Memory-Making Travel: How to Create a Travel Journal You’ll Actually Enjoy Looking Back On

Do you like to record memories from your travels? Do you often jot things down during your journey, only to forget them? Creating a travel journal that you will actually look back on is easier than you think. You don’t need to be a writer with perfect grammar or a skilled scrapbooker. The essence of a memory-making travel journal is authenticity and genuine entries that make you travel in time and remember your travels every time you look at it. 

A memory-making travel journal is not only about where you went; it´s about how you felt, what you ate, who you met, and many other small details that made your trip memorable.

What Format Is Right for You

There is no right or wrong format for creating a travel journal. The format you will use will be the one that suits you and your lifestyle best. Here are a few of the most common formats to create travel journals:

A Slim Notebook

A slim notebook that easily fits into your daypack or purse is perfect if you enjoy writing as you go or jotting ideas down to later put into a larger travel journal. 

I tend to carry a small notebook to capture ideas as they come while traveling and to add reminders for the photos I want to print later. Then, typically after returning home from my destination, I transfer ideas and inspirations, print photos, and add them to a hardcover journal. 

Compact Travel Journal from Peter Pauper Press

A Dedicated Travel Journal

You can find dedicated travel journals with prompts if you find it difficult to know what to capture during your travels. These travel journals have question prompts for you to answer. 

DUNCAN & STONE PAPER CO. Travel Journals on Amazon

A Digital Journal

A digital journal will live on your computer or tablet. You can use a word processor like Google Docs or Word to create a file to type all your stories and add photos. There are also apps like Canva, which let you create visually stunning travel journals with a variety of templates. You can print your travel journal when you are done to have a hard copy. 

Also, websites like Shutterfly design and print memorable travel journals. This is a great option if using an app is out of the question for you. You can design it yourself or have them build it for you using your photos and entries. 

Either way, analog or digital, your travel journal needs to reflect your personality.  

Read more: 7 Best Travel Journals for Women Over 50.

What to Write in Your Travel Journal

What you add to create your travel journal is completely up to you. Your travel journal is as unique as you are, and it should capture the parts of your trip you want to remember the most. You don’t have to write everything down; not every museum or meal will be memorable. 

Find the moments that surprise you or move you. It may be visual, sensory, auditory, or olfactory. Describe what you saw, how it made you feel, and describe the particular smells or tastes. 

Don’t force yourself to write every day. This is a surefire way to get travel-journal fatigue, and chances are you’ll quit. Write only when inspired or prompted. You want to capture the details that are worth remembering. 

Here are a few example prompts and questions you can use for entries into your travel journal while traveling:

• This place reminds me of…
• What surprised me the most about this trip?
• Describe the sounds outside your window.
• Describe the sounds and smells on the streets?
• Is there a color that you keep seeing in a particular destination?
• What challenged me more than expected?
• The sound I now associate with this place is…
• A conversation that stayed with me…
• A brief interaction I won’t forget…
• This place feels different from home because…
• What I want to remember about this trip in five years is…

What to Add to Your Travel Journal

You don’t need to be a talented scrapbooker to create your memorable travel journal. Simply add what you feel adds valuable memories to your journal.

Here are a few things to consider adding to your travel journal:

• Luggage tags and boarding passes
• Ticket stubs to events
• Local postcards
• Pressed leaves or flowers
• Photos
• Receipts from memorable meals
• Business cards from Hotels
• Doodles

You can always purchase stickers and washi tape to add color and liveliness to your journal. 

Go for Authenticity, Not Perfection

Remember, your travel journal is meant for you and whoever you choose to share it with. It’s not meant to be perfect. It’s meant to reflect you and your travels. 

Read more: Dreaming of Your Next Big Trip? Get Ready with a Travel Journal.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you create travel journals? What is your preferred format? What types of details do you add to your travel journal? Are you feeling inspired to start writing travel journals? Tell us about it in the comments below.