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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?

First travel journal pages

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.

Different page orientations

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. 

Patterned paper pages

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.

Daily entry journal

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.

Page from China travel journal

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.

Stacks of travel journals

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:

Sketching pages

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).

Stamped page

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.

Quote example page

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.

Shot list

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.”

Ideas Index Page

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.”

Things I Notice page

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.

Travel sketch

  • 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.

Sketch of Croatia building

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.

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

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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 […]

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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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travel diary examples

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

travel diary 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.

travel diary examples

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

travel diary examples

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.

travel diary examples

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

travel diary 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.

travel diary examples

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

travel diary examples

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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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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Artjournalist

101 Travel Journal Ideas: Page Examples, Inspiration & Prompts

Use these 101 travel journal ideas as prompts and inspiration to fill your travel journal no matter where your next adventure might be.

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These 101 Travel Journal ideas will help you fill up a notebook of all sorts of adventures – whether it’s an exotic voyage or the everyday journey in life. 

And of course, please, please, please DO NOT feel like you have to do every single thing I put on this list – especially all in one journal. {That would be one awfully big, heavy book to lug around!} 

Whether you’re off to a grand exotic adventure, dreaming of places you want to go or maybe just enjoying a stay-cation and local points of interest, I hope you will find this post of travel journal ideas inspiring to document your next creative adventure.

101 Travel Journal Ideas: What to Put in a Traveler’s Notebook

1. start with a map.

travel diary examples

Maps are always great in a journal. You can paste or tape them in or even make pockets and envelopes with them. Drawing maps can be a lot of fun also.

There are also a lot of ways to get maps:

  • Google Maps: You could even print out a satellite/street view version or the directions.
  • Maps Category on Wikimedia Commons : Lots of great free maps you can download and print out.
  • Old Books & Atlases: If you have an old set of encyclopedias that’s way outdated and not of collector value, there are likely a lot of great maps to use in your journals. I love finding an old atlas at the thrift store or book sales.
  • Marketing Maps: Many welcome centers, tourist agencies and travel rest stops have all sorts of maps available in marketing brochures. 

Staying local? Why not make a map of where you live? It could be your neighborhood, the backyard or even your kitchen. Doodles and sketches are perfectly 100% awesome here.

Another idea is to cut out shapes from old outdated maps you have. I sometimes buy old atlases and books with maps just for this purpose! These hearts shown below were cut out using a heart shaped punch similar to this one on Amazon .

travel diary examples

I love scrapbook punches for so many different things in my art journals – you don’t even need that many of them and you can get perfect cut-outs anytime. These are great to make in advance before you travel somewhere – and you can get all sorts of different shapes! Circles, tags, you name it.

SICOHOME Paper Punches,Pack of 3,Heart,Circle,Star

2. Can’t Decide Where to Go? Make a Mind Map

travel diary examples

As creative people, making plans and staying organized is sometimes a challenge. I know when I go anywhere it sometimes feels overwhelming to keep track of all the details or even just decide what I want to do. Sometimes I don’t even know where I want to go or what I want to do. 

Mind Maps are great for easily mapping out ideas, dreams, plans, thoughts – especially if you’re not sure how to really organize them. You can draw them out on paper or even use mindmap software to create one you like and then print out and decorate.

Sometimes just making a mind map of an ordinary place can be fun – this mindmap of things to do in Ohio actually makes me excited to go there this summer. {Living next door in PA sometimes causes me to take all the neat things to explore in Ohio for granted.}

Even if you’re only going as far as your imagination, a mind map is a great way to explore all sorts of different ideas and concepts.

3. Packing List & Trip Prep

If you are using your travel journal as part planner, part journal, making a packing list and a to-do list before leaving is a great idea.

This is not only practical, as it will hopefully help you remember everything, but it can also help document some of the excitement and anticipation for the trip before you even arrive at your destination.

4. What’s In Your Bag?

While similar to a packing list, it can sometimes be fun to either snap a quick photo or sketch and doodle a picture of your suitcase and bags.

This can also be a fun way to document different day trips – it’s always interesting to see what sorts of things you consider essential to carry with you – especially if you find yourself looking back 5 – 10 years later. I am still in awe that fanny packs are coming back in style . 

5. Make a Bucket List

A bucket list is a list of all the things you want to do. Maybe this is a list for while you are at a specific location for a period of time – or this could even be a list of all the different places you want to visit during your lifetime.

Some of the examples of things you could create for a bucket list:

  • Places you want to go
  • Region Specific Foods you want to try
  • Things you want to do
  • People you hope to see 

6. Found Things: Collecting Ephemera & Other Treasures

Lately I’ve been keeping my eyes on the ground whenever we go places. I’ve found all sorts of very interesting things by keeping my eyes and my head open to finding stuff at random.

I’ve found old coins and pennies, tokens, dropped business cards – all sorts of interesting stuff. A lot of times people may think this stuff is just trash, but if it’s flat enough it can fit into a journal and a great way to document things you’ve encountered while out exploring the world. You never know what you might find on a sidewalk.

7. Save Those Receipts

Receipts are a great way to keep track of different things you do and need during your trip. Maybe you need a special airline approved travel bag you buy before the trip, or it’s the receipt for lunch at that adorable sea-side cafe you stumbled across.

Usually these sorts of things also have geographic information printed on them, so it can make even the national/international chains a little more interesting.

I always joke that doesn’t matter where we go or how well I plan I usually end up at a Wal-mart buying supplies we forgot – but hey, at least it’s fun to see your Wal-mart receipt has a different city and state printed on it. 

8. Attach an Envelope or Pocket for Collecting & Storing Supplies 

travel diary examples

Speaking of ephemera and found things, another great idea for things to include in your journal is an envelope you can use as storage. The pocket for collage supplies is one of my favorite things about Dylusions Art Journals – so handy for holding stuff!

Since most of my journals are either 7×10″ or 6×9″,  I like to use the 6×9″ mailing envelopes and glue them or tape them into my notebooks and journals to use as a pocket for holding stuff. They are great for fitting all sorts of paper scraps and other things you might find on the trip!

If you are like me and realize what a deal it is to buy 100 clasp envelopes on Amazon , you can use the envelopes to make many, many more junk journals and art journals in the future! 

Simple Stories 6x8-inch Page Protectors with (2) 4x6-inch Divided Pockets, 10-Pack

Beyond just envelopes, there are also a lot of other ways to display and store things inside of a journal, and one of the great things to use for this are the pocket page protectors often used in pocket scrapbooks.

If you are trying to keep things small and simple while traveling, Simple Stories is one brand with a wide variety of differently configured 6×8″ Pocket Page Protectors that can be a great way to hold and display items you might find in your adventures. Bonus : No glue stick needed. 

Field Artist Pro 12HP Urban Series - Complete Travel Watercolor Set with 12 Half pan Colors and Travel Brush, and a Classic Metal Field Box, All fits in Your Pocket!

9. Keep a Record/Log of Daily Events

I know sometimes when I actually DO go on a real vacation, I don’t always have time to keep track of everything we do. One good way to get around this, without necessarily having to write a whole lot or spend the day drawing and gluing things in the book is to keep a very simple log each day. 

This doesn’t have to be elaborate. Keep it simple – use the actual date or the day of the week and challenge yourself to j ust write one word for each day . This will help you remember details of the trip long after it happens. 

  • Monday – Beach
  • Tuesday – Friends
  • Wednesday – Museum

Keeping a log helps you remember things so that you can continue to fill the book up with memories and ephemera from the trip long after you return.

10. Method of Travel: Document Your Transportation

There are plenty of ways to get from one place to another. You can ride a bus, take a train, or fly up high in a fancy jet plane! 

Once you arrive at your destination, there can also be a lot of additional things to note about getting around town, especially if you are traveling somewhere that drives on opposite sides of the street or relies primarily on bicycles or scooters for transportation. 

All of these things make for great ideas for stuff to doodle, sketch, and write about!

11. Accommodations – Where Are You Sleeping?

Whether you’re staying in a hotel, airBNB, fancy resort or maybe your RV, there are plenty of things to document about where you are staying during the trip. 

Some ideas for ephemera might be brochures, print-outs of your reservation confirmation, map directions to the location. You can also always do a sketch of your room or view out the window. 

12. How’s the Weather?

travel diary examples

Weather is one of those things that might be considered “small talk” but it’s also something I know can really influence what types of activities we do when we are on a trip.

We do a lot of camping – so if it’s warm and sunny, you’ll find us hiking, kayaking, and fishing. If it’s rainy, you might find us playing card games, visiting shops, or checking out area museums.

Sometimes bad weather can even make a trip more fun than expected – you might check out something new you ordinarily would have skipped, or maybe you will come home with a funny story of events.

You can record different weather events bullet journal style in your notebook or just draw different weather related symbols whenever you jot down any notes.

13. First Impressions – Any surprises?

Once you arrive at your destination, take a note of some of the things you notice right away or any different thoughts you might have about the trip there so far. This is especially a good idea if you are going somewhere completely new that is not like anything you have done before.

You might also want to take note of what expectations you had prior to leaving the trip – Is there anything that surprised you once you got there? Did you over estimate or under estimate what it might be like? Sometimes the anticipation before a trip can be much different than the actual reality once you get there!

14. Paint Backgrounds in Advance to Pack Less Art Supplies

Something I like to do in art journals when I’m traveling is to paint the pages before I go with acrylic paints I like to use. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate – maybe some simple stripes for writing on, or you can even use by block-by-block art journal technique to prep different page sections in advance.

This gives your pages a nice background and start for any type of journaling or doodles – and you don’t have the hassle of having to pack or carry around a whole lot of supplies. All you need from there is a couple of favorite pens and maybe a glue stick.

15. Try Watercolors for Compact & Portable Art Supplies

If you do want to paint while you are on your trip, a set of travel watercolors is a great option because they are generally very compact and easy to clean up and carry around – some pocket field sets could literally fit in your pocket and are smaller than most cell phones!

Watercolors are a great fun way to give your pages a little hint of color – and of course you can always use the opportunity to try out some new and different watercolor painting techniques !

16. Portrait Sketches

Meeting new people, or sometimes just seeing new people can be very inspiring to practice sketching different portrait drawing techniques. 

Portraits of new faces and people can be a great way to practice and hone in on your skills in drawing and painting faces – it can also serve as a springboard for additional art to make even when you return from the trip.

If the idea of sketching or painting a portrait makes you nervous, do not worry – there are lots of great resources to help you out here, like Mixed Media Portraits With Pam Carriker – Jane Davenport also has lots of great books such as this one which can be a wonderful resource to start with.

Drawing and Painting Beautiful Faces: A Mixed-Media Portrait Workshop

17. Draw & Sketch Landmarks

No matter where you go, there are sure to be landmarks. These can be great sources of inspiration for stories and drawing practice. 

Some landmarks are famous {such as The Statue of Liberty in NYC or The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City} – other landmarks are more of directional markers or might have personal significance to you. One example is a water tower we always look for when we drive past it on the highway.

18. Architecture

travel diary examples

Wherever you find yourself, take some time to notice different architectural details such as windows, doors, gates, fences and roofs. Make a page inspired by the different things you see! This can be a detailed sketch or simply a whimsical doodle like the photo shown above.

19. Make a Cityscape

travel diary examples

After you pay some attention to the different architectural details, it can be fun to incorporate this into cityscape art.

It can be a very fun challenge to recreate a drawing or doodle of the places you visit in your journals, and of course you can always combine these with other drawings or collage and ephemera.

Many of the Watercolor Doodle Cities here and other city-inspired paintings I make start from inspiration from real-life cities and towns I’ve visited.

20. Capture the Landscape

Sketching or painting the landscape can be a wonderful way to document all the beautiful views in nature. You can also photograph these scenes to inspire you to make more art when you get back home.

Maybe it’s an early morning sunrise or a field you drive past on the highway, the waves at the beach or even the way the mountains look in the distance.

21. Use Whatever You Can Find for Art Supplies  

I like to pack light when I’m traveling, and so that usually means sadly most of my art supplies have to stay at home. The good news is the lack of supplies can push you to try using everyday materials in creative ways.

For example, say you go out for tea – you can use the tea in your cup or a used tea bag to create tea stains on your papers. {Just be careful not to smear any ink from pens unless that is your desired effect!}

Over the years I’ve used all sorts of things to create with in my journal beyond traditional materials. A dandelion can often be used to get yellow coloring on paper – you could even use makeup like lipstick or eye shadow and blush on your pages.

22. Pay Attention to Special Events & Holidays

While you don’t need a special event or holiday as an excuse to explore the world, often times we do go places depending on the season and traditions we like to celebrate. 

If your journaling happens to fall around a certain holiday or you attend a special event in your adventures, there can be all sorts of seasonal things you can add onto your pages – hearts for Valentine’s Day, Flowers in the Spring, Pumpkins for Halloween, Christmas Decorations, etc.

23. Everybody Eats: Food is Never Ending Inspiration

There are some places I would visit again just with the sole purpose of eating amazing food. Food also makes for an endless source of things to put in your journal. You might not need to record every single meal or snack, but if you enjoy something good – make a note of it or use it as inspiration for art.

Another thing you can do, especially if you visit different countries is save food wrappers. Different languages, different wrappers – all these things can easily be added into your journal and will even help you remember what foods and restaurants you like if you should visit that place again.

24. Street Signs & Names

As someone who loves all things words, letters and numbers, I can’t help but feel gravitated towards interesting signs we see in different places. These can be great starting points for drawings, sketches or even things to photograph and add to your pages at a later time.

25. Read any good books?

travel diary examples

Sometimes the books we read can inspire our travels – or a book can help us pass the time on a long bus ride or flight. Vacation is also a good time to catch up on books you’ve been wanting to read.

I love books so some of my favorite places to visit while traveling are small bookstores and libraries – I always find some nice treasures that way!

26. Foreign Language

If you’re traveling to a country where English is not the native language, it can be very fun and interesting to find different things that have the country’s language in your journal.

Whenever I’m shopping at used book sales, I often find a lot of foreign language dictionaries. These make for excellent paper backgrounds to use in junk journals, or you can always have fun copying the words to practice your foreign language skills.

Staying local in your own hometown? Have some fun visiting regular mundane places by learning or practicing a different language. 

¡Vamos a cocinar papas en la estufa!

Even a place as mundane your kitchen can be more fun if you learn fun ways to explore it as a traveler. This can also be a great way to help your kids practice their foreign language skills. 

27. Everyday Life

What do the people who call the place you are visiting home everyday? Take some notes, sketches or photos of a day in the life of a local.

Another thing that can be fun to do is to imagine for a moment if this place was your home, and not just a place you were visiting. What might you like or dislike about staying in that one place long-term?

28. What are other tourists doing?

Every time we’ve visited tourist-destination types of places it is always fascinating to watch the other travelers and what they are doing. Maybe you see hundreds of people with cameras, or you see people waiting in line to get their picture taken next to a certain attraction.

29. Trees & Flowers

I spend most of my vacations immersed in nature and I love drawing and painting trees and flowers. You might also want to keep some wax paper in your notebook – this can be a great way to preserve flowers or leaves.

30. Birds of a Feather

When we visit cities I always notice pigeons, and I always see seagulls at the beach. I love photographing ducks! Sometimes places we go have aviaries to visit. When we go camping, we love looking for woodpeckers, cardinals, and other birds.

You can fill your journal with bird related images or just make a list or doodles of the different birds you might encounter.

31. Animals

If you love animals, this is another great source of inspiration while you are traveling. Maybe you go to a nearby zoo, or maybe friends you are staying with have a friendly cat. 

Some places you visit may even have animals you don’t typically see that often. I remember when I visited Toronto in Canada I saw so many moose statues everywhere we went!

32. Notes From History

Most places have historical centers – even small towns often have an interesting past. If you enjoy historical points of interest, there all sorts of ways to incorporate this on your pages.

Use cut outs from brochures or old books, record facts, or even attempt to recreate a scene from history in your journal. This is a great way to use up some of your favorite vintage ephemera also!

33. Famous People / Persons of Interest Who Lived there

Almost every place has people who are famous or played an important role in the history of the area. It can be very interesting to research before you go some different people who have lived in that place – and maybe even tour some of the different things that would have been part of their daily life.

One example of this is when a friend of mine in high school was slightly obsessed with all things Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. She had learned he grew up in boring old Mercer, PA {not so far from the same boring town we lived in} – so we decided to go up one day to check it out.

It was very neat to think hey, here’s this little town in Pennsylvania just like our little town in Pennsylvania, he was a band dork, we were band dorks. It is always neat to see these sorts of places, especially if it someone who is inspiring to you, because in a way you can see the kind of environment that inspired them to become the creative person they are.

34. Music Playlist

Speaking of Trent Reznor – let’s talk about another favorite aspect of traveling for me – plenty of opportunity to listen to music!

I can’t think of a better way to enjoy a long ride than to come prepared with a good music playlist.  If you’re riding passenger on long trips, a good music playlist and a sketchbook is a great way to help pass the time.

I also like to listen to different music that is popular in different areas. It’s way more fun to listen to Blue Grass music if you are in the Mountains of Virgina or a little country music on the city streets of Nashville.

There are so many different types of music around the world, and all of it can be very inspiring to listen to while writing or creating.

Need more ideas for how to incorporate music into your journals? Our list of creative music inspired art prompts can help inspire you!

35. Textures

Make a page about different textures you might encounter on your trip. Maybe it’s the sand between your toes, the concrete on the sidewalks or the familiar softness of your favorite shirt in a place where everything is different. 

You can even optionally include some of these textures into your journal, especially if you encounter things like fabric swatches or handwoven items.

Another idea is to use different textures from objects around you as unique stencils and stamps. You can do all sorts of mark making with different textures in your book!

While I suppose this could fall under “food” – coffee for me is more than just a tasty caffeinated beverage. Draw a Picture of Coffee with the different backdrop of the place you visit. Save ephemera like napkins, coffee stirrer or receipts from shops you visit.

Pay attention to ways coffee is prepared and served. If you are visiting a place that grows and produces coffee, this too can be very fascinating to learn about and try different flavors native to the area. 

37. Souvenirs

Do you collect anything? Some people collect pennies, spoons, key chains, salt shakers – you name it! Collecting is a fun low-stress hobby and traveling can be a great way to find new things.

If you are a collector of something, it can be fun to make a page about different sorts of things you like to collect. If you don’t have a collection yet – what is one you might you be inclined to start or find interesting? 

Many different places you might visit often also have souvenir shops with all sorts of interesting things for the area. Even if you’re not a collector, you may enjoy sketching or making a list of the sort of things you notice. 

 38. Pick Up a Newspaper – Local, National & Global News

It’s always interesting to read the news somewhere you aren’t. It gives you a greater understanding of what types of things the residents who live in a place might experience on a regular day to day basis and what is important to them.

Another bonus is often times when you visit a new area the newspaper may syndicate different feature columns than your papers back home. This could mean new recipes, different horoscopes, puzzles, comments, and opinion pieces.

Newspapers are also great to use in collage and art you might be inspired to create, especially if you have very limited access to art supplies.

What does the place you’re visiting smell like? Maybe you can smell freshly baked bread drifting across the plaza, or it’s the smell of the ocean next to you, or even just the smell of pine trees in the woods. 

Paying attention to how all of your different senses experience the place can help you remember the adventure all that much more.

40. Include Conversations With the People You Talk To

One thing I enjoy doing when traveling is meeting and talking to new people and listening in on what people might be saying at the different places we visit. 

It’s funny, but some of the conversations I remember are not exactly quotable, but totally memorable enough to document in a journal. One time when we were at a beach an old man was talking to us and told us we needed to visit a place that was about 6 hours away.

“They have the most unbelievable peaches! Miles and miles of orchards…” he said. Well, after talking to him we decided to go that way the next day and yes, they did have peaches, but we were mostly awed by the unbelievable beautiful beaches!

Had we not talked to that stranger on the beach that day we never would have discovered one of our favorite beaches in the U.S.

41. The Local Dialect

I live in the Pittsburgh area and we are sorta famous for our unique dialect. Many local shops sell Yinzer stickers and other Pittsburghese types of things that are always popular with tourists and would make great journal fodder.

If you happen to be somewhere, pay attention to different words and phrases people use for things. You might be surprised how many sayings and words you pick up that aren’t in any foreign language dictionary!

travel diary examples

42. Quotes About the Area and/or General Traveling

There are all sorts of great quotes that can be a great way to add to the journal. You can include general travel quotes in your journal while you are getting ready for the trip – or of course you can always add these once you are back. 

43. Interview The People Traveling With You

It’s always interesting how two different people can have two different options and memories about a trip! Traveling with kids? Ask them their thoughts – and of course don’t forget to encourage them to create their own travel journals!

44. Hidden in Plain View – Important or Sensitive Information 

It’s always a good idea to have a paper copy of important info while you are in a different place – especially if WiFi access or phone reception might be hard to come by. 

While I don’t recommend keeping sensitive info in plain sight in a journal, sometimes you can give yourself cryptic ways only you would know to have a reference for things like addresses or bank account info.

Some ways you can do this is by drawing the numbers in a certain specific pattern, or you could even make up your own secret code. 

45. Reference Lists & Safety Info

I’m sorta neurotic about safety, so I like to include helpful safety info in my notebooks, especially because we spend so much time outdoors. This might be something as simple as a mini first aid guide or a list of emergency numbers for the area. If you are traveling in a foreign place, you may even want to list some emergency contacts in the notebook.

I also like to print out this type of information to keep in planner binders. For the planner I keep in our camper, I included printed information for dog medications and first aid, since our dog has a habit of finding bees nests, eating fishing rods and getting into all sorts of trouble.

46. Currency From Different Countries

travel diary examples

Many foreign countries have different types of currency that can be very interesting to keep in a journal. If you have a few smaller value notes leftover from a trip they can be a great thing to put in a journal or slip into a clear pocket you attach to the pages.

47. Track Your Budget

Budgeting might not seem exciting, especially while supposedly on a vacation! Still, it is definitely an inevitable part of life that doesn’t go away just because you are somewhere different! 

Fortunately, it can be way more fun to do when you find a way to express your creativity in your journal or planner. Keep records of expenses while you are traveling and think about different ways you can save money.

If you haven’t left for your destination yet, there are lots of great ways to plan a trip without spending a lot. Make a page about how you will save for an upcoming trip or make a list of ways to you can see the world without going into debt.

48. Random Fun Facts

Do you enjoy games like trivial pursuit? Something that can be fun to do before you leave is read up on different fun facts about an area, or you can even just jot down these things as you experience them in the place you visit.

Random Fun Fact Example: We can thank computer scientist Scott Fahlman at CMU in Pittsburgh for the widespread use of the smiley face symbol . 🙂 Pittsburgh is also home to another famous smiley face – the Eat ‘N Park Smiley ! 

49. Local Business & Industry

Do you ever need to travel for work? Business travel can sometimes create all sorts of new interesting opportunities to see sights and document parts of a place that don’t exactly make it to the city guides!

Many cities are also famous for different things related to businesses and industries. Factory Tours can be super fascinating and educational – they also make for a great activity during rainy day travels.

50. Movies, Plays & Film

Many places you wouldn’t expect have been featured in movies – other times there may be films or movies that take place in the very same places you visit.

One example is the time we visited Savannah, Georgia. My husband loves the movie Forest Gump so naturally this meant we had to visit Chippewa Square and the famous park bench at the Savannah History Museum when we explored the city.

51. The Clothes We Wear

Just like food and money, most of the time we typically need to also wear clothes. You don’t have to be a fashionista to appreciate unique clothing styles in different places you visit.

Depending where you travel to, the culture and weather can be very different from where you live and so the style of clothes and things people wear and do can be fascinating. 

Don’t forget to also pay attention to the clothes you are wearing. Maybe it’s a raincoat because it’s raining or you bought something special to wear for the trip.

52. Travel Shoes

Going places usually means lots of walking and standing – which means the pair of shoes you wear can make all the difference! Sketch a pair of your shoes and take note of whether they have reliably served you well in your travels, or if they’ve caused you pain, agony and misery. 

53. Hobbies & Interests

When I visited NYC my top must-see destination was the Sketchbook museum at the Brooklyn Art Library of course!

One of the ways I documented that visit was to put a safety pin in one of my pages once I got home because I noticed one of the journals there was completely bound with safety pins and I thought that was pretty unique and I didn’t want to forget it! 

Your different hobbies and interests can always overlap in travel – and sometimes in the most of unexpected ways. If you have a specific hobby or interest you enjoy, take some time to research different clubs and organizations in the area. You can find groups and points of interest for almost anything!

54. What’s Trending Now

Do you notice any interesting trends about the place you visit? Maybe there is an activity that is popular or something you notice everyone is doing.

This could be something like a TV show everyone is watching, something seasonally related or it could even be many of the homes decorated with certain pieces or in a certain style.

55. Funny Stuff

One thing you should always bring along any adventure is a good sense of humor. I love this one picture we snapped while we traveled through VA – antique tables made daily!

There are also lots of great travel-themed jokes you could use in your journal.

What travels around the world but stays in one corner? A stamp.

{Sorry, I couldn’t resist, I love punny bad jokes!} Speaking of stamps…

56. Postage Stamps: Send Yourself Some Mail Back Home

travel diary examples

Postcards and foreign stamps can make for an excellent addition to any type of travel journal. You can mail yourself a letter or post card, or even pick up some post cards where you are visiting to add to your pages.

travel diary examples

Shown above: A photo of some of the vintage postcards I have in my ephemera collection. If you have friends and family members who travel a lot, be sure to offer to pay for postage and ask them to mail you things!

57. Color Combos

Do you love color? Different places can be great inspiration for unique color combinations or even noticing things you may ordinarily ignore. Take a look at your surroundings and try to create a color palette based on what you see around you.

58. Rainbow Page

Another fun travel journal idea is to try to make a page that includes something of every color of the rainbow you see while you are on a trip. This could be done with ephemera or even just making notes and drawing in your sketchbook to add in photos later.

59. Inspiration is Everywhere

What do you see that inspires you to create while you are traveling? Maybe you notice an interesting pattern on textiles being sold at a shop or you like the way the vase on your table looks at a restaurant.

Take note of these little details that inspire you and sketch or jot them down. These can be great sources of inspiration for those days you need a little kickstart to create.

60. Bottle Caps, Drink Labels and Coasters

Many bottled beverages have labels and unique bottle caps that can make for great things to include in a journal. You may also notice several restaurants have coasters that are nice to save after your meal.

Bottle labels and coasters are two types of things that are normally thrown away but can make for great ephemera to include in your journal and help document the trip.

61. All the Different Shapes

Another idea for different places you visit is to create pages based on different shapes. For example, you could have a page for things that are round, such as wheels, windows, or stones.

You could also easily do this for things that are square, rectangles, triangles, etc.

62. Define Some Travel Words

What does adventure mean to you? What do you consider to be a journey?

There are lots of different travel-themed words and they often mean different things to different people. Write your own definition for words, or you could even find these words in a dictionary and cut them and paste them to the page in your book.

Here’s a couple more words you could use on the page or define:

63. Why do you love travel?

People travel for different reasons, and of course the reasons we enjoy it are also usually unique to us. What do you like the most? Is it meeting new people? Seeing something different? Learning new things?

Write or illustrate your favorite things and the reasons you enjoy discovering new places.

64. Stickers

Stickers can be found anywhere, whether it’s a price sticker on something you buy or even a marketing sticker they give away at a promotional event. Some places you visit may even have shops that sell unique stickers for the area.

65. Technology & Apps

There are many apps and websites that can make traveling a lot easier, and it can be something fun to document in your journal. These apps can help you find new places or even possibly read reviews and get special coupons and deals. 

Another thing to think about is how the place you are visiting uses technology. Do they seem advanced or are they behind compared to where you currently live?

66. Trip Stats

Another fun thing to record in your journal are trip stats. Your might record your odometer reading, number of miles you traveled, or if you have a fitbit you could make a note of how many steps you walked that day.

Fitbit Versa Lite Edition Smart Watch, One Size (S & L bands included)

67. Try Zentangle

Zentangle is a super portable form of art and very relaxing so perfect if you’re going on vacation to unwind. All you need is some paper and your favorite Micron 01 pen.

You can start with basic shapes or just tangle freely on the pages of your journal. Who knows – some places you visit may even be home of certified Zentangle instructors and classes may be available during your trip!

Sakura Pigma 30062 Micron Blister Card Ink Pen Set, Black, Ass't Point Sizes 6CT Set

68. Practice Creative Lettering

There are so many great ideas and ways to have fun with creative lettering in your journal. You can try different styles of letters, mix up big and small writing. 

Hate your handwriting? Our post on creative lettering ideas can give you lots of inspiration for ways to add unique text without necessarily mastering calligraphy.

Hand Lettering 101: An Introduction to the Art of Creative Lettering (Hand Lettering Series)

69. Stencil It

Stencils are flat and portable – so very easy to bring with you along your travels and keep right inside your notebook. There are TONS of inexpensive stencil sets on Amazon or you could even try making your own journal stencil templates.

A couple of stencils can definitely can help you with making shapes, layouts, and different designs in  your journal – no fine art skills required!

20 PCS Journal Stencil Plastic Planner Set for Journal/Notebook/Diary/Scrapbook DIY Drawing Template Journal Stencils 4x7 Inch

70. Bodies of Water

travel diary examples

Water is always a source for inspiration, relaxing, and feeling refreshed – and where there is life, you are sure to find water! As the author of How to Read Water points out, you can learn just as much about water from a puddle as you can from the sea. 

Create a page in your journal based on what you like to do in the water – whether you go fishing, swim laps in the pool on a cruise ship or just admire the sailboats out on the bay.

71. Make a List of Things to Research

While you are on your trip, you might find yourself curious to learn more about stuff you encounter. Make a list or note of this in your journal so you can read up on it when you come back home.

Before you go somewhere new it’s also a very good idea to research different laws, customs and practices. This to-research-list can be a great thing to add in your journal before you leave to remind you to actually learn about these things before you get there!

72. Visiting a Sports Town?

travel diary examples

Sports teams around the world have some very loyal fans and this can be another thing worth documenting if you are in a place that takes their sports seriously. In some areas it’d be impossible not to take note of arenas and stadiums!

Even if you’re not a sports fan, you may notice where you are visiting what important sports games are happening and what teams people proudly wear on their t-shirts, jerseys and hats. If you do visit an event, don’t forget to save your ticket stubs and program with the team roster!

73. Stick to the Grid

Grid lined pages can be nice to have when you are writing or drawing, because they also make it super easy to try to draw things when you want to be mindful of things like ratio and perspective relationships.

You can also have fun just arranging different elements in a grid-like fashion – draw your own freehand grid and fill each box with different memories or images you cut and tear out of a local magazine or newspaper.

74. What Are You Really Good At When Traveling?

Do your planning skills shine as you come up with the perfect trip itinerary? Have you mastered the fine art of packing a suitcase with all the right things? Have a knack for strumming up conversation with the locals? Or, maybe you’re just really good at getting lost! 

Whatever your strengths and skills are when it comes to travel, these should be celebrated and certainly worthy of being documented in your travel journal! Draw yourself an award, make a list of your best strengths, and celebrate all the hard work that goes into exploring.

75. Gratitude

You can never go wrong keeping track of things you are thankful for. See our list of gratitude journal prompts for even more ideas of ways to incorporate thankfulness in your journal pages.

76. No Place Like Home

Sometimes distance makes us all the more appreciative of home. What things do you miss the most while you are away from home? Draw pictures, doodle, paint, or make a list! 

77. Wish You Were Here

Sometimes when we go someplace new we can’t help but think of family or friends back home. Is there anything specific where you are that reminds you of someone? Write about it or tuck those little pieces of ephemera you find on a page.

78. What Went Wrong

It’s tempting to only document the good parts of a trip but sometimes the mishaps of travel become great funny stories after a few years…like my husbands famous melt down over a lack of parking or that time we went camping and got flooded out. 

These sorts of things aren’t exactly fun in the midst of the trouble, but years later we can look back and at least say the trips were memorable!

79. What Did You Learn?

Every trip is an opportunity and discovery is synonymous for learning. What did you learn during your trip?

Maybe you learned something new about the cultures, customs and history of the place. Or, if staying local… maybe you learned to always bring sunscreen or bug spray or how to avoid rush hour traffic.

80. Document Digitally

While I will forever be a pen and paper kind of girl, I know I also enjoy the convenience of digital art journaling – especially when it’s not always easy to pack lots of supplies! This is especially true for trips that aren’t necessarily for fun or I know I’ll be spending a lot of time indoors.

You can edit and arrange photos in a photo editing app or software program, or you can even enjoy the creative fun of painting digitally. I love using my laptop and Wacom Intous tablet to paint with Photoshop. You can also have a lot of fun creating designs with an iPad and Apple pencil. 

81. Draw a Clock

Clocks are fun and easy enough to draw – all you need is a circle! It can be fun to compare clock times all around the world, especially if you have ventured to a different time zone.

Another idea is to doodle clocks for when you want to make note of times on your itinerary and schedule.

82. Make a Chart

Charts are a creative visual way to display information and a great idea for adding some art to your travel journal. You could create a table of train and bus times, a pie chart for how you spent your time on the trip, or a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting your first trip somewhere to the second trip there.

For those who are particularly dorky like me, you might even consider making a histogram or scatter plot in your journal!

83. Healthy Matters

If you are into all things health, wellness and fitness in everyday life, it would only make sense for this to overflow into your journals while traveling.

Whether you note healthy foods you eat, exercise, changes in your mood, how much you sleep, number of glasses of water you drink each day, or have a list of medications to take daily, noting these things in your journal can help you stay on track with all the excitement and routine disruptions from traveling.

84. Design Your Own Travel Symbols & Icons

There are many common symbols and icons used for travel – an airplane, a map, a suitcase, a backpack, a compass, cars, directional arrows, trains, etc. 

All of these things are a great starting point to give you some ideas for things to doodle in a travel journal. You can make them flat, line-art style, or even make them 3-D complete with shading. 

85. Travel Role Models

Do you know someone who is a great inspiration for your travel aspirations? This could be a person who inspired you to be more courageous and explore new foreign places, or could just be someone you know who has real-world experience in traveling the globe and taught you a lot of things. 

86. Favorite Travel Blogs

Speaking of people who inspire us to travel – I know many of the places I find inspiration are various travel blogs I like to follow! Seeing their pictures is always great motivation and inspiration to go to new places I may not have considered on my own.

Whenever I am not sure of where I might like to go or what to do when visiting an area, I also love to read different blogger’s guides on attractions to visit and travel tips to make it a smooth trip.

87. The Road Not Taken – Add Some Poetry to Your Pages

There are lots of great travel inspired poems you can include in your journal, or you can even try your hand at writing your own poems.

Not a natural wordsmith? Prefer to stick to something more visual? Check out our post on found poetry in your journal pages.

88. Challenge Yourself 

Sometimes a little bit of a challenge can make even the most mundane of places a bit more exciting. You could challenge yourself to take a photo every day, or challenge yourself to visit a different neighborhood or part of town each day you are in the city.

You could also challenge yourself to commit to a certain type of art each day – a doodle a day, or a watercolor a day, or a pencil sketch a day.

Challenges should be fun – so if the idea of this sounds like a chore or one more thing to add to already a jam packed schedule, skip it or save it for the next adventure.

89. Paper Clips & Binder Clips Are Your Friends

Paper clips, binder clips and other page fasteners are wonderful and practical things to include in your journal. They are super handy when you are on the go to attach all sorts of papers and notes – no glue stick required!

Also, they make TONS of travel themed paper clips. I mean, I don’t know if you would really need 40 of them, but how adorable are these airplane shaped paper clips ? They also make ones that come in assorted animal shapes ! 

So many different styles of paper clips, I actually made an Amazon Idea List with some of my handpicked favorites – I couldn’t believe I found over 40! See all my favorites on my list: All the Pretty Paper Clips . 

Z Zicome 50 Pack Colorful Printed Binder Clips, Assorted Sizes (Floral)

90. Pins, Patches & Badges

I love collecting small novelty pins, patches and badges – but I don’t always have a great way to display or wear them. One way around this is to add them to your journal pages!

You can decide to either pin or sew the item directly onto the page, or you can attach it to a small piece of fabric that you attach into the page. You can often find these at gift shops or even while you are at different places that give them away for free as promotional materials.

91. Have a Stamping Good Time

travel diary examples

There are LOTS of ways to use rubber stamps and ink pads in a journal. But… I also like to keep my supplies very minimal, especially when on the road. Something I like to do to prep my journal pages is stamp things in advance. 

You can use simple ink dabbers to create patterns or add a distressed effect to your empty pages – and of course if you already have travel themed stamps this is a great opportunity to put them to good use, whether before or after the trip!

In the page above I tried to use some of my rubber stamps and realized one of my very well-loved ink pads was finally starting to dry out after years of use.

I used the ink pad itself to stamp the page with the remaining ink on the edges to create journaling block areas. I also used the edge of the ink pad to make the lines – perfect for impromptu lists or quick daily notes.

Hero Arts LP396 Kelly's Travel Day Craft Supplies

92. Travel Tags

There are all sorts of tags that can be useful while traveling. Luggage and suitcase tags are also a great way to add some interesting stuff to your favorite journal pages. 

You can also opt to use paper tags – I love to start with small round tags like these ones and use them for doodles or quotes. Standard shipping tags like these are also like mini blank canvases waiting for your creative touch! 

93. Travel Bingo: Inspired by My Favorite Road Trip Game as a Kid

A long time ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth without technology, we played a game called Auto Bingo in the car. If you drove past something like a railroad crossing or a cow, you would slide the little marker over the picture when you spotted it and try to get them all before the end of the trip. 

This gave me a great idea to make a list of different things to look for while I’m at a certain place and then check it off if I saw that thing. It’s a like a scavenger hunt game – can you find these things in your surroundings?

94. A Boost of Encouragement

We tend to glamorize travel a lot – but sometimes it can be hectic, chaotic, stressful and even a little bit scary.

As much as I love traveling, I don’t always like the packing & preparing, and I also admittedly have no sense of direction – I still get lost on roads less than 10 minutes away from my house!

If this sounds like you, adding some encouraging words and positive affirmations can be a wonderfully uplifting thing to see if you are in unfamiliar territory or stressed out.

95. Spiritual Sense

If you are a spiritual person, or maybe just someone curious to learning about the different spiritual practices of different cultures, there are many ways this can be reflected in your journal.

You could include prayers and blessings for travelers, visit spiritual places of interest, or even just spend a few moments in quiet meditation. It can also be interesting to explore and document the various practices and traditions in the culture you are visiting. 

96. Which Way Up? Arrows & Directional Signs

I love the treasure-map style dashed and dotted lines with arrows. They really grab a person’s attention when they look through your completed journal. It makes one ask: now where does this lead?

Arrows can be used in so many different ways for a lot of different travel journal page ideas. Call attention to a specific phrase or photo, or add them to continue a story on another page. In some ways, you could make your journal a sort of “Choose Your Own Adventure Book” where the reader {or even yourself} – can explore a place in a different kind of way.

97. Attention Please! Highlights

If you are the sort of person who might fill an entire page with a LOT of words while journaling your thoughts and experiences, highlights are a fun way to call attention to things that are important or most notable.

You can choose to highlight things like dates, or just pick words and phrases you like. If you don’t have or want to use highlighter markers, you could also accent different things by using colored pencils and pens or simply by circling and underlining different things. 

This can also be a very fun thing to do with newspapers or other printed ephemera style things you might find in your travels.

98. If You Had to Do It Again…

Would you go on this trip again? Do you want to go back? What would you want to do differently? What would you want to do the same? These are all great questions to think about while you reflect on the trip on the return back home.

99. Return to Reality

What did you have it do when you got back from your vacation? Sometimes remembering responsibilities and “real life” can make us all the more appreciative and nostalgic for the time spent away!

100. Actually Print Out Your Vacation Photos

I’m totally guilty of taking a bazillion pictures…and then never printing them. They go on my external hard drive/cloud storage to never be seen by another human being again…that’s not good!

One of the things I’m making a more concentrated effort to do is actually print out photos we take. You can choose to print them from home on your own home printer, or upload them to your favorite photo print website.

101. Where to Next?

Did this trip make you want to visit any other new places you hadn’t considered before? Where do you want to go next? Or, perhaps, after all these adventures, maybe you are content to stay-cation for awhile?

I know this is a super long list, and if you made it this far, I hope you found these ideas inspiring and encouraging! Travel journals are a ton of fun to make and I’d love to see what you create!!

And of course, if you have ideas for things to include that aren’t on this list – I’d love to hear your creative ideas in the comments below!

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AWESOME post!

Thanks Andi, glad you enjoyed it!

What an absolutely FANTASTIC list! I do a lot of journaling when I travel and already do several of the things on this list, but there are tons I’d never even thought of. I’m particularly in awe of the color palette idea. Brava!

Thank you Naomi, glad it inspired you!

This is the BEST post – thank you sooooo very much! Although it is overhwhelming how much there is because I am a newbie when it comes to this kind of art form, it has given me so many awesome ideas and inspiration and I will try to do some but not all LOL! Thank you again!

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flatlay of a traditional travel journal ideas with a coffee and flowers

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.

person writing in one of the best travel journals with photos and a cup of tea spread out next to them

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.

Kate Storm in a blue skirt standing in front of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. She's looking away from the camera.

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!

View from Santa Maddalena Church near Bolzano Italy, as seen during an amazing Italy road trip

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!

one line a day journal being held up in front of greenery, one of the best travel journal ideas

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.

woman sitting in a cafe with coffee writing in a travel diary

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 .

leather bound travel diary with a compass on the front

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.

The Ultimate Packing List for Italy: postcards from Lucca

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.

beautiful travel journaling prompt space with tulips in a vase

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.

Photo of a Macbook Pro, a notebook with mountains on the cover, and a red pen. A copy of Moon New York City is laying on top of them--use this to find some of the best things to do in MIdtown NYC!

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.

pile of travel journal ideas in a market

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!

jeremy storm working on a macbook on a train in italy, combining work and traveling

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!

inspirational spread travel journal prompts and postcards with notebook in the center

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!

kate storm overlooking the bay of san juan del sur nicaragua

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.

flat lay of a travel diary with a map and coffee cup

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.

How to Ethically Visit Elephants in Thailand

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.

kate storm standing on top of a staircase of books at libreria acqua alta venice italy

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!

person writing travel journal examples in a notebook with laptop open

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!

Kate Storm in a black coat standing on a brick footbridge in Brugesduring a trip to Belgium

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!

Second Trip to Paris: Books on Banks of the Seine

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!

young woman writing travel writing prompts in the mountains

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!

Kate Storm wearing a brown coat and blue backpack, looking up at a departures board in an airport. Her purse holds some of her long haul flight essentials!

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!

woman writing a travel diary using travel journal prompts at a table with coffee and flowers

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?

Full Irish breakfast served in Dublin, one of the best things to try when looking for the best food in Ireland

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?

ranger storm sitting in a square in savannah georgia

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?

Jeremy Storm climbing a pyramid at the Becan Ruins in Mexico, wearing a black t shirt and pulling on a rope for support

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.

kate storm standing in front of 3 blue domes on Santorini, Honeymoon in Santorini

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.

One Day in Paris: Metro Sign

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?

cozy cafe with coffee and a leather chair in iceland, a great place to try out travel journal prompts and other travel journal ideas

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

Image of the author, 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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How To Write A Travel Journal: Ideas, Tips, Prompts & Resources (2023 Definitive Guide)

Travel Journal

Before I give you the A-Z on creating your travel journal, I have an interesting thought experiment for you…

Can you imagine packing up your life into ONE SINGLE duffel bag?

That’s exactly what my wife and I did when we first moved onto our sailboat  Sea Otter : one duffel of personal items each, and one small box of other items stored at our folks back home.

It turns out over  90% of the “stuff” we all own can happily be given away  or tossed in the bin.

Look around you right now. How much of the things you see are truly meaningful enough that you’d NEED to keep if all you could leave your home with was ONE duffel?

You’ll like this…

One of the  DEAD SIMPLE decisions you’d face with a “purging” like this is with your travel journals  because I can GUARANTEE it wouldn’t take more than a nanosecond for them to be placed delicately in your bag so you could keep them forever (which is exactly what I did with mine).

That’s how important your  travel diary  will become to you. It will become a cherished vault of memories…

…stories you’d have forgotten if you didn’t jot them down…

…memories you’ll look back on for the rest of your days with an ear-to-ear grin…

…a memento you can pass along to future generations so they can bask in your adventures.

And today you’re going to see  how to write a travel journal of your very own , including travel journal ideas, writing prompts, tips and all the best resources around!

What Is A Travel Journal?

What is a travel journal

Simply put, a travel journal is a diary of your time on holiday or vacation. It’s a place to jot down the things you never want to forget: people you met, important details, funny events, raw experiences.

And as we’ll discuss, it can take many forms, such as a paper notebook, a DIY scrapbook, an app, a website, and everything in between.

Is There A Difference Between A Travel Journal, Trip Diary, And Travel Log?

People often get confused about whether there’s a difference between these terms, but the answer is that they’re all the same thing.

Whether you prefer to call it a diary or a log doesn’t matter because you enter inside is the same: the stories of your travels.

And here’s an interesting fact you might enjoy: 

The term “travel log” (otherwise known as “travelogue” or “travelog”) originally comes from the term “ship’s log,” which was how sailboats and other seafaring vessels tracked the details of the voyage. They called it a “log” because of a wooden float that they used to drag behind the boat to measure speed.

…You know, in case you were really wondering. 😉

Why Keep A Journal While Traveling?

travel journal memories

The experience is priority one.

Followed closely by a way to remember that experience.

You know this conundrum:

If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?

Now how about this doozie:

If you forget most of the things you did on your trip, did they really happen?

Well of course they did! But wouldn’t it be so much sweeter if you KNEW you would remember that adventure for the rest of your life? Hell yeah!

THAT is why it’s SO important to keep a journal while on your trip: to remember the best days of your life — those days spent abroad exploring new places, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures.

What Are The Different Types Available?

If you want the best travel journal, you first need to know what  type  you would prefer.

There are  2 main types  to consider, and they are very different:

1. A paper notebook style journal 2. A digital, multimedia style journal (such as an app)

Let’s take them one by one:

A Paper Travel Journal:

Travel notebook

These are, most often, simple notebooks that you tailor to your travels. Blank page after blank page, ready for ink to cover the lines.

The main benefits of a paper notebook style journal are:

  • Some people like the physical act of writing, as opposed to typing on their phones or tablets.
  • It’s physical. You can hold it in your hands. It can sit on your bookshelf and physically take up space. 
  • They make really cool gifts (especially  personalized travel journals ). 
  • You scrapbook with it by gluing in boarding passes, ticket stubs, and anything else you want to keep a hold of.

A few shortcomings of a physical journal are:

  • You can lose it! 😩
  • You can only write it in, not easily add pictures or videos from your phone.
  • You can’t track or tag locations automatically.
  • They take up physical space (if you are a diehard minimalist).
  • You can’t share your stories online.

A Digital Travel Journal:

digital travel journal

Digital journals are usually apps and websites that work well for journaling. That said, you could also DIY it by simply documenting your travels in a simple text doc on your computer or the ‘Notes’ app on your phone (just make sure you back them up properly!).

The main benefits of a  travel journal app :

  • The best ones store all your entries securely to the cloud, so you never have to worry about losing your memories.
  • You can add pictures directly from your phone’s camera.
  • The best ones allow you to add videos too!
  • You can collaborate with travel-mates to the same journal, which makes sure you get ALL the stories from all angles (and pics too).
  • The best ones automatically tag locations for you and show your routes on a map.
  • The best ones allow you to  ‘publish’ your journals online for your friends and family to follow along .

A few shortcomings of a digital journal are:

  • It’s in the cloud, so you can’t place it on your coffee table and peruse when you’re in the mood (although the best ones do allow you to print your journals too).
  • You can’t glue in physical mementos you want to hold on to.
  • They’re harder to give as gifts because the “ unwrapping ” just isn’t the same.

As you can see, there are tradeoffs with each style and the answer to which is better truly lies in what you find as more important. Do you want to  share it online  or are you happy to  keep it privately written  on your bookshelf? Are you cool with just being able to write or do want to add pictures, videos, and maps ?

Think about what’s best and go for it! Remember, you can always choose a different style next time!

5 Of The Best Travel Journal Notebooks To Buy

best travel journals

There are loads of travel journals available for you to buy online. Some with simple ruled pages, others with prompts and other interesting things inside, and some are personalized for that extra cool touch.

Here are our top 5 favorites (including a few of our best selling personalized journals, of course 😊):

1.  The Extraordinary Life & Adventures Notebook (Personalized!)  by Journo Travel Goods

2.  Refillable Leather Journal Traveler’s Notebook  by Moterm 3.  Personalized ‘Comrades in Life, Love & Adventure’ Couples Travel Journal  by Journo Travel Goods

4.  Simple Premium Leather With Monogram  by OxAndPine

5.  The Custom Boarding Pass Travel Journal  by Journo Travel Goods

There are plenty of options out there. The best of which comes with personalization and are an ideal size for hauling around on a trip.

What Is The Best App For Journaling?

best travel journals

I founded  Journo  to do ONE THING: help fellow travel junkies track, remember and share their adventures like they couldn’t do ANYWHERE else.

It all started while at anchor in a secluded bay in The Bahamas, when I was trying to describe in my paper journal the most strikingly red sunset I’d ever seen. But I couldn’t find the words.

…and  I felt like I was going to miss out on that memory  if the only way I was trying to document it was on paper.

The very next day the idea for  Journo  was born. It’s taken on a life of its own since – developing a huge community of incredible travelers and winning “Best Travel App” by IMA Awards. 

National Geographic Travel put it simply:

“Sharing memories from a trip can get messy. Journo removes the pain.”

Journo  is loaded with cool capabilities that make it so much easier to document your trips. And even comes with your very own travel blog so your friends and family back home can follow along (and endlessly drool at your adventures 🤤).

Journo is  available on iOS for iPhones and iPad , with Android coming soon. Of course, there are a few other travel journal apps out there and I encourage you to compare with Journo and use whichever you think is best. 

What do you write in your journal? 10 Fun Travel Journal Ideas To Inspire You!

Travel Journal Ideas

A little nudge can go a long way when you’re first starting out. So to get your mind running, here are 10 of our favorite ideas to include in your trip diary:

1. Start before your trip.  Jot down your  pre-trip planning list , where you’re going, who with, what items are on your  must-see and must-do lists . Write about anything you’re most excited about, even if it’s simply relaxing on the beach and going through a couple of  great books !

2. A picture is worth a thousand words.  If you’re using a travel journal app like Journo, the simplest thing to do is start in your photo album. Look through, grab a pic that catches your eye, add it to your Journal and then write the story about it! If you’re using a paper journal, consider bringing along  a mini polaroid like this , and then paste in your pics!

3. A video is worth all the words.  This one only works with a limited number of apps that allow for video (like Journo, of course 😉), but including a video of a memorable moment can really take your entries up a notch.

tourist attraction

4. Oh, the sights!  We often say, “ Don’t be a tourist. Be a traveler. ” But we always recommend seeing the big sights, even if they’re in massive tourist traps. They’re big sights for a reason – they’re incredible! Add them to your journal. Write about if they lived up your expectations or not.

5. It’s all about the people.  I guarantee some of the longest-lasting memories you’ll have from a trip are of the people you meet. We, humans, are built for connection, and so a beautiful connection with a new friend or complete stranger can have a lasting impact. Document it!

6. Let’s not forget about the food.  Even the most non-foodies amongst us love to talk about  amazing food experiences abroad . I’ll never forget my squid ink spaghetti on The Amalfi Coast, or navigating my way through Cuy (Guinea Pig!) in Cuzco, or my daily  street dumplings  in Shanghai. Take pics of your favorite dishes, jot down the restaurant (or pin it on a map in Journo), and describe the food in detail! 😋

7. Map it!  If you’re anything like me, you love the look of a cool map. Now, doesn’t that map get even sweet when it’s of YOUR travel route? Yep! Draw it and color it if you’re using a paper journal (gives you something to do when in limbo or on a  long train ride ). If you’re using an app, it should  pin your route for you .

travel ephemera

8. Paste in awesome mementos.  This one is best for the paper journalers amongst us because you can literally glue in cool stuff from your adventures, like maps, ticket stubs, bottle labels, coasters, postcards, foreign dollar bills, candy wrappers, etc. Whatever you find interesting, toss it in! If you’re using an app, just take a pic of it!

9. Write about yourself.  No better place for a little bit of introspection than on a trip. And that’s usually because – if you’re doing it right – you’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and growing as a person. Write about that. Write about your feelings, changed opinions, ups, and downs, whatever it may be that you’re going through!

10. Team up!  We created Journo as a collaborative journaling tool because it’s a ton of fun for you and your travel-mates to be journaling in the same place ( here’s my wife, Mak, and my collabo Journo from a sail a while back , as an example). You get all the stories and, oftentimes, a hilarious new angle on a shared experience. If you’re using a paper journal, just pass it around, maybe even taking turns documenting the days.

>> New: 100 travel journal prompts for ever part of your adventure.

And whatever you do… don’t overthink it! It’s better to just roll with it than overthink it. It’s just an entry, after all. Just write!

One thing we’ve discovered from our community of travel journalers is that it can be hard to find the time  while on a trip  to keep up with your journaling. Here’s some help with that…

4 Writing Tips To Fill Your Travel Journal With Ease WHILE Vacationing

Travel journal prompts

1. Start with today.  With limited time, and being pretty beat after a long day, it’s tough to keep up. So just don’t worry about previous days, just start with today (and catch up as soon as you can or when you get home and maybe  feeling the post-trip blues ).     

2. Think “highlight reel.”  The quickest way to get that entry rolling is to think about the top 1-3 things that went down today. Add those, then expand later if you want. 

3. Start in your phone’s photo album.  As mentioned above, it’s simplest to start by pulling up the date in your phone’s photo library, find the best pics, add them to your journal and write a short snippet of it.     

4. Consider giving your friends back home a touch of the #TravelEnvy bug.  😜 With Journo, you can publish your entries to your very own travel blog with a couple of taps. This will both  make your friends drool  and also keep you on track with adding more stories of your adventures.

I hope you found this helpful in getting started with traveling journaling. Remember, the most important thing is to simply begin.

Step one is to grab the right journal  for you  (thanks for considering Journo in your decision).  Step two , if you have time before your departure date,  is to start writing now ! That easy!

Ok here’s one last helpful tip for you…

Try to develop the habit of daily journaling now will make it even easier while on your trip.  Here is a free downloadable journaling prompt exercise book for you: The 21-Day Journo Challenge.

Inside you’ll get ONE word or image, and all you need to do is write about WHATEVER comes to your mind as you read the word or lay your eyes on the pic.

Have any tips we didn’t mention? What do you love travel journaling about the most?  Tell us in the comments below!

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Escape Artist Katie

Travel Journaling Guide: How to Write the Ultimate Travel Diary

Travel Journaling Guide: How to Write the Ultimate Travel Diary

Travel journaling allows you to preserve your travel memories for life. It’s a fact of life that memories fade over time. Some may disappear within seconds, while others can stay clear for hours, days or weeks. Travel memories that are written down, however, are there for life.

If you’ve been tracking down waterfalls in the Cuban jungle, it’s only a matter of time until you forget the blood-red feathers of the Cuban trogon you stumbled upon. What about the name of that man you met on the Paris Metro? The ins and outs of your journey on a night bus in Vietnam? The accidental shortcut you found in Switzerland?

As a travel writer, I’ve been travel journaling in one shape or form for my whole life. However, you don’t have to be a writer to start a travel journal. It can be as simple, as short or as complex as you like, with the following travel journaling guide.

Whether you bullet-point everything or smash out several pages of prose per day, your travel journal doesn’t just preserve precious travel memories. It’s a place to self-reflect on your journey, record facts and quotes, and creatively display your travels so far. The best part? All you need to start travel journaling is a notebook, a pen and a travel plan.

Table of Contents

What is travel journaling?

Travel journaling is the act of keeping a written record of your travels. While this typically refers to keeping a chronological (hour-by-hour and day-by-day) travel diary, some travel journalers might also sketch, create collages or draw infographics to tell a story.

Travel journaling is unique to each storyteller, but at its core, it’s about relaying your experiences for an imaginary or real reader and recording your adventures for your future self to look back on.

A woman travel journaling and flicking through the pages of a book.

The only piece of equipment you need to begin travel journaling is a notebook. This could be as simple as a basic lined or unlined notebook. However, some notebooks are designed specifically as travel diaries and aim to prompt the author, such as the  Travel Listography Diary  and the  You Are Here Mindful Travel Journal .

ESCAPE CHEAT SHEET

Planning your big escape? These are the booking resources I return to time and time again.

Book your hotel or hostel on Booking.com or Hostelworld .

Protect against accidents and emergencies with insurance from Staysure or SafetyWing .

Find a tour or experience on Get Your Guide .

Travel the world for free with TrustedHousesitters .

Travel Journaling: Should I keep a travel journal?

Anyone can keep a travel journal, whether you’re creating a travel journal to share memories with family and friends when you return home, or just for yourself. It’s a souvenir of sorts, but one that has a personal meaning to you and captures your exact thoughts and feelings at a specific time and place in your journey.

You might want to keep a travel journal if…

1. You want your memories to become sharper and more meaningful.

At school, teachers often advise students to write down facts to remember them. The same goes for memories. Writing about a memory stimulates your brain to recall and remember specific details from that moment.

When you revisit a memory like that, it sends your brain a signal that that particular memory is important. It is prioritised above other, more insignificant memories from the day, the week or the year. As a result, you’re more likely to be able to recall it in the future.

Blonde woman wearing red t-shirt dress gazes over tea bushes in Munnar

At the same time, revisiting a memory allows you to add meaning to your experience. By exploring the thoughts and feelings that came along with the physical sensations, you’re able to bring a unique, personal meaning to what happened.

2. You’d like to relive a memory a second time.

When I urged a friend I met on my travels to try recording his memories on paper, one of the most significant things he said was, “It’s like I get to experience it all over a second time.”

That’s one of the best parts about travel journaling. In your own, unique way, you get to experience something in detail for a second time. You might feel the same rush of adrenaline, the same apprehension or the same ‘lightbulb moment’.

3. You want to jot down contact details of new friends.

Sometimes you meet people on the road and they have a huge impact on you in some way or another: a blasé comment that stuck with you, a new perspective on a topic you thought you’d already figured out, or an unexpected friend in a moment where you really needed it. Just as often, you forget to ask for their contact information or you lose it in the mayhem.

Kathakali performers in elaborate costumes and makeup

Anything can happen to your phone when you’re travelling: loss, theft, damage, or unexpected memory wipes. Jotting down important contact details in your travel journal creates a second, permanent copy of their details. You never know, you might want to share some of the entries they starred in as a way to reflect on your fleeting time together.

4. You want to work through complex thoughts and feelings.

There’s a reason why many therapists and life coaches suggest writing down how you’re feeling. It’s a very effective way of processing complex or difficult emotions.

You might have had a travel experience that has shook you up slightly – an illness or a missed flight, perhaps – and want to get your immediate frustrations out on paper. Maybe you’ve come to a big realisation about the way you handle stress or adversity. Either way, your travel journal is a great way to work through the feelings.

Bottling up emotions isn’t good for anyone, so this is a particularly handy use for a travel diary if you’re a solo traveller who doesn’t have anyone to vent to immediately. This can all boost your self awareness, protect yourself from future mishaps, and generate a greater understanding of yourself.

5. You want to reflect on your travels so far and what you’d like out of the rest of your trip.

Travel can be a whirlwind. However, by reflecting on your travels so far, you can assess what have been the most meaningful experiences in your trip so far, and seek out similar experiences in the future.

Lady operating a street food stall

Similarly, it can help you to realise if you’ve been focusing on one particular experience so far – for example, hiking or visiting historical sites. It might influence you to try something new, like attending a cultural festival, going on a village walk or engaging in some  offbeat travel  experiences.

6. You want to save ideas for an online travel diary or social media posts.

Whether you’re a content creator, a digital nomad, or simply someone who likes to share your travels with friends and family, travel journaling can be a great way to fine-tune ideas for future stories, whether written or visual.

You might be planning to create your own blog or post photos on Instagram with in-depth captions. Setting up your own website is relatively inexpensive to do nowadays with websites such as  Bluehost  offering cheap, affordable domains and hosting plans – this is the site I used to set up my own blog.

Draft ideas for stories and captions in your travel journal, and use a highlighter to pick out your best ideas.

7. You want to improve your writing skills

Whether you’re a seasoned writer or a complete beginner, the simple act of travel journaling every day (or every other day) will give you more practice in the art of the written word.

This will carry over into your studies, essay-writing, creative writing, email-writing, or general communication skills. It also boosts your confidence as a writer.

8. You want something tangible to share with family or friends.

Unless you’re planning on keeping your travel journal to yourself, a travel diary is a great hand-me-down that will give your ancestors a taste of your travels and personality. It’s also an excellent way to connect with friends and families back home, and give them the run-down on what you got up to. If you travelled with a partner or a friend, it’s also an excellent shared keepsake.

Travel Journaling: What should a travel journal include?

When it comes to the question of ‘what should a travel journal include?’, I use the word ‘should’ lightly. Your travel journal is uniquely yours. It doesn’t  have  to include anything you don’t want it to.

Lady wearing jeans is travel journaling outside of a coffee shop

However, there are many things that you might want to include in your travel journal, so the following list should provide some inspiration.

Pick and choose the ideas you like and  experiment  to see what works for you. What works for you will be different than what works for other travel journalers.

1. Brainstorming

You don’t need to wait until your departure date to begin travel journaling. It can also be used to plan your trip. Before anything else, you might want to dedicate a page (or a few) to brainstorming.

Do you want a budget or a luxury trip? Do you want to see the beaches, mountains, jungle, lakes, rivers, or deserts? Which countries match your non-negotiables? Who might you invite, or who can you connect with out there? This sort of brainstorming can streamline the planning process and help you to get the most out of your trip.

2. Trip research

After brainstorming comes the more nitty-gritty trip research. Your travel notebook is ideal for this too. It’s easy to open up a dozen or more tabs on your laptop or mobile device, so you can use the physical notebook to jot down key destinations and activities that have captured your attention. This will help you to narrow down your itinerary once and for all.

3. A trip plan

Shrine inside a cave

You can take this a step further and write a complete plan for your trip. If you don’t want your notebook to get too messy, you can simply add your finalised itinerary. This will be very helpful when you’re actually travelling, because you can store all of your booking information and your travel timeline in one place.

This is what I do, and it keeps my mind clear and my travel plan organised. I also include back-up ideas for activities and alternative transport options should anything go awry.

4. A travel diary

When you start to gather first-hand travel experiences, you can begin to record a diary of the events. You might want to write in prose, which is the best way to let your thoughts flow freely onto the page.

Blogger Escape Artist Katie smiles over the waterfront in Lucerne, Switzerland.

An alternative option is to take bullet points, which help you to get down information quickly before you forget it. You might also want to alternate between the two, writing in bullet points when you’re short on time and writing in prose when you feel particularly inspired.

5. Other travel memorabilia

Your travel journal doesn’t just have to be a written diary. You can collect – and glue down – other travel memorabilia such as ticket stubs, receipts or dried flowers.

Just remember to pack a small glue stick or double-sided tape and scissors (in your checked bag, not your carry-on bag).

Some travel memorabilia that you might want to stick into your travel diary include:

  • Ticket stubs.
  • Foreign bank notes.
  • Newspaper clippings.
  • Dried flowers.
  • Food wrappers.
  • Luggage tag labels.

6. Sketches

If you’re particularly artistic, sketching the scenery, wildlife, or people you see on your journey is a great way to bring your diary to life. If you’re not artistically inclined, a small caricature might be more accessible and just as fun.

Others might prefer to paint in watercolour; there are a number of  watercolour travel journals  available.

Travel journaling: How do you write a travel journal entry?

When you start recording your first travel journal entry, my first piece of advice is simply to start writing.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to make sense to anyone but you. If you work better with an outline, the following prompts should get you started.

1. Write down the date.

The most important thing to do, and perhaps the only rule of travel journaling, is that you should start by writing down the date of your entry. If you can, include the day of the week too, as this can often give extra context – for example, if it’s the weekend, it might explain why the crowds in your destination were so lively or the public transport delayed.

I recommend using the format: Thursday, 21st July, 2022. You want to be able to look back on the date of the entry and see how much time has passed since it took place.

2. Write down your location.

Busy street in Parque Central lined with classic cars

The second most important thing to write down is your location. It’s a good idea to be as specific as possible. Include the town, the village or even the hotel or hostel you’re staying at.

This makes it easier to re-imagine the scenario when you’re reading your diary back. It also makes the entry more accurate and places the event somewhere tangible.

3. Decide whether you’re going to write in prose or use bullet points.

As a rule of thumb, it’s best to get your memories down on paper when they are still fresh. If you’re pressed on time, you might want to take bullet points rather than write in prose. If more than a couple of days have passed, you’ll start losing some of the sharper details.

4. Start writing chronologically.

It might be tempting to jump right into the drama that happened in your evening. However, writing your travel diary chronologically is the easiest way to keep it understandable.

The version of events can get confusing if the narrator is constantly skipping from 7pm to 10am, then to 3pm and back to 10am again.

Blonde woman swimming in a natural swimming hole with a waterfall

Begin by writing about your morning. What time did you wake up? What did you eat for breakfast? Who did you talk to? Where did you go from there? It’s also easier to recall memories this way and follow a clear train of thought.

5. Be specific.

As a rule of thumb, the more specific your writing is, the better. This is because the smaller details such as street names or direct quotes are some of the first things that will fade from your memory.

If you really want to bring the memory back to life, focus on the details:  location, names, times, dates, quotes, and specific thoughts.

A man multi-tasks with three pans over a fire at the Da Nang night market.

The following prompts might come in handy:

  • What did you eat? Where did you dine? How did it taste? What was the texture of the food?
  • Who did you speak to? What were their names?
  • Did you discover anything new today? Are there any facts you can recall? Did your destination meet your expectations?
  • What was your favourite part of the day?
  • What was your least favourite part of the day?
  • Did you have any realisations throughout the day? What did you learn about yourself?
  • How did you feel mentally? Were you energised, homesick, nervous, excited, or content?
  • How did you feel physically? Were you in full health, hungry, full, sore, sleepy, or hormonal?

6. Be truthful.

Not every day is all roses and butterflies. At the same time, not every day is packed with drama and turbulence. It can be tempting to over-exaggerate your version of events, for a number of reasons.

You might want to make your trip sound more positive, add drama to your diary, or impress your real (or imagined) readers.

Remember, journaling isn’t just about creating a story. It’s about gaining self-awareness, improving your understanding of the world and working through the feelings that arise as a result of your travels. You can’t do that if you’re trying to paint your journey in a specific light the entire time.

Travel insurance is essential for any trip abroad. If you’re in an accident or experience an emergency, you need adequate cover. I recommend  Staysure  for single or multiple trips per year and SafetyWing for digital nomads.

Travel journaling tips

1. decide whether you want to use a dated diary or a general notebook..

There are pros and cons to purchasing a dated diary over a general notebook. The problem with a notebook is that it’s just a notebook.

A general notebook:

+ There are no restrictions on how long your entries are.

+ It’s more space-efficient for those travelling long-term, as you don’t have to start a new entry at the top of a page.

+ More freedom to doodle.

– Less incentive to make an entry.

– It can get scruffy quickly.

Purchasing a dated diary can make you feel more motivated to write your entries on a regular basis. They often include prompts, which can help you to get started. Many tailored travel journals also have additional pages dedicated for jotting down thoughts and notes, whereas a general notebook can quickly get messy.

Travel journal laid out on a coffee shop table with a mug and glass of milk

A dated diary:

+ Looks more aesthetic.

+ Acts as a reminder not to miss a day.

+ Looks like a traditional diary.

+ May motivate you to write more often.

+ Often includes helpful prompts to spark your creativity.

– Can waste line space.

– May limit the space you have to write about each day.

At the same time, a general notebook might be the best option for long-term travellers who are short on space, because you don’t need to start a new entry at the top of a page. Starting a new entry mid-page saves precious line space. Unless your dated diary has blank spaces where you can insert the exact date, you’re also limited on the amount of space you have to write about each day.

2. Put aside 15 minutes every day to journal.

If one thing is for sure, it’s that travel can get hectic. As a result, it’s easy to get out of the routine of travel journaling every day. Since you want your memories to be as fresh as possible when you’re writing an entry, one of the best ways of keeping on track is by putting aside a specific time slot every day to journal.

Two bikers riding down a road surrounded by jungle

You might decide to journal for 15 minutes each morning while you wait for breakfast to be served or for the 15 minutes before you go to bed.

If you have a daily commute – to the beach, to your temporary job, or to your friend’s hotel, for example – take your journal with you and utilise the spare time.

3. Journal while you’re in transit.

If you’re constantly travelling, it’s probably not going to be long until you have a lengthy train, bus or flight ahead of you. As long as the road (or airspace) isn’t too bumpy and you’re not prone to motion sickness, I’ve found that this is the perfect time to get some travel journaling done.

Yellow taxis and bicycle taxis parked in bays on the road

Having a good chunk of time to dedicate to writing is excellent. Plus, if you do get preoccupied on your travels and go off track with your journaling, the plane ride or boat ride back home is a good stretch of time to pick up where you left off and get down everything you can remember in chronological order.

4. Try to write within at least two days of the events.

The sooner you write about a memory, the better chance you have at remembering the niche details. The ideal situation would be to write about your day at the end of the day before you sleep, but that’s not always realistic.

Instead, try to set yourself a goal of writing about a day or an event 48 hours after it happens. If you still fall off track, write about your travels within a week of the date they happened.

5. Don’t feel the pressure to be perfect.

The pressure to get something perfect is often the first obstacle in getting started. Life is messy – and so is writing a travel journal. It’s not going to be perfect the first try. Besides, what is perfect anyway?

A horned deer grazes on grass in the Periyar National Park.

Your travel journal is for you. It doesn’t matter how many spelling or grammar mistakes there are, as long as it’s legible. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the motivation to write.

Bullet points or a few short paragraphs are better than a blank page. Otherwise, you won’t have anything to look back on at all.

6. Get creative with it.

Harnessing your creativity goes hand-in-hand with letting go of the need for perfection. You could draw caricatures of the interesting people you meet on the road. You could sketch a bird you spotted this morning. You could even make a chart or a diagram of your spendings so far.

Here are some ideas:

  • Dedicate a few pages to creating caricatures of people you meet along the road.
  • Create a ‘quotes’ section and jot down the most meaningful things people have said to you.
  • Make a chart or a diagram of your spendings.
  • Put together a recipes section where you write down your favourite meals and their key ingredients (don’t be shy about asking).
  • A ‘rant’ section dedicated to unedited writing.
  • Glue ticket stubs to the relevant pages.
  • Make a collage out of ticket stubs, photographs and other memorabilia.

7. Keep your travel journal safe.

While a journal might not look that attractive to potential thieves, it’s probably invaluable to you. Therefore, it’s very important to take measures to stop it from getting stolen, lost or damaged.

Prevent water damage

Whether it causes smudged ink or crinkled pages, water damage can have a catastrophic effect on your journal. It’s also one of the most common ways that travel journals get damaged, as they’re prone to rainwater and liquid leakages in your luggage.

Some travel journals have waterproof covers, which add some extra protection, but this isn’t a foolproof solution.

Long wooden coir houseboat on Alleppey backwaters lined with palm trees.

Storing your travel journal in a waterproof pouch or pocket is the most effective way to prevent water damage.

A plastic bag is effective too. However, it’s more prone to getting punctured by sharp objects and it’s less durable (and less eco-friendly) than a permanent waterproof pouch.

The following waterproof bags and pouches will protect your travel journal:

  • Syncwire Waterproof Pouch Bag
  • Eono Waterproof Waist Bag
  • Waterproof Dry Bag Set

Keep it in a safe or a locked locker

If you’re not planning on travel journaling while you’re on the go, it’s probably best to leave it locked securely in your accommodation. Many hotels provide safes; it will usually be listed on the list of features on booking websites such as  Booking.com  or  Hostelworld.com .

Some hostels and homestays may provide a locker instead. For this, you will often need to bring your own padlock. I’d recommend bringing a set of  TSA-approved combination padlocks .

Carry an anti-theft backpack

It’s unlikely your travel journal will get swiped from your backpack. Thieves are far more likely to target a mobile phone.

Still, you should carry your valuables (journal included) in an anti-theft backpack. They come with features such as secret pockets, durable zippers, and designs that make it hard for thieves to gain access.

Anti-theft backpacks:

  • Della Gao Anti-Theft Laptop
  • TcIFE Ladies Backpack
  • Oscaurt Theft Proof Travel Backpack
  • Waterfly Anti-Theft Backpack

8. Don’t forget a pen (and back-ups).

A pen is one of the easiest things to forget on your trip. While they should be easy to get a hold of, there are some locations where you might find it tricker (Cuba, the middle of the jungle, or a small town, for example).

I’d recommend using a clickable pen, because this is less prone to leaking ink than a regular ballpoint. Bring spares if you can, because the ink might run out mid-journey or just when inspiration strikes.

Travel journaling examples

As someone who preaches about travel journaling, I’ve decided to share a few entries from my own travel diary so that you can get an idea for the sheer variety of what you can write about and how you can record the details.

Entry 1: Havana, Cuba (Saturday 22nd January, 2022)

A street in Havana with people purchasing from a fruit stall

Anisah and I arrived in Cuba late, around 7pm. It was already dark outside and thunder-storming – lightning, heavy rain that soaked through my papers.

The airport was very basic and very stringent with Covid (masks, stalls and many checks) but we cleared security swiftly and had only our backpacks as a carry-on.

Outside, there were taxi drivers holding names, and, surprisingly, they weren’t at all pushy. Our hostel was supposed to arrange a driver to take us directly there, but upon ringing twice (and spending a daunting £3 per minute on the calls), it appeared the driver was stuck in his house due to the storm.

We ended up in a yellow, licensed cab (which cost 25 euros – but down to 20 when the lady hosting us paid on our behalf).

I felt a little unnerved in the taxi, probably because I was exhausted, and because without maps, the driver relied on memory and locals in Havana for directions – and there weren’t many outside due to the torrential rain.

Entry 2: Ubud, Bali (Thursday 20th June, 2019)

Woke at 1am for the Mount Batur sunrise trek.

  • Mount Agun nearby “coughed” up lava three weeks ago, according to our guide.
  • 1,700-metre climb – our time was 1h35 but it felt way longer.
  • Very steep, gravelly, and one of the toughest climbs I’ve done in my life. At one point, I told Jess, “Go on without me”.
  • I ate a boiled egg and a banana at the top. I was still starving.
  • Monkeys and dogs were fighting on the mountaintop.
  • Monkeys almost stole my bag. They successfully stole a purse from another lady.
  • We lost Pablo (Goncalo’s cousin) at the top of the mountain. The guide (jeans and sandals) was going to leave him behind, but we refused.

Entry 3: Havana, Cuba (Monday 31st January, 2022)

A man driving a bicycle taxi through Havana

Our host gave us the cheque. We were short by 700 pesos. We went to hunt down an ATM. The ATM declined my card, as did the second ATM… and then the third ATM.

We started to panic, so we went to the Kempinski Hotel in Plaza Mayor to use their WiFi to contact my bank. It quickly emerged that the WiFi had completely cut out city-wide. At this point, we really started to panic. We had to leave for the airport in one hour.

We’d used up all of our options, so I told Anisah we’d have to ask someone for money. She was very dubious. We were walking down my favourite street when I spotted an older man and a younger woman, both blonde, looking lost and carrying cameras and bags.

I took off my mask and asked ‘Ingles?’. Nope, they spoke Spanish. In broken Spanish/English, I started to explain ‘plane’ (hand motion), ‘Londres’ (London), ‘desperate’, ‘taxi to airport’, and ‘short by 700’.

They replied, ‘No, a taxi should be 20’. They thought I meant euros! I said, ‘No, no. 700 pesos’. He nodded, ‘Oh, good price!’. To my disbelief, he pulled out a fat wallet filled with US dollars and pesos, and handed me a 500 and a 200. I nearly cried, but settled for tapping the lady’s arms and doing a prayer hand motion. People are truly good at heart.

Travel journaling: How do you make a memorable trip?

There are two halves to creating a travel journal. The first half is the part where you  explore, observe and investigate .

The second half is the part where you  write or create .

If one half of the formula is missing, you won’t have a travel journal at all.

Similarly, a travel notebook that documents seven days spent beside a swimming pool, tanning and reading a book, is unlikely to be as riveting as a travel journal that documents a journey into Dubrovnik’s old town, a bus ride through central  Vietnam , wild swimming through waterfalls in  Cuba  or a cruise over the backwaters in  Kerala , for example.

  • Guide to the Parque Guanayara Waterfalls in Cuba
  • Things to do at Alleppey and its backwaters

1. Research your trip.

A great motto, and one I live by, is ‘plan to travel without a plan’. If you want to make your trip memorable, it’s just as important not to over-plan as it is to dive in headfirst without a scooby of what you are doing.

Jeep driving on a rural highway

Research enough so that you have a huge backlist of itinerary and destination ideas. Make a list of local accommodations that you like the sound of. Book essential, long-distance travel only.

You don’t know what will happen on the trip: delays, unexpected new acquaintances, weather events, romances, and so on.

Sometimes, the most interesting stories form from following your heart or your intuition, so if you’ve planned every single detail, you’ll end up boxed in.

Here are some ideas for your research:

  • Research blogs to get practical advice from those who have visited a destination or attraction previously.
  • Confirm the main modes of transport, currencies, and WiFi accessibility in your chosen destination. Practical details matter.
  • Create a list of destinations and activities you’d like to engage in.
  • Highlight your non-negotiable activities, desirable itineraries, and nice-to-have experiences. That way, you know which activities are the most important to you.
  • Try to avoid tourist traps and opt for more authentic, local or offbeat travel experiences. These are often the most interesting experiences to write about.

2. Book your flights.

After your research is complete, the first thing you need to do is to book your flights.  Skyscanner  should be your go-to tool to search for flights. It scans the internet for the cheapest deals, routes and even the most eco-friendly transport options.  Google Flights  is another useful tool, which you can use to confirm that you’ve found the best deal.

3. Book interesting accommodation.

The accommodation you book has a direct impact on your travel journal entries. It can create drama, it can spice things up a little, or it can act as a relaxing backdrop.

Unique accommodation might liven up your entries: search for things like treehouses, camping tents, shepherd’s huts, and themed resorts.

Skyrises and houses merge along the Da Nang skyline.

The following sites are my go-to websites for booking accommodation that will jazz up my travel journal entries:

Booking.com : Booking.com has a wide selection of accommodation, including eclectic stays. I also find that it generally has the best price, compared to other booking websites advertising the same hotel or accommodation.

Hostelworld : Staying in a hostel is one of the best ways to introduce new, wise and quirky characters into your diary. As most hostels have communal spaces, it’s very easy to delve into a deep conversation with a stranger, which is often one of the most interesting parts of travel journeys.

The act of staying in a dorm room or shared accommodation is eventful in itself; you don’t know what sorts of stories you might get out of one night spent in a dorm room. Was there a fight for a particular bed? A sleep talker? Late-night card games and conversations?

Homestay :  Homestay specialises in accommodation where you stay in the home of a local. This is a brilliant option for those who are writing a travel diary, because it enables you to connect with the community, learn about local customs and have a more authentic travel experience.

4. Engage in more offbeat travel experiences.

Generally speaking, you won’t get as much of a story out of a tourist trap as you will out of a more unusual or hands-on travel experience. After six years of travelling, this is the biggest lesson I have learnt, and exactly why my blog specialises in offbeat travel experiences.

Farmers digging up tapioca

So, how do you find offbeat travel experiences for your travel journal?

  • Ask at your hotel or hostel for local-led activities. Questions such as ‘where do you eat?’ or ‘where do you go to party?’ are also great ways to find local spots over tourist traps.
  • Search for unique travel experiences on  GetYourGuide . They list local-led travel experiences, which are a great way to meet fellow interesting travellers and get an insight into the offbeat sides of a destination.
  • Use tour organisations that label themselves as ‘local-led’, ‘experiential’, ‘offbeat’ and ‘immersive’. These are tailored towards giving travellers unique, hands-on experiences, and not taking you on the usual tourist trails.

Travel journaling: How do you write a travel journal that is worth reading?

Not everyone wants to share their travel journal. However, if you do want to write your travel diary for an audience – whether that’s family, friends, an online following or a potential future publisher – it’s going to need to be worth reading.

1. Make your first draft in a physical travel journal.

Writing in chronological order and as soon as possible after the events happen, make your first draft in a physical travel journal.

Remember, that you’re going to edit your travel journal when you’re back home, so the most important thing isn’t writing perfectly. It’s about being consistent with your writing schedule and getting the details down on paper.

2. Be as specific as possible.

Specificity is even more important if you’re going to share your travel journal in one form or another.

Use exact times, exact dates, full names, ages, and detailed physical descriptions. This will bring your story to life, especially for those who weren’t there to watch it unfold in person.

3. Feature specific characters.

Just as a novel would be incomplete without a series of in-depth and interesting characters, your travel diary should also feature characters.

It doesn’t matter if they’re fleeting and disappear after an entry or two. The important thing is that your reader can envision and relate to your character.

Collection of locals in Havana wearing casual clothes

That might mean describing them physically, disclosing their name (or pseudonym) and age, as well as describing their little quirks and mannerisms.

You should try to quote them directly when possible, and explore their mindset and their backstory.

4. Write up your travel journal.

When you arrive back home, write up your travel journal into a digital format, correcting spelling and grammar mistakes as you go. This will create a second copy of your journal, just in case anything happens to the physical copy.

5. Edit your travel journal.

If you’re going to be sharing your travel journal, the most important part is the editing process. Your journal may only need a light edit, which corrects any spelling or grammar mistakes and makes it more legible.

However, it may need a deeper edit if you’re truly going to post it online or send it to a publisher. The execution, plot, and characters will be more important in this case.

Traveling journaling: Types of travel journals

There are several types of travel notebooks, and they all have their specific advantages and disadvantages.

A small travel notebook next to a mobile phone, bag and postcard

There are also some clear criteria you should be looking for out of a high-quality travel notebook:

Number of pages:  The number of pages you’ll need will depend upon the length of your trip. If you’re travelling long-term, it’s better to have a notebook with a large number of pages rather than several, smaller notebooks which will take up more space overall.

Paperback or hardback:  While a hardback notebook is more durable, a paperback journal is more lightweight. If you’re limited by space or weight limits, opt for a paperback. Size:  Notebooks come in a variety of sizes, such as A4, A5, or A6. In general, an A5 notebook is ideal for a travel diary because it’s compact enough to carry in your packed or day luggage, but not so small that you’ll run out of space quickly.

Line size:  Unless you have large handwriting, a journal with fairly narrow line sizes is ideal, because you can fit more writing onto one page, and therefore into one notebook. You could also choose a notebook without lines at all, which gives you more freedom over the size of your handwriting, but can end up with messy, undulating lines.

Paper thickness:  Thinner paper is usually ideal, unless you are planning on painting, colouring-in or using heavy ink. Still, bear in mind that ink can bleed through the paper if it’s too thin, ruining other pages in your diary.

Binding:  The binding of your notebook is important too. Ideally, you want a notebook that can spread out flat while you write and one where you don’t need to hold the edges of the pages down. A spiral-bound notebook is ideal over a smaller, tightly-bound notebook, in this case.

Traveling journaling: A6 travel diaries

Best for: weekend trips.

  • Sovereign-Gear Antique Brown Refillable Travellers Notebook : This A6 notebook has a leather case and a refillable design, which includes three packs of paper (one unlined, one lined and one made from kraft paper). Even better, it has a PVC water-resistant zipper pocket for your valuables.
  • Avocado and Spice Hardback A6 Notebook : With a hardback cover and 200 pages, this A6 notebook is an aesthetic travel diary that comes with its own protective velvet bag. It comes with the option of dotted, lined or blank pages, and has a built-in pen holder and a bookmark.
  • Antony Olivier Leather Journal : With unlined paper and vintage brown leather, the Antony Olivier Leather Journal is a premium A6 notebook. There are 200 pages, all unlined.
  • Newestor Pocket Notebook : The Newestor Pocket Notebook is small enough that you can tuck it into your back pocket. It’s probably not ideal for those who are going to be writing in long prose, but those who are planning on documenting their travels with bullet points or short paragraphs will have 144 pages at their disposal.

Travel journaling: A5 travel dairies

Best for: longer trips.

  • EMSHOI A5 Notebook : With the option of lined, dotted or squared pages, the spiral-bound EMSHOI notebook has 640 A5-sized pages. It also has a water-resistant PVC cover.
  • Antony Olivier Leather A5 Notebook : This is an A5-sized version of the high-quality, leather Antony Olivier notebook. It includes unlined 200 pages and a journal enamel pen.
  • Silvine A5 Executive Soft Feel Notebook : The Silvine 15 Executive Notebook has 160 pages with a sewn case, inside pocket and ivory paper.

Travel journaling: Watercolour travel journals

Best for: artists.

  • Seawhite A5 Travel Journal : This notebook has 60 pages and a back pocket. It’s also completely vegan.
  • Hahnemuhle Watercolour Book A5 : This sturdy hardback book has 30 sheets of natural white fine-grain paper, ideal for panoramic paintings.
  • Tumuarta Watercolour Journal : Designed as a travel watercolour notebook, this journal has 48 pages, made of 25% cotton. The pages can tolerate light washes and they’re micro-perforated, so you can tear out a page if you need to.

A travel journal is a great place to jot down travel affirmations if you experience anxiety or nerves before or during a trip or to write down packing lists and other plans. See where I’ve been to start planning your next trip.

Katie Treharne

Escape Artist Katie owner riding a yellow quad bike over former lava fields on Mount Mayon in the Philippines.

I’m Katie, the owner of Escape Artist Katie. I have been travel writing since 2018, including writing for luxury travel magazines and publications such as Wanderlust.

As well as being a digital nomad who works and lives abroad permanently, I’m a big advocate for  offbeat travel  and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

I hope you found my article useful – find out more  about  me here or keep up with my travels on  Instagram .

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Brilliant Travel Journal Ideas For your Next Adventure

Travel Bullet Journal

Travel Diary

Table of Contents

Whether its a  travel bullet journal,  travelers notebook or  travel journal, find out why keeping a  travel diary is a must for your next trip and get some inspiration with the best travel journal examples.

A travel journal is more than a way to remember what you did on a trip. 

The  best travel journals are a mix of travel preparation , travel diary, and travel keepsake.  We think it is one the best items for travel, before, during and after a trip. 

If you put a little time and effort into a  personalized travel journal, it will be something you can look back on and treasure long after your adventure has ended. 

Keep reading to get some ideas on how to create the best travel notebook, then get some inspiration from other travelers with beautiful travel journal examples.  

Why Write A Travel Journal?

In an age when more and more of our lives are online, you may be wondering why bother with a diary?

You can do pretty much everything for your trip online these days, from booking to downloading boarding passes and taking photos on your smartphone. While all this is super convenient it means we no longer have momentoes to keep, or really reflect on our journey with.

Being a little old fashioned and putting pen to paper is a wonderful way to get creative, make lasting memories and to also do some self-reflection. And did you know that writing by hand actually helps you to remember things better? 

I don’t keep a diary when I am at home but ever since my first overseas trip I have kept a travel diary. These take pride of place next to my photo albums. When I look back on a trip in these books, it can be amazing what things I have forgotten. 

When we take travel photos they tend to be of the big sites and the amazing experiences. A travel diary is where you can write all those small details that may not be photo-worthy, the things that didn’t quite go right and more importantly, how you are feeling during your adventure. 

What Do You Write In a Travel Journal? 

Staring at a blank journal can be a little overwhelming. There are so many things you can add!

So, how do you start a travel journal?

A great idea before you put pen to paper in your new journal is to jot down a rough idea of what you would like to include. This way you can decide on the order of your journal. 

For example, you may want to have different sections for trip planning, while you are on your adventure and then post-trip reflections. 

To best decide what you would like to have in your travel diary have a think about why you want to write? Is it to remember your adventure? or maybe to keep you organized while you are planning a trip? or to learn as much as you can about a destination. It could, of course, be all of these reasons. 

Travel Journal Ideas

Here are some  ideas for how to make a travel journal.  Pick and choose the things that suit your style and trip!

Packing list

Make sure you don’t forget anything with a handy packing list. If you are doing long term travel or staying in various accommodation, this list will be a great checklist every time you pack so you don’t leave behind any belongings. 

Trip itinerary

This can be as detailed or as vague as you like. I like to note down things like opening days for museums and other attractions so I can work around them ( there is nothing worse than only have one day in a location and finding out the place you wanted to visit is closed that day!). 

Travel bucket list

I like to do this as part of my travel research. It is always one of the first pages in my travel diary. Then I work my itinerary around what I would love to see or experience at a destination. 

Important things to remember

This could be phone numbers, a hotel address or maybe something important you need to remember to do while you are away like a bill or friends birthday. 

Travel journal prompts

If you struggle to start writing a journal it can be great to read a prompt. You will often find that starting is the hardest part and the words will flow once you begin writing. 

Notes from your travel research online

I can spend hours researching before I travel. It can be easy to forget things or to get mixed up with what there is to see in different towns or places.  You can make your research part of your diary as a memory jogger, keepsake and even help you plan future trips if you decide to return to a destination. 

Travel literature to read about your destination

I love reading, and getting lost in someone else’s words about a destination is a wonderful way to get immersed in a place. You could read travel diaries from the past like Freya Stark or more modern diaries like Bill Bryson . If you prefer fiction there will always be lots of books to choose from too. Outlander for example has inspired so many people to visit Scotland. 

Travel savings goals and tracking

Seeing those savings add up is the best way to make your travel funds goals a reality. 

Tickets, maps and other keepsakes

I love sticking in all the tickets, stamps and leaflets in my travel journal. 

Coin rubbings of the local currency

I actually first got my kids to do this in their diaries but loved it so much I started doing it in my own too. I also stick in lower denomination notes too. 

Words and phrases

Learning a few keywords and phrases such as thank you in the local language of your destination is a wonderful way to connect with the locals.  They can be hard to remember though so jot them down in your journal ( don’t forget to add how they are pronounced too).

A daily diary of your trip

Perhaps the most common thing to have in any travel journal. Try to get in the habit of writing daily, even if it is just notes or bullet points. It can be amazing how much you forget or days blur together when you are on an adventure. 

Drawings and travel doodles

If you are creative then be sure to add some drawings to your journal. It can be a fun way to pass time while you are traveling too. You can take along a travel watercolor set if you love to use color. 

Things you find interesting

Maybe food stickers or funny sayings you come across. 

Travel Budget

Keep travel of your spending while traveling and make sure you don’t blow the budget!

Travel outfits ideas

If you are packing light you can have a quick go-to list of different outfits you can make up. This will save you so much time and effort. 

Photographs

You can save spots for photos if you have a DSLR or check out some of the ideas further on in this post for creating instant photographs.

If you want to create amazing photographs of your trip, check out these easy travel photography tips. 

Travel Journal Examples

Get inspiration for your own travel diary with these travel journal ideas.

travel diary examples

Travel Journal Paintings

Make travel memories with sketches and drawings like this stunning Travel Journal

travel diary examples

Travel Itinerary ideas

Makes sure you don't miss anything while traveling and keep a daily travel plan in your travel diary.

travel diary examples

Pretty Travel Journal

Mix drawings, thoughts and memories to make a gorgeous travel diary you will love to look back on.

travel diary examples

How To Keep Travel Memories

This travel journal has a mix of lots of mediums that will bring back travel memories in an instant.

travel diary examples

How To Keep Track Of Travel Plans

Keeping a simple list of your travel plans in your travel notebook is a great idea and saves you searching around looking for paperwork or emails.

travel diary examples

Keeping Travel Information Safe

Use your travel journal to keep track of all the important details of your trip.

travel diary examples

Inspiring Travel Quotes

Add inspiring travel quotes to your diary! We have a whole post on the best travel quotes. Look out for the link at the bottom of this list!

travel diary examples

Travel Journal Packing List

Never forget to pack anything again by adding a packing list to your travel diary. A travel luggage checklist is also really handy if you are moving around a lot during your travels so you don't leave anything behind.

travel diary examples

Travel Bucket List

Create a travel destination bucket list and tick off those amazing places after your trips.

travel diary examples

How To Get Organized For Your Trip

A Travel Bullet Journal is a great way to get super organized before a vacation or adventure.

travel diary examples

A Travel Wishlist

Create a travel wishlist and then make those dreams happen!

travel diary examples

Road Trip Diary

A Travel Diary doesn't have to be all about flying somewhere. Keep a travel log of all your local and road trips too.

travel diary examples

Travel countdown idea

Get excited for an upcoming trip by creating a countdown in your travel journal.

travel diary examples

Travel Photo Checklist

Make sure you never miss a shot with a travel photography checklist.

travel diary examples

Beautiful Bullet Journal Travel Spread

A travel journal is anything you want it to be. Draw, take photo's, do some travel writing and create.

travel diary examples

Beautiful Travel Diary

Get personal in your travel diary. A great idea is to write it for your future self to read.

travel diary examples

Travel Savings Tracker

Make those travel dreams come true by saving hard and keeping a tracker to stay motivated.

travel diary examples

Mini Travel Notebook

Using a smaller notebook as your travel diary is a great idea so that you can pack it in your day bag easily.

travel diary examples

Travel Bujo Ideas

Use stickers and washi tape to make your travel bujo pages look amazing.

travel diary examples

Record Travel Highlights

Make sure you remember all those special little moments from your travels by writing down your highlights from each of your amazing travel destinations

How to Write A Travel Journal

Okay so you’re brimming with inspiration and have an idea about what to include in your diary, but how do you actually start to write!

Write a list

I don’t know about you, but I feel immediately productive and accomplished when I tick items off my to-do list. You can also be clever and turn this list into a contents page for your journal by just adding page numbers or colored page tabs. Use the previous suggestions to decide what you want to add to your travel journal. For example, you could make a list of all the things you need to have organized before your adventure if you are using your travel diary for planning such as booking accommodation and creating an itinerary.

Start ticking off those items!

Blank journal pages won’t seem so daunting when you know exactly what to write on them. The list will probably help you have some sort of order to your diary too. You may start with a destination wishlist, then all the important booking details, followed by a day-by-day itinerary. If you are creating more of a travel bullet journal then you will divide these up into spreads and collections. 

Write during your travels

There is no set way to write a travel diary. If you are creative you may want to add drawings or write as though you are telling a friend all about the destination. Or you may just like to list down important things you want to remember in bullet form. Don’t overlook recording all the small details, as those are the ones you are more likely to forget. How something smells, or how a site made you feel.

Collect things that interest you, or spark a memory and stick them into your travel journal straight away

This can be boarding passes, menus, tickets, a food wrapper or anything you feel like.

Get into the habit of journaling every day

Setting a particular time to journal ( like at breakfast about the previous day) or just before bed, is a good way to make sure you remember to write in your diary. It can be amazing how quickly places and sites can get jumbled in your mind, especially if you have a busy travel itinerary.

Write a post-trip entry

This is a great way to really wrap up what you thought about a destination, how it might have changed you or helped you to grow. It’s also a great way to see if there are any changes you would make to your traveling style or planning.

If you are struggling to think of things to write in your travel diary here are some journaling prompts that may help.

The Best Travel Journals

Have a think about how you are going to use your travel diary before you purchase one.

  • If you are thinking more of a travel bullet journal you will want a dotted notebook like a leuchtturm bullet journal

travel diary examples

  • If you want a Travelers notebook that does it all then take a look at a M oleskine travel journal .   This book has a mix of lined, plain and dotted pages which makes it the  best travel notebook.

travel diary examples

Travel Journal Supplies

HP Sprocket

travel diary examples

Find one HERE

Polaroid Camera

It’s so much fun to take an imagine and see it appear before your eyes. They are also wonderful for making friends as you can take a photo and gift it to people as you travel. 

travel diary examples

Find great prices for Polaroid cameras HERE

travel diary examples

Make sure you take good quality pens with you to get great results in your Travel diary. Here are some of my favorites.

  • Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliners
  • Tombow Twintone Pens

travel diary examples

Find glue tape HERE

travel diary examples

Travel quotes to add to your journal

Best Quotes About Travel

The Best Travel Quotes

Safe Travel Quotes and more

Travel Journey Quotes

Find all you need to make a travel journal you love. Travel journal ideas and inspiration. #traveljournal #traveljournalideas #traveljournaldiy #traveljournalinspiration #travelbulletjournal

 The Best Travel Journal Ideas

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Inside the Travel Lab

21 Creative Travel Journal Ideas & Prompts for Your Next Trip

February 29, 2024

Creative travel journal ideas Pinterest cover

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

travel diary examples

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!

Vintage travel journal open on a table

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.

Leather-bound travel journal and pencil

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!

A collection of colourful ticket stubs

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.

Budapest and London postcards on a travel journal

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.

Notes from Dominican Republic, The Gambia and the US on top of a travel journal

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.

A selection of Isle of Wight maps on a table

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.

Stacks of colourful cardboard drink coasters

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.

Hand-drawn sketch of a city skyline

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.

Colourful post-it notes with different languages on

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?

Man writing in journal by a lake

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?

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Ideas For a Travel Journal (or you could just do this.)

By Sabrina Wu .

Let’s just drop a truth-bomb right from the start. The human memory is shit. There’s only so much space in our brains able to hold the vast experiences we have throughout our lives. And for Wakeful Travelers who indulge in experiences, some memories are just too precious to lose.

Over time, the human race has developed traditional ways to keep our memories close, through photos, souvenirs, journal entries, and other keepsakes. The problem lies in which method works best, because to be honest, none of them really do. Journal entries in notebooks get lost in hundreds of pages of loose-leaf notebooks, ticket stubs succumb to a fate of faded ink and irrecoverable crease marks at the bottoms of bags, and photos get lost among thousands in the cloud.

To this, travel journals serve as a helpful solution. Travel journals are organized montages of dates, anecdotes, and memorabilia collected throughout the course of your travels. When done well, they rekindle the experience of a moment even years later. When done poorly though, they just end up wasting a lot of time.

And to save everyone’s time, the Wakeful Travel Journal has compiled everything you could possibly need into one neat, handy little travel journal . But, just in case you want to know all your options, this article has got your back.

What is the Best Travel Journal Template?

The best travel journal template takes into account the entirety of your travels. It includes all the planning before, all the details during, and places to leave travel memories after. It should be easy to follow and refer back to. The best template is going to vary from person to person and from day to day, so it should be flexible to meet your ever-changing needs.

Luckily, the Wakeful Travel Journal takes all of this into account. Even though it has a set template with organized sections with specific purposes, it is flexible with enough blank pages, open-ended travel journal prompts, and colouring pages to be personalized to meet all of your needs. It’s practical in organization for the pragmatic thinker, yet, still unrestricted for the creative mind. 

a quote and colour therapy page in the mindful travel journal

Travel Journal Examples

Travel journals can be anything from a moleskine notebook, sketchbook, scrapbook, or even podcasts. The idea is just to express your memories into a medium, whether it’s through journaling, drawing, or recording your anecdotes in your phone. 

DIY Travel Journal Ideas

If you’re digging the whole DIY vibe and absolutely set on creating your own travel journal, it is totally possible to do it and do it well. Some creative travel journal ideas include:

  • Creative travel journal prompts . Prompts that make you experience the moment and think outside of the box. What was your favourite smell today? Make up a story about the most interesting person you met. In these travel prompts, you might find yourself expressing yourself in a way you have never done before, and you might even learn something new about yourself.
  • Creative action prompts . Things that make you act and participate in your own experience. Ask a stranger how their day is going. Try a food you’ve never tasted before. These action prompts can help you get out of the constructs of your routines, allowing you to experience your travels more deeply.
  • Sketches . Who says that a sketchbook and travel journal need to be separate? If you aren’t good at drawing, who cares? Incorporate sketches into your journal entries or dedicate a separate section with sketch prompts that force you to conceptualize things in a different way so you can draw them.
  • Collect memorabilia . Whether it’s sand, stamps, ticket stubs, or receipts, collect things that bring you back to the moment. A receipt might transport you back to the best pizza you’ve ever had in Rome, a ticket stub might bring you back to the time you got lost on the subway in New York. Leave some journal pages aside for this. You can bring along washi tape, or even place some double-sided tape onto these pages so that when you want to attach memorabilia, you can easily do so.
  • Daily journaling . Dedicate some pages each day to expressing the highs and lows of the day. If you’re scratching your head trying to figure out what and how to write, you can include some prompts or travel quotes on each day’s page to get the ball rolling.

A girl in slippers writing in her mindful travel journal

Creativity aside, there are some guidelines to keep in mind so that you can create something that makes sense to your style and needs.

  • Organize . Make sure you have labeled your travel journal pages so that you can refer back to your notes. Keep separate pages for contact information, packing lists, and itinerary information. It might be useful to create a table of contents and label your pages so that you can easily flip to whichever page you need.
  • Leave space for creativity . Blank pages are a must for travel journals. You can treat these pages as a travel diary or doodle on them. Empty journal pages give you the freedom to express creative ideas, or maybe not. The point is, it’s completely up to you.
  • Dedicate space for the important stuff . Important dates, numbers, and itinerary information should all have a home. Instead of frantically flipping through pages for a phone number you scribbled somewhere between the beginning and middle of your notebook, have all this information in one place that you can easily flip to. This will save you all the stress you really don’t need.

Travel Bullet Journal Ideas

Bullet journaling is for the minimalistic thinker. This person likes to check things off lists, get straight to the point, and could do without the excess fluff. For the visual learner who likes to see everything clearly organized on a page, the bullet journal is a great option.

Some ideas for travel bullet journals include:

  • Packing lists
  • Lists of places you’ve been
  • A destination wishlist
  • People you’ve met
  • Travel songs
  • Best travel guides
  • Favourite restaurants
  • Road trip stops
  • Bucket lists

The list goes on and on. Let your creativity run wild and you can make a list for pretty much anything. If this resonates with you, google bujo journaling for a good how-to on how to get started with bullet journaling.

While the bullet journal does work for some, for those who crave more expression, it does lack the blank pages to write about feelings and experiences. Since everything is curated into neat little boxes, being able to express yourself freely in the moment may be more difficult in this format. 

bullet journal laid out with paints and flowers around

How to Make a Travel Journal

First, you’ll need a travelers notebook. Hard-covered notebooks are best in this case. You can use moleskine or other similar styled notebooks. Unlike soft journal covers, hard-covered notebooks protect its contents from the bumps and bruises of travel and keeps your memories safe and secure.

Next, you will have to decide what you want your journal to include. Decide whether you prefer bullet journals, more open-ended options for journaling, memorabilia, or a little bit of everything. Then, chart out a chronological order for things that make the most sense to you. Maybe you want to put contact information, itinerary details, and packing lists at the beginning, and then have your journal slowly progress in chronological order throughout each day. Or maybe you want to separate journaling sections from lists and memorabilia, and have each day scattered throughout the journal.

Once you’ve made those decisions, then you can have some fun. Here’s where you can decide the aesthetic of your journal and make the pages of your travel journal unique to you. Do you want to keep it simple with clear, straight lines, or do you want to stray on the more artistic side with watercolor paints, stickers, and fun designs? It’s really up to you and will completely reflect your own style.

girl with arm and leg tattoos holding a cup of tea

What to Put in a Travel Journal

Here’s a little recap on some basic things that you can put in a travel journal:

  • Contact information
  • List of places you will visit
  • Itinerary information
  • Travel tips
  • Daily journaling
  • Journal prompts
  • Blank pages

Of course, this list can be made much longer, but these are just the essentials for travel journaling.

Having these things will certainly allow you to document your trips, but if you want to take it to the next level, if you want to hash out the details, stay super organized, mirror yoga postures, deeply integrate your experiences, be guided by mindfulness practices, and document the transformation happening on your journeys, then the Wakeful Travel Journal includes all the features that will help you do just that.

The Wakeful Travel Journal is not just a travelers notebook. The Wakeful Travel Journal allows you to immerse in the moment and take in the experience of your travels. As well as all the organization features, travel prompts, and travel quotes, unique colour therapy pages and a boredom section provide resources for you to sink into the present moment, instead of resorting to your phone.

It includes a fold out map that you can colour in and document the places you’ve been to and the places you want to go. And, the Wakeful Travel Journal acknowledges that the thing that makes travel the most rewarding is the community. The Wakeful Travel Journal includes Triangles with action prompts that you can tear out and take photos of to share on social media with other like-minded travelers like yourself.

two girls laying on a rug pointing at the fold out map in a journal

Are There Any Wakeful Travel Journal Downloads I Can Put Into My Journal? 

When you sign up for the Wakeful Travel email, you will receive the Ultimate Backpacking Checklist  (at the bottom of this post) which you can include in your travel journal. The Ultimate Backpacking Checklist includes everything you need from exploring Europe to hiking in the Amazon rainforest.

Why we Still Think You Should Try the Wakeful Travel Journal 

You are a creative and unique individual, you want to express yourself, you don’t just want another commercialized trip journal. We get it. But, the Wakeful Travel Journal is anything but commercialized. It was carefully curated by the traveler for the traveler. It considers every single nook and cranny that you could possibly think of in a travel journal. It’s extremely organized, personalizable, has a hard cover, and it even has a POCKET in the back. Who doesn’t love a freaking pocket?

Not to mention, Wakeful Travel truly cares about the world. It’s printed in plant-based inks, mailed in a compostable mailer, and for every journal purchased, 5% is donated to The Changing Tides Foundation, Surfers Against Sewage, and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).

When you purchase a Mindful Travel Journal, you are not funding big corp like Amazon or Walmart. You are supporting a Canadian company who wants to make the world a better place. And who doesn’t want that?

Whether you decide to create your own journal, or opt to support a small business and order a Mindful Travel Journal , regardless, we hope this post got your travel bug churning and your creative wheels turning.

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Looking for a journal with creative travel prompts, grab my free *inspired storyteller* travel journal, which includes writing tips, uplifting quotes, and 56 prompts.

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Hi, I'm Jessie

what type of traveler are you

there are many reasons i love travel; the way it connects people and allows them to share an experience, the feeling of ultimate freedom it provides, the way it awakens a sense of curiosity.

While I think guidebooks can be a helpful resource, I believe the beauty of travel comes less in seeing sites and more in experiencing places.

Now, I realize that the definition of an amazing trip varies from person to person, which is exactly why I designed this quiz to provide unique travel recommendations based on your personality.

Get ready to explore the world #BeyondTheGuidebook!

A little bit about me:

  • I started traveling solo after friends bailed on a summer trip through Europe. It is now my preferred way to see the world.
  • I'm passionate about not putting off your dreams, whether they're travel-related or not. The time to live your life shouldn't be restricted to two weeks per year vacation or retirement. It should be NOW.
  • Some of my favorite trips have been trekking through Nepal's Annapurna Himalayas, backpacking solo through South America for three months, exploring remote Bhutan, and hiking and wine tasting my way around the Azores.
  • I've been featured in top publications like USA TODAY, CNN, Forbes, Business Insider, and AOL Travel, as well as a travel web series with Bravo and a featured guest on BBC Travel TV (twice!).

 Ready to relive your favorite travel memories while igniting your creativity?

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11 Creative Travel Journal Ideas

By Author Toni Broome

Posted on Published: November 2, 2020  - Last updated: January 15, 2023

Travel journal pinterest poster

Incorporate some of these tips into your next travel diary and you’ll create lasting memories of your trips for years to come. I’m always on the search for creative travel journal ideas and inspiration and these are some of my current favourites.

travel journaling gear

You can always journal when you return home but writing regularly and while in the environment provides inspiration that will help you move beyond how ‘great’ and ‘beautiful’ a place was and capture what it was that stirred your emotions and lock in those moments that made it truly special. I like to take a few minutes in a cafe, over a drink or unwinding back at our accommodation to jot things down. I also often opt for a reporters notebook that fits in my pocket or purse to scribble down my thoughts and use them to create pages in my journal later.

I like my travel journals to be colourful, creative and fun to flip through. Recording my memories is key but I don’t want to spend half my time while I’m travelling writing down facts and figures. When I open it months or years later I want to remember how a place or experience made me feel and not to have it read like Wikipedia.

Finding the balance between creative journaling and not carrying an excess of pens and materials is possible especially with a few innovative ideas and using the tools and decorative materials you naturally come across each day.

To help illustrate some of the ideas and different styles I’ve included images below not only from my own journals but links to travel journal pages on Instagram from others in the community. These links are added with their knowledge and permission so feel free to click through, see more of their great travel journal creations and follow any of them who inspire your own creativity.

Table of Contents

1. Incorporate tickets, brochures and maps

2. collect stickers and washi tape as you travel, 3. include food memories, 4. use journaling prompts, 5. include foreign words and phrases, 6. use feathers, leaves and flowers with care, 7. record your memories, write your stories, 8. include your own art, 9. create a messages page, 10. include a few photographs, 11. look out for tourist stamps as you go, ideas to include in your travel bullet journal.

When I’m travelling I seem to end each day with a treasure trove of ephemera in my day bag. Whether that’s ticket stubs, brochures or paper maps they all add both character and information to your journaling.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jolene Ung (@jolenegoes) on Apr 12, 2019 at 7:26am PDT

I sort through it before we move on to our next stop and don’t carry everything I collect back home with me but I do always keep a couple of plastic envelopes in my suitcase specifically for items that might be added to the journal later.

Something I’ve noticed on recent trips, especially travelling in Asia, is that many tourist attractions, souvenir shops and small local shops sell unique stickers, washi tape and sticky notes showing the destination or something related to the destination.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by nifty (@nifty.theshop) on Jul 25, 2018 at 3:21am PDT

At Fushimi Inari, a shrine in Kyoto famous for its thousands of orange tori gates the washi tape featured those shrine gates and inari zushi, a popular snack served in the area. In Nara where deer wander wild in the park and throughout the temple grounds there were stickers showing deer amongst the cherry blossom trees.

Some of my Japan sticker and washi collection

The strongest memories are those that are triggered by the senses. Taste and smell are some of the strongest so don’t forget to record those great meals, the sights, sounds and smells of the markets. Note down a recipe, sketch an unusual ingredient or dish that keeps cropping up or describe a new food you try from the perspective of each of your senses.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vân avec un V comme Valérie (@asiancloud) on Oct 6, 2020 at 8:36am PDT

I also collect related items, a wrapper from a sweet I really enjoyed, a cute cardboard coaster from a winebar or the paper chopsticks cover showing the logo and name of a restaurant we would want to go back to one day.

Whether it’s a list of prompts you’ve compiled yourself in advance, something you come up with based on the inspiration of the day or if you borrow from a published list it can help you get the creative flow started.

Some travel journal prompts to try

  • The things I am most looking forward to about …
  • A dish I tried for the first time today
  • An interaction I had with a local
  • A new phrase I learned today
  • Something that surprised me
  • The highlight of today
  • The most useful item I packed
  • The weather today
  • A local custom I’ve noticed
  • The 5 things I liked most about …
  • How much I spent today and on what
  • The funniest thing that happened was
  • My first impressions
  • What people were wearing

I’ve mentioned it as a journal prompt but there are many ways to include foreign words and phrases in your journal. Even in a country where you can easily get by in your native language, it adds to the experience and generally is appreciated by the locals if you try to use a few words of the local language. Even just being about to say hello, please, thank you and express your appreciation of something you saw or experienced it’s going to enrich your experience.

Oishii japan travel diary page

Other times you will notice a word being used alot or some one might teach you a new word that you could use as a heading, decorate on the page or write the story about. You might also want to include a page of useful phrases in your journal when you are preparing for your trip.

Pressed flowers, a dropped feather or colourful autumn leaves make an interesting tactile embellishment. I know I was would have loved to include maple and ginkgo leaves during the autumn in Tokyo but if you plan to carry those items or your complete journal across international borders you need to be aware of biosecurity restrictions. In Australia and New Zealand, that’s a NO!

My travel journal is a creative outlet just for me, I get pleasure from both creating it and having it to remember our trips and special days. It’s writing just for me not for an audience so I feel I can be completely true to my experience, raw and I can write as little or much as I feel like.

Hobbiton Movie Set layout in travel journal

While I like it to be pretty and a home for photos and other mementos I pick up along the way what matter most to me is capturing the memories and experiences in my words. Sometimes it’s an extended stream of consciousness, other times it’s just a caption but capturing the stories as they happen or through my personal filter of life is part of the process.

You don’t need to be a great artist to make a travel journal. As I mentioned above in point 7, capturing the stories in my own words is essential but the colour, design, mementos, pictures and sketches that I add are also part of that story. They make the journal visually appealing and draw me back to flip through them again and again.

Miyajima japan travel journal layout

I’m no artist but I love the creative process and as my journal is principally for me it doesn’t matter if it looks like a child drew in my diary. Sometimes even the simplest doodles can be powerful memory triggers. We have seen these orange tori gates from Hokkaido to Kyushu but even without the words on this page the simple image makes me think of Miyajima and smile.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Following Foxes ? (@following_foxes) on Mar 23, 2020 at 5:05am PDT

Holly over at Following Foxes has some great inspiration on her instagram account not only for travel journalling but bullet journal layouts too.

If you are travelling with a group of people, staying in share accommodation or meeting a lot of people in the course of your trip, consider creating a messages page similar to what you would have in a high school yearbook for people to leave a note you can look back on. They might leave a message reminding you of where you met, record their social media handles or add a simple sketch to remember your time together.

If you are travelling with a group or family you could create a page around a particular place or event, including images or mementos from the day and have everyone add a sentence or two about something that was particularly memorable for them.

I don’t use my journal as a photo album, I keep most of my photos digitally and occasionally I’ll produce a photobook but sometimes a picture really can convey 1000 words and in that case, I’ll print and include it.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by angie?bobo?wanderlust goods (@bobodesignstudio) on Nov 18, 2019 at 8:30pm PST

There are a few ways to do this. Polaroid cameras have made a bit of a comeback but I had one the first time around and while the new versions are pretty cute I find them too bulky to carry when I already have my phone and my main camera with me most of the time. There is a whole range of tiny portable printers that are ideal for journaling or you can go into many stores around the world and get photo prints done while you wait, it generally quite inexpensive. You could also leave adding the images until you get home if you have a printer there.

If you will be adding the photos later I suggest having a standard size you use. A 2-inch by 3-inch rectangle is common for the mini printers and fits with all sizes of journals. You can also create collages of photos and print them on standard 4″ x 6″ or 6″ x 8″ photo paper at home or in-store then trim them to size. I keep a cardboard template in the back pocket of my journal that I trace around to mark out the spot where the photo will be added when I have it ready and then write a reminder of what photo I intend to include there. The note will be hidden by the photo later.

Some tourist attractions have unique stamps that you can stamp onto scrap paper or into your notebook as you go. I’ve seen them for a variety of places including the National Parks in the USA and in Japan, many train stations or tourist attractions have a stamp that is representative of the local area. You’ll find them near the main info desk at the train stations or near ticket offices at attractions.

Tourist stamp from the ropeway on Miyajima Island, Japan

Just a note that in Japan these are different to the pilgrimage stamps or GoShuin that are available at many temples and shrines. Those include a stamp and calligraphy that is generally prepared by a monk at the temple. They are only added to a dedicated concertina-style book and you should not write in or decorate that book.

Some temples do have normal stamps that can be used too, I know Hongan-ji in Tokyo near the Tsukiji market had these and Todai-ji in Nara has both options.

Stamp it into your book or onto the paper stock provided and build your journal page around it later. This one was at the Ropeway station on Miyajima Island, Hiroshima. It shows the famous tori gate, the maple leaves the area is known for, a costume from a performance at the shrine that we watched and the ropeway car.

If you found this article useful please consider saving it to Pinterest. It makes it easy for you to find it again, it helps us, and it helps other travellers to find the information they are looking for.

Travel journal pinterest poster

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Wednesday 10th of May 2023

This has helped a lot for writing a travel journal even as a beginner

Examples logo

Travel Journal Writing

Travel Journal Writing Examples

Who does not like to travel? At some point in our short lives, we would like to get out of the house or out of work and see the world with your own two eyes. Because in reality, taking pictures is just never enough. Sometimes, you just have to write about them in order to relive the memories and experiences to the places that you have been to before. You may also see book journal examples .

  • 19+ Journal Writing Examples
  • How to Write a Journal Entry

It may seem like a drag, but in due time, you will learn to appreciate it even more when you want to sit back and do some recollecting of your own.

architecture buildings church 338515 e1530758977463

Just like e-books, digital pictures are able to save money as you do not exactly need to print them anymore, but there is actually a good reason on why Polaroids are still the trendiest camera that everyone wants to buy.

For starters, they are cheap and they do not need a lot of adjusting unlike digital singles lens resolution (DSLR) cameras. But it is perhaps the printed picture that comes out of the Polaroid camera that people still dig (and it is not just because of 13 Reasons Why Season 2). You may also like writing templates & examples .

So the next time you decide to travel, whether domestic or local, you should remember to make a travel journal that stores all the precious and irreplaceable moments spent. You may also see reflective writing examples  if you happen to explore other kinds of writing.

Why Write a Journal When Traveling?

1. remember more.

Let us admit it: memory is fleeting. At some point in our lives, we will grow old and will eventually succumb to sickness and die. It is not an easy thing to admit. But we all have to face that reality.

So while you are still physically and mentally able to remember and jot down what you can, do so. Because you might just regret about it as soon as you forget it. So at the very least, you can always have something to look back to when you can no longer recall your timeless vacation. You may also check out bullet journal examples .

2. Learn More

Learning never stops. Even when you are not schooling anymore, that does not mean learning will officially come to an end. After all, learning is often best done outside the four corners of the school. As you travel, you may also learn other people’s culture and practices, their holidays, their world views. You might be interested in student writing examples .

CNN’s very own Anthony Bourdain in his show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown is a travel and food show in which the TV personality/chef travels the world uncovering lesser-known places and exploring their cultures and cuisine. His untimely death has left a hole in the hearts of many as he was considered to be an inspiration not only to his viewers but perhaps to people on all walks of life. You may also see summary writing examples .

3. Reflect More

Other than learning about other people and their culture, their practices, you get to learn more about yourself too in the process. These can be valuable life lessons that can be useful in the process of becoming a better person.

Black and White Travel Journal

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Size: 119 KB

Printed Travel Journal

printed travel journal

Size: 56 KB

Picture Travel Journal

picture travel journal

Size: 51 KB

Good Book with Ship Cruise Itinerary

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Size: 55 KB

Colorful Travel Journal

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Size: 113 KB

How to Write Travel Journals: 5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Journaling

1. use your journal to plan your trip.

People do not often realize that even a travel journal can be used to plan trips to other than writing them. Although thanks to the Internet, booking trips has never been easier, but sometimes it is just as good to write them in your travel diary too. You may also see fitness journal examples .

What plans and activities do you have for Day 1? Which hotel are you planning to stay in? Because let’s face it: writing down on your travel journal is much more creative and is aesthetically beautiful than printing out a colored or a black-and-white copy of your personal travel itinerary. You may also like debate report writing examples .

The best part? You get to decide how it looks, decide what kind of drawings you would want to add there. Personally, sky is the limit. Whether you want it a minimalist kind of theme or artsy, it is entirely up to your discretion. You may also proforma invoice examples for more information and details.

2. Write about what you imagine it will be like

Now that you have your itinerary worked out for your vacation, it is high time to put on your thinking caps on and turn on the imagination switch. Think of the country or place that you are going to visit and start imagining on what it is going to be like once you visit there. You may also check out free writing examples .

Is it as what you have expected over time? Is it as magical and wonderful as you thought it would be? Or is it something so horrible that you would not recommend it again? Whatever activities that you have planned for your vacation, list down your hopes and your expectations for that. So that when you are done doing the activity, you may do a comparison and find out whether or not they have been realized. You may also check out on how a daily agenda is being written.

3. Write during your trip

Sometimes, the thing about travel journals is that people forget they bring them in the first place since they want to pay close attention to everything that is unfolding right before their very eyes. At most, people would often write them at night when they reach the hotel room as they are still busy as to whatever activities they are engaging or simply taking too many pictures on the attractions and the tourist spots. You may also see what is writing used for ?

But here is a piece of advice: whenever you have vacant time on your hands no matter where you are (i.e., taking lunch, riding the bus, or just standing by at a museum), write down all that you have seen, all that you have felt, all that you have smelled, all that you have tasted, and all that you have heard down in the travel diary right away. You may also like writing examples in pdf .

List it down while the memory is still fresh and accurate. Sometimes, it is often the littlest of details and actions that make the travel experience so real: the locals you talk to while asking for directions, the street food that you consume, the architectural marvel of a certain tourist spot, etc. You may also check out formal writing examples & samples .

Everything and anything you can gather. In one way or another, it will serve as a great way to remember more from your trip, but will also help you reflect and grow from what you encountered. Here are some examples of cash receipts in case you find yourself writing one.

4. Add pictures to your journal

No travel journal could ever be complete without taking pictures. Adding pictures to the journal would serve as proof that you actually went to the area and not just make stories up so that they can just make other people jealous. When you add pictures to your journal, it is also to make it more colorful and meaningful so that when you forget in your head, you were still there on that place and captured that beautiful moment. You may also see application writing examples .

Pictures, after all, are still worth a thousand words. Combining pictures with your firsthand accounts of what they represent, or what happened when they were taken, will make for an even more comprehensive narrative of your travels. You may also check out reflective essay examples for more reference.

5. Write about your trip after you leave

Considering that you have written your own personal hopes and aspirations before your trip began, it is just only right that you try to make an account of your experiences after your trip. If there is one good trait about the Japanese, it is their open-mindedness that allows them to become a very progressive country. You may also like writing examples in doc .

Every time there is an opportunity to study outside, the Japanese government would normally send out their most enthusiastic students abroad not only to learn from them, but to use their newfound knowledge to share what they have learned to give back to society that helped them grow as proper citizens. You may also check out script writing examples .

People who come from third-world countries would be culture shocked when they visit first-world countries for the first time such as Singapore or Japan. The moment you return back to your hometown, you could never easily forget, which is why you should write it down all your thoughts. You might be interested in article writing examples .

Here are some questions that can help you get started:

  • 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 traveled 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. Here are some examples of printable logs that might give you an insight on how people would normally write logs.

Handwritten Travel Journal with Polaroid Pictures

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Size: 44 KB

Scrapbook Travel Journal

scrapbook travel journal

i.pinimg.com

Size: 81 KB

Simple Travel Journal

simple travel journal

2.bp.blogspot.com

Size: 45 KB

Travel Itinerary Example with Stamps

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Size: 284 KB

Travel Journal Ideas to Inspire You

1. why are you going.

Before even planning out your vacation, ask yourself as to why you are going in the first place.

The reason can be anything: a business trip, personal vacation, visiting family members, for diplomatic purposes, for occupational purposes, for health reasons, or is it one of those out-of-the-blue moments? Whatever reason you have, try not to think too much about it. If you need to go, then just go. No one is going to get in your way and has no intention to interfere with your plans. Here are some self-introduction speech examples if you need to write one.

2. Write about your expectations.

Your expectations of a certain place can either be the same reality that you are looking for in a country even more or it may turn out to be something disappointing that you might not want to go back and go through the entire process again. No matter what the case may turn out to be, simply write them anyway. It just shows another aspect to your personal travels. Memo writin g is often very common in businesses and companies. When the time comes that you will be asked to write one, you need to be ready.

3. Write about the people.

Other than the sites and the food that you can look forward to, another highlight of another country would be the locals you meet. If you are like most people who like to play it safe, you would be mostly set up with your local tour guide. You may also see summary writing examples .

Take this opportunity to ask your local tour guide about what makes this place so great, the history embedded in this island, why this is a must-go for tourists, the holidays and the festivals that the locals would often celebrate, the sites to see, etc. But never forget about the people who live there. You may also like script writing examples .

After all, it is not the tourist attractions nor the food that comprises a place, but the people too. Were they very hospitable? Were they welcoming and accommodating? Did you meet anyone new? Did you make a new friend?  Did you learn something new from a stranger? Did you learn something new from a friend? Here are some food log examples for further reference.

Tokyo Travel Journal

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Size: 76 KB

Moleskine Travel Journal

moleskine travel journal

Size: 42 KB

Japanese Expense Notes

japanese expense notes

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Japanese Travel Journal Blog Sketch

japanese travel journal blog sketch

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Chocolate Travel Journal

chocolate travel journal

start2.co.uk

Size: 43 KB

4. Write about the food.

Food. Are you familiar with the name Anthony Bourdain? You should not remember him as the man who committed suicide because of depression, but as the man who traveled around the world exploring new and diverse cultures and their lifestyles along with the local cuisine. You may also see tips for writing an effective essay .

When you find yourself in another country, would you go looking for a Burger King or a McDonald’s store nearby, or would you go out of your own comfort zone and explore different kinds of cuisine that is sure to rock your taste buds. I have to admit, the reason why people would not normally wish to go beyond what they normally eat is simply because they are already satisfied with their current simple menu . It is actually understandable. I mean, could you imagine yourself eating a fried spider from Cambodia?

Or how about a developing duck embryo from the Philippines (which is actually boiled alive while still in the shell. This is normally eaten with a little seasoning of chili, garlic, and vinegar. The baby embryo is edible, including the visible wings and beak.)? Care for some fried brain sandwiches from the U.S.A.? You may also like essay writing examples .

Look, this does not mean that you have to eat whatever weird food local countries serve you. But at the very least, you can try experimenting your palette to the local dishes. Most travel diaries already incorporate the element of food in them. Here are some examples of marketing reports that you can write down if you find the time.

5. The ups and the downs.

Let’s face it. Even in a trip, there are some things that you do not find so enjoyable. You do not hate them, you just do not like them. It can be anything in particular, really: the food, the locals, some of the tourist attractions, the economy of the country, and even the state of the country as it is. You may also see informative writing examples .

For instance, if you intend to visit India in the near future, one of the things you will probably not like about the area is the traffic there. It is just terrible. And another thing you might need to note: curry is a constant staple everywhere in India. So, do not be surprised when all the food that you eat will mostly be curry-based. At some point, you just get tired of eating that all the time that you would eventually crave for something not curry. You may also like minutes writing examples .

In mainland China, some of the locals can be pretty rude or non-hospitable, especially when you are bargaining with them at a bargain market. Pros and cons. You may also see winter travel goals in 2018 should you decide to have your vacation during winter time.

Crayola Travel Journal

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Size: 85 KB

Stamps Travel Journal

stamps travel journal1

athletesabroad.files.wordpress.com

Australia Ship Crew Travel Log

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Size: 90 KB

Queenstown Travel Picture Journal

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Georgetown Travel Journal

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Size: 253 KB

Sagdas Cave Connection: Lumiang Sumaging Caves

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Size: 208 KB

6. 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. Here are some examples of personal goals that can make you grow as an individual to society for a better life.

7. Write a travel guide.

Let us say that you just got back from your travels. Perhaps one of the best things you can do after your trip is to come up with a travel guide for people who share the same interest in traveling to the same place as you in the near future. In a manner of speaking, you can help them make better choices for their itinerary. You may also see european travel goals for your next trip .

For instance, you can first recommend the places that you have already been to if you find those certain tourist spots worth visiting again.

If there are specific areas that you failed to go to because of the lack of time, you can also mark those attractions in your journal so that people who can spend a longer duration than you in that place can go check it out. For must-eats, you can list down the food stalls that sell them and where they happen to be located. You may also like summer travel goals for the free-spirited you .

Vloggers would usually inform their viewers on what to bring and what not bring for this certain country as every country has their own rules and regulations that must be followed by all, including tourists. Certain tourist spots will not allow flash photography or will ask the tourists to wear appropriate clothing since it is a religious building. Taboos can also be noted in your travel diary, even scams too. You may also check out winter travel goals in 2018 .

Although the point of tourists visiting other countries would be to boost tourism, there are some locals who will try to exploit visitors to pay more than what is needed of them. List those down too for future reference. Here are some reflective writing tips that you might find useful in case you are asked to write a reflective piece.

8. Where do you want to go next?

It is never too soon to start planning your next vacation. If that would mean working extra hard, putting in the extra hours, minimizing your spending habits, and going out less on weekends, then do so. Because there are people who are committed to visiting that place next when they have the budget and the time and the resources. Because in life, we all have bucket lists that we would want to see filled up before we pass away. You may also see travel essay examples & samples .

Look for cheap travel sales, budget out your next vacation, book hotels at their lowest price, and most importantly, coordinate with your family and loved ones. Here are some examples of expense vouchers that you might need to refer to.

travel diary examples

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The Katie Show Blog

Extraordinary travel experiences for ordinary people.

travel diary examples

Travel Diary Ideas – 21 Thoughtful Prompts For Your Travel Journal

  • By Katie Mac
  • September 3, 2019

A play by play is a great start when it comes to recording your travels in a journal. But if you want to dig a little deeper and take your reflections to the next level, here are 21 travel diary ideas to prompt you. These thoughtful prompts will serve as a diving board for you to jump off to explore more than just what you did. You’ll be able to delve into meaningful journaling about how you feel, how the experience changed you, record the moments you never want to forget, and build the habit of mindfully observing the places you visit.

A play by play of what you did is a great start, but if you want to dig a little deeper in your reflections, use these 21 travel diary ideas.

Disclaimer:

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Why you should use a travel diary or travel journal

My introduction to travel journals came when I was 12.

I was on my first ever semi-solo trip where I traveled alone to New Zealand to visit family. When I arrived and climbed into my nana’s car, she pulled out a red notebook that she had bought for me.

“ Write in this every day “, she told me. It seemed pretty important and I certainly wasn’t going to disagree. So every night I got out my little red book and wrote in it.

I still have the travel journal to this day and it is the best souvenir of the trip. It has preserved moments in time, in a way that photos can’t. When I read it, and the travel journals I’ve had since, I am transported back in time through the words on the page.

Having a travel journal is like having your own personal time machine.

travel diary ideas

The KSB travel journal is lightweight enough to take with you while traveling & snap some pics with of course!

Which travel journal to buy

travel diary examples

Not only is it super cute, but I made it with the traveler in mind. The journals I had found previously were often bulky, bigger, and not convenient for traveling. Especially traveling with carry on luggage only.

How to use these prompts in your journal

I recommend using the prompt as a heading to get your flow of writing started.

Sometimes with our travel journaling, we want to write everything that happened during the day and end up writing a superficial play-by-play. Using the prompts will help you narrow down and focus on specific topics or moments from the day.

Think of it as a quality over quantity approach.

Write the prompt, start your writing by exploring the prompt, then see where it takes you.

Relatable: Bad Travel Advice That You Should Probably Just Ignore

travel diary examples

Travel diary ideas

1. [destination] by the senses.

Use the senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste as subheadings and explain the destination based on how they affect your senses.

2. My favorite moment in [DESTINATION] was…

Instead of trying to write all the little parts of each day, pick your favorite moment on of the day and focus on writing about it in detail.

3. Something new I learned in [DESTINATION] was…

Focus on something new you learned today. Whether that is a new skill, something about yourself, historical or cultural information or something else. Describe this new thing you have learned and how it impacted you.

4. Something I never want to forget from today is…

Imagine yourself old and forgetful. Use your journal to document a memory from the day you’d like to look back on.

5. Something that surprised me about [DESTINATION] was…

What is a way that the destination surprised you? How was it different from your expectations? Did it exceed or not meet your expectations?

6. My favorite food in [DESTINATION] was…

Write about the best food you have tried during your trip. Where did you have it? What was the setting like? Why did you like it?

7. I tried [NEW THING] today and here’s how it went

Whether it’s a new class, food, activity, or even a perspective, traveling and trying new things just go together. Pick something new that you tried and document things like what it was, how it made you feel, how it was different to what you expected.

8. A challenge I overcame in [DESTINATION] was…

Challenges are also synonymous with travel which makes traveling a great way to push outside your comfort zone and overcome them. Pick a challenge you encountered and describe what happened, how you overcame it, and how you feel different after it.

9. I’m grateful for…

Gratitude is one of the best ways to start a journal post because it destroys negativity. Simply pick something that you’re grateful for and describe why.

10. An interesting person I met today was…

One of the most rewarding parts of traveling, in my opinion, is the connections you make with people. Write about someone you met today and what made them interesting.

11. [DESTINATION] changed my mind about…

Did this trip expand your view on a certain topic? Perhaps lifestyle, food, politics, habits, culture, religion, public transport, fashion or anything else. Explore how your view has changed through this travel experience.

12. Lightning round – I’m thinking…, I’m feeling…, I’m grateful for…

Use these three headings and do a little brainstorm session for each based on the day you had.

13. A souvenir I bought was…

Did you buy something to take home with you? Document why you chose it, where you bought it, and what the experience was like. If you are a minimalist traveler, perhaps write about the souvenirs you would have bought if you had the luggage space. What caught your eye and why?

14. [DESTINATION] culture is different from home in these ways…

Explore what is different about the place you are visiting compared to your hometown. Think about things like how is the architecture, the culture, the traffic, the food, the people, the weather, the landscape, the wildlife, or the cost different to your home.

15. The best thing I saw today was…

What did you see today that blew you away? Talk about the details. Why was it memorable?

16. An embarrassing moment today was…

We’ve all had these and they are a lot of fun to look back on. Don’t be shy, write down an embarrassing moment from your trip.

17. The streets in [DESTINATION] are lined with…

Describe what it’s like to walk the streets in the place you are visiting. Start with the streets. What are they made of and what are they lined with? Is it noisy or quiet? Are the people in a rush or laid back? Is it poor or wealthy? What smells fill the air? Are there stray animals or anything else noticeable?

18. [DESTINATION] by the feelings

Use happy, sad, excited and angry as headings, or other feelings you might be experiencing, and use them to explore what feelings the travel experience is invoking in you and why.

19. I’d like to incorporate more [FOOD/LIFESTYLE/BEHAVIOR] into my life

What did you fall in love with that you’d like to include more of in your home life? From as big as a lifestyle change, to as small as a food, how will you incorporate this destination into your home life?

20. Five words I’d use to describe [DESTINATION] are…

Not much explanation needed for this one. Pick your five words and explain why you chose them.

21. This is what I’d tell my friends about [DESTINATION]…

What pieces of advice would you give your friends about planning a visit? How would you describe it to them?

travel diary examples

These travel diary ideas should get you started, but of course, make it your own & document what you feel is memorable.

If you found this usef ul, return the favor by sharing it or following me on Instagram !

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How To Make A Travel Diary

With summer around the corner, today I show you how to make a travel diary.

So if you’re wondering:

  • what a travel diary is
  • how to make a travel diary
  • what to write in a travel diary
  • how to write a travel diary

If you’re looking for amazing but simple travel diary layout ideas, then keep reading.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It means that I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase a product that I have recommended. It won’t cost you any extra money.

What’s A Travel Diary

bullet journal packing list

Basically, a travel diary is your travel daily log.

In general, there’re a couple of ways of keeping a travel diary.

It all depends on your goals, personality, creativity, artistic techniques, etc.

As a rule, you can choose to make your travel diary as:

  • a journal, where you express your opinions, feelings, emotions
  • an art journal with watercolor urban illustrations, everyday life sketches, simple travel doodles, drawings
  • a travel scrapbook, where you include your travel props (for example, polaroids, flight tickets, receipts, postcards, menu, napkins, tea bags, postage stamps)
  • a photo book (see some project life examples as an inspiration)
  • a travel bullet journal with planning pages, bucket lists, trip overviews, etc

First and foremost, let’s talk about travel diary supplies.

As the matter of fact, there’s no “one-size-fits-all” answer.

With this in mind, below you can find a list of the best travel diary supplies, depending on the type of travel journal.

Travel Journal

MALEDEN Leather Writing...

  • Blank Paper: No lined feature, you can draw mind maps, sketch ideas or write notes...
  • Refillable Notebook: Take out pages that aren't important and swap in for blanks to...
  • Leather Journal: Made of high quality PU leather,soft in hands,durable for travel or...

Uniball Jetstream RT 3...

  • Ballpoint Pen: Our black ballpoint pens combine the smooth, vivid writing of a gel...
  • uni Super Ink: Water- and fade-resistant ink helps you compose long-lasting,...
  • Quick-Drying Technology: Our quick-drying black pen ink resists smudging and...

Last update on 2024-03-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Let’s face it, you can easily start travel journaling with a simple school pen and notebook.

However, sometimes you may need a small boost of motivation to keep a travel diary daily.

Definitely, one of my favorite way to stay motivated is by getting a little bit fancier travel journal supplies.

For example, a leather travel journal with a notebook looks so cool.

Not only, do these notebooks have an amazing design, but also most of them are refillable.

Basically, you buy them once. When your notepad is full, you just refill a new one.

Additionally, don’t forget that travel journals should be small enough to fit in your backpack.

Also, in most cases, you can use travel notebooks as a wallet.

Some journals have a section designated for credit cards, tickets, etc.

By the way, this is a great gift idea – if you know any passionate traveler, now you know what to get.

Along with this, don’t forget about your favorite pen that allows you to write fast and cleanly.

Art Journal

Handbook Journal Co....

  • 95LB / 200 GSM WATERCOLOR PAPER JOURNAL - Start your journal creation with this...
  • 30 SHEETS/60 PAGES - You'll love that both sides of the paper can be used which gives...
  • BOUND IN DURABLE NATURAL LINEN -Each watercolor sketchbook is exceptionally well made...

MeiLiang Watercolor Paint...

  • ???? Adopted High Quality Arabic Gum: The arabic gum can increase the gloss and...
  • ???? High-pigmented: The set has great color selection, high pigment quality, mixes...
  • ???? Well-designed Package: Comes with sturdy metal case with easy to open/close lid,...

Imagine sitting in a cute, local coffee shop in Paris.

You want to capture this magic moment in your art journal.

In this case, getting a blank sketchbook and a travel-size favorite medium is the best option.

Travel Scrapbook

Knaid Grid Washi Tape...

  • VARIETY OF DESIGNS - 14 piece washi tape set in simple beautiful grid patterns that...
  • DIMENSIONS - A full set of 14 rolls with different colors. Each roll of washi tape is...
  • HIGH QUALITY TAPE - Made from high quality washi paper with an adhesive that sticks...

Elegant Blooms & Things...

  • And many more letters, numbers etc
  • Sayings are many, some are Let's Take a Vacation, Life is Short the World is Wide,
  • Some icons are planes, cars, balloons as well as globes, Big Apple and cameras

MaGuo Journey Diary...

  • Sheet size: approx 23*14cm (9.0*5.5 inch)
  • Made of silicone material,Reusable and durable friendly clear stamps
  • Naturally able to cling to gross surface, especially acrylic block.

Definitely, it’s the most light-weighted way of keeping a travel diary during the trip.

Basically, all you need to do is to collect all kinds of tickets, menus, maps, receipts, napkins, and postcards, and take photos during your trip.

After coming home, you get a random notebook (alternatively the fancier one with craft paper) and include your favorite travel props in it.

As a decoration feel free to use vintage stamps, washi tapes, stickers, and other scrapbooking elements.

Also, you can write down your thoughts, and memories or include simple travel doodles .

In case you want to keep your travel memories in one place, but you don’t want to invest your time and energy in creating a DIY travel journal, this option will probably work the best for you.

Unquestionably, having a lot of travel photos may be so overwhelming.

However, turning them into a photo book is a great way to select the best ones and tell your summer story.

Travel Bullet Journal

LEUCHTTURM1917 - Notebook...

  • The A5 MEDIUM notebooks are the perfect size with a wide range of colors making them...
  • Thread-bound to open flat which helps make reading the contents easy and adds...
  • Features 80g/m² acid-free paper with high ink compatibility to help prevent bleed...

SAKURA Pigma Micron...

  • Precise archival pens create fade resistant, waterproof, bleed free marks for...
  • Includes 6 black ink Pigma Micron pens in point sizes 005 (0.20mm), 01 (0.25mm), 02...
  • Pigma Micron ink is pH neutral, quick drying, and approved by ACMI toxicologists;...

Zebra Pen Mildliner...

  • Versatile creative tool! With a broad chisel tip at one end and fine bullet point at...
  • Bring your bullet journal or Bible study to life! Zebra Pen Mildliner Highlighters...
  • Layer ink for extra creativity! Translucent, water-resistant ink in soft colors...

Tombow 56185 Dual Brush...

  • Water-based pens ideal for coloring, fine art, illustrations, doodling, journaling,...
  • Set of 10 Tombow Dual Brush Pens
  • Flexible brush tip and fine tip in one marker.

Crayola Super Tips, 120

  • Washable & scented.
  • Versatile art supplies

Personally, the simplest way to create a travel diary is to make it in an everyday bullet journal.

Basically, you can create travel spreads within your everyday bujo notebook , by using your favorite bullet journal supplies .

Travel Diary Examples

travel diary examples

Aesthetic Travel Diary Inspiration

It's amazing how a simple, basic planner can be transformed into an aesthetic travel diary by using stamps, a map, and other scrapbooking elements.

Also, there's enough space to write your favorite travel memories, random thoughts, and inspiration.

travel diary examples

Traveler's Notebook Inspiration

Another great example of a traveler's notebook is this minimalist blank notebook, where you can put plane tickets, polaroids.

Along with this, you have a lot of space for travel journaling.

travel diary examples

Traveler's Notebook Memories Ideas

On the other hand, you may want to use a blank notebook as a kind of photo album aka project life inspired pages.

In this case, instead of using personal photos, you can collect postcards of tourist attractions.

Additionally, if you add some information, your travel notebook becomes a great source of knowledge.

Also, feel free to use decorative washi tape to keep all photos in one place.

travel diary examples

Travel Diary Ideas

Similarly, here you can see postcards as well.

However, the travel journal page was completed by food photos.

In fact, sometimes you can't remember what did you see, but you always remember stunning taste of local meals.

travel diary examples

DIY Travel Diary Ideas

As well as that, if you're into monochromatic looks, here's a great example of designing a DIY travel diary with a blue color palette.

You can easily incorporate a monochromatic look by using specific photos, washi tapes, stamps, and other decorative elements.

travel diary examples

Travel Diary Inspiration

Besides, there's nothing wrong with combining two kinds of journals: a bullet journal with a traveler's notebook.

Indeed, creating a travel bucket list with photos, cute doodles, craft paper, and washi tapes gives this unique scrapbook bullet journal vibes.

travel diary examples

Travel Bucket List Notebook Page

In the same way, these two notebook pages include the "favorite places I've been to" page, "a place I want to go one day" with the "places I'm going this year" page.

For me, it's a combo of travel memories, a vision board, and this year's travel planner.

travel diary examples

City Information Travel Diary Page

Alternatively, keeping a travel diary as an art journaling allows you to unleash your creativity, practice doodling, and gather memories.

Indeed, get a pocket-size watercolor set, order coffee in a local coffee shop, and start painting.

travel diary examples

Travel Scrapbook Ideas

Moreover, including top-rated tourist attractions, small sketches make your travel diary unique and personalized.

By the way, it doesn't have to be perfect. However, these London's main attractions sketches are amazing.

travel diary examples

Travel Journaling

Last but not least, here's a vintage travel journal.

By adding polaroids, tickets, and stamps, you create a travel scrapbook for your summer adventures.

What To Write In A Travel Diary

So now when you get your dream travel diary supplies, you probably get stuck.

Undoubtedly, coming up with what to write in a travel diary can be a real struggle.

Not to mention, the fear of ruining the first page of your brand-new travel notebook.

With this in mind, I gathered travel journal prompts and page ideas you may want to include in your traveler’s notebook.

Trip Overview Page

Basically, it’s a space for all the important information about your travel and the destination you chose.

Firstly, note your flight, and accommodation.

Secondly, write down basic foreign phrases like good morning or thank you.

Definitely, it can be a real icebreaker to communicate with the locals.

Country Fact Spread

Before you start your travel adventure, you should research the destination.

Read more about culture, religion, weather, safety, top places to see, local experiences, and unique things to do, and write them down.

Also, check the currency and exchange rate.

Before You Go Checklist

As a rule, this stage of a trip is my least favorite part.

Do you know this awful feeling that you forget something to do?

That’s why the checklist is a real-life-saver for me.

During a hectic time, you want to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

Write down everything you need to do before you leave home.

Travel Outfit Planning

Is it only me or when you go on a trip you pack just about everything in your backpack?

Not only do you pay additional fees but also you have to carry a heavy bag.

For example, I decided to create a travel capsule wardrobe.

Basically, you plan your outfit ahead.

Therefore, you get rid of a “what-to-wear-today” everyday issue.

Also, you can take photos of each outfit (just like before every fashion show).

Packing List

bujo packing list

Along with this, writing the travel packing list keeps you organized when you travel.

Just divide your things into categories like clothing, toiletries, beauty products, electronics, entertainment, and miscellaneous.

Trip Planning

In fact, I’m not a big fan of planning every single hour of a trip.

However, writing down what you want to do and see each day helps to stay on track and better manage your time.

Ok, maybe the term: time management combined with vacation sounds weird, but you want to explore new things as much as you can.

Budget Spreads

Speaking of planning, let’s talk about money.

You can find online many articles about how to travel on a budget.

For sure, creating budget layouts helps you afford to travel without going broke and organize your expenses.

Memories Page & Daily Logs

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Last but not least, it’s time for the most fun and creative part.

Here you may want to capture the most amazing moments in a travel diary.

Indeed, fill your travel bullet journal with memories by using tourist maps, flyers, stamps, and polaroids.

You can even get a polaroid zip mobile printer with proper photo paper and keep up with daily journaling.

How To Write a Travel Diary

travel planner notebook

  • include travel journaling time in your morning or evening routine (yes, it’s possible even if you’re staying at the most random places)
  • keep your travel diary in an easily accessible place – you never know when your craziest adventure begins
  • use your train-bus-car traveling time to complete your travel notes
  • manage your inner perfectionism and let all your misspellings, mistakes, etc go
  • keep in mind that it’s your travel diary – you don’t have to share it online or show it to anybody so it’s your safe space
  • work on your journal – life balance (basically, don’t feel pressure to capture absolutely everything)
  • try to add some variety to your travel diary by combining storytelling, doodles, polaroids, packing list, travel maps, etc
  • describe how local meals taste, how the air smells, how the streets look like, what people wear – it’s so interesting to get to know a foreign country more than the most popular tourist attractions
  • there’s no right or wrong way to keep a travel journal

Download Free Travel Bullet Journal Printables

bullet journal trip planning printables

How To Make a Travel Diary – Final Thoughts

To sum up, now you know what a travel diary is, how to make one that works for you, what to write in it, and how to make a journaling habit stick.

Undoubtedly, keeping a travel journal is a great way to collect memories and save them.

No matter if you choose an art journal, travel bullet journal, or scrapbook, making a travel diary can be so much fun.

Sometimes all you want to do is to write down your thoughts, organize polaroid photos, or simply plan your next trip.

Or mix the different types of travel journaling in the ultimate travel diary you can start even before your travel begins.

And the best part is you can really personalize your notebook.

Just gather your favorite travel journal inspiration, write your moments down, collect props, and put your travel diary together.

I hope you like these few easy tips on how to make a travel journal I gathered in this blog post.

Enjoy your trip and good luck!

What’s Next? Check Out These Bullet Journal Page Ideas:

Bullet Journal Page Ideas Perfect for Your 2023 Bujo

Bullet Journal Self-Care Ideas: Get Your Life Together in 2023

Budget Bullet Journal Layouts To Master Your Finances in 2023

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How to Write Travel Diary – Practice with Examples

What is a diary entry, and how can we benefit from it.

A diary is a place where you may be honest with yourself, note your observations, and express your feelings regarding events in your life. Additionally, it is a place where you can speak freely, think, and fantasize. Anything you want can easily be written down using words.

Activity Time

It was agreed by you and your sister to commemorate your parents’ 25th wedding anniversary. Your plans should be expressed in no more than 150 words as a diary entry.

Diary entry

parallel

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

What are Diary Entries and their Types?

A diary entry is a group of pages that make up the entry. The dates and times when the diary entries were written are typically used to organize them. Depending on the diary type, each entry may include thoughts, feelings, reflections, dreams, and more. Even in your diary, you can subcategorize the information in an entry.

  • As an illustration, subcategories of a dream diary could include lucid dreams, nightmares, etc.
  • Diary entries can be written, illustrated, recorded, or even a combination of several media.

Why Keep a Diary When You Travel?

There are numerous advantages to writing when traveling, but these are a few to get you started.

  • Remember More

You won’t forget the reasons you wanted to go and will remember more of your visit if you list the activities you intend to undertake while traveling as well as the activities you have already completed.

You can learn a lot about a new place’s culture, traditions, and people when you visit there. You will notice more of your surroundings if you have a place to record your observations.

  • Reflect More

A journal is a location where you can write down new things you’ve learned from exploring the many places you go. You will be able to look back and consider what you have learned and apply it to other areas of your life by having all these fresh discoveries in one location.

Here are a Few Pointers on How to Write a Travel Diary

You must travel and keep a travel diary. You can begin writing wherever you need to. All you need is a location to start your vacation diary.

  • Plan Your Vacation Using Your Diary

Even before you go on your trip, you can start keeping a notebook. Start making plans for the things you wish to do in your journal. It could be anything, such as a hip restaurant to eat at, a trek you want to do, or other attractions you want to see. To ensure that you don’t forget anything from your trip checklist, write everything down.

Mention the location you’ve been to above the page

  • Use a small diary that you can easily carry along with your travel
  • Carry a craft kit, which includes little scissors, pens, plaster, a notepad, stamps, and other supplies.
  • Write About How You See it to be

Describe your experiences there.

When you travel, your final location may be completely unanticipated. It’s possible that despite your expectations, the local cuisine surprised you by being excellent.

  • Write While Traveling

When information is still fresh in your mind, it is always simpler to recall it. Therefore try to write as frequently every day as you can.

  • Add Pictures to Your Diary

In order to have a nice memory of your travels for the rest of your life, you can gather photographs or photos from the places you visit.

You can then add your doodles or postcards to the entries in your journal.

  • Write About Your Trip After Your Leave.

You should write about your vacation once you return, just like you do before you go.

  • How did it feel?
  • What did you discover?
  • What caught you off guard?
  • What made you unhappy?

To retain new knowledge and use it in future endeavors, it is crucial to reflect on your travels. This is also a fantastic method to discover more about who you are, your possible traveling companions, and your potential for development. Take a step back from what you accomplished and try to grasp the big picture. You might be surprised.

Let’s write the travel diary entry of the place we visited during the last vacation .

You’ve traveled to Miami and visited many places in the city and the city’s scenery and cuisine, and you plan to write about your travels there as well as its location and part of its history, culture, food, and attire. You must compose a minimum of 100 to 150 words.

Let’s practice with a few examples

Make a daily journal of your activities, a scientific notebook of your observations of plants and animals, an art journal of your sketches, a map of the places you visited, or a mix of all four.

Vacation Journal: Day

travel diary examples

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A Little Adrift Travel Blog

A Little Journal… These Digital Travel Diary Apps Are Worth Your Time

Last updated on January 4, 2024 by Shannon

As travel enthusiasts, we yearn to capture the essence of extraordinary travel moments and freeze them in time. We even want those mundane details preserved—what was the name of that hilarious taxi driver who shuttled you from the airport to your guesthouse?

If you’ve logged those details in a travel journal, you don’t have to remember—that’s where travel journaling apps come in, offering a digital travel scrapbook that easily documents even the craziest travel adventures.

travel diary examples

I’ve been traveling the world for 15 years, writing, photographing, and sharing my travel stories from the first day. That means I have pretty high expectations when it comes to using digital travel diaries meant to preserve the memories of your expeditions. Here’s what you need to know about the best online travel journal apps available.

Table of Contents

What are Digital Travel Diaries?

reflecting on Loch Ness about what to write in my travel journal app

While journaling about your travels via a paper notebook used to be called a travel log, the more modern equivalent is an online travel journaling app. That said, even diary app is just a new way to log the most important moments of your travels—and the mundane ones too.

Travel journals essential just document your experiences, capturing your memories as you travel the world. By logging your travel memories in real time via a journaling app, you ensure the smaller details are captured.

Was it a torrential downpour on the day you had booked an “any-weather” tour of the Norwegian fjords? Log that and then share how you felt at that very moment, otherwise the details fade with time.

That’s the real magic of keeping a travel log in any form, a beloved notebook, an app, or a blog. I’ve used all three over my 15+ years of travel. This travel blog was my primary travel log, but at times I’ve used these travel apps to capture moments more immediately.

thoughtful travel journal diary  apps

And no matter my online travel journal app of choice, I always, always have a small physical journal. Even if you diligently record all of the best moments of your trip in your digital travel diary app, you should also carry a small travel journal that acts as your travel log—you use it to jot down funny off-the-cuff moments, or even just mundane details.

Perhaps you press between the pages ticket stubs, a pretty flower from your world wanders, and other small memorabilia that can’t be captured in a journaling app. It becomes a place to log currency conversions you can surreptitiously glance at when haggling at a market, or jot down lists and travel plans.

I never travel without a pocket Field Notes waterproof notebook and this Moleskine travel journal —its these two things that have allowed me to share such rich details on this blog, my personal travel log that’s been running 15 years and counting.

How to Choose an Online Travel Journal App

travel diary examples

Travel journal apps are not one-size-fits-all. The best apps offer the exact range of features you need and at a price point you can afford—which can mean free! Many journaling apps offer a free version that may just meet your needs. Often its the more sophisticated features that require a paid upgrade.

Given that you’re probably snowed under travel planning, don’t waste your time downloading every travel diary app here. To pick the right app for your travels, consider these things before you download it:

When choosing an online travel diary app, there are several factors to consider that can help you find the one that best fits your needs. Here are some tips to help you make a decision:

  • Features : Review what the journaling app actually does—what are the key features these app developers believe are the hallmarks of their app? That will tell you a lot about functionality. Standard features of most digital travel diaries include: text entry, photo and video uploading, geotagging, and weather data. Decide which features are important to you and ensure that the app provides them. Maybe you want an awesome map interface because you’re hopscotching around the world for a year ? Or you’re studying abroad you might want an app with more functionality around text and photo entries.
  • Platform Compatibility : Check if the digital journaling app is available on your preferred platforms, such as iOS, Android, web-based, and desktop. If you’re bringing both a smartphone and laptop on your travels , you may wan a travel diary app that seamlessly switches between the two devices.
  • Syncing and Backup : Consider whether the app offers syncing and backup options—and if those are free or paid features. You want access your travel diary across multiple devices, and you want it securely backed up to the cloud.
  • Export and Sharing Options : If you plan to share your travel diary with others or would like to have a backup of your entries outside of the app, check if it offers export options, such as PDF or other file formats.
  • Company Story : If the travel journaling app you’re considering using hasn’t been around for at least two-to-five years, run in the other direction. Companies, especially app makers, fold quickly. The last thing you want is an email saying you have a matter of days to download your cherished memories before they’re all deleted.

Best Travel Journaling Apps

Day One is the best travel journal app

Day One tops most of these lists because it’s actually that good—and it’s been around since 2011, so you know your travel memories are safe with this online diary app. The company has invested in a high-quality product, and updates over the years have responded to user reviews and feedback—which is enthusiastic across the board.

Its clean interface and seamless integration with iOS (both iPhones and Macs) and Android make it a joy to use. You can effortlessly capture each destination through text and photos, while popping in location data too.

Best app features : The “On This Day” functionality is neat because it doesn’t pull in the best of anything, but rather that exact moment years ago when you were on an incredible adventure out there in the world—or maybe you had logged a tasty hot chocolate at a hipster spot near that landmark you were visiting.

Either way, you’ll be transported back there in an instant and that app feature is maybe one of the strongest motivators to journal about all the big (and small) things that happen as you travel.

Cost : The free version is enough to see if you like it, but if you’re using this as your main digital travel journal then the one photo per entry restriction on free plans isn’t going to cut it. Premium is affordable though, at just under $3 per month, which buys you unlimited photos, videos, audio, drawings, and more.

Journey online journaling app

If you go all in on Journey as your travel journal app, it will become your trusted companion. Rather than being a journaling app that’s great for travel, this travel-centric journaling app goes above and beyond with its extensive features.

Geotagging allows you to pinpoint the exact location of you experiences, while the inclusion of weather data and “mood” status adds depth to entries. You can import photos from your camera roll directly into journal entires, creating vivid visual narratives of your travels.

This robust app works on iOS devices and Android phones, Mac or Windows computers, and there’s even a web app! Basically, it’s an accessible and essential tool for any travel writer seeking to document their adventures with style and precision. Not only because of the features, but also because it allows multi-media exports in PDF or doc format.

It’s also a bit cheeky and has a handy guide to what Journey offers versus Day One or Daylio .

Best app features : Stand out for many will be the features that let you automatically sync and import social media content from Instagram and the like—what a time saver! And the full text editing screen is nice—you can bold, bullet, color, or link to anything you’d like right inside the text. Surprisingly, that’s not in every diary journaling app.

But one of the neater travel-focused elements are the three views for your journal—media (where you scroll by photos), map (which shows your entries pinpointed on a map of the world) and calendar (journals organized by date).

Cost : Unlike essentially all competitors, Journey offers a one time purchase license—currently $18. You can buy a membership for ~$4.20.

Daylio is a super slick online journal app

Daylio , billed as a “simple micro-diary app,” adds an interesting twist to a travel journaling routine. As a mood and activity tracker, it enables you to record daily experiences and emotions with ease—and without writing anything. It’s an interesting way to to reflect on how your travel adventures have impacted your overall well-being .

It’s not for the hardcore travel writer, but rather, Daylio captures the essence of the travel experiences in a uniquely personal way. It’s a good companion for those seeking to intertwine their emotional journey with their physical travels. And for those who want a more streamlined diary app with fewer features and just straight to the meat of what you want to do.

Best app features : This app is dead simple to use and can be updated in under a minute thanks to the tap interface. It’s certainly not going to be the only way you record you travels, but if you’re already planning to share extensively on a Facebook or Instagram page , then this ease of use may just ensure that you use it every day.

Cost : You could get pretty far with the free version, or upgrade for just $3 per month—only the premium version supports exporting to PDF.

4. Evernote

Evernote for travel journaling

Real talk: The digital travel journal of your dreams may be something you’re already using. When it comes to versatile note-taking, Evernote reigns supreme. Its functionality goes beyond simple journaling, allowing the creation of multimedia-rich entries.

I’ve organized my entire life via Evernote—travel pans, stories, etc—and its robust features make a compelling case for this being one of the best journaling apps out there, period. Not just in travel, but in general.

As one of the best digital diary apps, you can update it seamlessly across iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.

Best app features : Well, you could use Evernote to basically plan and execute your trip, in addition to using it as a digital journal. You can also stay ruthlessly organized.

Cost : The free version offers 60 MB monthly uploads, which is constraining for travelers looking for an online app where they could add photos and videos to Evernote itself—this would like be better if you’re embedding YouTube videos, for example, versus storing them in Evernote.

The Personal version offers a more reasonable 10 GB in monthly uploads, but costs $11/month for that perk. If you’re already paying for Evernote for other reasons then this could be an excellent online travel journal, otherwise some of the other ones are likely better priced for a traveler.

5. Travel Diaries

Travel Diaries app is not free but is very cheap

For those seeking a dedicated travel journaling app, Travel Diaries hits the mark. It’s really a truly solid option. As a travel writer, I’m captivated by its interactive features. You can easily create immersive travelogues, complete with photos, maps, and annotations.

It’s also a captivating way to showcase your journey to fellow travelers (and your family and friends back home, of course!). The ability to share your travel stories and explore others’ adventures on the platform adds a sense of community not available in the other digital travel journaling apps.

It’s available as software for web, iOS and Android, but will only work with an internet connection (either cell data or wifi)—which means this might not be the best journaling app for those going far off-the-beaten path .

Best app features : A broad range of fonts and styles allow you to design your travel diary according to your own taste, and your travel log can include itineraries, travel photos, and a traveling map. The layout as an actual travel journal is a fun and personal touch that makes it feel like your digital diary is just as capable of creativity as a blank page in front of you.

Cost : There is no free version of Travel Diaries—it’ll be a subscription for as long as you want access to your travel journal. The basic plan costs $1 a month and includes unlimited storage and is really all most travelers will need for a robust travel journal. If you want to export your stories to PDF, you’ll have to upgrade to $3 per month.

Diaro general journaling app that would work for travelers

Diaro App is a reliable companion for millions of people, not just globetrotters. This comprehensive diary app offers an array of features that elevate a travel journaling experience. Sometimes the best travel journal is, well, just a great online diary that you happen to use to document your travels.

The ability to add text, photos, tags, and organize entries into folders keeps this app well-organized—you can effortlessly find specific memories or delve into specific themes from your trips. It has a map of entry locations, which is especially important for those using this as a travel journal diary.

Diaro’s sleek interface and user-friendly design make the process of documenting adventures a true pleasure. Available on web, iOS or Android devices (with cross-device syncing via Dropbox) Diaro is a go-to app for travelers who want to capture the essence of their trip with elegance and efficiency.

Best app features : The multilingual UI (30+languages) may be a real boon for those for whom English is not their native language, but the shining standout features is just how easy it is to create a robust diary accounting for all of the key moments on your trip.

Cost : The free version has robust functionality. Upgrading to Diario Pro costs $10 per month and offers more customizability.

7. Polarsteps

Polarsteps online journal app

Polarsteps is a great travel journal app that offers automatic tracking of your journey, making it effortless to document and share your trips. With its GPS technology, the app traces your route in real-time, creating a visually appealing map of your adventure without requiring any manual input.

This feature sets Polarsteps apart from other travel journal apps, as it eliminates the need for constant updates and allows you to focus on enjoying your trip while the app takes care of recording your route—and uses minimal data and power to do so.

What truly makes Polarsteps unique is its ability to create a beautifully presented travel log that showcases your journey. This app is made for the travel photographers out there also wanting a digital travel log of their journey.

Along with the automatic tracking, the app allows you to add photos, captions, and personal insights to your entries. These elements are then combined to create a visually stunning travel journal that can be shared with friends, family, and fellow travelers. I think this is one of the prettier apps—the maps alone are just a step up from the others.

Best app features : The GPS tracking is easily the standout here. You’ll know the precise spot you took a photo, and can then include a quick note—an inside joke you shared with a friend while there, a tidbit about the day, and more. This kind of precise location data is invaluable in the months and years after you travel.

Cost : It’s free! Polarsteps offers you a printed travel journal of your trip, which is how it’s monetized.

8. Waffle Journal

Waffle Journal travel diary screenshot for iphone

Waffle Journal stands out from the rest as a a collaborative journaling app that allows you to document and share your travel experiences with others—probably those on your same trip. Its unique approach fosters collaboration, allowing friends, family, or fellow travelers to contribute to your journal. With the ability to add stories, photos, and memories, everyone can create a collective travel diary that captures the essence of your adventures.

The app goes beyond traditional journaling by integrating multimedia elements. You can include photos, videos, and audio recordings. It’s not a travel journal specifically, so you’re not going to have any of those map features the travel apps have integrated into the experience, but it could be a great option for those travel in a group, or a group of friends who just love to share their travel adventures with each other. Social sharing features make it easy to showcase your travel adventures on social media platforms or via email.

BONUS: RIP: Bonjournal

Bonjournal captured my attention many years ago for its visually stunning approach to travel journaling. As you penned your travel stories, this app transformed them into beautifully presented narratives—and it made you choose just one photo to represent your day. Which was really quite neat.

This travel journal app is no longer available! Even though other websites are still recommending it as a travel diary app, the gorgeous app that debuted more than a decade ago is no longer up and running. Instead, a new app with the same name launched in 2021—it’s not a viable alternative. This new Bon Journal diary app is glitchy and poorly rated—storing your cherished travel memories there is not a good idea.

Don’t forget a paper journal as well.

This Moleskin travel journal is well made and worth the space it will take up in your bag. There will be times you just want to put pen to paper—you’ll be glad you have an analog record of your travels too.

How to Safely Store Travel Photos and Videos

travel diary examples

These travel journaling apps are a terrific way to document your journey for personal memories, and to share with others. Although some long-term travelers create a travel blog to record their trips, using a travel diary instead is a great alternative.

You get amazing functionality and the ability to share your travel stories without the hassle of running a blog—which can get pricey and generally lacks the ability to share some stories privately with family, or keep other journal entries entirely private.

One thing all of these apps have are general constraints on how you upload, store, and present your travel photos and videos. Although some of these apps offer paid subscriptions with unlimited uploads, you’re likely safer if you store your actual travel photos elsewhere, too. Here’s a quick review of other places you can store travel photos, and the perks of using them in addition to, or instead of, a travel diary app.

  • Facebook pages : Rather than use your personal profile, consider setting up a Facebook page for your trip—then you can share unlimited stories, photos, and videos. And you’re creating and sharing in a place where it’s likely your family and friends are already hanging out.
  • Instagram : This is a great way to share photos, but videos and stories are a little more constrained on this platform. This might be a good option in addition to a digital travel diary.
  • SmugMug : If you need a place to both store and display all of your travel photos, SmugMug is a great option. I’ve had an annual plan for more than a decade and it offers unlimited storage for all of my photos from all over the world for $88 per year. And it’s totally customizable—you can create gorgeous albums on a custom domain name if you own one.
  • Google Drive : If you just need a backup solution without the need to share then Google Drive is a good option (I find Google Photos a chore to use). It’s just $2 a month for 100GB of cloud storage.

Ready for some travel inspiration? These are the best travel stories of travelers to follow now, inspiring books from historic travels, and short reads, too.

Essential Travel Planning Resources

❗ Yes, you need travel insurance . IMG Global is the travel insurance I’ve used for well over a decade of traveling solo, and with kids. Here’s why .

🧳 Smart packing can save your trip. Shop my favorite travel gear , including all of the packing essentials for world travel , gear to keep you safe on the road, my favorite travel books , and more.

🛏️ Find great accommodation . Booking.com is essentially the only hotel booking site that I use. It has a wide and affordable selection of traditional hotels, but also hostels and vacation rentals, too. Use these pro tips to find the best travel accommodation .

📍 Navigate more effectively. Rome2Rio is super handy to assess the full range of transport options between two cities—shows everything from flights to trains, buses, minibuses, and more. If you’re booking a rental car, I’ve always found the best deals on RentalCars.com .

✈️ Book affordable flights. Expedia is one of the first places I look for low-cost flights .

☕ Peruse all of my tips for round the world travel , or learn how to move and live abroad .

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Fringe benefits tax alternative record keeping

Information about alternative record keeping options for travel diaries and employee declarations for certain benefits.

Published 25 March 2024

From 1 April 2024, for certain benefits for a fringe benefits tax (FBT) year, you can choose to:

  • rely on alternative records (as determined by the Commissioner by legislative instrument)
  • keep and retain the records in the current approved form – a travel diary or some employee declarations for FBT record keeping purposes
  • use a combination of both methods for each employee for each benefit.

Where you choose to use the alternative records option, you must have the minimum information required at the time of lodging your FBT return for the FBT year (or by the 21 May if you do not have to lodge a return). The Commissioner will accept these records as a substitute for a travel diary or certain employee declarations.

There is no limit on the number of records that may, together, meet the information requirements.

The option to use alternative records is available on a benefit-by-benefit basis.

An employer may choose to use alternative records for some benefits of one type, even if they choose to rely on records in the approved form for other benefits of that same type.

Using the alternative records method doesn't change what information you need to hold to support your FBT return under the FBT law. It changes the prescriptive format and process for obtaining and holding that information.

  • The minimum information required is listed below in the corresponding legislative instruments that deal with travel diaries and some employee declarations.
  • Each legislative instrument is accompanied by an explanatory statement which provides a plain English explanation of the instrument, including examples, and other information required by law.

Records where there's an alternative record keeping option

An alternative record option is available from 1 April 2024 onwards for the following records:

  • see legislative instrument and explanatory statement

You can continue to use the current approved forms or records for these fringe benefits. See Travel diary or Employee declarations .

Eligibility to use alternative records

To use the alternative records option:

  • check if a legislative instrument has been made by the Commissioner for the benefit you are providing. If not, you will need to use the current approved form for the travel diary or employee declaration
  • check whether you have, or can get, the information required which is set out in the legislative instrument and explanatory statement . If not, you will need to use the current approved form for the travel diary or employee declaration
  • if you have, or can get, the information required, you will need to ensure you have all the information required by the due date for lodgment of your FBT return (or the 21 May if you don't have to lodge a return). If not, you will need to use the current approved form for the travel diary or employee declaration .

An alternative record keeping option isn't available for all fringe benefits or all situations where fringe benefits may be provided.

For some records, like some declarations or logbooks and odometer records, employers will need to continue to meet their record keeping obligations by having the record in the approved form.

You don't need to let us know if you're using the alternative record keeping option – your business records will show this.

Types of alternative records

You can use multiple different alternative records and in different forms.

When looked at together, if the multiple different records used have the minimum information required in the legislative instrument, the alternative record requirements will be met.

For example, records can be stored electronically or in paper form, and the information required could be contained in various types of documents such as employment contracts, payroll records, job descriptions, employer and employee correspondence (for example emails or text messages), logbooks, employer policies, hotel receipts, employee itineraries, conference programs and calculations of private travel.

Examples using the alternative records keeping option

Example: alternative records instead of a travel diary.

Employer A Ltd sends their employee, Sam, overseas for 2 weeks to attend meetings with a client. All of Sam's trip is for work purposes.

Employer A Ltd reimburses Sam for her flights and accommodation which have been booked in Sam's name. These are expense payment fringe benefits, and the otherwise deductible rule can apply to reduce the taxable value of the benefit.

Sam keeps a work calendar on her work computer to schedule and record her appointments and activities. All her planned flights and business meetings for her overseas trip are put into the calendar in advance and she updates her calendar if there are unplanned changes to her schedule at the time of the change or shortly after.

Sam applies to have her flights and accommodation reimbursed and sends her employer's payroll area a copy of her work calendar for the period of her travel.

Because Sam's travel is for more than 5 consecutive nights, Employer A Ltd would need to get a travel diary to apply the otherwise deductible rule. Employer A checks and sees that a determination has been made by the Commissioner for travel diaries. They then look at the legislative instrument and explanatory statement and see that Sam's work calendar has all the information required by the legislative instrument.

Employer A chooses to use the alternative record keeping option – a copy of Sam's work calendar is kept in Employer A Ltd's business records instead of obtaining a travel diary from Sam.

Example: otherwise deductible rule – business records instead of a declaration

B Co Ltd owns a mobile phone which they loan to their office manager, Steve.

Steve is allowed to use the phone for both personal and work-related purposes. There are no restrictions on the amount of personal use of the phone and B Co Ltd pays the mobile phone bills each month.

At the end of the FBT year, Steve emails his manager and describes the purpose of his phone use and the percentage of phone usage Steve has calculated that was work-related.

Providing Steve with the use of a mobile phone is a residual fringe benefit and the otherwise deductible rule can apply to reduce the taxable value of the benefit.

B Co Ltd checks and sees that a determination has been made by the Commissioner for the otherwise deductible rule for residual fringe benefits. They then look at the legislative instrument and explanatory statement to see the information required by the legislative instrument.

B Co Ltd chooses to use the alternative record keeping option instead of obtaining an employee declaration from Steve. The emails between B Co Ltd and Steve and copies of the mobile phone bills have, when looked at together, the minimum information required by the determination.

Example: living-away-from-home allowance – employees maintain Australian home – business records instead of an employee declaration

Vanessa is a teacher who agrees to teach at Primary School in Cairns for 3 months. This is the first time she has taught in Cairns.

Vanessa rents a home in Cairns for 3 months. Her husband continues to live at their family home in Brisbane during this time.

Vanessa's employer, Primary School, pays her a living-away-from-home allowance (LAFHA). Vanessa must apply through Primary School's payroll system to have the allowance paid.

When Vanessa applies for the LAFHA, Primary School's payroll system asks her to confirm that:

  • she is living away from a home in Australia that she or her spouse own or lease
  • the home is available for Vanessa's immediate use
  • she intends to go back to living at the home once her employment duties no longer require her to live away from it.

Vanessa is also asked to give the address where she will be living while working for Primary School, and her home address in Brisbane that she is living away from. Vanessa is required under her employment contract to let Primary School know if there are any changes to these addresses.

Primary School pays Vanessa a LAFHA to compensate her for additional expenses and other disadvantages suffered, because her employment duties required her to live away from her home in Brisbane.

Primary School checks, and the alternative record keeping option is available instead of getting an employee declaration from Vanessa about maintaining an Australian home. The payroll records, LAFHA application in the payroll system and contract of employment, when looked at together, have the minimum information required by the determination.

IMAGES

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

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  2. 11 Ridiculously Unique Travel Journal Ideas

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  3. Travel Journal Ideas & Inspiration to Create the Perfect Diary

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  4. How To Make A Travel Diary

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  5. Brilliant Travel Journal Ideas For your Next Adventure

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

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VIDEO

  1. Maintain a diary while travelling

  2. How to qualify: Travel Diary

  3. Singapore Diary

COMMENTS

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

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

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  3. 100 Travel Journal Prompts Get You Inspired

    Here are some non-writing travel journal prompt ideas: Draw a famous landmark you saw. Sketch the inside of your hotel room or the view out the window. Do a leaf rubbing. Create your own mini comic strip that tells a travel story. Do a travel collage that tells a story.

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

    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.

  5. 101 Travel Journal Ideas: Prompts & Inspiration

    101 Travel Journal Ideas: What to Put in a Traveler's Notebook. 1. Start With a Map. Maps are always great in a journal. You can paste or tape them in or even make pockets and envelopes with them. Drawing maps can be a lot of fun also. There are also a lot of ways to get maps: Google Maps: You could even print out a satellite/street view ...

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    Personalized 'Comrades in Life, Love & Adventure' Couples Travel Journal by Journo Travel Goods. 4. Simple Premium Leather With Monogram by OxAndPine. 5. The Custom Boarding Pass Travel Journal by Journo Travel Goods. There are plenty of options out there. The best of which comes with personalization and are an ideal size for hauling around ...

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  9. Travel Journal Examples & Sample Pages

    Travel Journal Examples & Sample Pages. When I took the plunge to downsize a few years ago, I promised myself that I would see more of the world. Initially, I was turned off to the idea of solo travel, so I put my travel plans to the side. That was two years ago. In the time since, I've grown in my ability to navigate unfamiliar spaces and ...

  10. Travel Journal Ideas: How To Choose The Best Travel Journal

    Here are a few ideas for things to include in a travel journal: Plane, bus or train tickets. Attraction tickets and entry passes. Postcards. A map of your destination (local travel brochures are great for this) Brochures and free guidebooks. Cardboard coasters from bars. Coins or low-value notes.

  11. Get Inspired With These 50 Travel Journal Prompts

    Try these travel journal prompts to get you inspired and create amazing memories from your adventures and destinations! There are so many reasons you should try writing a travel journal for your next vacation. Keeping a travel journal is a fantastic way to prepare for a trip, help you stay organized during a holiday and to keep those amazing ...

  12. Brilliant Travel Journal Ideas For your Next Adventure

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    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.

  14. 31 Travel Journal Prompts + Creative Travel Journal Ideas

    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.

  15. Ideas For a Travel Journal (or you could just do this.)

    Travel Journal Examples. Travel journals can be anything from a moleskine notebook, sketchbook, scrapbook, or even podcasts. The idea is just to express your memories into a medium, whether it's through journaling, drawing, or recording your anecdotes in your phone. DIY Travel Journal Ideas

  16. Best Travel Journal With Prompts

    Grab my free *inspired storyteller* travel journal, which includes writing tips, uplifting quotes, and 56 prompts! GET THE FREE TRAVEL JOURNAL. FREE Inspired Storyteller Travel Journal. Enter your details below to subscribe to my email list + grab a FREE travel journal complete with 56 prompts. Relive your best travel memories while igniting ...

  17. 11 Creative Travel Journal Ideas

    Ideas to include in your travel bullet journal. 1. Incorporate tickets, brochures and maps. 2. Collect stickers and washi tape as you travel. 3. Include food memories. 4. Use journaling prompts.

  18. Travel Journaling Made Easy [Download 99 Travel Journal Prompts]

    4. Journaling Helps You Process Your Experiences. A travel diary helps to endure common life problems more efficiently and deal with stress. The human brain forgets everything, both good and bad. Imagine, a few years later, you'll take your diary and dive into a sea of positive emotions.

  19. Travel Journal Writing

    3. Write about the people. Other than the sites and the food that you can look forward to, another highlight of another country would be the locals you meet. If you are like most people who like to play it safe, you would be mostly set up with your local tour guide. You may also see summary writing examples.

  20. Travel Diary Ideas

    9. I'm grateful for…. Gratitude is one of the best ways to start a journal post because it destroys negativity. Simply pick something that you're grateful for and describe why. 10. An interesting person I met today was…. One of the most rewarding parts of traveling, in my opinion, is the connections you make with people.

  21. How To Make A Travel Diary

    In general, there're a couple of ways of keeping a travel diary. It all depends on your goals, personality, creativity, artistic techniques, etc. a journal, where you express your opinions, feelings, emotions. an art journal with watercolor urban illustrations, everyday life sketches, simple travel doodles, drawings.

  22. How to Write a Travel Diary

    Let's write the travel diary entry of the place we visited during the last vacation. You've traveled to Miami and visited many places in the city and the city's scenery and cuisine, and you plan to write about your travels there as well as its location and part of its history, culture, food, and attire. You must compose a minimum of 100 ...

  23. 8 Best Digital Travel Journaling Apps

    Best Travel Journaling Apps. 1. Day One. The Day One travel diary has robust editing and also some solid cross-platform functionality and syncing. Day One tops most of these lists because it's actually that good—and it's been around since 2011, so you know your travel memories are safe with this online diary app.

  24. Fringe benefits tax alternative record keeping

    Overview. From 1 April 2024, for certain benefits for a fringe benefits tax (FBT) year, you can choose to: rely on alternative records (as determined by the Commissioner by legislative instrument) keep and retain the records in the current approved form - a travel diary or some employee declarations for FBT record keeping purposes.