How do you truly capture those once-in-a-lifetime moments?
Pictures provide part of the story, but what happens if you forget the details? Creating a travel journal is the best way to preserve your intrepid memories because you have both words and pictures on the same page. This makes your journal truly unique, not something you can pick up at the souvenir stand.
How do you make a travel journal?
A travel journal leans more toward scrap-booking than journaling because of the union between pictures and words.
You’ll need the following:
- A small notepad
- A leather journal
- A camera or good smartphone (for photos)
- 2 writing utensils (Pen + Pencil)
- A glue stick
- A pair of scissors
- …and a touch of curiosity!
Step 1: Write down your day
The first thing that you’ll need is a tiny notebook to jot down notes. Think of this as a ‘thought holding notebook’ where they rest before they’re entered into the larger book.
Depending on where you go, you might want to consider waterproofed pages for your leather journal. The weather sometimes does not always cooperate. Once you collect your thoughts, record the large events into this book so you can give your future self a full picture.
You will want to have at least two writing utensils on you as well, so you don’t run out of ink at a crucial moment. You may even want to consider carrying a pencil and a method to sharpen it. Pencils may smudge easily but they won’t suddenly fail on you like a pen.
If you don’t feel comfortable with taking notes in a smaller notebook, you can keep them in the main one, or use a smartphone with a voice recorder.
This will ensure you can remember all the juicy details of your day, when it comes to actually making your travel journal later on.
Step 2: Capture the moment
This goes without saying, but whilst you’re on vacation you should take lots of pictures. Those pictures will not only help you capture the moment, but there is a huge chance you’ll have some really good shots show up later on. You want to choose the pictures in your set that best convey the atmosphere and mood – how you felt at that very place and time.
Before you leave to return home, see if you can print out the pictures you’ve made, choosing only the most stunning ones. Think about what you were feeling at the time, how the people were around you.
Armed with the best photographs, they make a rock-solid supplement to the notes you made (Step 1 above). Those pictures say a thousand words, and the look on your face in front of that monument is stunning. Hold it for when you arrive at your home.
Step 3: Combine into a masterpiece!
When you get home, you can cut those pictures out and glue them into your larger leather journal, before writing the narrative around them. The pictures will help your travel journal feel more like a piece of art.
Do you dream of going to faraway, exotic places? Do you want to keep those cherished memories forever? Making a solid travel journal will give both you and those you love a memoir they can treasure forever. We’re not sorry for saying this, but we bet it will outlast any Facebook or Instagram posts you hurriedly published during your trip!