail: Consider how much detail you want in your journal entries. Do you enjoy writing long and descriptive passages or shorter, more concise entries? This determines entry length and depth.

3. Structure: Think about if you prefer a structured journal with a specific format like a daily log or reflection on specific trip aspects. Alternatively, you may prefer a free-flowing and spontaneous approach.

4. Multimedia Elements: Decide if you want to include additional elements like travel photos, tickets, or souvenirs. These bring memories to life and add a visual dimension.

Remember, your journaling style can evolve and change over time. The important thing is to find a resonating style that effectively captures your travel experiences. Experiment with different approaches and embrace the freedom to authentically express yourself. Happy journaling!

Gather Essential Supplies

To gather essential supplies for your travel journal, follow these steps:

1. Choose a journal: Select a journal that fits your style and preferences. Consider factors like page count, paper thickness, and lay-flat design for easy writing.

2. Pens and markers: Bring a variety of writing tools , including pens, markers, and highlighters, to add color and creativity to your journal.

3. Sticky notes and adhesive: Pack sticky notes or adhesive to incorporate extra elements like tickets, postcards, or photos into your journal. This will make your journal visually appealing.

4. Travel accessories: Consider including travel-specific items such as a small pouch for souvenirs, a ruler for straight lines or measurements, or a pocket-sized travel guide for reference.

5. Accessories for organization: Keep your journal organized with accessories like paper clips, binder clips, or page flags. These can be useful for marking important pages or sections.

6. Glue or tape: If you plan to add larger or heavier items to your journal, such as brochures or maps, bring glue or tape to securely attach them.

7. Travel-friendly storage: Make sure you have a sturdy and compact bag or case to store all your journaling supplies in one place. This will make it easier to access them while traveling.

Remember, the purpose of gathering essential supplies is to enhance your journaling experience and creativity. Consider which items will be most useful and enjoyable for you personally.

What to Include in Your Travel Journal?

Keeping a travel journal is the perfect way to capture the essence of your adventures. You have a lot of options when it comes to what to include – especially if you’re detailed oriented. Here are some of the major players.

Daily Itinerary and Activities

When traveling and keeping a journal, you may want to document your daily itinerary and activities. Here are some key points to consider:

– Record your daily activities: Write down the places you visit, the attractions you see, and the activities you engage in each day. This helps you remember the details and experiences.

– Date and timestamp your entries: Include the date and time of each activity in your journal. This creates a chronological account of your journey.

– Include details and descriptions: Be descriptive in your writing, capturing the sights, sounds, and smells of each activity. Use vivid language to paint a picture of your experiences.

– Add personal reflections: Alongside your itinerary, include your thoughts and feelings about each activity. Reflect on how the experience impacted you and what you learned from it.

– Document any challenges or surprises: Note any unexpected obstacles or pleasant surprises you encountered during your activities. This adds depth and authenticity to your travel narrative.

– Attach mementos: Include tickets, brochures, or other physical items related to your daily activities. These mementos bring back memories and enhance your journal entries.

Remember, the goal of documenting your daily itinerary and activities is to create a comprehensive record of your trip. By capturing the details and emotions of each day, you’ll be able to relive your travel experiences in the future. Happy journaling!

Impressions and Emotions

Impressions and emotions are crucial aspects when capturing the essence of travel experiences. By actively describing and reflecting on them, you have the ability to construct a vibrant and meaningful travel journal.

• To start, describe your impressions by taking note of the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that stand out to you when visiting a new place. Utilize descriptive language to effectively convey the atmosphere and essence of the location. For instance, instead of simply stating “the beach was beautiful,” vividly describe the vibrant colors of the sunset reflecting off the water, the delightful scent of the salty breeze, and the comforting sensation of warm sand between your toes.
• Describe the enticing taste of local delicacies, the texture of cobblestone streets beneath your feet, or the vibrant array of colors at a bustling market. Engaging multiple senses not only makes your journal entry more immersive but also evokes a more vivid recollection .
• It is important to reflect on your emotions while traveling. Travel often evokes a range of emotions, such as excitement, awe, nostalgia, and introspection . Write about how certain moments or experiences made you feel. Did you experience a surge of adrenaline while embarking on a chalenging hiking trail? Were you filled with a sense of wonder and reverence when visiting a historic site? By capturing your emotions in words, you are able to evoke and relive those unforgettable moments while comprehending their impact.
• Express your personal connections in your journal. Share how you connected with the individuals you encountered during your journey. Write about the meaningful conversations you had, the friendships you formed, or the cultural exchanges that touched your heart. These personal connections and interactions leave a lasting impression and add depth to your travel journal.
• Reflect on your personal growth as a result of your travels. Travel provides unique opportunities for self-discovery and personal development. Contemplate how your experiences challenged you, pushed you out of your comfort zone, or broadened your perspectives. Write about the valuable lessons you learned and how you have grown as an individual. Reflecting on personal growth helps to further enrich your travel journal.

By prioritizing and focusing on impressions and emotions in your travel journal, you can create a comprehensive and meaningful record of your adventures. This record will effectively transport you back to those treasured moments whenever you revisit your journal.

Photos, Tickets, and Souvenirs

Photos, tickets, and souvenirs are important for travel journals to capture and preserve trip memories. Here are reasons why these items are valuable:

– Photos: Capture landscapes, views, and moments of travel. They serve as visual reminders of places and experiences.

– Tickets: Save tickets from attractions, museums, shows, or events attended during the trip. These tickets transport you back to the exact date and time of something new and exciting.

– Souvenirs: Physical mementos that evoke powerful memories of travel. They can be notes, postcards, shop receipts, or even food wrappers. Souvenirs remind you of the culture, traditions, and unique aspects of the destination.

By including photos, tickets, and souvenirs, you create a comprehensive record of your experiences. These items add depth and richness to your written descriptions , allowing you to relive your adventures more tangibly. Photos serve as visual aids to jog your memory and bring back specific details of each location visited. Similarly, tickets and souvenirs help recall specific events or attractions interacted with during the trip.

Tips for Effective Travel Journaling

Looking to up your travel journal game? Say goodbye to mundane travel entries and hello to captivating narratives that will transport you and your readers back to your adventures in a heartbeat. Ready to unleash your inner storyteller and create a travel journal that will truly stand the test of time?

Here are our top tips.

Write Regularly

To maximize your travel journal’s effectiveness, it is crucial to write regularly. By consistently recording your experiences, thoughts, and feelings, you can capture the essence of your travels and create a vibrant and meaningful record.

1. Set a schedule : Establish a routine for journaling, whether in the evening before bed or during breakfast each morning. By incorporating journaling into your daily routine, you ensure that you don’t forget to record important moments and details.

2. Make it a habit : Treat journaling as a regular practice, like brushing your teeth or exercising. By prioritizing journaling and making it a non-negotiable part of your day, you are more likely to write regularly and consistently – at home or away.

3. Write in the moment : Don’t wait too long before jotting down your experiences. Memories fade quickly, and by writing while the details are still fresh in your mind, you can capture the nuances and emotions of each adventure.

4. Keep it simple : You don’t need to write a lengthy essay every time you journal. Sometimes, a few sentences or bullet points can be enough to jog your memory and capture the essence of the moment. Focus on the key highlights and impressions that stand out to you.

5. Use prompts and writing techniques : If you’re feeling stuck, use prompts or writing techniques to stimulate your creativity. Try freewriting, list-making, or describing a specific sensory experience. This can help generate ideas and deepen your journal entries.

By writing regularly, you will cultivate a substantial collection of travel memories for future reflection. So, make it a habit, be consistent, and enjoy the process of documenting your adventures. Happy journaling!

Be Descriptive and Detailed

Keeping a travel journal requires being descriptive and detailed. This allows you to capture the essence of your travel experiences and create vivid memories. Besides sharing sensory descriptions and your emotions and responses , here are some tips to help you be descriptive and detailed in your travel journal:

1. Include colorful anecdotes : Share interesting stories, encounters, or observations that stood out to you during your travels. These anecdotes add depth and personality to your journal entries.

2. Add context : Provide background information about the places you visit. This can include historical facts, cultural traditions, or local customs. It helps create a richer understanding of the destinations you explore.

3. Use quotes and dialogue : Incorporate conversations you had with locals or fellow travelers, as well as any memorable quotes or phrases that resonated with you. This adds authenticity and liveliness to your journal.

Being descriptive and detailed in your travel journal creates a personal time capsule of your adventures . So, grab your journal, embrace your inner storyteller, and let your words transport you back to those incredible moments you experienced while traveling.

It can also enhance memory retention – writing about experiences in detail helps solidify memories and improve recall.

Keeping Your Travel Journal Safe

When it comes to keeping your travel journal safe, there are a couple of important considerations to keep in mind. With the increasing use of technology, finding the right methods for digital backup is crucial. Safeguarding your physical journals from loss or damage is also a key aspect of preserving your travel experiences.

Let’s explore the best practices for keeping your travel journal safe and secure!

Digital Backup

When it comes to keeping your travel journal safe and secure, digital backup is essential. Here are some options to protect your travel journal:

• Cloud Storage: Use Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud to upload digital copies of your travel journal. This way, even if you lose or damage your physical journal, you can always access your entries from any device with an internet connection.
• External Hard Drive: Backup your travel journal regularly with an external hard drive. These devices have large storage capacities, allowing you to store written entries, photos, and videos.
• USB Flash Drive: Keep a USB flash drive specifically for your travel journal backups. These portable devices are compact and easy to carry, ensuring you always have a backup copy of your journal.
• Email Yourself: Send digital copies of your journal entries to your email address. This serves as a quick and convenient backup method accessible from anywhere.

In addition to these options, it is advisable to password-protect your digital backups for added security. Remember to regularly update your backups and store them separately from your physical journal to minimize the risk of losing all your travel memories.

By implementing one or more of these digital backup methods, you can have peace of mind knowing that your travel journal is safeguarded, and your cherished memories are securely preserved. So go ahead and embark on your next adventure, knowing that your travel journal is backed up and ready to capture every moment.

Protecting Physical Journals

Protecting physical journals is crucial to ensure the safety and longevity of travel memories. To safeguard your travel journal, consider the following tips:

– Use a sturdy cover : Opt for a durable journal , like a hardcover or leather-bound notebook , to prevent tearing or damage.

– Waterproof protection : Invest in a waterproof journal cover or use a plastic sleeve to shield your journal from spills or rain, preserving your writing – especially if you’re hiking or camping with it.

– Keep it separate : Avoid storing your journal with sharp objects or liquids. Use a dedicated pouch or compartment in your bag to minimize accidents.

– Store in a safe place : When not in use, store your journal in a secure and dry location , away from sunlight and extreme temperatures to prevent fading or warping.

– Back it up : Make digital copies or scans of your journal pages to mitigate the risk of loss or damage. Store them securely on your computer, external hard drive, or cloud storage.

– Handle with care : Use clean hands and gentle handling to preserve the binding and keep the pages intact.

By following these precautions, you can protect your travel journal and ensure it remains a treasure of memorable experiences for years to come.

Interesting fact : The oldest surviving travel diary dates back to the 2nd century AD. It was written by a Roman soldier named Aulus Plautius , who documented his exploration of Britain !

Sharing Your Travel Journal

When sharing your travel journal, follow these steps to effectively communicate your experiences to others so they can experience your adventure with you all over again.

– Organize your entries : Arrange your journal entries in a logical order, either chronologically or by location. This helps readers follow your journey and understand its progression.

– Include visuals : Alongside your written entries, add photographs, postcards, or sketches that capture the essence of your travels. Visuals enhance readers’ understanding and create a more immersive experience.

– Be descriptive : Use vivid and detailed language to describe the places, people, and experiences you encountered. Paint a picture with your words so that readers can feel like they are there with you.

– Share personal insights : Include your thoughts, reflections, and emotions in your journal entries. This adds a personal touch and allows readers to connect with your experiences on a deeper level.

– Consider your audience : Think about who you want to share your journal with. If it’s a close group of family and friends, you can be more intimate and less formal in your writing. If you plan to publish or share your journal with a wider audience, make sure your tone and content are appropriate.

– Set boundaries : While sharing your travel experiences can be exciting, respect the privacy of others. Be mindful of what you include in your journal and obtain consent before sharing personal stories or photographs involving other individuals.

Sharing your travel journal allows you to relive your adventures and inspire others to explore the world. So grab your pen, gather your memories, and let your words transport you and your readers to the incredible places you’ve visited.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. how can a travel journal be beneficial for business purposes.

By keeping a travel journal, you can jot down ideas and inspiration for business ventures during your trips. It allows you to document potential collaborations, networking opportunities, and innovative concepts that can be implemented in your work.

2. What are some pre-departure ideas to spark travel journal ideas?

Before leaving for your trip, consider researching the history and culture of your destination. This can help spark ideas for what to include in your travel journal, such as unique landmarks, local customs, or traditional cuisine.

3. How can a travel journal help with post-holiday ideas?

After your trip, reviewing your travel journal can jog your memory and inspire ideas for future vacations. You can reflect on your favorite experiences, places you want to revisit, or even new destinations you discovered during your previous trip.

4. What are some different versions of travel journaling?

There are various ways to approach travel journaling, including “just the facts,” storytelling, envelope-style, scrapbook style, and sketchbook. Each version offers a unique way to document and remember your trips, allowing you to choose the style that suits you best.

5. Can a travel journal be stored digitally?

Absolutely! In modern life, digital travel journal options are available. You can use diary software or dedicated travel journal apps to create a solid collection of your travel memories. Just make sure to backup your digital journal to keep it safe.

6. Is it essential to keep a separate notebook for each trip?

It is not necessary to have a separate notebook for each trip. You can use a single travel journal and section it off for various travels. This way, you can maintain one comprehensive journal that includes all your travel adventures.

Brooks Manley

Creative Primer  is a resource on all things journaling, creativity, and productivity. We’ll help you produce better ideas, get more done, and live a more effective life.

My name is Brooks. I do a ton of journaling, like to think I’m a creative (jury’s out), and spend a lot of time thinking about productivity. I hope these resources and product recommendations serve you well. Reach out if you ever want to chat or let me know about a journal I need to check out!

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What Is a Travel Journal + How to Make One with Examples

Traveling to new places and journaling about your exciting and enriching experiences is beyond rewarding. Whether you're exploring a bustling city, immersing yourself in nature's wonders, or embarking on a cultural adventure, capturing your travel experiences is a great way to preserve memories and reflect on your journey. One popular and creative way to document your travels is through a travel journal . In this article, we'll cover what a travel journal is, the benefits of keeping one, how to choose the best travel journal among different types, and provide you with tips and examples on how to make your own.

Ready to discover how to capture your travel experiences in different places, explore creative travel journal ideas and travel journal prompts, and more? Let the adventure begin!

What is a Travel Journal?

A travel journal is a personal diary that allows you to record your thoughts, feelings, and experiences during your travels. It serves as a visual and written account of your adventures, providing you with a tangible keepsake that you can cherish for years to come. Unlike a regular journal, a travel diary focuses specifically on your journeys, including details about the different places you visit, the people you meet, the food you try, and the sights you see.

Benefits of Keeping a Travel Journal

Keeping a travel journal offers numerous benefits beyond simply documenting your experiences. Here are some additional reasons why you should consider starting one:

1. Emotional and Mental Well-Being

Journaling has been shown to have positive effects on emotional and mental well-being . When you write about your travel experiences, you have the opportunity to process and reflect on your emotions, helping you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your reactions to different situations via your journal entries. It can be a therapeutic outlet for releasing stress, anxiety, or even excitement, allowing you to better manage your emotions throughout your journey.

2. Enhanced Memory Retention

Writing about your travels helps improve memory retention. By actively engaging with your experiences and recording them in detail, you reinforce the neural connections related to those memories. This makes it easier to recall specific moments, sights, sounds, and even the feelings associated with them in the future. Your travel diary becomes a valuable tool for preserving and retrieving cherished memories.

3. Cultural Exploration and Appreciation

A travel journal encourages you to be more observant and attentive to the details of the places you visit. It prompts you to delve deeper into the local culture, traditions, and customs. By documenting your interactions with locals, sampling regional cuisine, and exploring hidden gems, you develop a greater appreciation for the unique aspects of each destination. Your journal becomes a testament to the richness and diversity of the world around you.

4. Personal Growth and Self-Reflection

Writing in a travel diary allows for introspection and personal growth. As you reflect on your experiences, you gain insights into your own values, beliefs, and perspectives. You may discover new passions or interests, challenge preconceived notions, or develop a greater sense of empathy and understanding for others. The process of self-reflection through journaling can lead to personal transformation and a deeper connection to the world.

5. Travel Planning and Preparation

Your travel journal can serve as a practical resource for future trips. By documenting your itineraries, accommodations, transportation details, and recommendations, you create a valuable reference guide that covers your experiences more fully. You can refer back to your journal to jog your memory or provide recommendations to fellow travelers. It becomes a repository of knowledge that can streamline the planning process for future adventures.

6. Connection with Loved Ones

Sharing your travel journal with friends, family, or future generations can be a meaningful way to connect and bond. Your journal becomes a storytelling tool, allowing others to experience your journey vicariously through your words, sketches, and photographs. It can spark conversations, ignite curiosity, and inspire others to embark on their own adventures.

7. Creative Expression

Engaging in the creative process of journaling stimulates your imagination and artistic abilities. Whether you're writing prose, sketching landscapes, creating collages, or experimenting with different art mediums, your travel diary becomes a canvas for self-expression. It encourages you to think outside the box, explore new artistic techniques, and develop your creative skills.

Keeping a travel journal goes beyond simply recording your experiences. It has profound benefits for your emotional well-being, memory retention, personal growth, and cultural appreciation. It serves as a tangible reminder of your adventures, a tool for planning future trips, a means of connecting with others, and a creative outlet for self-expression. So, grab a journal and embark on your journey of exploration and self-discovery through travel journaling.

Types of Travel Journals

There are different journals for just about any goal or activity you can think of – from travel journals to fitness journals , from gratitude journals to garden journals , and more. Similarly, there are various types of travel diaries to suit different preferences and styles. We cover the best travel journals below so you can find one perfect for you.

1. Guided Travel Journals

Guided journals provide travel journal prompts and structured sections to help you capture specific aspects of your journey. Guided journals often include questions, blank pages to fill in, and guided activities to guide your journaling process. Using a guided journal or planner , can ensure you cover all the essentials, without missing any crucial details you’ll want to revisit later.

2. Traditional Handwritten Journals

These are classic journals or notebooks with blank pages where you can freely write, draw, or glue mementos. Traditional journals offer the most flexibility in terms of customization for creative journal entries.

3. Photographic Travel Journals

For those who prefer visual storytelling, a photographic travel journal focuses on capturing moments through photographs. You can include pictures alongside brief descriptions or captions to narrate your journey visually.

4. Scrapbook Travel Journals

Scrapbook-style journals combine photographs, tickets, postcards, and other memorabilia with handwritten notes and decorative elements. They provide a visually appealing way to preserve your travel memories.

5. Sketchbook Travel Journals

If you have artistic inclinations, a sketchbook journal allows you to sketch and paint scenes, landmarks, and people you encounter during your travels. It's a great way to capture the essence of a place through your own artwork.

6. Digital Travel Journals

In the digital age, many people opt for digital travel journals, using apps or online platforms to document their adventures. Digital journals offer the convenience of easy editing, multimedia integration, and the ability to share your journey with others online.

7. Travel Bullet Journals

A popular trend in journaling, travel bullet journals combine organization and creativity. Based on the bullet journaling system, these journals use symbols, icons, and trackers to help you plan and record your travels. You can create sections for itineraries, packing lists, daily logs, and more, all while adding artistic touches and personalization.

You can also use a monthly planner with ample note pages and customize it as a travel calendar journal.

Whether you prefer the structure of guided journals, the freedom of traditional handwritten journals, the visual impact of photographic or scrapbook journals, the artistic expression of sketchbook journals, the convenience of digital journals, or the organization of travel bullet journals, there's a type of travel journal that will resonate with you and enhance your travel experiences. Choose the one that suits your style and embark on a journey of creativity and self-expression.

How to Make a Travel Journal

Now that you have an idea of the different types of travel journals, let's explore how to make your own.

1. Selecting the Right Journal

Consider the type of journaling experience you desire. If you prefer writing and sketching, a traditional blank-page journal or sketchbook might be ideal. If you want structure and guidance, opt for a guided travel journal. If you're tech-savvy, explore digital journaling options.

2. Gathering Essential Supplies

Depending on the type of journal you choose, gather supplies such as pens, pencils, markers, glue, scissors, washi tape, stickers, and any other decorative elements you'd like to incorporate. If you're going digital, ensure you have a suitable device and any necessary apps or software.

3. Planning Your Journal

Before your trip, plan how you want to organize your journal. Consider creating sections for different aspects like itineraries, accommodation, food, and sightseeing. This will help you stay organized and make it easier to find information later.

4. Documenting Your Journey

During your trip, actively engage in your journaling process with regular (yet not restrictive or rigid) journal entries. Write about your daily experiences, jot down interesting conversations, glue in ticket stubs or postcards, and take photographs to complement your entries. Let your creativity flow and capture the essence of each moment.

Travel Journal Page and Layout Examples

The layout and organization of your travel journal pages play a crucial role in bringing your travel experiences, from all the different places you’ve visited, to life. By incorporating various elements and sections, you can create a visually appealing and informative journal that captures the essence of your journey. From practical pages for itineraries and packing lists to creative spreads for reflections and bucket lists, here are some ideas to help you design engaging and meaningful pages for your travel diary.

1. Packing List and Pre-Trip Planning Pages

Dedicate a page or spread to jot down your packing list and pre-trip preparations. Include essential items, travel tips, and any special considerations for the destination. You can even add checkboxes or symbols to mark off items as you pack, ensuring you don't forget anything important.

You may also want to check out these helpful travel and packing tips .

2. A List of Local Words and Phrases

Learning a few basic words and phrases in the local language can greatly enhance your travel experience. Create a page dedicated to practicing and referring to these words and phrases. Include translations, pronunciation guides, and space to practice writing them. This page can be a helpful tool for connecting with locals and immersing yourself in the local culture.

3. Itinerary Pages

Design pages dedicated to your daily itineraries. Include the places you plan to visit, opening hours, transportation details, and any additional notes or reservations. You can add maps, photographs, or illustrations to make the page visually appealing and easy to navigate.

4. Accommodation and Restaurant Reviews

Reserve pages to review and rate the accommodations and restaurants you experience. Include details like the location, ambiance, service, and any standout dishes. You can even attach business cards, menus, or photographs to accompany your reviews. These pages will not only serve as a reference for future trips but also help fellow travelers discover hidden gems.

5. Post-Trip Reflection and Wrap-Up

Allocate space in your journal for post-trip reflections. Create pages to summarize your overall experience, highlight your favorite moments, and reflect on the lessons learned during your journey. Include photographs, sketches, or quotes that capture the essence of your adventure. These reflection pages will serve as a reminder of the growth and memories you gained from your travels.

6. Travel Bucket List

Create a dedicated page to list destinations, landmarks, or experiences you aspire to visit or accomplish in the future. You can divide the page into different categories like countries, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, or adrenaline-fueled activities. This page will serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for your future travels.

7. Travel Budget, Savings Goals, and Tracking

If budgeting is important to you, design pages to track your travel expenses, savings goals, and tips for saving money during your travels. Create tables or graphs to visually represent your budget and savings progress. These pages will help you stay accountable and ensure you're making the most of your financial resources.

Your travel diary is a personal and creative space to capture the memories, emotions, and experiences of your journeys. Through carefully designed pages and layouts, you can transform your journal into a visual and written narrative of your adventures. Whether you choose to incorporate practical elements like itineraries and packing lists or focus on creative expressions like reflections and bucket lists, the possibilities are endless. Let your imagination guide you as you create pages that reflect your unique travel style and personality. With each turn of the page, your travel diary will become a treasure trove of cherished memories and a gateway to relive your journeys again and again.

Creative Travel Journaling Ideas and Prompts

Stuck on what to write or include in your travel diary? Here are some creative travel journal ideas and travel journal prompts to get you started:

• Write a letter to your future self reflecting on your travel experiences and what you hope to remember.
• Describe the scents, sounds, and tastes that stand out in each place you visit.
• Create a "People You Meet" page, where you can jot down brief descriptions or draw portraits of interesting individuals you encounter during your journey.
• Write a short story or poem inspired by a specific location or experience.
• Make a to-do list of activities or experiences you want to accomplish at each destination. Challenge yourself to complete as many as possible and check them off as you go.
• Write a gratitude list, noting the things you're grateful for during your travels. It could be the stunning sunsets, the kindness of locals, or the serendipitous encounters.

A travel diary is a beautiful way to document and cherish your travel experiences. Whether you opt for a traditional handwritten journal, a photographic account, or a digital platform, the process of journaling will enhance your journey and provide a lasting memory of your adventures. Experiment with different styles, layouts, and prompts to make your travel journal uniquely yours. So, grab a journal and start capturing your travel memories today!

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21 Creative Travel Journal Ideas & Prompts for Your Next Trip

February 29, 2024

Journaling is a great way to make the most of any trip. Here are some of our favourite creative travel journal ideas.

Travel Journal Ideas

Photos and videos aren’t the only ways to capture your travels. A travel diary can help you enjoy the trip you’re on and help you relive all those memories once you’re home. After all, how often do you look back through your phone’s photos?

I’ll be honest. Completing a travel bullet journal is something I often dream about more than I manage to complete, particularly when travelling with young children. But over the years, the travel journals I have managed to complete have brought me great joy and prompted my ageing brain to remember sights, smells and tastes more vividly than ever.

So, don’t get hung up on making it pretty and perfect. Just concentrate on enjoying your trip and use these travel journal ideas to deepen that enjoyment. Don’t let them turn into one more burden or chore to complete!

What is a Travel Journal?

A travel journal is whatever you want it to be, baby! Or in more standard talk:

A travel journal is a personal, written account that documents an individual’s experiences, observations, and emotions during their journeys. It serves as a dedicated space for recording details such as daily activities, cultural encounters, and reflections on the places visited.

Typically, travel journals include a mix of narratives, anecdotes, and practical information. Whether handwritten or digital, a travel journal is a valuable tool for preserving travel memories, fostering self-reflection, and creating a tangible record of one’s explorations and discoveries around the world.

Although, don’t think you need to write reams. We’ve plenty of creative travel journal ideas if writing doesn’t happen to be your thing. We’re all about the easy way to fill those travel journal pages.

Where to Find the Perfect Travel Journal

The romantic in me says that the best travel journal is found on the road. But the practical side of me knows that it’s easier if you pick one up before you go.

In my experience, you want a book that will stay flat when you fold it open and ideally have a tie or piece of elastic to hold it together again, to stop things falling out.

I also like travel journals with a space for a pen as that makes it more likely that you will actually have a pen with you when the time comes to write. In my experience, the best way to make sure that something happens is to remove as many obstacles as possible.

Personally, I prefer blank pages but I know that many prefer grids or lines. And I’ve never got to grips with a digital journal but if they work for you, then great!

A hard cover can protect from the bumps and bruises of life on the road but, then again, a soft cover is lighter to carry around.

Here are some lovely travel journal examples you can find on Amazon:

• Vegan Leather Beechmore Travel Journal
• Adventure Travel Journal with Prompts
• Moleskine Hardcover Travel Journal

Note: if you buy through any of the links on this page, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Why Bother Keeping a Travel Journal in the First Place?

Firstly, because it’s fun! However, keeping a travel journal also has a number of other benefits.

Such as…

Memory Enhancement:

• According to a study published in the journal Memory, the act of writing helps to consolidate and enhance memory. By documenting your experiences, in your own travel journal, you’re more likely to remember details of your journey. And that fits with what I learned when I was studying Neuroscience at Cambridge.

Stress Reduction:

• A study by the American Psychological Association suggests that expressive writing can help reduce stress and promote overall well-being. Journaling about your travel experiences allows you to process emotions and relive positive moments.

Increased Cultural Awareness:

• Research conducted by the Cultural Intelligence Center indicates that keeping a travel journal can contribute to the development of cultural intelligence. Writing about local customs, traditions, and interactions with residents fosters a deeper understanding of different cultures.

Reflection and Personal Growth:

• Psychologist James W. Pennebaker’s research on expressive writing reveals that reflecting on experiences through writing can lead to personal growth and self-discovery. A travel journal provides a space for introspection and learning.

Enhanced Creativity:

• Again, the busy American Psychological Association suggests that engaging in creative activities, such as writing, can boost cognitive function and creativity. Documenting your travels in a journal encourages creative expression.

Capturing Details:

• Studies on eyewitness testimony indicate that people tend to forget details over time. Keeping a travel journal helps in preserving the specifics of your experiences, ensuring a more accurate recollection later on. Not that we hope you’ll end up in court. More, that we hope you’ll remember the highlights of your trip.

Improved Communication Skills:

• Journaling encourages the practice of effective communication. Documenting your thoughts and experiences helps refine your ability to articulate ideas and stories.

Digital Detox and Mindfulness:

• A study by the Pew Research Center found that 85% of adults in the United States use the internet. Keeping a physical travel journal offers a break from screens, fostering mindfulness and a deeper connection with your surroundings. Little details can bring about a big sense of calm.

Goal Setting and Achievement:

• Again, the good old American Psychological Association notes that setting and achieving small goals, such as completing a journal entry each day, can boost motivation and self-esteem. A travel journal provides a structured way to set and accomplish writing goals.

Legacy and Sharing:

• According to a study by Ancestry.com, 77% of adults believe it’s important to preserve their family history. A travel journal can serve as a legacy, allowing future generations to gain insights into your experiences and perspectives.

So, how about that? Not just a pretty page after all.

21 Gorgeous and Creative Travel Journal Ideas

OK, let’s get to the fun part! Creative travel journal ideas!

Collect Ticket Stubs

Ticket stubs may not seem so glamorous at the time but they’re one of those travel journal ideas that’s quick and easy to do, with great rewards later on. If you find yourself too busy on the trip, just shove (ahem, collect) them as you go along in one envelope. Once you’re home, you can then arrange them in a scrapbook or bullet journal along with notes and photos.

Carry Some Lightweight Supplies

It’s easier to keep up with your travel diary if you have the right tools with you. No-one needs to carry about an entire artist’s briefcase but a few pens, pencils and a roll or two of washi tape can help make it manageable.

Not sure what washi tape is? It’s like sellotape only comes with a pattern and is much more forgiving when unrolling and using it. You can pick up some washi tape here . It’s a great option to make sure things don’t always fall out along the way.

Brush up on Some Writing Tips

A travel diary shouldn’t feel like homework. But it will be more rewarding to write and definitely more pleasurable to read if you brush up on some writing techniques before you go.

We run a range of writing courses to get you started, including:

• Freelance Writing Masterclass
• Write Better, Write Now
• The Writing Boost

So, whether it’s a quick weekend away or a road trip journal that spans several months, you’ll feel more confident about what goes into your own travel log.

Pick up Some Postcards

This is one of my favourite creative travel journal ideas.

Now, we’re not talking about standard tourist postcards here (although, obviously, that’s fine if that’s what you want to do. It’s your travel diary, right?!)

We’re talking about flyers and postcards for art galleries, live music, exhibitions and special events. Business cards from cafes. Anything you saw and enjoyed and which gave you a taste of the place.

Collect the Cash

Spend more than a few days in a destination and the local money soon becomes a background event that you stop noticing. But when you’re back home, it’s a connection to the place.

So, if you can spare some of the lower denomination notes, it’s a great idea to tape a few into your travel journal.

Keep the Maps

You know those maps that are folded back and forth, torn, soggy and scribbled over? Keep them! It’s amazing how quickly you forget the detail of a place but a scribbled note and the white fluff along a folded map seam brings it back right away. New places, new maps.

Make the Food to Go

At the risk of sounding like a hoarder, look out for sweet wrapper, chopstick wrappers, beer labels and more that really fit the local food you had in a destination.

I always look out for local flavours in particular, so this method of scrapbooking (sounds better than hoarding) works well for me.

Flower Press Stress

Sometimes, pressing flowers or leaves works wonders. And, sometimes, it just makes a mess. This is one of those travel journal ideas that you need to do just right: ideally with a big patch of sellophane rather than just a strip of washi tape.

Be careful, though. Some countries, most notably New Zealand and Australia, are very strict about flowers and seeds crossing their borders. Probably best to avoid this if you plan on heading there.

Sketch Skills

Small sketches and beautiful drawings can really bring a travel diary to life. If you can draw, that is.

If not, never fear. While we can’t all be the best at everything, we can all master a few basic techniques.

It’s a good idea to just relax and have a go.

Learn the Lingo

As everyone knows, with a few local phrases, you’ll get a better reception wherever you go. Yet, with age, it’s alarming how quickly that knowledge fades.

Write down those phrases while they’re fresh! It’s a fun way to nurture those brain cells.

Stick in Those Lists

Have you used a packing list? A leaving the house checklist? A bucket list? To-do list? If so, stick them in! They’ll be surprisingly interesting to look at come the end of your trip. Don’t let your trip planning go to waste!

And if you don’t? Check out our collection of packing lists and pre-travel checklists here .

Use Some Travel Journal Writing Prompts

When inspiration fails, fall back on these. Don’t worry if you feel cheesy. No-one has to read this but you.

Travel Journal Prompts Before You Go

• Outline your expectations and goals for the upcoming journey. What do you hope to achieve or experience during this trip?
• Share your pre-trip excitement and any pre-travel rituals or preparations you engage in before embarking on a new adventure.
• Detail the research you’ve conducted about the destination, including its culture, history, and notable attractions. What aspects are you most eager to explore?
• Reflect on any pre-trip concerns or uncertainties. How do you plan to address them or prepare for potential challenges?
• Describe the anticipation you feel about trying the local cuisine. Are there specific dishes you’re looking forward to sampling?
• Outline your itinerary and the key activities you have planned for each day. What landmarks or attractions are a must-see for you?
• Consider the local customs and etiquette of the destination. How do you plan to respect and engage with the local culture?
• Share your thoughts on the packing process. What essentials are you making sure to bring, and what strategies are you using to pack efficiently?
• Reflect on any language barriers you might encounter. Have you learned a few basic phrases or expressions in the local language to enhance your experience?
• Write about your overall mindset and emotions as you approach the trip. What are your hopes, fears, and anticipations for the upcoming adventure?

Travel Journal Prompts For on the Road

1. Describe your initial impressions upon arriving at your destination. 2. What local cuisine or dish did you sample, and how would you rate your experience? 3. Reflect on a memorable encounter with a local resident or fellow traveller. 4. Share a moment when you stepped out of your comfort zone during your journey. 5. Detail the sights, sounds, and scents of a particular place that left a lasting impression on you. 6. Write about a unique cultural tradition or festival you experienced during your travels. 7. Describe a hidden gem or off-the-beaten-track location you discovered. 8. Share a humorous or unexpected anecdote from your trip. 9. Reflect on a challenging situation you encountered and how you overcame it. 10. Write about a place that surpassed your expectations and why. 11. Document a day spent exploring nature, whether it’s a hike, day at the beach, or wildlife encounter. 12. Discuss the impact of local art, music, or architecture on your overall experience. 13. Capture the essence of a local market or shopping district you visited. 14. Reflect on how the local history and heritage influenced your perception of the destination. 15. Write about a moment of tranquillity or relaxation during your journey. 16. Share your thoughts on the transportation methods you used and any interesting experiences. 17. Describe a sunrise or sunset that left you in awe. 18. Document a day focused on immersive cultural experiences, such as workshops or language classes. 19. Write about a place you’d love to revisit and explore further in the future. 20. Reflect on the personal growth or insights gained from your travel experiences.

Travel Journal Prompts for Once You Get Back

• Reflect on the overall experience of your journey. Did it meet, exceed, or differ from your initial expectations?
• Capture the emotions you feel upon returning home. What aspects of your routine are you excited to resume, and what do you miss from your travels?
• Share your favourite moments from the trip and how they contributed to your overall satisfaction.
• Write about any unexpected discoveries or surprises that occurred during your travels.
• Reflect on the impact of the journey on your perspective and personal growth. In what ways do you feel changed or enriched?
• Describe the local cuisine that left a lasting impression on you. Are there any dishes you wish you could recreate at home?
• Outline any challenges you faced during the trip and how you successfully navigated them.
• Consider how the cultural experiences have influenced your worldview. What lessons or insights will you carry forward from your travels?
• Share your thoughts on the souvenirs or mementoes you brought back. Do they hold special meaning or memories?
• Write about your plans for future travels. Are there destinations you’re now eager to explore based on this recent experience?

We hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of creative ways to catalogue different places and, more importantly, what they meant to you.

For all we’ve talked about the benefits of travel journaling, the important thing is that it’s fun. Don’t let your travel journal become a chore. Like all goals and tools, it’s just a way to help you fall even more in love with life.

Journal entries should make you think or make you smile. And that’s enough.

Why not bookmark this article on creative travel journal ideas on Pinterest for later?

More on Preparing for Your Next Trip

• The Only International Travel Checklist You Need
• Printable Holiday Packing List PDF: The Only Checklist You Need
• The 21 Best Souvenir Ideas for 2024
• 27 Long Haul Flight Essentials and a Flight Checklist for You
• The Best Flight Booking Hacks For Savvy Travellers
• The 10 Travel Skills Every One of Us Should Know
• The 50 Best Travel Websites and Travel Resources
• The best travel journal ideas for kids

Why not pin these creative travel journal ideas on Pinterest for later?

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Travel Journal: 100+ Prompts, Ideas, and Tips

• March 30, 2023

Home » Day One Blog » Travel Journal: 100+ Prompts, Ideas, and Tips

Keeping a travel journal can be an incredibly rewarding and transformative experience, whether you’re an avid traveler or someone who’s embarking on a new adventure. From documenting unforgettable memories to fostering personal growth and reflection, a travel journal can be a window into the unique journeys you take in life.

In this guide, we’ve put together an extensive list of 100 travel journal prompts, tips, and ideas to help you create a travel journal that truly captures the essence of your adventures. Get ready to explore new cultures, savor the beauty of the world around you, and create a one-of-a-kind keepsake that will forever be a reminder of your incredible experiences.

What is a Travel Journal?

A travel journal is simply a personal record of your experiences, thoughts, and feelings during your travels. Travel journaling is a wonderful way to document and reflect on your travel experiences, capturing memories of the places you visit, the people you meet, and the adventures you have.

Travel journaling can take various forms, depending on your preferences and needs. You can choose to write in a traditional notebook or sketchbook, or create a digital journal or blog. Some people use their travel journals not only to record their experiences but also to plan their trip, track expenses, and organize important information such as flight details, reservations, and contact information for locals they meet along the way.

Keeping a travel journal can be a valuable tool for reflecting on your travels, preserving memories, and sharing your experiences with others.

10 Convincing Reasons to Keep a Travel Journal

Keeping a travel journal or travel diary offers several benefits, both during the trip and long after your travels have ended. Some of the key reasons to keep a travel journal include:

1. Preserve your memories.

A travel journal helps preserve memories of your experiences, sights, and encounters that might otherwise fade with time. You can look back and reminisce about your adventures, learning from and enjoying them all over again.

2. Be more present.

When you write about your travel experiences in real-time, you tend to be more focused on the present moment. This can help you to be more present and mindful during your travels, and can also improve your memory of the trip.

3. Sharpen your observational skills.

Journaling pushes you to pay closer attention to your surroundings, which can improve your observational and descriptive abilities. This heightened awareness can lead to a more enriching travel experience.

4. Organize your thoughts and experiences.

A travel journal serves as a central location to record important information, such as trip itineraries, contact details, and to-do lists. This can help you stay organized and focused during your travels.

5. Enhance your creativity.

Writing about your experiences encourages creativity and storytelling skills. You can experiment with different writing styles, descriptions, or even drawings to capture the essence of your trip. Since traveling has links to creativity , keeping a travel journal allows you to expand these benefits in both ways.

6. Encourage self-reflection.

Traveling can be a transformative experience, and a travel journal can serve as a tool for self-reflection . Writing about your experiences can help you process your emotions, thoughts, and feelings, and gain insights into yourself and your place in the world.

7. Boost your personal growth.

Recording your thoughts, feelings, and reactions to new experiences can provide insight into your own personal growth and development. You can track how your perspectives and attitudes have evolved over time and learn more about yourself.

8. Reduce stress.

Studies have shown that even short vacations can improve stress levels , and writing in a travel journal can be therapeutic, allowing you to process your emotions and experiences in a healthy way. Travel journaling can also help you work through challenges and setbacks that may arise during your trip.

9. Create a unique keepsake.

A travel journal is a personalized souvenir that tells the story of your adventures. What you write can become a special item to share with friends and family or pass down to future generations.

10. Encourage deeper gratitude and appreciation.

Writing about your experiences while traveling can foster a deeper sense of gratitude for the opportunities and experiences you’ve had, helping you appreciate the journey and the people you’ve met along the way.

What to Write About In A Travel Journal

There are many things you can write about in a travel journal. A travel journal usually involves writing a personal record of your thoughts, feelings, and observations throughout your journey. You can also include details about the food you try, the sights you see, the cultures you encounter, and the emotions you experience.

Here are a few things to write about in a travel journal:

• Daily activities: Write about what you did each day, including any sights you saw, people you met, and activities you participated in.
• Observations: Record your observations of the places you visit, including the landscapes, architecture, and culture.
• Food and drink: Describe the local cuisine and drinks you try, and note any favorites or new discoveries.
• Thoughts and feelings: Reflect on your thoughts and feelings about your experiences, including any challenges, surprises, or moments of joy.
• Cultural insights: Document your learnings about the local culture, customs, and traditions.
• Travel tips: Share any travel tips or advice that may be useful for others planning to visit the same places.
• Accommodations: Write about your accommodations, including any interesting details or experiences you had there.
• Write about the people you meet: Describe the locals, fellow travelers, and any interesting characters you come across. Note any conversations or interactions you have with them.
• Reflect on your growth: Traveling can be a transformative experience, and writing about the ways in which you’ve grown and changed can be a powerful exercise in self-reflection.
• Budget and expenses: Keep track of your expenses and budget, including any unexpected costs or money-saving tips.
• Memorable moments: Jot down any particularly memorable moments from your trip, including those that took you by surprise or left a lasting impression on you.
• Challenges and triumphs: Write about any challenges you faced during your trip, and how you overcame them. Celebrate your triumphs, big and small, and the sense of accomplishment they brought.
• Sights, sounds, and smells: Use all your senses to describe the places you visit. Write about the sights, sounds, smells, and textures that make each destination unique
• Overall impressions: Sum up your overall impressions of each place you visit, including what you liked, what you didn’t like, and what surprised you the most.

13 Tips for Keeping a Travel Journal

Keeping a travel journal can be a great way to document your experiences and memories from your travels. Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Find a travel journal that suits your needs.

When choosing a travel journal, consider not only the size and weight but also the durability of the journal. If you plan to carry it with you all the time, it’s best to choose one that can withstand wear and tear. Additionally, think about whether you want a plain notebook or one with prompts and questions to guide your writing. Some journals may have pre-designed sections for you to fill in with information about the places you visit, what you did there, and what you learned.

2. Consider a journal app with travel journal features.

Using a travel journal app like Day One is an excellent way to capture your travel experiences conveniently. You can quickly jot down notes, take pictures, and record your thoughts and feelings, even if you don’t have your physical journal with you. The app’s Map View is especially useful, as it allows you to see where you’ve been and what you’ve done in each location. Plus, if you’re traveling internationally and plan to limit your data usage, Day One will store your entries and uploads locally on your device until you connect to WiFi.

3. Decide on your travel journaling style.

When deciding on your travel journaling style, consider what you want to focus on. Do you want to describe the places you visit in detail, or do you want to focus more on your thoughts and emotions during your travels? Writing daily entries can be a great way to capture everything that happens, but if you prefer to write less frequently, consider making notes of significant events or experiences.

4. Set a journaling goal.

Setting a goal for your travel journal can give you a sense of direction and purpose while writing. Your goal could be as simple as writing in your journal every day during your trip, or more specific, such as recording a unique experience or learning something new about the culture of the places you visit. Create a list of goals before you begin your travels so you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your journal.

5. Slow down.

When traveling, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of new sights and experiences. However, taking the time to slow down and observe your surroundings can help you appreciate the small things that you might otherwise miss. Take a moment to sit down and watch the world go by, or go for a leisurely stroll to take in your surroundings.

6. Include as many details as possible.

Include details such as the names of the places you visit, the foods you eat, and the people you meet. The more specific and detailed your writing is, the more vividly you’ll be able to recall your experiences later.

7. Use your senses.

Using your senses is a powerful way to immerse yourself in your surroundings. Try to pay attention to the smells, sounds, textures, and tastes of the places you visit. Describe the scent of a local market, the sound of a street musician, or the texture of a historic building’s walls. Using your senses to describe your experiences can help bring your travel journal to life.

8. Ask questions.

Asking questions can be an excellent way to learn more about the places you visit. Locals and tour guides can provide valuable insights into the history, culture, and traditions of the places you’re exploring. Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations on things to see and do, or for tips on where to find the best local cuisine.

9. Stay in the present moment.

When you travel, it’s easy to get caught up in planning, taking photos, and checking items off your bucket list. However, it’s important to take the time to slow down and appreciate the present moment. Take a few deep breaths and focus on your senses, noticing the sights, smells, sounds, textures, and tastes around you. Take time to observe the people you meet and the interactions you have with them. Engage with the local culture and try to understand their way of life.

10. Take photos and videos.

Taking photos and videos can be a great way to capture details that you may not be able to describe in words. Use your camera or phone to snap pictures of interesting sights, people, and places. These photos and videos can provide valuable inspiration when you’re writing in your travel journal later.

11. Stay curious.

Staying curious while traveling means keeping an open mind and embracing the unknown. Try new things, explore new places, and take risks. Step outside your comfort zone and embrace the unfamiliar, whether that’s trying new foods or engaging in new activities. Keeping a sense of curiosity can inspire your writing and help you capture unique experiences that you may have otherwise missed.

12. Keep your journal safe.

Your travel journal is a precious record of your travels and experiences, whether it’s in a physical or digital format. Consider investing in a sturdy, waterproof journal or storing your journal in a plastic bag or waterproof cover to protect it from moisture. It’s also a good idea to keep your journal in a safe place when you’re not using it, such as a backpack or hotel safe. Consider making a backup copy of your digital travel journal, whether it’s on your phone, tablet, or laptop. For example, the Day One app offers secure cloud-based backups and file exports. Additionally, you can encrypt your digital journal to protect it from unauthorized access. This way, you can ensure that your journal is safe and secure, and you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your memories are protected.

13. Make it fun.

Remember that travel journaling should be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. Use your journal as a creative outlet to express yourself and capture your unique perspective on the world. Experiment with different writing styles and formats, such as poetry, short stories, or essays. You could also include sketches, paintings, or other visual art to enhance your journal entries. And most importantly, don’t worry too much about making your writing perfect or adhering to a strict structure. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process of documenting your travels in a way that is meaningful and fulfilling to you.

20+ Travel Journaling Ideas

A travel journal is a fantastic way to capture memories, thoughts, and experiences from your trips. To get started, here are some creative travel journal ideas to help you get started with travel journaling:

1. Record your itinerary and travel plan.

Record your trip itinerary, including transportation details, accommodations, and planned activities.

2. Organize your packing list.

Create a packing list for your trip and reflect on what items were useful and which ones you could have left behind.

3. Create a bucket list.

Create a bucket list of activities or experiences you want to have during your trip, and check them off as you complete them.

4. Recap each day.

Write about your daily experiences, such as the places you visit, the people you meet, and the local cuisine you try.

5. Use journal prompts.

Using journal prompts can be a helpful way to spark creativity and reflection in your travel journal. Choose a travel journal prompt below that resonates with you and write freely without worrying too much about structure or perfection.

6. Sketch and doodle.

Illustrate your memories with drawings of the landscapes, architecture, and other interesting sights.

7. Capture quotes and phrases.

Jot down memorable quotes from locals or interesting phrases you learn in the local language.

8. Include your favorite travel photos.

Include photographs of your favorite moments, places, and experiences from your trip.

9. Collect ticket stubs and mementos.

Attach ticket stubs, maps, postcards, brochures, or other small mementos to help you remember your trip. If you prefer to go the digital route, scan items or take a photo of these items.

10. Write about your feelings.

Traveling can be an emotional experience, and writing about your feelings can be a cathartic and introspective exercise. Reflect on how the trip is making you feel and what emotions are arising.

12. Go deeper by reflecting.

Write about your personal growth and what you’ve learned during your travels. Reflect on how your travels have impacted you, whether it’s a new perspective on a cultural issue, a realization about yourself, or an enhanced sense of empathy and understanding. Think about the ways in which your travels have shaped your worldview and how you can apply these lessons to your life back home.

13. Express your gratitude.

Express gratitude for the experiences you’ve had and the people you’ve met along the way.

14. Keep a food diary.

Record the local dishes you’ve tried, including their names, ingredients, and your thoughts about them during your trip.

15. Add notes on culture and customs.

Describe the local culture, traditions, and customs that you encountered and found fascinating.

16. Write about your travel challenges.

Write about any challenges you faced during your trip and how you overcame them.

17. Include maps and routes.

Trace your travel route on a map, or draw your own maps to remember the places you’ve visited.

18. Write about the people you meet.

Traveling provides opportunities to meet new people and learn about their lives. Use your journal to document these interactions and what you’ve learned from them.

19. Use poetry and creative writing.

Use your travel experiences as inspiration for poems, short stories, or other creative writing exercises.

20. Keep track of your budget and expenses.

Document your travel expenses to help you plan better for future trips, or to help stay on track with your budget.

20. Include ratings and reviews.

Rate and review accommodations, restaurants, attractions, and other experiences to help you remember the highlights of your trip.

21. Make a travel wishlist.

Write a list of destinations you’d like to visit and why they appeal to you.

22. Plan for a post-trip recap.

After returning home, reflect on your trip as a whole, including your favorite moments, any personal growth, and what you’ll take away from your journey.

23. Print your digital travel journal.

Having a physical copy of your travel journal can provide a tangible reminder of your travels and serve as a cherished keepsake for years to come. By printing your travel journal, you can create a physical record of your adventures that you can hold in your hands and share with others. It can be a meaningful way to preserve your memories and reflect on your journey, long after your travels have ended.

50 Travel Journal Prompts to Try

Still not sure what to write about in your travel journal? Journal prompts are a great way to spark your creativity and dive deeper into your travel experiences.

These travel journal prompts are designed help you capture the essence of your trip, and encourage introspection before, during, and after your adventure. So, whether you’re exploring new cultures, savoring local cuisine, or simply taking in breathtaking landscapes, let journal prompts guide your writing, enrich your narrative, and ultimately, help you create a captivating and memorable travel journal.

Journal Prompts For Before You Leave

Preparing for a trip can be just as exciting as the trip itself. Before you head out, consider using journal prompts to help you focus your thoughts and prepare for the adventures ahead. The following travel journal prompts can help you dig deeper into your travel expectations, identify potential challenges, and set meaningful goals for your journey. By reflecting on these prompts, you can better prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for the exciting journey that lies ahead.

• What are my expectations for this trip? What do I hope to gain from it?
• What are the places I want to visit and why are they important to me?
• What am I most looking forward to experiencing on this trip?
• How do I think this trip will change me?
• What are my travel goals, both short-term and long-term?
• Can I describe my travel companions (if any) and why I chose to travel with them?
• How am I preparing for my trip (mentally, physically, logistically)?
• What are my top three fears or concerns about the trip?
• How will I react if the trip takes an unexpected turn?
• What am I most looking forward to about this trip?
• How do I plan to challenge myself during this trip?
• What role do I hope this trip will play in my personal growth and development?
• What specific moments or experiences do I hope to capture in my travel journal or through photography?
• How do I plan to stay open-minded and present during my trip? What steps can I take to cultivate this mindset?

Journal Prompts For While You’re Traveling

While traveling, it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement of the moment and forget to take time to reflect on your experiences. By using travel journal prompts to capture your thoughts and observations during your trip, you can deepen your connection to the places you visit and the people you meet. The following prompts are designed to help you stay present and engaged during your travels, and to encourage you to take a closer look at the world around you. Reflect on these travel journal prompts to create a meaningful record of your journey.

• How did I feel when I arrived at my destination? What were my first impressions?
• What was the most memorable moment of my day?
• What beautiful or interesting sight did I encounter today?
• What new foods did I try and how did they taste?
• How would I describe the atmosphere of a specific location I visited today (e.g. café, beach, market)?
• How have the locals treated me and what are my experiences interacting with them?
• What was a conversation I had with a local or fellow traveler?
• What cultural differences or similarities have I noticed during my trip?
• Can I describe a piece of art, architecture, or natural wonder that left an impression on me?
• What local tradition, festival, or event have I witnessed or participated in?
• How is my trip living up to my expectations so far?
• What were some unexpected challenges I have faced during my trip so far?
• Can I share an act of kindness I’ve experienced or observed during my trip?
• What was a moment when I felt outside my comfort zone and what did I learn from it?
• What’s a funny or embarrassing moment that has happened during my trip?
• What has been my favorite and least favorite aspects of the destination(s) so far?
• How has my perception of the world changed during my trip?
• Who is an inspiring person I’ve met on this trip and what is their story?
• What new skills or knowledge have I gained on this trip?
• If I could give advice to someone visiting the same destination(s), what would it be?

Journal Prompts For After You Arrive Home

Returning home after a journey can be bittersweet. While you may be happy to be back in familiar surroundings, it’s also common to experience a sense of loss or nostalgia for the experiences you had while traveling. These travel journal prompts can help you reflect on your journey after you’re home, so you can continue to process your experiences and keep the memories alive. The following prompts are designed to help you unpack your thoughts and feelings about your trip, to identify the ways in which it has changed you, and to set goals for future travel. By reflecting on these prompts, you can continue to grow and learn from your travel experiences long after the journey has ended.

• What will I remember most about my trip experience?
• What was the biggest highlight of the trip?
• What is a food or drink that I tried during my trip that I still think about?
• What moment from my trip challenged me in a significant way?
• What did I learn about myself during this trip?
• How has my trip influenced my perspective on life and my priorities?
• What souvenirs or momentos did I collect on this trip? What were their significance?
• What was my favorite photo of the trip? What is the story behind it?
• What was my favorite destination on my trip? Why?
• What was the most valuable lesson I learned from this trip?
• How have my travel goals changed after this trip?
• What aspects of the local culture would I like to incorporate into my daily life?
• What places would I I want to visit in the future?
• What was a place or experience that I wish I had more time to explore?
• How has my trip influenced my outlook on the world and my place in it?
• How did my trip impact my sense of identity? Did I discover anything new about myself?

Wrapping Up: Your Travel Journal Awaits Your Next Adventure

Travel journaling is a fun way to preserve your memories, foster personal growth, and enhance your travel experiences. With the travel journal tips, prompts, and ideas we’ve shared in this post, we hope you now feel well-equipped to embark on your own travel journaling journey. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to capture your adventures—the most important aspect is to embrace the process, stay curious, and allow your unique voice to shine through. So, grab your journal, explore the world, and let your creative spirit soar as you document the unforgettable moments, the hidden gems, and the personal discoveries that make each journey truly yours. Happy travels and happy journaling!

About the Author

Kristen Webb Wright is the author of three books on journaling. With a passion for writing and self-reflection, Kristen uses her experience with journaling to help others discover the benefits of documenting their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In her role at Day One, she helps to promote the power of journaling so people from all walks of life can experience the transformative power of journaling.

Day One: The Ultimate App for Adventurers

Discover the simplicity and convenience of Day One, the ultimate travel journal app for every globetrotter. Instantly record your thoughts, take photos, and preserve memories, even when your physical journal isn’t within reach. Download the Day One app today to begin chronicling your journey.

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20 Best Travel Journals to Document Your Trips

Some include prompts and templates to help get you started.

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Last-minute planning of a trip can consist of chaotic lists in your phone's notes app while the chronicling of said trip may look like sporadic photos in your camera roll. But what if there was a collective place you could plan in advance and jot down funny moments along the way? A travel journal can culminate the ups (and downs) of your vacation with guided prompts and templates.

Our experts at Good Housekeeping Institute extended our expertise in the best photo book makers and best wedding planning books to research the best travel journals, a category we have not yet formally tested. We rounded up the best travel journals of 2023, whether you want a self-designed bullet journal or a notebook with fun maps and stickers. At the end of our list, you can find advice on how to start your travel journal as well as read more about why you can trust Good Housekeeping. And if you have a frequent traveler in your life besides yourself, check out our guide to the best travel gift ideas (although a journal is a great idea too!).

The Art of the National Parks: Park-Lover's Journal

Perfect for the outdoors enthusiast in your life, this journal celebrates each of the 63 parks. It's 175 pages long and comes with prompts that'll help them chronicle their journey. It doesn't hurt that this journal has gorgeous illustrations of each park by real artists.

Papier Off Piste

Whether this is your first or fifth travel journal, or a gift for the college student in your life who's about to go abroad, Papier's notebooks will check all of the boxes. One GH editor has the Off Piste journal and loves the cover, a simple design that includes a meaningful quote, and appreciates the helpful templates you'll find inside the notebook. You'll be able to document up to six trips with templates for your budget, packing list, transportation, accommodation, itinerary and a journaling space for freestyle writing. There are also pages dedicated to a travel wishlist as well an illustrative map you can color in as you mark off countries you've visited.

Peter Pauper Press Page-A-Day

Journals can ring in at a variety of prices, but you can find a great travel journal for under $10 that will still give you enough space to write about your wanderings around the world. This leather-bound journal dedicates one page to each day of your trip, with spaces to add in the date, location and weather conditions (we especially like the delicate drawings for types of participation which you can circle with your pencil or pen). Dotted lines on the page will keep your entries neat and organized and an included ribbon bookmark will keep track of where you left off last. Even though this journal is pretty basic in design and on the smaller side, we think it's a great option for someone who doesn't want to spend too much on their first travel journal.

Clever Fox Vacation Planner

Amazon's Choice with a 4.6-star rating across over 900 customer reviews, this travel journal comes with more than just a notebook. You'll also get 150+ fun stickers to embellish your entries, plus the journal also has a pocket to hold the pages of stickers and an elastic band for your pen. But what makes this journal really stand out is its extensive range of templates geared towards helping you plan your trip. For five trips, you'll get pages for research and budget, a packing checklist, transportation and accommodation details and an expense tracker, plus a map and more journaling pages. If you like to plan out every detail, this is the perfect travel journal for your needs. We wish you could fit more than five trips in the journal, but for the price, it's a great value.

Peter Pauper Press Kids Travel Journal

Perfect for the adventure-inclined kiddo, this 96-page travel journal lets young travelers record everything from general entries about a trip to a packing list. Kids can even paste in photos, tickets and more and store the rest in the journal's back pocket. The journal is also full of games, maps, helpful phrases in other languages, metric information, quotes and fun facts. Not only is this kid-friendly journal a creative means to document their early adventures, but its accessories encourage international learning.

Leatherology Medium Spiral Snap Journal

Available in four hues including black onyx (pictured), brown, azure and lilac, this journal is made from gorgeous dyed leather with light gold hardware. You can choose from a spiral or bound format, but note that the spiral option has 130 perforated pages while the bound journal has 265 ruled sheets (or 128 pages). Regardless of which style you choose, you'll will get the benefit of a snap closure and a built-in pen loop, although the writing utensil is not included. We appreciate the versatility of this journal given the blank pages that let you doodle and write freely over the course of your next trip.

Mark and Graham Leather Bound World Travel Journal

This beautiful leather bound journal not only has pages for writing about your trips, but it also includes full-color maps of major cities plus world weather information, international dialing codes and more. A perfect gift for the international traveler, you can also add a foil debossed monogram to the cover if you want to add a personal flare to the notebook. We wish that the journal was available in more than one color, but the rust orange is a versatile enough choice that will stick out in a dark suitcase or bag.

Duncan & Stone Paper Co. World Trip Adventure Book

An almost-perfect five-star rating on Amazon and the titular Amazon's Choice badge is enough to make you add this travel journal to your cart. The layflat design makes it easy to open and write on, and you'll have enough pages to reflect on 15 trips plus a back pocket for extra photos and blank pages for notes and random musings. What we love most about this journal are the helpful prompts that guide newbies through the process of journaling, with questions like "Where did you stay?." and "Something I learned from this destination/culture..." From basic to more thought-provoking questions, you'll have a boost of inspiration to help you document your journey.

Day One Day One

While the majority of picks on this list are physical journals, you can also document your trips through an app if you prefer a digital format or have minimal space in your luggage . Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director at the GH Institute Rachel Rothman , says Day One is a solid choice with ample positive reviews from consumers. You can download the app for free on your iPhone, Android, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. You'll get one journal for one device with the ability to add a photo per entry, plus templates, export capabilities and tags. If you want unlimited journals, devices and photos plus the option to add videos, audio recordings and more, opt for Day One Premium which rings in at $2.92 per month.

Extreme Assistants Classic Notebook

If you travel a lot, or tend to squish as much as you possibly can into your carry-on (we have all been there), you'll want a durable journal that can withstand being tossed around and bumping against other items in your bag. A faux leather hardcover and thick paper ensure your journal will stay intact as you travel to and fro. The manufacturer adds that the cover is designed to be easy to clean, which is helpful if you are journaling on the airplane or train and accidentally spill your drink. We also appreciate that you can add a photo or logo to the cover for an element of personalization, especially since the notebook is more basic in style.

Deanna Didzun The Traveler's Playbook: A World Travel Journal

Journaling of any kind can be intimidating as you don't always know where to start — even a notebook with guiding prompts can lead to partial writer's block. If this sounds like you, then opting for a book that has more structure and a variety of templates is the way to go. This popular travel journal has a 4.3-star rating on Uncommon Goods is designed by explorer Deanna Didzun who created illustrations and lists to help jog your memory of your most recent journey. You can give overall star ratings for each destination and write down food and drink highlights if you so please.

Smythson Travels and Experiences Panama Notebook

There are journals and then there are journals — and this beautiful handcrafted leather journal falls into the latter category. Bound in crossgrain lambskin and available in a light blue or scarlet red, you'll have 128 pages of lined Featherweight paper to fill. This notebook is all about quality and is designed to last, but with that comes a higher price tag. It would be a great gift for the writer in your life who loves to travel, but given its simple layout and lack of templates other travel journals can have, it may not be splurge-worthy for every traveler.

DesignWorks Ink Suede Travel Journal

If you or a friend is traveling to Santorini, Mexico and/or Sydney in the near future, you may want to opt for this travel journal inspired by each of those stunning cities. You can add personal information in the first page of the notebook and the 240 pages are lined with spaces to include the subject and date. Although the journal does not include prompts or templates, we love the eye-catching gold design and appreciate the ribbon bookmark to keep track of your last entry.

Moleskine Traveller's Journal

Moleskine, the established brand that has been around for over two decades, is synonymous with traditional, high quality notebooks — and this travel-specific journal is no different. There are three sections for a travel wish list, short trips and long trips plus two sheets of stickers and a ribbon bookmark. The journal has a 4.6-star rating on Amazon across over 3,200 consumer ratings. One five-star review calls this notebook "the traveler's best friend," and notes how helpful it can be to keep track of places, restaurants and sites so you don't forget.

JB Leather Personalized Travel Notebook

For a personalized touch, this pick lets you choose from over 1,000 charm and stamp combinations including astrological charms, meaningful quotes and more . There are also three different vegan leather hues to choose from: cinnamon, cedar and sandy brown. The notebook has 18 plastic card slots, a zippered pocket for storage and a total of 152 lined pages. You can also refill the notebook as you cross places off your travel wish list. A best-seller on Etsy with a perfect five-star rating, this customizable notebook is popular among customers. Multiple reviews comment on the fast delivery, and its high-quality, beautiful appearance.

Transient Books Custom Travel Journal for Kids

With this journal, you can customize the cover color, font and cover map, as well as choose between 100- and 200-page books with lined, unlined and prompts variations. We love the various ways you can personalize this kid-friendly journal, making little ones that more excited to explore new places. The five-star seller has over 3,000 customer reviews on Etsy. And the travel journal doesn't just have to be a gift for the kids: Adult customers also said they enjoyed using the notebook for camping trips and vacations around the globe.

Compendium Everywhere You Go

We have included travel journals on this list that have prompts but none like the unexpected ones in this notebook that will get your creative wheels turning. The questions may catch you off guard, but prompt thoughtful reflection: they range from "If this place had a perfume, it would smell like..." to, "If this place had a soundtrack, these songs would be on it." The notebook is Amazon's Choice and has a 4.5-star rating, with multiple customers calling it the perfect gift for the traveler in your life, whether you need a gift for a teen or a present for a thirtieth birthday .

PAPERAGE Dotted Journal Notebook

Keeping a bullet journal is a popular trend that can easily translate to an aesthetic yet meaningful travel journal. This popular bullet notebook has a 4.7-star rating on Amazon with over 18 color options to chose from including mustard yellow (pictured), burgundy, lavender, royal blue and more. The 5.7-by-8-inch dotted pages lend themselves to open-ended creativity. While it can be hard to start designing and writing a journal from scratch, you have the benefit of customizing how much space you want for each list or entry.

Polarsteps Travel Tracker

Physical journals are not everyone's cup of tea, which is where an app like Polarsteps comes into play. Available for iOS and Android devices, Polarsteps lets travelers track their journeys. You can utilize over 300 helpful guides created by travel editors, as well as use the itinerary planner to dream up your perfect vacation and check the transport planner when unsure of what mode of transportation to use from one destination to another. Once you begin your trip, plot each site you visit and slowly form a personalized map that you can embellish with photos and videos. From there, share your map with friends and family or turn it into a travel book to look back on for years to come.

Glad & Young Studio The Traveler's Journal

If you have a bookshelf with rows of novels, photo albums and notebooks, you may want an aesthetic-looking travel journal that fits your style. This leather notebook has 60 pages to document your travels, and is available in a neutral shade (pictured) as well as two marbled patterns that are unique to each purchase. We personally love the brightly colored assorted pattern that has swirls of lavender, yellow, fuchsia and blue. The lined pages are great for daily entries and you can also note the day and weather. Note that to clean, you'll want to wipe away and spills or messes with a soft cloth.

Elizabeth Berry (she/her) is the Updates Editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute where she optimizes lifestyle content across verticals. Prior to this role, she was an Editorial Assistant for Woman’s Day where she covered everything from gift guides to recipes. She also has experience fact checking commerce articles and holds a B.A. in English and Italian Studies from Connecticut College.

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• Journal Types
• Travel Journal

Are you planning a trip? Looking for a way to document your adventure? Look no further than a travel journal! A travel journal serves as a personal memoir of your journey, capturing moments, emotions, and experiences. Not only does it preserve your memories, but it also allows you to reflect on your trip long after it's over. In this article, we will explore travel journal ideas, templates, tips, and how to write a travel journal that will become a cherished keepsake.

What are travel journals?

Travel journals help you to write and document about the experience you had during your trips. You can include the written description of the place that you have visited, list down your itinerary, the photos that you took during your trip and even voice recordings that you have made during your time. Travel journal is one of the most popular journal amongst the different types of journals.

What is the purpose of travel journal

1. discover and learn more things.

Traveling usually leads one to gain new experiences and discoveries. By writing down your experience, you will get to understand your surroundings better, reflect and remember the discoveries that you have made during the trip.

2. Travel memories not to be forgotten

One of the main purposes of a travel journal is to preserve memories and experiences. By documenting your travels using a diary software , you are creating a record of the places you visited, the people you met, the sights you saw, and the activities you participated in. It provides a way to capture the essence of your journey and preserve it for years to come. As time passes, memories may fade, but a well-documented travel journal helps keep those memories alive.

3. Write a shared travel journal

A travel journal can also serve as a means of sharing your experiences with others. Whether it's with friends, family, or fellow travelers, sharing your travel journal can inspire, educate, or entertain others. You can pass on valuable recommendations and insights about destinations, provide practical tips, or simply share your adventures through storytelling. Your travel journal can become a source of inspiration for others who are planning their own trips, encouraging them to explore new places and create their own memories.

How to Write Travel Journals: 3 Amazing Tips to Get Started

Embarking on a travel journal may initially feel like a daunting task. The idea of documenting your adventures, emotions, and experiences can be overwhelming, especially with the sheer volume of memories and details that come with traveling. However, with a few helpful tips, maintaining a travel journal can transform into an exhilarating and fulfilling endeavor.

1. Find the perfect travel journal

To start, finding the right journal is crucial. Look for one that is durable, portable, and compact, ensuring it can withstand the rigors of your travels without taking up excessive space. Additionally, consider a journal with blank or lined pages that will accommodate both writing and creative elements such as sketches, doodles, or collages.

In addition to traditional pen-and-paper journals, modern technology offers a convenient alternative for keeping a travel journal: smartphone apps. One such app that is particularly useful for travel journaling is the Journey app. Journey is a digital journaling platform that allows users to keep track of their experiences, thoughts, and memories.

Just like a physical journal, the Journey app provides a space to jot down detailed notes about your travels. It allows you to capture not only the sights and sounds of your adventures, but also emotions and reflections that make the experience truly memorable.

With Journey, you can easily create multimedia entries by adding photos and videos to your journal. This feature enables you to visually document your journey, adding depth and vibrancy to your memories. The app also provides the option to geotag your entries, allowing you to easily organize your experiences by location.

You also don't need to be in the country you will be traveling to in order to start your first journal. A travel journal can be used to plan your upcoming trips as well. Using the journal travel template in Journey, you can add the places you would like to visit, followed by itinerary plans, tours, and more, creating a travel wishlist!

2. Write about your expectations of this vacation

Before you set foot in the first city, you can write about your expectations of the trip in your journal. By listing down your expectations about how the holiday will be, you can heighten your pre-departure excitement and feel as if the vacation has already begun. At the end of your vacation, you can compare the expectations noted in your journal with what you actually experienced during the trip.

3. Write a reflection after your trip

Writing a reflective journal of your travel journey can be useful as it is a great way to recap what you have learned about the people you were with, yourself, and the trip in general. It is something that we advise you to do after a specific event, trip, or activity as it helps you gain insights and apply them to your future vacations.

Travel journal ideas that inspire you

Not sure how to start the first page of your new travel journal? Refer to some of the travel journal prompts to kick-start your first journal of the trip!

Pre-depature ideas

• Why are you going?
• What are the places that you are most excited to visit?
• What are your expectations for the trip?

Post-holiday ideas

• Write about the people that you have interacted with.
• Write about the food.
• What did you like/dislike most about the trip, and why?
• Reflect and write on your experience of the day.
• What is something that you wish to do the next time you visit again?
• How would you recommend the trip to your friends and family? Write a travel guide for them!
• Where’s your next stop that you would like to travel to?

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Get access to your diary wherever you are – download the free Journey app for your all of your iOS and Android devices today!

Journal Basics

Understand what a journal is, and it's functions

Understand the essence of journal entries.

Your guide to understanding how you can benefit from journaling

Explore the various journal types to serve your needs

Your guide to starting your very own journal today

Journaling prompts to guide you along your reflection

Diary Basics

Your guide to understanding and starting a diary of your own

Record your life with a series of diary entries

Key differences between a diary and a journal

Tips and tricks to start your very own diary today

Your guide to the many diary types you can explore

Discover the benefits of diary and journal software

Get started with your very own digital diary

Simple and effective templates to help you start writing and reflecting

Ideas for Journals

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Record your dreams on a regular basis and keep track of the dream's themes and patterns.

Document your adventures, road trips, places that you have visited, and discoveries that you made along the way.

A self-reflective journal helps you to create your life with intention.

Cultivating inner strength and resilience using stoic journal.

Reignite your relationship, deepen communication, and strengthen your bond.

Write a personalized experience of your pregnancy journey.

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Journal Prompts

Inspiring list of over 100 prompts for enhancing journal creativity.

Prompts to guide reflection and gratitude entries in a daily journal.

Collection of prompts to inspire expressive writing for mental health.

List of 100 self-care journal prompts designed to inspire emotional wellness.

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Prompts inspire kids to write creatively about diverse topics daily.

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Digital Planners

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Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever embrace notion of using charter flights for WNBA travel

CORRECTS FROM CAITLYN TO CAITLIN - Pailynn Amos, center, holds a sign for Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in front of her mother Rebecca Amos, of Ennis, Texas, prior to an WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings in Arlington, Texas, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, left, gives autographs as she arrives on the Red Carpet before the world premiere and screening of Episode 1 of the upcoming ESPN+ Original Series Full Court Press, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) and head coach Christine Sides, center right, react after a play during the second half of an WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings in Arlington, Texas, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

Young fans wait for Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark to arrive on the Red Carpet before the world premiere and screening of Episode 1 of the upcoming ESPN+ Original Series Full Court Press, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

CORRECTS FROM CAITLYN TO CAITLIN - Indiana Fever head coach Christine Sides, left, talks to Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) as they play the Dallas Wings during the first half of an WNBA basketball game in Arlington, Texas, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

CORRECTS FROM CAITLYN TO CAITLIN - Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts after making a basket during the first half of an WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings in Arlington, Texas, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark already is one of the WNBA’s most recognizable players.

So when she made her first road trip last week, the league’s top overall draft pick had to adapt. Instead of loading her bag directly onto a plane and boarding, Clark found herself traversing the same lines and waits as everyone else at the Dallas airport — just like most of the league’s players.

It’s a hassle she wouldn’t mind avoiding on future trips and now league commissioner Cathy Engelbert is working on a solution.

One day after Engelbert told a group of sports editors that she’s trying to find regular charter flights for all 12 WNBA teams, Clark and her new teammates embraced the move.

“I think you just have to be aware of where you are,” Clark said after Wednesday’s practice. “You travel with security, which is nice. It’s just different from college where you put your bag on the plane, hop on the plane and then you’re off. But like (here) you’re waiting at baggage claim, you’ve got to go through the normal security with everybody else. For me, it was my first time doing it. It wasn’t terrible. I just went about my business and kept my head down.”

Clark went on to score 21 points in her pro debut , a 79-76 loss.

But her star power has only fueled a debate that took center stage last season when Phoenix Suns star Brittney Griner was confronted by a man who started asking questions as she walked through an airport. The incident became so heated that the man was tackled and law enforcement was called.

League officials called the man’s actions “inappropriate” and “unfortunate.”

It spurred a leaguewide debate over player safety with some veteran stars asking that league officials do more, including charter flights. And now, with one of the most heralded rookie classes entering the league, Engelbert wants to take action even if she doesn’t have a defined timetable for when it could happen.

Fever coach Christie Sides also remembered sleeping in an airport while working with the Chicago Sky because of several delays before the flight was eventually canceled. She said the team took a 6 a.m. flight and played later that night.

For those reasons, it can’t start soon enough for those who have been around the league for years — or for Clark, who has been driving WNBA ticket sales upward after spending her last two seasons at Iowa driving a substantial increase in television ratings.

“I’m thankful at whatever point that happens, that would be great for us. It will make recovery easier, it will make travel easier,” Clark said. “It just makes life a lot easier for a lot of people, but also it’s just something a lot of people have deserved for years and years.”

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

The 2025 Real ID deadline for new licenses is really real this time, DHS says

If you plan on flying around the country in 2025 and beyond, you might want to listen up.

You have about 365 days to make your state-issued driver’s license or identification “Real ID” compliant, per the Department of Homeland Security.  

The Real ID compliance is part of a larger act passed by Congress in 2005 to set “minimum security standards” for the distribution of identification materials, including driver’s licenses. This means that certain federal agencies, like the Transportation Security Administration or DHS, won’t be able to accept state-issued forms of identification without the Real ID seal.

It's taken a while for the compliance to stick, with DHS originally giving a 2020 deadline before pushing it back a year, then another two years and another two years after that due to “backlogged transactions” at MVD offices nationwide, according to previous USA TODAY reports.

You won’t be able to board federally regulated commercial aircraft, enter nuclear power plants, or access certain facilities if your identification documents aren’t Real ID compliant by May 7, 2025. 

Learn more: Best travel insurance

Here’s what we know about Real IDs, including where to get one and why you should think about getting one.

Do I have to get a Real ID?

Not necessarily. 

If you have another form of identification that TSA accepts, there probably isn’t an immediate reason to obtain one, at least for travel purposes. But if you don’t have another form of identification and would like to travel around the country in the near future, you should try to obtain one. 

Here are all the other TSA-approved forms of identification:

◾ State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License

◾ U.S. passport

◾ U.S. passport card

◾ DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)

◾ U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents

◾ Permanent resident card

◾ Border crossing card

◾ An acceptable photo ID issued by a  federally recognized , Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe

◾ HSPD-12 PIV card

◾ Foreign government-issued passport

◾ Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card

◾ Transportation worker identification credential

◾ U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)

◾ U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential

◾ Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)

However, federal agencies “may only accept” state-issued driver’s licenses or identification cards that are Real ID compliant if you are trying to gain access to a federal facility. That includes TSA security checkpoints.

Enhanced driver’s licenses, only issued by Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Vermont, are considered acceptable alternatives to REAL ID-compliant cards, according to DHS. 

What can I use my Real ID for?

For most people, it's all about boarding flights.

You can only use your Real ID card to obtain access to "nuclear power plants, access certain facilities, or board federally regulated commercial aircrafts," according to DHS.

The cards can't be used to travel across any border, whether that's Canada, Mexico, or any other international destination, according to DHS.

How do I get a Real ID? What does a Real ID look like?

All you have to do to get a Real ID is to make time to head over to your local department of motor vehicles.

Every state is different, so the documents needed to verify your identity will vary. DHS says that at minimum, you will be asked to produce your full legal name, date of birth, social security number, two proofs of address of principal residence and lawful status.

The only difference between the state-issued forms of identification you have now and the Real ID-compliant card you hope to obtain is a unique marking stamped in the right-hand corner. The mark stamped on your Real ID compliant cards depends on the state.