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Home » Gear » Best Travel Journals

The BEST Travel Journals of 2024! | Leather, Bullet Journals, Refillable Notebooks + More!

Looking for something special in which you jot down memories of your travel adventures? Then our list of the  best travel journals  out there is definitely going to help you out.

In our world of smartphones and social media, anything remotely physical – like writing down stuff on a page – feels super old fashioned. But just because you could type it or tap out your thoughts on a touch screen, it’s still good to connect with physical objects.

The main thing about having a travel journal is how one-of-a-kind it feels. Having memories of your year-long backpacking journey around the world actually physically written in a book would be amazing to read back in years to come; likewise, having somewhere to note down ideas whilst you’re on the go and use for inspiration later feels more organised than some character-less notes on your phone.

So whatever you are looking for – be it a smart journal that you can use for short city breaks, something cute to encourage your children to write about their travels, or a classic travel journal that’ll last you practically forever – our handy list has you covered.

Quick Answer: These are the Best Travel Journals of 2024

Best travel journals of 2024, #1 – best travel journal for bullet journaling, #2 – best travel journal for scrapbooking, #3 – best travel journal for painting, #4 – best travel journal with pockets, #5 – best midori-style travelers notebook, #6 – top choice for beautiful leather travel journal, #7 – best moleskine travel journal, #8 – best vacation diary, #9 – best travel diary for kids, more best travel journals of 2024, buyer guide – how to choose the best travel journal for you, faq about the best travel journals, final thoughts on the best travel journal, #1 leuchtturm1917 a5 notebook – great travel journal for bullet journaling, #2 siixu colorful blank notebook – best travel journal for scrapbooking, #3 conda hardcover spiral sketchpad – best travel journal for painting, #4 refillable leather journal traveller’s notebook  – best travel journal with pockets, #5 traveler’s notebook by traveler’s company  – best midori-style travelers notebook, #6 travel passion journal by moleskine – best moleskine travel journal, #7 travel journal by promptly journals – best vacation diary, #8 fofun leather travel journal  – top choice for beautiful leather travel journal, #9 kids’ travel journal  – best travel diary for kids.

Leather Journal by FOFUN

• > 100% Full-Grain Leather
• > Hand-made and durable

Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook

• > Great travel journal
• > Pages are gridded

Siixu Colorful Blank Notebook

• > Stitch-bound notebook
• > Pastel-coloured

Conda Hardcover Spiral Sketchpad

• > Hard cover
• > Spiral-bound

Refillable Leather Journal Traveller’s Notebook

• > With all sorts of compartments
• > Opening accordion-style

Traveler’s Notebook by Traveler’s Company

• > Minimal design exterior

Travel Passion Journal by Moleskine

• > Journal specifically for travel
• > 400 pages

Travel Journal by Promptly Journals

• > Four pretty high-end colours
• > Comes with a map

Mudpuppy Kids’ Travel Journal

• > Wire-bound book

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The Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook is a classic – and if you ask us, very cool – notebook that we think is ideal for bullet journaling.

With enough space to put all your organization and creativity into the 249 (numbered) pages, this great travel journal for bullet journaling is compact enough to fit into day packs and filled-to-the-brim backpacks alike; the pages are standard A5 size (obviously), but the notebook itself measures in at 5.57″ x 8.25″. It’s secured with elastic.

This classic, mid-century modern notebook comes in 17 punch colours for even the most discerning traveller. From muted navy blue and olive green to bright raspberry and popping yellow, you will definitely be able to find one for your personality.

Inside, the book itself has three blank tables of contents, which means you can organise your outpourings, scribblings and note-taking by creating your very own index – which is definitely what makes it the best travel journal for bullet journaling. The pages are also gridded: perfect for bullet points, even better for geometric doodlings.

Price: $19, Amazon

The Siixu Colorful Blank Notebook is a colorful canvas with lots of space for you to unleash your own creativity.

The 192 pages in this stitch-bound notebook come with pastel-coloured, watercolour-style backgrounds for vibrancy, which are the perfect base for pasting, sticking and doodling all of your travel memories.

Other than the watercolor pattern, the pages in this 5.3″ x 7.2″ are blank and sizable enough to fit all your used tickets, memories and doodles onto the pages, but compact enough for carrying around the world. It’s easily our top pick for the best travel journal for scrapbooking.

The notebook comes in two designs: one with added quotes on the pages for charming character, the other with simple washes of colour on each page. Another plus is how budget friendly this travel journal is!

Price: $11.59, Amazon

Coming in a classic spiral-bound sketchbook style, this journal from Conda is ideal for anybody looking to get crafty with their paints whilst they’re gallivanting around the world.

It’s a traditional hardcover sketchbook, with 120 blank pages of 90gsm paper – thick enough that it’ll take acrylics, oils and watercolors without bleeding through. The pages are also perforated, meaning you can tear ’em out and offer people your drawings and paintings as gifts, or to send back home.

This is a pretty sturdy book, so it should be able to withstand your travels, being shoved into a daypack, and general day-to-day wear and tear. The hard cover is also waterproof, which will help to protect your precious pieces of art. For the sturdiness alone, we’re saying this is the best travel journal for painting.

Though it may not come in different colours, it does come in different sizes, starting at 8.5″ x 11″ and with larger available for you to really get your Picasso on.

Price: $9.29, Amazon

Refillable Traveller’s Notebook by September Leather

The ultimate in travel journaling, this stylish notebook is a chic buy for you, or as a gift! It’s genuine leather, which is cool, but it’s all the stuff you get in addition to the journal itself that makes this easily one of our favourite travel journals out there.

You get a lot of bang for your buck when you opt for this notebook: a binder clip, a pen and penholder that attaches neatly to the book, lined, plain and grid inserts, a kraft folder and zipper pouch.

In addition to the storage space, this journal is refillable, so you can swap out the pages when you’ve run through them without having to buy a whole new book. You know we love to lessen our travel footprint however we can, so we’re really into that!

Traveler’s Notebook by Traveler’s Company

The best Midori-style travelers notebook out there simply has to be the aptly-named Traveler’s Notebook, created by the aptly-named Traveler’s Company (also a Japanese outfit).

This aesthetically minimal, mahogany leather notebook is handmade in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. It comes as a package of goodies: a spare elastic band and a fine fabric bag to keep it safe from scuffing – if that’s your thing.

This is a pricer notebook, but, it’s refillable, so there’s no end to the travels you can take it on. Our favourite thing about the Traveler’s Notebook is how the leather ages and changes with daily use and general travel wear, becoming a real companion on your travels around the world. We love it.

Price: $49, Amazon

So you’re looking for a beautiful leather travel journal? Well, stop right here, because this is the one for you. Complete with wrap closing (also leather), it’s chic enough to not look like some scrappy backpacker’s scribbling pad, but rugged enough to last some pretty rough journeys in a long-term travel backpack.

Coming from the folks at FOFUN, who make a whole range of leather journals and notebooks, this one features 288 pages of top quality 100GSM lined kraft paper, all covered in full grain leather cowhide. It’s A6 size, which is 5″ by 7″.

The cool thing about this top leather travel journal is how leather ages over time, gaining personalised character as it gets scuffed and worn with use. We love that sort of thing.

When you think “notebooks,” you think “Moleskine,” so this stunning 5″ x 8.5″ journal made especially for travellers had to make our list.

Perfect for everything from weekend getaways to longer backpacking voyages, the inside of the book comes packed with an 8 (!) year calendar, a travel planning timeline, a wishlist, check-lists, lists of must-see travel destinations, and even space for that all-important travel budget .

Don’t worry, though: at 400 pages, there’s lots of free space for all of your travel memories – Moleskine estimates you can fit 6 long trips or 20 short ones into this notebook. Oh, and did we mention it comes with stickers?

Moleskine has created this journal specifically for travellers, so you can turn it into an archive of your trip once you’re back home – it even comes with a keepsake box for storage.

Price: $29.95

This elegant journal by Promptly clocks in at 88 pages, so you can fill it up in a single trip – and fill your bookshelf up with a whole series of your trips! You’ll want to display it, too – the fabric covers of this journal definitely make it the most attractive vacation diary going.

Inside the journal, there are handy thought-starters(true to the company name) to help you more easily note your favourite restaurants, hotels, sights and more. There is also space for you to keep your mementoes like train tickets, museum stubs, and photos, and a roomy back pocket for everything else.

Measuring at 9.2″ x 6.1″, the covering fabric of this top vacation diary also comes in four pretty high-end colours: grey tweed, solid grey, deep blue and dusty rose.

As a bonus, this Promptly journal also comes with a map, to help you plan your journeys, star wishlist destinations, or otherwise decorate or use as you see fit. Neat!

Price: $20, Amazon

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Kids’ Travel Journal

Wouldn’t you love to look back on your childhood travels as a grown-up? Give that gift to the kiddos in your life with this travel diary for kids by Mudpuppy.

This cool company is all about moving kids away from digital devices and into tactile creativity. This time around, they’ve created this travel journal designed specifically with kids in mind.

It’s sturdy (very important when it comes to children), and colourful (also important), spanning 128 pages so that your kids have plenty of room to channel their inner explorer. Inside the wire-bound book, there are various sections, illustrations and prompts to help children document their travels, whilst still including enough space for creativity.

One of our favourite parts are the prompts, in fact: the best and worst parts of a trip would be hilarious to read later on, as would “memorable quotes from mom and dad.”

Price: $9.99, Amazon

Soft Cover Notebook by Sloane Stationery

This offering from British brand Sloane Stationery is a very sleek and stylish notebook, perfect for the stylish travellers among us.

A softcover journal with gold-embossed pages and a vibrant orange crocodile cover, it’s definitely is one of the most high-end-looking travel journals we’ve seen – especially for $15!

Even though the exterior of the book is flashy, the pages are blank so you can get on with doodling, making diary entries, taking notes, or whatever! Size-wise, it’s 5.9″ x 8.3″, the perfect size for both a backpack and chic handbag.

Just think how stylish you’re going to look sat on a terrace cafe, coffee in hand, with this journal on the table, writing about your adventures in foreign lands. Add to cart!

You Are Here: A Mindful Travel Journal by Emma Clarke

The internet makes it easy to succumb to the pressure of being rushed from spot to spot, Instagramming the heck out of your trip – this can really take you out of the moment.

You Are Here: A Mindful Travel Journal by writer Emma Clarke, aims to put you back in the moment and helps you get the most out of your experiences while you’re experiencing them.

Clarke (fun fact: she’s also the voice of the Bakerloo and Central Lines of the London Underground) says: “No one has ever seen this place in the same way you’re seeing it right now, right here, in this moment.” Amen!

The book is a mixture of prompts to keep you grounded and mindful, as well as blanks to fill in and, of course, pages for you to fill with notes, all of it spread over 190 pages. Plus, a portion of the proceeds go to charity. Talk about a feel-good purchase!

Rite In The Rain Notebook

You go through a lot when you’re travelling. Downpours, heat, snow, skiing, hiking, swimming – there are all sorts of weather conditions and situations that you can get yourself into. Not to mention open water bottles knocking around in your backpack – an easy way to ruin months of journalling!

This bad boy from Rite In The Rain (which has been going since 1916) is the answer to all sorts of adverse conditions you might encounter. Plus, at 6″ x 8″, it can slot right into even small day packs.

The tough but flexible outer shell of this notebook is waterproof, and notebook’s 64 pages  will repel water, grease, sweat, mud, and all manner of other grossness. It will even go through the laundry without turning into mush!

Just use a pencil (water-based inks aren’t waterproof) and your notes will stay intact through it all. And unlike other synthetic papers, the Rite In The Rain Notebook can be recycled!

Price: $6.55, Amazon

Rifle Paper Co. Memoir Notebook

This floral notebook from the distinctly feminine Rifle Paper Co. is  the perfect choice for lovers of design, color and kitsch.

Printed on linen-based paper, the 8.5″ by 6.25″ Memoir Notebook comes in five beautifully illustrated covers – Juliet Rose, Tapestry, Sun Print, Terracotta and Jardin de Paris – you can choose which of the bold colours to suit you. The 130 inside pages feature beautiful illustrations as well.

Price: $15, Amazon

Marco Polo My Way Travel Journal

This notebook from Marco Polo is actually part of a whole series of travel products in their My Way line – but this journal has to be our favorite of the lot.

Marco Polo have made taking notes of your journeys easy by including fun emoji stickers, a pocket for mementoes, and fill-in-the-blank guides and travel tips. By the time you’ve filled this book, you’ll have created your very own IRL infographic of your trip. Cool!

At 160 pages and 4.8″ x 7.2″, this notebook is smaller and lighter than some notebooks – and, super affordable!

Price: $3.44, Amazon

I Was Here: A Travel Journal for the Curious Minded

Making waves in all sections of the journaling world, I Was Here designs journals for the curious, prompting travellers to take in the big picture and all the small and meaningful details of their trip.

Inside, the book has all sorts of spaces for notes, spaces for local tips, addresses, and wacky pages where you’re encouraged to do things like start a collection of random convenience store-bought items from the countries you visit.

In a word, I Was Here is fun! It may not be the most practical travel journal out there, but it is a cute way to collect memories and remind even jaded travellers that stopping to smell the roses (or stare at the bugs) shouldn’t be something you leave behind on the road.

Price: $10.86, Amazon

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So there you have it: those are our favorite travel journals for every kind of writer – but by no means the end of your options! Whether you’re buying for yourself or considering purchasing a travel journal as a gift, there’s lots to consider in the world of stationery.

From colourful covers and page prompts, to durability and simply whether or not pages are lined or blank, there are actually a surprising amount of factors that go into the decision making process.

Closure on journals is important, especially when they might be knocking around a suitcase or a backpack for longer stretches of time. If you don’t want your pages to get crumpled, and especially if you’re someone who likes to store mementos between the pages of your journal, a solid closure is a must.

Moleskine, for example, have that classic elastic band closre that keeps things safe and sound, whereas others come with a stylish leather or fabric bound tie that not only adds to the design detail but also means you’ll be able to slot things in between the pages.

The cover of a journal is pretty important. But first of all, what the cover of a travel journal is actually made out of will make a big difference as to what notebook you actually opt for.

Vegans will probably not want to go for a leather bound notebook, and may want to go for something like a fabric covered hardback book or more durable waterproof notebook instead.

If you’re open to leather, you’ll find it to be a durable option, and it will weather over the weeks, months and years to look worn and rustic.

You should also consider soft vs. hardcover – softcover is lighter, and easier to fit into a tightly-packed suitcase, but hardcover will give you a writing surface wherever you go. For something simple (and undoubtedly budget friendly), a card covered notebook or journal may be the best option for you.

What type of paper is used for the pages of a travel journal will also play a part in your decision making. It’s easy to think that paper is paper and that’s that, but in fact, there are many different types of paper for many different uses.

A thicker gsm of paper, for example, is something that’s more likely to be used in a sketchbook (90 gsm or higher), and is good if you don’t want permanent pens to bleed through, if you plan on painting, or sticking things in.

Then again, if you want something that’s a little more stylish and classic than bleached, white paper, then maybe more classy, cream-coloured pages will be what you want in your travel journal.

It’s also possible, as the Rite In The Rain brand shows, to have waterproof, weatherproof paper, in case you plan on writing in adverse weather conditions.

Essentially it comes down to what you will be doing on those pages: painting, sketching, doodling, making notes, or whatever. Consider the effect of your planned use will have on different sorts of paper and then make your choice.

4. What’s on the page?

Though in the past, travel journals were pretty simple affairs (either a spiral bound journalists’ notebook, a Midori-style travel journal or something similar), things are a little bit different now.

Even just a few years ago, pages only came either blank, ruled or squared. Nowadays, pages in travel journals sometimes come pre-decorated. This may be cool for some people, but for others it may feel like any pre-existing writing or illustration on the page takes away from your own memories.

Prompts in some books can be fun: they encourage you to make lists of things you otherwise wouldn’t have considered, like your favourite foods, favourite hotels, and even random convenience store items you find in the countries you visit. Other times, text on the page acts as a prompt to get you thinking, maybe even getting you to write something more in-depth than you were planning to.

All in all, the choice is whether you want a completely blank page to start with – which can be daunting for a lot of people – or if you want to be gently nudged into creating an awesome travel journal for yourself. Either way, though different, is totally legit.

It’s very simple and very basic, but this is going to be a pretty huge (no pun intended) deal when it comes to deciding exactly what travel journal you are going to purchase for yourself.

If you’re heading off on a year-long backpacking trip around the world and you feel like you’ve got your one bag travel down to a T, then you’re going to want something compact and light.

However, if you want to really get into creating a scrapbook-style travel journal full of memories, sketches and tickets, then you are going to want a big enough book to fit all of that in.

If your plan is to use your travel journal for things like city breaks and two week-long vacations – in which instance you may be using a suitcase – then you may not worry too much about the size, with room in a large suitcase for a larger travel journal, naturally.

Another thing to consider is what you’re going to look like if you feel like writing your travel journal in public. It may not be practical to be lugging around an A4 sized travel journal, or to get it out if you want to make note of the tiny cafe you’re in, or trying to write on a cramped seat on a train or bus. Compact in these cases may be a lot better!

6. Length of your trip

Next to size, when thinking about what sort of travel journal is going to be right for you, a lot of people often circle back to this factor: just how long is the trip?

The thing is, some travel journals are more geared up towards one single trip: a month in Thailand, two weeks exploring Italy, a six week long road trip through the USA. That sort of thing, in which case, you won’t be needing (or wanting) a zillion pages.

Other travel journals are for numerous trips, such as the lengthy options offered by Moleskine and Midori-style notebooks (the latter of which have no structure, and for which you can buy paper-only refills for the leather cover), mean that you can dip in and out, adding different details to your various adventures, referring back to past travels: a weekend in Berlin here, an epic hike in Nepal there.

Essentially, the fewer the pages, the more likely the travel journal in question will be good for a single, perhaps lengthy trip. For the serial travellers and backpackers out there, something longer and more permanent may be the travel journal for you.

7. Organization

No longer simple collections of pages between two hard (or soft) covers, the best travel journals of today sometimes boast a whole load of interior organization to help keep you and your trip on the right track.

From simply adding an interior pocket, where you can keep a few important tickets and pictures safe, to going all out and adding plenty of envelopes and places to slip in all manner of small, special physical memories from your travels, it can vary quite a bit.

But organization isn’t just about pockets. There are other things to think about, too. Some travel journals come complete with calendars, spaces for to-do lists, maps, itineraries and even packing tips. These kind of added extras mean that the journal turns into more of a planner all round scheduling.

Obviously. Money, money, money: it’s going to be a big factor in whether you choose to buy such and such a travel journal over another one. Let’s face it, you can’t buy what you can’t afford.

Even if you can afford it, $48 might just seem – to some people – like too much to ask for a travel journal. On the other hand, some people may not trust that a sub-$8 travel journal will be any good in terms of durability.

The fact of the matter is that cheap things can be surprisingly good, and expensive things can be surprisingly bad. When it comes to budget, it’s best to choose something mid-range that has good reviews and that meets the needs of what you’re looking for in a travel diary: don’t skimp out just because it’s $5 more than you wanted it to be. If it sounds like you, then treat yourself.

Still have some questions? No problem! We’ve listed and answered the most commonly asked questions below. Here’s what people usually want to know:

Why should I get a travel journal?

Journaling during travels, whether that’s just for a couple of days or for weeks, is a great way to remember travel stories, clear your head and add some routine and structure to your day. It’s always great to look back on it once you finished your travels.

Which is the best leather travel journal?

These are our favorite leather journals: – Refillable Traveller’s Notebook by September Leather – Traveler’s Notebook by Traveler’s Company – Leather Journal by FOFUN

Do waterproof journals exist?

Yes they do! And the Rite In The Rain Notebook is one of the best. Each page is water repellent while the cover is fully waterproof.

What is the most minimalistic notebook?

We love the Traveler’s Notebook by Traveler’s Company for it’s simplicity, yet stylish design. It’s a leather notebook that is handmade in Chiang Mai.

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There you have it, budding Jack Kerouacs: the very best travel journals out there right now! With our list, you’re all set to venture out into the wide world, then pop in your headphones and record all your thoughts, feelings and observations like the explorer you are.

For the best, all-round travel journal out there, the Leather Journal by FOFUN is a great choice. This is a stylish, timeless sort of journal that’s going to be a good choice for anybody.

Then again, if you’re thinking of something a little less traditional, I Was Here – with its kooky prompts and quirky way of working – may be more what you’re looking for.

And if there’s something we’re missing the travel journal world, let us know in the comments!

And for transparency’s sake, please know that some of the links in our content are affiliate links . That means that if you book your accommodation, buy your gear, or sort your insurance through our link, we earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). That said, we only link to the gear we trust and never recommend services we don’t believe are up to scratch. Again, thank you!

Clair Cathryn

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Oh my gosh, I’m a sucker for a pretty journal! Can I document my travels in 3 or 4 of these?! ? Thanks so much for the killer suggestions.

100% you can use a number of these as travel journals, Deb!

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20 Best Travel Journals to Document Your Trips

Some include prompts and templates to help get you started.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

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

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

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

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

Papier Off Piste

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

Peter Pauper Press Page-A-Day

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

Clever Fox Vacation Planner

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

Peter Pauper Press Kids Travel Journal

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

Leatherology Medium Spiral Snap Journal

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

Mark and Graham Leather Bound World Travel Journal

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

Duncan & Stone Paper Co. World Trip Adventure Book

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

Day One Day One

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

Extreme Assistants Classic Notebook

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

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

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

Smythson Travels and Experiences Panama Notebook

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

DesignWorks Ink Suede Travel Journal

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

Moleskine Traveller's Journal

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

JB Leather Personalized Travel Notebook

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

Transient Books Custom Travel Journal for Kids

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

Compendium Everywhere You Go

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

PAPERAGE Dotted Journal Notebook

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

Polarsteps Travel Tracker

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

Glad & Young Studio The Traveler's Journal

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

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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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)

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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?

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?

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:

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 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

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?

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!

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.

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 .

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

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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Tutorial + How-to: Brown Paper Bag Travel Journal

You don’t want to forget all the wonderful memories that you made on your vacation, do you?

That’s why travel journals are so valuable. Just a couple of lines of text or a sketch or two every day, and you’ll be amazed at the detailed memories you’ll be able to pull up every time you look back on your travel journal. I created my first travel journal 18 years ago, and I remember that vacation so much better than far more recent vacations that I took but didn’t write about.

What you don’t want to do, however, is drop a bunch of money on some gorgeous, leather-bound, parchment paper journal, not when it’s going to get stuffed in your backpack, dragged on trains and planes and buses, pulled out next to tide pools and earthquake fault lines, and not to mention WRITTEN IN! Who needs the pressure?

Both my kids and I really like to make these quick and dirty DIY travel journals for ourselves out of brown paper bags, cardboard, and other scrounged materials. I like the ability to practice my VERY basic sketching skills and write stupid thoughts down without worrying that I’m messing up a “nice” book, and making the books themselves seems to make writing in them throughout our trip a lot more fun for my kiddos.

Here’s how we whip out these bad boys the day before a big vacation:

1. Decide on a size.  Kids don’t do as well writing and drawing in cramped spaces, so I make my kids’ travel journals pretty big–around 9″x12″. At that size, the books fit well in their backpacks, but still give them plenty of room to create.

I, however, like a pretty small book, and I generally use the scraps leftover from making my kids’ books to make my own about 4″x6″.

2. Collect upcycled papers.  I spiral bind my kids’ books , so I scrounge covers for them out of cardboard–shipping boxes, pizza box lids, record album covers, etc. Sheets of plastic, wood laminate, or the covers of discarded hardback books would also work, if you’ve got any such thing hanging around.

I do NOT spiral bind my own little travel journal; instead, I cut my pages to twice their width, stack them, fold them in half, and then stitch down the middle with my sewing machine set to a very long stitch.

Pack your finished journal in your carry-on bag, and don’t forget to include a small set of colored pens. Write in it every day–what you see, what you do, how you liked it–and keep it forever, so that you’ll always remember this trip.

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Mapping It Out

6 thoughts on “tutorial + how-to: brown paper bag travel journal”.

Travel Journals are so much fun! We’ve used altered books for travel journals in the past. One of Emma’s favorite things to do is gather brochures and then collage in her journal. I love the idea of a page for sketching, a page for writing and a page for photos (or collage) for each day of the trip. Might have to get a few travel journals put together for our upcoming trip to Gramma’s. Someday, I WILL buy a Zutter Bind-it-all. Someday.

My next project is to figure out how to combine the travel journals with the scrapbooks that we create after the trip. I don’t necessarily just want to put extra pages in at the beginning, because we never know how many pages it will take to scrapbook each destination, but I do think it would be really cool to combine the two, perhaps along with the girls’ state fact work, as well.

Love these ideas, and that you are “mean” enough to encourage your kids to start early! I like to cut out guidebook pages and just bring the applicable sections on whatever trip I’m taking, along with a small map on which I’ve highlighted places I want to see. For my last trip, I made a thin book using these items, plus added some blank pages, a pretty small envelope to hold ticket stubs, etc., and sewed it into a cardstock cover. It’s thin enough so that I can insert it into a pocket in my photo book attach it to the inside back/front cover (whenever I get around to making it, since I’m about three trips behind) or scrapbook. The other folks on the trip kept commenting about my cute little guidebook/journal and it was sure handy to have the map tucked inside!

I LOVE your guidebook/journal project! Our public library has “free” days for its book sale room, and there are always tons and tons and TONS of old guidebooks there, free for the taking. We often grab them up for our scrapbooking work after our trip, but I really like the idea of incorporating them into our travel journals, instead.

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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.

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?

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.

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 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 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.

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 , 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

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

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 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 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 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

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 .

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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

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 

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! 

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. 

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?

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.

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

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

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?

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

70. Bodies of Water

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?

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 . 

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

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.

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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Keep it old school: travel journals & notebooks.

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With most people relying on smartphones and apps, or starting a blog or social media accounts, to document and share their travels, the joy of keeping a paper journal has been lost in the modern age. Many travelers don’t even think about packing a simple pocket notebook and pen.

I’d like to think that the art of keeping a paper journal in addition to the more electronic forms is beneficial. There’s bound to be some thoughts, observations, and notes worth writing out and keeping to yourself.

I always bring along a pocket-sized notebook when I travel. I like to keep a very loose daily entry where I jot down expenses, little observations, and doodles… all the things that will spark those memories up down the road.

And yes, I can do this all on my phone, but there’s something therapeutic and relaxing about writing , especially while in transit.

And there’s something even more therapeutic about having a physical notebook to flip through down the road.

Benefits of a Travel Journal or Notebook

• You don’t have to censor yourself. Say what you feel . Get out any stress or emotions on paper. There shouldn’t be anyone else reading it.
• It helps you remember the small things . The name of the person you met on a bus, or the room number in your favorite hotel. Writing versus typing helps with memory recall .
• It’s a really great souvenir to bring home . Nothing like being able to flip through your old travel notes in a physical notebook form.
• It’s great for passing the time while waiting for an upcoming trip and definitely while traveling on buses, planes and trains. It’s also a bit more inconspicuous than getting out the laptop or phone to take some notes.
• It’s perfect when you need to minimize excess use of your phone. Save your battery by going old school.

Travel Journal/Notebook Ideas

Travel diary/journal.

Photos speak a thousand words, but those photos also don’t tell the whole story. Your thoughts and feelings, the way the air felt, the sounds you can only explain as YOU hear them… these are the bits of the experience that drift away over time.

Keeping a long-form travel diary makes the ultimate keepsake of an adventure. I don’t always keep one, but I will say that the ones I do have are inspiring to look back on. It’s a place to get out your internal frustrations, a place to reflect, and a place to be creative.

Writing is therapeutic and relaxing, not to mention a great way to pass time on long plane and train journeys.

No batteries or recharging necessary, you are only limited by page space and ink levels. My suggestion is to write small and write frequently.

Money Journal

Use a simple pocket notebook to keep track of your expenses as you travel . It’s a great way to ensure you’re sticking to a travel budget.

Plus, you’d be surprised at what memories these little entries can spark in the future! A little note like “lunch in Singapore food court” can instantly transport you back to that setting- the sights, the sounds, and to the best chicken rice you’ve ever had.

To make it even more interesting, get a notebook with a built-in pocket to store receipts, or attach them to the notebook as you go. You can add doodles to your entries, or extra explanations for your expenditures. Next to your entry for purchasing a hat, you can add a note that it was unexpectedly freezing cold at night in your Guatemala hostel.

If you’re not one for keeping a proper journal/diary, this would be my go-to recommendation. It’s simple and helps with the logistics of travel- staying on top of your money !

Of course there are loads of apps that allow you to do something similar on your phone.

Bring along some tape and a couple of colored pens, and a simple travel journal turns into a scrapbook. Ticket stubs, beer labels, receipts, photos, drawings, and so on transform a journal to a coffee table worthy souvenir.

• Get some tips for starting a travel scrapbook .

I’ve always enjoyed the unlined Moleskine Cahier notebooks for this purpose. I can write tiny entries and add in other paraphernalia without lines getting in the way. The built-in back pocket stores my scrapbook items until they are used.

Plus, they pack up super small, which is always important to me!

Travel Bullet Journal

Bullet journaling has become quite popular in recent years as a way to combine both mindfulness and productivity into one. It’s not a long-form diary, but more a series of tick-lists and goals – perfect for travel planning and presenting achievements in a visual manner.

Bullet journals vary greatly, ranging from categorized lists to pages of hand-drawn pictures and doodles. For example, you can list all the destinations you wish to visit on your upcoming trip, or you can draw a world map and color in all the hot spots with different markers. The possibilities are endless.

• Here are some ideas for travel bullet journal spreads .

Buy Travel Journals

Europe Map Travel Journal

Travel Journal with Envelope Pockets

Tropical Jungle Travel Journal

For the hefty, bound, and ornamental type of travel journals, check out any physical book store or search on Amazon . Some really special and bespoke travel journals can be found on Etsy .

Buy Travel Scrapbooks

Retro Travel Scrapbook

Travel Suitcase Scrapbook

Navigating Travel Scrapbook

When we say travel scrapbook, we mean a scrapbook that you can actually fit into your luggage and take with you… not the gigantic, oversized ones that your mom has made from your baby photos!

For a good traveling scrapbook, really any type of notebook or journal will do the trick, as long as there’s room to grow (meaning the cover will still cover it when extra items are added).

Just be sure to pack some extra tape, washi tape , and colored pens to make it fun. A page of stickers can add pizzazz in a pinch. Oh, and a simple envelope attached inside will make a great place to store loose items and memories.

• Search for a travel scrapbook: Amazon | Etsy

Buy Travel Notebooks

Moleskine Cahier

Moleskine Pocket Planner

Moleskine Classic

For everything else, there’s no looking past the timeless Moleskine cahiers and pocket notebooks. I’ve used the unlined pads for travel journals, and I’ve used the pocket planners as a money notebook.

• Grab a Moleskine notebook: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

Do you carry a journal in your backpack, or do you think it is a waste of time and space?

P.S. Keeping a Watercolor Journal on the Road

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Written by Brooke

I run the show at Her Packing List and love packing ultralight. In fact, I once traveled for 3 entire weeks with just the contents of a well-packed 12L handbag . When I'm not obsessing over luggage weight, I'm planning adventures or just snuggling with my pet rabbit, Sherlock Bunz.

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Reader Interactions

January 6, 2011 at 6:47 am

I haven’t gone on trips longer than a week yet, which means I haven’t found it necessary to bring my computer with me and do blog updates! However, I do bring a travel journal and I can’t see myself stopping that practice even when I DO have my computer. Why? Because my journal is where I glue stuff! Like tea bags or tickets or other random flat paper stuff. I’m totally a packrat, especially with useless paper stuff (I used to “collect” those silly tourist pamphlets on road trips when I was younger), and sticking it in my journal at least keeps it off my bedroom floor! It all goes in my journal! If I only had my computer, I wouldn’t be able to keep that stuff with me. (I guess I could take a picture of it? But that’s not the same.)

January 6, 2011 at 8:04 am

Journals are great, and I’m the same with paper bits — always trying to tape them in my journal!

January 6, 2011 at 8:57 am

I carry around a small notebook in my bag at all times, it acts as shopping list, random street addresses/phone numbers but most of all pages to fill when the words start flooding out of my head at the most random times. I’m lost without my notebook, I’ve been known to write on the back of receipts or any piece of paper I can find if for some stupid reason i’ve left my notebook behind!

January 7, 2011 at 11:20 pm

I am the queen of notes/lists. Must have them at all times to survive! 🙂

January 6, 2011 at 1:56 pm

Before leaving on my current trip, I actually spent my last night at my parents’ house in America handmaking two journals. It took me all night, but they’re pretty amazing ~ and it feels good to know that these journals are completely mine, from the words I write in them down to the handcut papers and handsewn signatures.

January 6, 2011 at 10:17 pm

Now that’s hardcore 🙂 Love that you made your own journals!

January 6, 2011 at 2:16 pm

Nothing can beat holding a notebook or piece of ephemera that you once held when standing in some far flung corner of the world ~ It totally bridges the gap across time and space – something that a blog that only ever exists in a virtual world can never do 😉

January 6, 2011 at 10:35 pm

Agreed – if you can touch it, it always seems more real 🙂

January 7, 2011 at 3:49 am

I always find if I take a journal with me, I am not too diligent about writing in it. But if I don’t, then there’s always things I want to write down, but can’t. I recently but a moleskin for my next trip, it’s nice and small so it’s easy to put in my purse.

September 19, 2011 at 9:47 pm

On my first big trip abroad I journaled religiously and loved doing it! I would cut out bits of pamphlets or things I found and put them in. They look back at it throughout my journey. I loved that journal and know everything I did on that trip is it there. For Australia I planned it not journal and just write on my blog instead. I would just scribble some things down in a book to remember instead. I guess that is technically journaling but it doesn’t feel as nice as sitting down and just free writing everything that happened, what you really feel about it and more. I kind of censor my feeling on my website, which I’m sure most people do. I kind of want to just journal again!

November 2, 2012 at 6:19 am

Since arriving in Korea, I’ve kept a journal almost everyday. It reminds me of how far I’ve come!

March 30, 2013 at 12:47 am

I write in a journal on all my vacation trips. I take LOTS of pictures, so having a journal helps me remember the little details about places, or funny things that I captured in a picture. I make myself write each night when travelling, so the experience is fresh in my mind. Plus they are fun to read and reminisce!

August 6, 2013 at 8:19 am

Totally love the idea of travel journalling and have been doing so since 2011 when I went to Japan. Must admit though, that it was a couple of colleagues who got me started when I watched them pen thoughts while travelling on the shinkansen in 2010.

Getting my first journal was quite the experience! Be it collecting commemorative stamps from the various JR train stations, entering my own thoughts & pictures, personalizing brochures and maps with my own experiences, the joys & tribulations (still cannot forget my missing the train by a mere minute when Piriton almost completely rendered me useless), all have been faithfully written into these journals have seen my collection rise to 4 as of June 2013. While they have dominantly featured Japan, Philippines has made its debut, and others probably will once I can convince myself to move past the Land of the Rising Sun (LOL).

Because it’s mostly my happy or reflective thoughts when I’m travelling, friends and colleagues have begun to borrow for reference. While it is somewhat embarrassing that others would be interested to read what I have to say, it’s also pretty flattering. 🙂 🙂 🙂

November 30, 2017 at 3:08 am

Nice to read your comment. I got a Midori TJ for my first trip to Japan. I love it and use it almost daily now even though my travels are just around town. Cannot recommend the Midori highly enough. I am making my own inserts now too.

February 13, 2014 at 8:09 pm

I always journal. I have a really cool (& heavy) journal that I use when I’m home. When I travel I buy the thin journals so not to take up space or weight. I’m a carry-on only gal & still learning some tips. But leaving my journal behind…NO WAY!!! I have been to Israel 4 times now. I now have the opputunity to share about my travels with some church friends, so you bet I’m going back through my journals to remember the things I have forgetten. Plus I’m a pen and paper freak. So its kinda fun to go to stores when traveling to see what pens & paper I can collect to use for my journaling. Plus there is nothing like purple ink to lift my spirits on a rainy day : )

August 5, 2014 at 2:00 am

I used to journal every day but I stopped. Now that I’m going on my first trip overseas in years, I’m definitely taking a journal to document all the curious things I will run across.

May 14, 2020 at 9:09 am

Brooke, I enjoyed reading all your ideas about travel journaling. I am always looking for new ideas. I have been journaling all my trips since 1975 and in 2004 started using those journals to make the 12×12 size scrapbooks of all my trips! In 2020, I have finally caught up! Over the years my journals have at times become a work in progress travel scrapbook, as you mention. My latest thing to try: before my trip, I use colored 3×5 index cards and embellish them with stickers and stamps to use for journaling on my trip. I take pens and glue stick so I can add small memorabilia as I travel. When I return, I use the cards for journaling in my scrapbook I make of the trip. This has allowed me to capture the trip as I go and has also cut down on the time it takes at home to make the scrapbook. While for those trips, I no longer have a separate journal to store and reference as I do for most trips, I still have access to fresh travel memories whenever I need them. I currently have between 75-100 scrapbooks and journals that I will use for “ armchair travel” when I can no longer do the physical traveling. And what a creative outlet this has been for me! Hoping to travel again soon after having to postpone my 2020 trip—keep those travel tips coming, Brooke!

May 19, 2020 at 8:53 am

Congrats on catching up on the scrapbooks! What a fun little idea on the index cards. We have so much “down time” when in transit while traveling, it makes sense to use it to craft those memories. Keep the travel spirit alive – you’ll be traveling again soon 🙂

May 17, 2020 at 10:01 am

I’m not much of a journal person on a regular basis, but when travelling I have a journal, and write in it daily, as you say feelings, venting and little things that happened. One or two previous trips I started a journal and then didn’t finish….wish I had. Have to be disciplined about it. Spent 3.5 months in C.America last year and grateful for the little details. There were days when I didn’t write but did voice recordings of my daily journal and then wrote them in a few days later…the voice recording actually helped recount details as I was writing. (So the digital helps the analog 🙂)

May 19, 2020 at 8:58 am

I am so thankful for the travel journals I did keep. It’s amazing the moments I thought I had lost, but then found again in my notes. Love the idea of voice notes!

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Moscow Travel Diary

Probably you already know that I’ve been in Moscow last month. I haven’t been there for more than a year and it felt a bit different at that time. This time I loved it so so much! Partly because I really missed snow around Christmas times. So, I’m sharing my week-long itinerary – and how you can make the most of it in Moscow!

City Center

There is so much to see in Moscow. Starting from the famous Moscow Metro and Red Square and rounding up with the historical grocery stores (which are incredibly beautiful as well).

Let’s start with the city center area since it’s my favorite part of the city. Besides the Red Square which became a symbol of Moscow there is much more to see. For example, a luxury department store GUM which turns into a fairytale mansion as winter comes. You can recognize it by thousands of Christmas lanterns on the facade. Don’t miss out to go inside – it has almost every luxury brand there is (Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Furla, Gucci and Prada). You can also spot a Laduree cart if you love macaro0ns as much as I do. You can also try the famous ice cream cones which I love there as well.

If you go left from the Red Square you will find yourself in the Alexander Garden. I like it more in the summer with beautiful trees and flowers. Through the garden you can enter the Kremlin Square (there are several museums and ancient churches there). You’ll need to buy a ticket to enter though.

Museums & Art Galleries

There are more than 200 museums and galleries in Moscow. I personally love 2 of them –  The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts which is the largest museum of European art in Moscow (Volkhonka str., 12) and  The State Tretyakov Gallery – the collection of art from several centuries ( Lavrushinsky Ln, 10) .

Churches & Cathedrals

You can also visit Russian churches and Cathedrals – they are all very beautiful. My favorite ones are Saint Basil’s Cathedral (which is located on the Red Square) and Cathedral of Christ the Saviour which is the tallest Orthodox Christian church in the world (Volkhonka str., 15).

Bolshoi Theatre & TSUM

The Bolshoi Theatre (Theatre Square, 1) is also one of my top places to visit while in Moscow. It’s a historic theater which performs ballet and opera. Next to it is TSUM department store which specifies in top brands in fashion and beauty items. It also has a cosy cafe on the top floor.

Where To Eat

There are two Ladireè tearooms in Moscow. One of them is a full dine cafe, the other is tea + mini deserts only.

Vogue Cafe is a great place to have lunch. The atmosphere is very cosy and the staff is friendly.

Fumisawa Sushi

The best sushi I’ve ever tried. The aesthetic is so chic and calm and the food is amazing!

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I Haven’t Checked a Bag in 10 Years — Here, My 14 Sure-fire Travel Essentials to Get Everything in a Carry-on

These frequent flier-approved picks cover all of your travel bases, and they start at $10.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Travel + Leisure

I travel twice a month covering destinations that inspire readers and those planning vacations. In order to efficiently move through airports, take Ubers, and lug everything on my own, I’ve had to master the art of packing light . But as a chronic overpacker in my former days, this didn’t come easy. However, once I started embracing the carry-on-only lifestyle, I would never go back. It’s been over 10 years since I’ve checked a bag — regardless of where I’m going or how long the trip is. 

In addition to quality luggage pieces (I swear by my Gregory Quadro 22-Inch Hardcase Carry-On and always bring Calpak’s Luka Duffel as my personal carry-on tote to fit extra clothes and accessories), successful carry-on-only traveling involves strategic packing. When planning which clothes to bring, I think in terms of outfits and try to incorporate versatile capsule wardrobe items that match with several things (layers are also key). Lastly, compression packing cubes work wonders — as do my 14 travel essentials that always make my packing list so I never have to check a bag.

These go-to items include packing aids, versatile clothing and accessories, and more to help me maximize every inch of suitcase space without going over the limit. Even better, they start at $10 at Amazon. 

Cambond Compression Packing Cubes

Compression organizers are game-changers. Not only do they flatten your items so you can pack more in your suitcase, but they also aid in organizing your outfits; you can pack your clothes according to style, color, or category. Cambond’s sturdy nylon packing cubes have a double zipper for easy access and hassle-free compressing. They’re also water-resistant, which means that they'll protect your items from any potential leaks or spills. I also like that they’re lightweight; the last thing you want to do is add weight to your carry-on. 

They’re sold in sets with various sizing options, and are available in 45 colors. This item is a favorite among shoppers because of how effective the compression is for packing. And, according to one Amazon reviewer , they helped them travel to Europe for "a week with only a backpack and a carry-on." 

Anrabess Romper With Pockets

I always pack a romper because it saves space and maximizes your outfit potential. This super cute one from Amazon-loved brand Anrabess is made with a comfy polyester-rayon-spandex blend to ensure comfort and stretch. You can play with the neckline and wear it several ways — crewneck style, off-the-shoulder, or Bardot-style. The tie-front drawstring at the waist accentuates your silhouette, offering a flattering fit. 

The fabric is thick so it’s not see-through. It makes the perfect loungewear item and is versatile enough to wear to the beach, picnics, by the pool, and even out running errands. Pair it with a nice pair of sandals or heels and it’s the perfect outfit for dinner. I’m a huge fan of pockets, and the romper has two side pockets for holding lightweight (but essential) items such as lipstick or cash.

M.M. LaFleur Moreland Jacket

M.M.Lafleur 

A seasonless suit is a no-brainer when I head out for work trips. Even if you’re traveling for pleasure, sporting a blazer and a pair of trousers creates an instantly sophisticated look. M.M. LaFleur’s Origami Tech collection is specifically designed to be your ultimate travel companion; the Moreland Jacket and matching Colby pants are wrinkle-resistant and machine-washable. 

The set can be worn together or separately; the jacket matches well with a good, old pair of jeans on sightseeing days or leggings when you’re catching a flight. You can also wear it over a dress or blouse-skirt combo for polished lunch or dinner looks. To get the same workwear-inspired travel outfit for less, you can grab Amazon’s best-selling blazer for $58. 

Amazhiyu Button-Down Midi Dress With Pockets and Belt 

Pack a dress that does everything, one that you can wear during the day and do double duty at night. While I’m obsessed with the celeb-favorite Jenni Kayne Day Dress , at a whopping $395, a girl’s got to budget. That’s why, when I found this linen button down dress at Amazon, I couldn’t wait to try it on. It features a sleeveless, collar design with side slits and a removable self-tie belt to give it shape; it’s very flattering and accommodates all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, I use my favorite woven belt (I'll go into more detail about it later) instead, which instantly creates a different vacation look without requiring additional clothing items. 

It’s a great travel piece for spring because it’s made of 100 percent linen, which is known for being a breathable and moisture-wicking fabric. There are two side pockets for stashing essentials, a feature that reviewers praised. One shopper wrote , "I absolutely love this dress. The pockets are really big, which is great. Everything about this dress is quality, and I stayed cool in the summer heat." Another noted that the pockets "are flat and don't stick out" when they have stuff in them. 

Lightbird Foldable Summer Straw Bucket Beach Hat

This packable straw hat is the best travel hack. There have been many times where I’ve wanted to bring a stylish hat, but ended up not doing so because it takes up too much real estate in my luggage. That's no longer a worry with this stylish bucket hat that folds down for easy packing. It also easily adjusts to fit almost everyone with a cinch drawstring lining on the inside. 

It’s a hot travel accessory because not only does it keep you safe from the sun’s rays, it also keeps you cool and looking stylish. Plus, you can use it to spice up your vacation outfits, giving the already-worn looks a fresh feel. 

Vermouth Beauty In The Nude Flight of Five Crayons

When traveling, I always bring these cleverly packaged Vermouth lip crayons, which are sustainably sourced and free of plastics and chemicals. Each "flight" features a color palette of five crayons in various hues, giving you multiple lipstick options without taking up precious toiletry bag space. 

What's more, these long-lasting and hydrating crayons can be worn dabbed on your cheeks like blush or swiped across your eyelids in place of eyeshadow, further helping you cut down on beauty products and freeing up room for other trip essentials in your toiletry bag and carry-on. 

Fjallraven Women's Kanken Hip Pack

I’m a huge fan of Fjallraven travel bags because of their timeless designs and practicality. Made with 100 percent vinylon fabric, this hip pack is durable and water-resistant, and is the only bag that you need to pack. It works whether you’re hitting the streets for a day of window shopping, the trails for hiking, or the strip for dinner. It’s just small enough that it also works as a wallet within a bigger bag or purse, if that's more your vibe (and you need the extra carry-on space). I like wearing it as a crossbody, though some fans wear it as a fanny pack. 

Versatility aside, this bag really shines because of its roominess. One shopper wrote , "I was worried at first because it looks very small, but it has three compartments [and a] lot of room." 

Everlane Day Ballet Flats

Everlane's Day Ballet Flats are easy to pack and don’t take up a lot of space. They can be worn with a casual outfit or dressed up for a nice dinner. Because of their adaptability, you’ll always find them on my packing list. While I own several pairs of the brand’s flats, these are my favorite because they’re chic and comfortable. I especially like the sweet little bow on top. 

The soft, buttery leather molds to your feet, so they get more comfortable with wear. They’re great travel shoes because they’re stylish when paired with denim, leggings, dresses, pants, and even shorts. What's more, the outsoles are made of rubber, which keeps you from slipping on smooth or wet surfaces.

SeptCity Woven Rattan Wide-Stretch Straw Belt

It's time to give my favorite belt its flowers. A belt changes everything, and I love getting creative and refreshing an outfit with this trendy belt. It converts one outfit into another one, requiring you to pack less — a.k.a. why it's a must on my packing list. Its rattan fabric adds an elegant touch to my favorite outfits, and I love to wear it with skirts, dresses, over cardigans, and even tunics (one of my favorite looks is pairing it with this Trovata shift or PrettyGarden’s floral frock ).

It has a sturdy wooden buckle and measures 41.3 inches in length and 1.8 inches wide, but still offers you a little wiggle room with its stretchy design. The belt is also available in beige and cream, which are both neutral colors that work with most outfit palettes.  

Acelitt Short-Sleeve V-Neck Button-Front Belted Jumpsuit

Similar to rompers, jumpsuits streamline the amount of clothes that you need to pack, offering you extra room so you don’t have to overpack and check your bags. This elegant version from Amazon-favorite brand Acelitt is ready for any situation; just add a sweater, blazer, or jacket on top to change it up. It’s comfortable, trendy, and super flattering, and the fabric is soft and stretchy so you can sport it on the plane, around town, and out to dinner without needing an outfit change. 

One traveler wrote , "I love this jumpsuit so much that I have it in blue and black, [and I'm] ordering the olive green next. It's super easy to dress up or down [and] fits true to size. I always get compliments on it. It's great to travel with as well." 

Mammut Runbold Light Pants

Mammut’s Runbold Light Pants are multi-functional for me. I wear them while running, hiking, and lounging, and they're lightweight and breathable material makes them perfect for spring’s transitional temperatures (you can even wear them well into the summer). The elastic waistband offers comfort for all activities, and you can convert to three-quarter-length pants to change up their look when your itinerary calls for it.  

The two slit side pockets have zippers, which are ideal for hiking and traveling. They’re super easy to pack and water-repellent, so if the forecast warns of a slight drizzle, you’ll be okay. 

Everlane’s Cotton Modern Trench Coat

A classic trench coat is a wardrobe staple, and I especially like to pack one for spring travel because it is well-suited for the variable weather. If you’re like me and have been fan-crushing on Jennifer Aniston’s wardrobe on "The Morning Show," then you’re going to fall for Everlane’s Cotton Trench Coat, which is half the price of other brand names and has a classic silhouette, with a belt to cinch at the waistline — and is fully-lined and water-resistant. 

But, if $268 is too much for your travel wardrobe budget, I also spotted various, under-$100 versions at Amazon. Give the Farktop Double-Breasted Oversized Long Trench Coat (on sale for $80) or the Tanming Notch Lapel Double- Breasted Pea Coat-style Trench (which is on sale for $60) a look.

M.M. LaFleur Merritt Jardigan

M.M. LaFleur

The Merritt Jardigan is an investment that I’m glad I made. A cross between a tailored jacket and a cardigan, with a tie-front belt that accentuates your figure, it works wonders for elevating your ensemble, and can be worn from your desk to the airport to dinner. Wrinkle-resistant, stretchy, and long enough to cover your assets, I’ve worn it on the way to Pilates class, at the airport, and for numerous dinners. Plus, the fabric is season-less, which makes it great for any time of the year. 

You can achieve the same elegant, quiet luxury wardrobe vibes with the Anrabess Open Front Cardigan Jacket , which is an Amazon-favorite outerwear piece that's just $50. 

Feisedy Polarized Vintage Sunglasses Jackie O Cat-Eye Sunglasses

I stopped shelling out hundreds of dollars for brand-name glasses because they can easily get damaged or lost, especially when traveling. These elegant sunglasses give off a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” look at a compelling price, and they're incredibly versatile with their classic black, cat-eye silhouette that can be worn with any outfit for any occasion. 

Not only are they light and comfortable, they’re polarized and offer 100 percent UV protection from the sun. The lenses are scratch-resistant, which enhance their durability. Singing the sunnies' praises, one shopper said , "They're better than my expensive, name-brand sunglasses. I can see better while traveling. I will take them with me on any of my trips without being afraid to lose them… not [a] scratch yet." 

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Los Angeles Travel Diary

12 Aug Los Angeles Travel Diary

This Los Angeles travel diary shows you all about what I wore, what I ate, & where I stayed during the best birthday weekend ever! Two weeks ago I turned 29 years old and my husband decided that we had to celebrate big! He therefore surprised me with a birthday weekend in Los Angeles which city is only a 6 hours drive from San Francisco.

The party started on Friday night, when we arrived at Sunset Marquis  in West Hollywood. This hotel has a luxurious but relaxed atmosphere and is only a few steps away from the Sunset Strip, in the heart of this booming city in California. After a quick jump in the pool, we went for dinner at The Church Key  and for drinks at Chateaux Marmont . The next day we visited Rodeo Drive and had reservations at the  The Ivy for brunch. Afterwards we went to LACMA and drove through Beverly Hills as we enjoyed every second of driving under the palm trees. Around 2pm we felt like taking a little break and cooling down in the pool. Following this little leisure time we played the tourist on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard. We heart that the Pagoda Bar   had a beautiful view and served great cocktails, so of course we had to check it out. Afterwards we quickly went back to the hotel to change as we were heading out to STK for dinner and the Bel Air Hotel Bar  for more drinks. When I woke up the next Sunday morning, we decided to go to Santa Monica, the perfect place to be on a sunny Sunday!

Oh my, this was the perfect party weekend and I would wish that I could do over every second of it. But unfortunately you only turn 29 once..! So this leaves me with my sweet memories of our trip to Los Angeles, which I happily share with you today as I sincerely hope that you can visit this City of Angels one day as well:

At the pool of our hotel wearing an off the shoulder top, Polette Sunglasses and Marc Jacobs Bag

Los Angeles County Museum of Art!

Dress to impress for my birthday dinner (more about this look here )

The secret is out: I’m a huge fan of Christina Aguilera! Wearing my Paul & Joe dress, Kanjana Bag (more about this transparant bag here ) and Keds sneakers

Hollywood Boulevard

Birthday Brunch at The Ivy (more in this article )

City lights of LACMA!

Happy girl on Rodeo Drive!! Wearing my G-Star sunglasses and Paul and Joe dress

Playing Baywatch: a young girl-dream came true!!

This sweet dessert was waiting for me when I entered the hotel room at Sunset Marquis as it was my birthday weekend!

Chillings in Sunset Marquis!

When the sun sets in Hollywood

– Hope you enjoyed this article! Big Xx, Susanne –

P.s. You might also like How to get that effortless Los Angeles Style   &  Desert Island Dreams!

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The 10 best toiletry bags of 2024, according to travel experts.

Tote everything from toothpaste to aftershave in one of these bags.

The Best Travel Toiletry Bags

Getty Images

Of all the travel accessories you can own, a toiletry bag may be the most essential – especially if you want to avoid leaks and spills in your luggage. Toiletry bags are necessary for keeping shampoo, toothpaste and other personal care items contained and organized when traveling.

Based on our personal experiences as well as consumer reviews, we've chosen the best toiletry bags in a number of categories, from the top option for men to the best hanging toiletry bag (especially useful in tight spaces like cruise ship cabins).

Best Overall: Peak Design Small Wash Pouch

• Jump to features and expert insights ↓

Best Dopp Kit: Cotopaxi Nido Accessory Bag – Cada Día

Best for men: topo designs dopp kit, best for women: lug trolley mini cosmetic case, best kids: wildkin toiletry bag, best large: l.l. bean personal organizer toiletry bag, large, best small: away the small toiletry bag, best hanging: open story small hanging toiletry bag, best clear: fawn the toiletry case large.

• Best Leather: Mark & Graham Dual Travel Organizer – Large

(Note: Prices and availability were accurate at the time of publication; they may fluctuate due to demand and other factors. All toiletry bag dimensions are listed in order of length by width by height.)

Courtesy of Peak Design

Dimensions: 6 x 10.2 x 4.4 inches

This toiletry bag earns rave reviews for its compact design and variety of internal compartments, which include four mesh pockets, a zip pocket and a magnetic pocket designed for your toothbrush. The bag is also versatile – its structured build means it won't flop over when you set it on the bathroom counter, while an attached hook allows you to use it as a hanging toiletry bag as well. Available in black and sage (as well as a larger size ), the Peak Design Small Wash Pouch is weatherproof and easy to clean.

What our editors say:

This toiletry bag perfectly fits all of my travel-sized essentials for a trip and I love the separated compartment pockets. It's pretty small and its soft exterior makes it easy to shove into a carry-on or a personal item without taking up too much room. It also sits upright on its own, which is a nice touch. – Erin Evans , Managing Editor

Price: $49.95 or less

Courtesy of Cotopaxi

Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 5 inches

If you're looking for a Dopp kit (a style of toiletry bag, typically with a side handle), the Nido Accessory Bag – Cada Día is a solid choice. The toiletry bag offers three compartments as well as an interior zippered pocket. Plus, it's available in Cotopaxi's vibrant color combinations.

The Nido Accessory Bag can fit a lot – much more than I expected, in fact. I can pack my electric toothbrush (with its case!), a full-sized toothpaste, a hairbrush, makeup and more. Even with how much it can fit, I don't find that the bag takes up a lot of space in my carry-on. I especially love the Nido's three different compartments (plus a zippered pocket) to organize my toiletries and accessories. – Leilani Osmundson , Senior Digital Producer

Price: $45 or less

Courtesy of Topo Designs

Dimensions: 5.5 x 11 x 5.5 inches

Not only does the triangular shape of this toiletry bag make it unique, but it also allows the bag to stand upright on its own. The Topo Designs Dopp Kit is bigger than it looks, and its main compartment offers plenty of space for all the necessities including a razor. The bag is available in a variety of bright two-toned styles and solid colors.

The Topo Designs Dopp Kit's bright colors and unique triangular shape inspired my initial purchase, but its versatility and durability quickly made it my go-to toiletry kit for every type of travel. The spacious bag works just as well in my carry-on as on a camping trip and has stood up to countless spilled shampoos and exploded toothpaste tubes. The Dopp kit stays upright on counters, while the attached hook makes it easy to hang and dry. – Zach Watson , Senior Editor

Price: $34 or less

Courtesy of Lug

Dimensions: 4 x 8.75 x 3.75 inches

Lug's Trolley Mini Cosmetic Case is perfect for both toiletries and makeup. Inside, the main compartment features a patterned lining and two zippered pockets: one on the back wall and another on the lid. On the outside, there are two side pockets plus a front pocket with a divider for even more organization.

I've had this toiletry bag for four years, and it is the first thing I pack for every trip! I absolutely adore its compact design, multiple zippered compartments that make it easy to reach your essentials without having to sort through an entire toiletry bag, and the wipeable interior (for when that foundation or shampoo leaks in transit). For longer trips, I have the Lug Trolley , which can even fit a curling iron. – Rachael Hood , Senior Editor

Price: $49 or less

Courtesy of Wildkin

Dimensions: 5 x 9.5 x 5 inches

Available in a wide variety of playful colors and patterns (think: trucks and mermaid scales ), the Wildkin Toiletry Bag is perfect for kids. The bag offers a spacious main compartment plus an internal zippered mesh pocket and an external zippered pocket.

I bought this bag to coordinate with my son's Wildkin Overnighter Duffel . The quality of both bags is top-notch, and I know we'll be able to use them for a long time. – Amanda Norcross, Senior Content & SEO Strategist 

Price: $24.99 or less

Courtesy of L.L. Bean

Dimensions: 12.5 x 11.5 x 4 inches

The L.L. Bean Personal Toiletry Bag is a classic, and the largest size is perfect for weeklong trips and even multiple family members. In addition to having a variety of internal and external pockets, this hanging toiletry bag can hold up to 25 pounds. Available in a variety of colors, it also features a carry strap and tote handle as well as a small mirror.

While this kit comes in a few sizes, the large is my favorite. It fits everything I need for a trip, from shower essentials to makeup to medicine. The plastic front on the upper two compartments is beginning to wear away, but I can deal with that considering I've had mine for more than 10 years (if not longer). – Marisa Méndez , Senior Editor

Price: $44.95 or less

Tips on Trips and Expert Picks

Travel tips, vacation ideas and more to make your next vacation stellar.

Courtesy of Away

Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.3 x 3.15 inches

If you're looking for a small toiletry bag that can be used for short trips, this is the one. But don't let the small size (and name) of this toiletry bag fool you. Two interior zippered compartments – one clear, one mesh – are big enough to hold all of your travel-size toiletries plus medications for even longer trips, and the zippered exterior pocket is perfect for makeup wipes. When you inevitably get the bag wet, its water-resistant nylon material makes it easy to wipe dry. The Small Toiletry Bag is available in black, navy, blue gray and white.

This is the toiletry bag equivalent of Mary Poppins' bag. It holds way more than it looks like it can. – Amanda Norcross

Price: $55 or less

Dimensions: 8 x 8.31 x 3.5 inches

Not only is this hanging toiletry bag well organized, but it also costs less than $15 at Target. The toiletry bag has a built-in hanger, four mesh pockets (two of which have zippers) and an additional compartment that can hold travel-size (or even full-size) toiletries and makeup. It also has an external tote handle. The Open Story Small Hanging Toiletry bag is currently available in light blue.

I've used this toiletry bag for a couple years now, and it's great for my travel needs. The hanging hook saves me a lot of space, and there's plenty of organization inside – all for an incredibly affordable price. – Catriona Kendall , Editor

Price: $12.99 or less

Courtesy of Fawn

Dimensions: 6.5 x 9.5 x 3.5 inches

For a clear toiletry bag that makes it easy to see all of your essentials – plus a faux leather trim and matte gold zippers that make it just plain pretty – frequent travelers recommend this option by Fawn. Two interior compartments are large enough to hold both toiletries and makeup, and top grab handles make it easy to pull out of your luggage and transport wherever you go.

I was initially drawn to this bag for its clear vinyl compartments, but after using it for about a year I've been pleasantly surprised by how many items it can hold. I'm able to fit all my travel-size skin care and hair care products, and it doesn't take up too much space in my carry-on. It's also very easy to clean. – Ann Henson , Assistant Managing Editor

Price: $59.99 or less

Best Leather: Mark & Graham Dual Travel Organizer – Large

Courtesy of Mark & Graham

Dimensions: 6 x 9.5 x 2.25 inches

This toiletry bag is both elegant and efficient. Crafted with vegan leather, it's available in eight colors, including red, blush, camel, white and navy, all of which are accented by gold zippers. The toiletry bag has two spacious compartments and conveniently sits upright on flat surfaces.

I really like my large Dual Travel Organizer from Mark and Graham. The main compartment can hold your basic makeup essentials and a travel-sized toothbrush, and the bottom zippered section is ideal for jewelry, a contact lens case or hair ties. The vegan leather material is both soft and environmentally friendly, and you can also get the bag monogrammed for a personal touch. – Nicola Wood , Senior Editor

Price: $99 or less

Frequently Asked Questions

Per the Transportation Security Administration's liquids rule , a quart-sized bag is recommended for any toiletries packed in carry-on luggage ; however, a clear bag is not specified. What's most important is that any liquids (including creams, gels and aerosols) are placed in a small bag and do not exceed 3.4 ounces. For checked luggage , there are no limitations on toiletry bag and liquid sizes.

Anything you use for your personal hygiene at home should be packed in your toiletry bag. This can include:

• Conditioner
• Shaving cream
• Moisturizer
• Contact solution
• Contact lenses
• Feminine hygiene products

Depending on space, you may also want to pack the following items in your toiletry bag:

• Medications

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Amanda Norcross regularly reviews and writes about travel gear. She consulted her team at U.S. News as well as recent consumer reviews to determine the best toiletry bags for men, women and kids.

You might also be interested in:

• The Best Packing Cubes
• The Most Useful Travel Accessories
• What to Pack in Your Carry-on Bag
• What Is Allowed in a Carry-on Bag?

Tags: Travel , Travel Gear

World's Best Places To Visit

• # 1 South Island, New Zealand
• # 4 Bora Bora

If you make a purchase from our site, we may earn a commission. This does not affect the quality or independence of our editorial content.

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Watch California thief disguised as garbage bag steal package in doorbell cam footage

Video shows the thief crouched low to the ground with their body hidden inside the garbage bag, with nothing but feet sticking out of the bottom. the homeowner says he's not going to report the theft..

With the increasing popularity of doorbell cameras and home security systems, getting away with package theft is harder than ever.

You'd think the high likelihood of getting caught on camera would deter porch pirates from snagging packages that don't belong to them. There is another option, however, according to one thief out of California: wearing a disguise.

Does the disguise need to be elaborate and clever? Not according to this porch pirate.

The package thief was caught on camera in Sacramento late last month, attempting to nab a package from the home of Omar Gabriel Munoz. Instead of simply walking up to the porch, the thief appears to go full Ace Ventura, disguising themselves as a simple black garbage bag.

Crafty thief caught on doorbell cam

Footage captured by Munoz's door camera shows the thief crouched low to the ground with their body hidden inside the garbage bag. With nothing but feet sticking out of the bottom, the perp slowly makes their way up the property's front sidewalk, shuffling along in an apparent attempt to look like, well, a pile of garbage.

Making their way to the front porch, the thief-turned-sentient-garbage-bag hovers over the small package, snatches it up and pulls it inside of the bag. Still crouched with sneakers sticking out of the bottom, the perp shuffles back down the sidewalk, camera following them all the way.

Munoz told Storyful that he was confused after getting a notification the package had been delivered but returning home to find it gone.

"At first I was kinda angry but when I saw the video again I was laughing because people (these) days have a lot of creativity," Munoz told KXTV-TV. He told the outlet that he did not report the theft, as he figured local police "have more important things to do."

Police chase caught on camera: Video shows suspect trying to outrun police on horseback before being caught

Tyr's Domain

Our Russian Trip

July 29th, 2000 -- the countdown has begun.

Who are we?

August 1st, 2000 -- Are we there yet?

• A Traveler's History of Russia and the USSR by Peter Neville;
• Russia, Ukraine, & Belarus by the people at the Lonely Planet;
• Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak;
• Sing Me the Creation by Paul Matthews;
• Russian -- A Rough Guide Phrasebook by the people at the Lonely Planet;
• Russian -- A Complete Course for Beginners by Daphne M. West ; and
• A half-way filled in travel journal.

Perusing through our travel backpack, I can see that Anna is bringing:

• How to Raise a Healthy Child... In Spite of your Doctor by Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D.;
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett;
• Vaccination: The Issue of Our Times edited by Peggy O'Mara; 
• Three issues of Mothering -- The Natural Family Living Magazine
• The August 2000 issue of National Geographic ; and
• hip Mama -- The Parenting Zine

Although, I was not sure what to expect when I began listing our reading list, I see now that our travel priorities are well represented. I am thinking "Russia, what is this place all about?" and Anna, she is thinking "Russia, it is all about family."

I think we are prepared, and ready to go. Our bags are packed (except for our travel pack, which I dismantled in order to provide the reading lists), and Kim -- who is set to marry my mother on August 20th -- is meeting us at 1pm tomorrow afternoon to drive us to the airport.

So, I have been asked multiple times by multiple people how my Russian speaking skills are coming along, and I wish I could say they were coming along at all. I have tried to read books on Russian... I have tried to listen to Anna's Russian conversations extra close, but I am constantly reminded that me and foreign languages were just not meant for each other. Anyway, with time (maybe just a little bit of time) I will begin incorporating some Russian into these journals, and maybe into this web site, in general.

August 3rd, 2000 - Moscow

As a matter of fact, there really wasn't much of a "last night." We flew into and out of the darkness in less time than it took to show the main attraction: Runaway Bride. So, why am I writing? Just to let everyone know that everything is alright!

We are safely in the Fatherland (Motherland?) now, where deviants fear to roam.

It is well worth mentioning that Alexandra was wonderful on the plane. She made friends with all of our neighbors... She made them laugh, and coo, and generally behave like a baby. As the star of Aeroflot Flight 642, she was more entertaining that Julia Roberts.

A friend of Anna's from way back, Ullia, met us at the Airport in Moscow. We decided, then and there, that we would go directly to downtown Moscow (specifically: Red Square) during our five hour lay-over. This meant taking a shuttle to the nearest metro station (about a 15 minutes drive), and then transferring to the Moscow metro system, where a train would take us to downtown. Because our flight to Yekaterinburg left out of a different airport than our flight to Moscow, we couldn't leave our bags at the airport, and instead had to carry them all over Moscow. Considering our trip to Russia is estimated to last six weeks, hauling our luggage was no simple feat, especially considering our main bag (24 kilograms or ??? pounds) was falling apart at the seams.

All in all, it took us about 40 minutes to get to coffee shop that was "close" to Red Square. We stopped at the coffee shop because Ullia offered to guard our bags while Anna and I made the forty minute jaunt to Red Square… in the rain.

With that said, the street that we walked along was great! A large European style boulevard, with lots of people walking up, down, across, and under the street. After our five minute tour of the Red Square, we headed back to Ullia and our stuff. Sadly, we have no pictures of this part of the trip (did it really happen?) because we left our camera in our bags with Ullia. However, we do plan to return to Moscow early in September, so pictures of Red Square and the wide Moscow boulevards will surely be made available then.

Not wanting to miss our red-eye flight to Yekaterinburg, we quickly returned to the airport... First using the Metro and than a bus. At the airport, we met up with Anna's uncle, Gennady. He had taken a train from Ukraine to Moscow to meet up with us and fly to Yekaterinburg. He delivered the sad news that Anna's grandmother, Polina, had passed away the night before we began our trip. Because Polina had been in a coma for a week, her death did not come as a shock, but as you can imagine, her death has affected us all. One of the things that Anna has asked me to do while I am in Russia is to interview her family in order to better document Alexandra's Genealogy from her Russian roots. As I do build the Genealogy page, I will keep an extra ear open for stories regarding Polina.

August 4rd, 2000 - Yekaterinburg

After meeting up with Gennady, we caught a red-eye flight to Yekaterinburg. We left at 1:10am Moscow time, and arrived two hours later at 5:10am Yekaterinburg time. Sadly enough, that means that Alexandra lost some more hours off of another night's sleep. As tough as that girl is, it is going to take her some time to recuperate. In Yekaterinburg, Victor, Anna's father, picked us up and brought us home . Anna's mother, Tanya, has been hit pretty hard by the loss of her mother, so Anna spent the morning consoling her while Alexandra and I slept. At 11:00am, the family left for a traditional Russian funeral. Because babies are not allowed at funeral services, Alexandra and I stayed behind. On our first full day in Russia, Alexandra and I stayed home and adjusted. Victor and Tanya have a beautiful apartment in the heart of Yekaterinburg, and Alexandra wasted no time attempting to trash it. Their place has two bedrooms and a large living room with a balcony that overlooks a plaza. Across from the plaza is a movie theater currently showing such classics and "Mission Impossible 2" and "Me, Myself, and Irene." Anna has told me that the Russians don't do subtitles on movies... ever... so if we go out to a movie, I think I will enjoy watching American actors dubbed in Russian. (Anna says the same actor always dubs Arnold Swartzinager, and he has a real sexy voice.)

This evening we -- Victor, Tatiana, Gennady, Anna, Alexandra and I -- took a walk along Lenin Street. (It just so happens that the main street in just about every city in Russia is called Lenin Street.) Being a transportation planner/engineer by profession, I have kept watch of all of the obscure transportation related aspects of Russian cities, and I plan to put them in their own page with time. Nearby "our" apartment, we stopped briefly to listen to a few teenage musicians play a concert to a much larger group of teenagers. This took place on one of the many large landings that overlooks the main river in Yekaterinburg. It is quite a gathering place with hundreds and hundreds of people out on their Sunday night stroll. On the bridge that crosses over the main river is a statue of Lenin (every Lenin St. needs a statue!). Along the river banks there are large steps (large enough to have a picnic on) that successively lead down to the river. Crossing the river below the bridge is another large landing where the local artists gather trying to make money off of the strollers (they paint/sketch portraits...) There are also women who ride around on horses offering rides for a fee. As far as the quality (i.e. smell, look) of the river water, I must say I was not impressed. Rather, it reinforced what is pretty widely accepted in this region which is that you should not drink the water from the tap.

For anyone who has ever traveled in Europe, this probably won't come as much of a surprise, but for the rest of you, let me warn you that cigarette smoke permeates everywhere one travels. However, let's get back to the positives... the wide boulevards. As I was walking, I realized why we don't have any similar streets in the United States. There is very little, if any, money being made in this environment. People just sit on steps, benches, the grass, and talk with friends. There is no real need to buy coffee or dinner to talk on the steps of a large Lenin statue... Or statue of the founders of Yekaterinburg... or the statue of Sverdlov (the man who signed the death warrant of the Tsar family in 1918). The main point being that except for the cigarette manufactures, I can't see many people making back off of a bunch of people enjoying themselves.

Another interesting paradox is how people look compared to their surroundings. The people here dress immaculate. Both the women and the men wear tight clothing. The women looking like Madonna, while the guys resembling Elvis. These people are so into fashion that I even felt compelled to tuck in my shirt and shave (tomorrow). Compare this image of the people to the buildings around them. Many of the buildings look like they are half way on their way tot the ground. I was asking Anna how her parent's apartment could look so beautiful inside, and from the outside appear to be crumbling. My interpretation of her response is interesting...

As part of the privatization in the early 1990s, the Russian government systematically gave the apartments back to the people. So, it became the responsibility of the individuals to fix up their apartments as they saw fit. However, the government kept responsibility over the common areas (stairwells, pluming, outside walls, etc.) so not much is ever done by the cash-strapped government to improve the buildings, although much is promised. A fresh coat of paint would do wonders for many of the buildings, but where to begin?

August 5th and August 6th - The Family Ducha

For those people familiar with my grandparents, Donald and Janon , the easiest way to understand the ducha is to think of their boat. Like Donald and Janon’s boat, the family ducha is somewhere the family spends most weekends – rain or shine – and gets a lot of work done. As far as I can tell most of the time spent at the ducha (at least by Tatiana and Victor) is spent working on the property. Tanya is constantly cleaning, cooking, gardening, cleaning, organizing, cleaning, cleaning… Victor spends his time moving furniture around, building fires, collecting wood, getting fresh water, mending fences, building odds and ends, etc. Generally, neither of them relaxes (which is the stated purpose of visiting the ducha!) except for the hour or so they spend inside the banya beating themselves with tree branches...

After the house is cleaned, and the furniture moved in, we are ready for Tatiana to cook us dinner. As usual, diner this weekend was soup with chicken on the side. After dinner, there is tea and desert. Then Tanya finds some more things to clean, while Victor goes outside and finds something to tinker with. Anna and Alexandra go to sleep while I write in my travel journal.

Ah, I don’t think I have described the banya yet…

From what I can tell, Banyas are very popular in Russia and an integral part of the current Russian culture. To take a banya with someone is to share an experience -- a way of acknowledging a close relationship. At Victor and Tanya’s ducha the banya is set off in its own building about twenty feet from the three room house. The banya consists of its own three small rooms. The first is an entry room. The entry room has a coat rack, two long benches (that can be used for lying down) and a small table (for food and beer). The second room is a washing room. The washing room serves the purpose of storing (and using) the extensive amount of water necessary for a proper banya experience. In this case, fresh water is brought in from a nearby pond on the property. The third room is the sauna. This room has two offset benches (one high, one low) for sitting and/or lying down.

As one would expect, the room gets pretty hot during the banya (As best as I can tell “Banya” is the name of the building, the name of the room, and the name of the experience). The first time I took a banya it was with Victor and Gennady. The men and the women always take separate banyas, and considering that the experience is in the nude, such traditions are probably best for everyone involved.

August 7th through August 11th - Russian Bureaucracy

This first week in Russia was essentially spent dealing with the Russian Government. First, I had to register in the city of Yekaterinburg, and then Anna began the laborious process of registering her passport. Because my journal entries from this period tend to be so sarcastic as to be unpublishable I will instead link you to a little essay I wrote on Russian Bureaucracy … Now for the next weekend...

August 12th and August 13th - The Family Ducha -- Revisited

August 15th - the politechnical university of the urals.

On this day we visited Anna's University that she graduated from in 1995 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. As I am trying to get the best of our photos down without taking too much time writing (for now), I am going to put these up and let the photos speak for themselves.

August 16th - And the Rain Rained Hard

"And the Rain Rained Hard" (Said real slowly...) These lines from a song by Ramblin Jack Elliot return often to my mind here in Yekaterinberg. However, the rain is forgiving in that it only lasts a short while before the sun comes out... which only lasts a short while before the rain returns...

On this Wednesday, Tanya and her boyfriend, Dima, offered to take us (Anna, Alexandra, and Dustin) to the new Amusement Park in Yekaterinberg. Of course we gladly accepted. However, the rain was so bad today, that the sewers were literally overflowing, and it didn't feel wise to leave the relative safety of the automobile (in this case Dima's Toyota Safari). So instead we headed for the highest mountains around so that Dima could show off his vehicle. This Toyota we drove around was pretty cool... it had "pitch" and "roll" meters to show you what angle the car is at... being that he imported it from Japan, the steering wheel was on the right side (from the passenger's perspective, this was not exactly the most comforting aspect to the vehicle as Russian cars tend to zip out of no where, and "expect" you are going to see them.) The mountain that we headed to also doubled as the local ski slopes. Interestingly, the mountains just aren't that high, even though they represent the symbolic barier between Asia and europe. Someone here said the the highest local peak is just over 2000 feet in elevation. Anyway, one of the ways the locals by pass not having any big mountains around is that they have built this massive constructions (shown in the next picture) where skiers can ski down into a big pit. The whole operation looks viciously scary to me, but then again, I'm not Russian.

Anyway, at three o'clock, Dima has to head back to work, so Tanya, Anna, Alexandra and I head home. At home we make up a comprehensive grocery list for the party that is to follow this evening. A group of Anna's University friends (as oppose to her School friends) are coming over to Tanya's for a party in celebration of their five year graduation aniversary. So after a little grocery shopping, we arrive at Tanya's house ready to cook up a Russian feast (Of course there is always time to look at picture!). And when the cooking begins, the whole kitchen goes crazy! and very soon, the guests start arriving with food and able hands, and then the tiny kitchen gets not only crazy, but also packed. I was introduced to one of Anna's friends, Kolia, as he delivered a stuffed doll to Alexandra!

As the Group arrives, the drinking begins (really even before the food, although I tried to hold off as long as possible, knowning the Russians were going to test my American stamina). The next couple of as we become well on our way... and I think the photos show it. Anna told me I had to put the last two up, but if it was just up to me, I probably would have deprived you (the web viewing audience) of such horrible taste!

By some old Russian tradition (I honestly don't remember what or when) Kolia and I became brothers, so from now on he will be referred to as (if I remember) Brother Kolia.

August 19th - Yekaterinburg Day!

I have been hearing from multiple sources that I needed more pictures of Alexandra (the voices in my head are back!). So I am going to skip to August 19th, where the city of Yekaterinburg celebrated its birthday. With news that all of the Russian soldiers have probably died on the submarine meant that many people in the city felt the celebration should be canceled. However, the Russian government was still vague at this point on the fate of the soldiers, so the party went on…

This day we met with a group of Anna’s University friends.

August 20th - Svetta and Syevo

Today we met up with Svetta and her son Syevo.

August 21th - School Friends

On Monday, Anna invited over some of her School friends for an evening of tea and good conversation.

August 23rd - Amusement Park

On Wednesday, we went with Anna's school friends for a day outing at the local amusement park. Our meeting spot was the Titanic -- A local video and music store (The largest in Yekaterinburg I might add). The first two photos were taken ourside of the Titanic while Alexandra and I climbed a tree.

Our first stop at the amusement park was the train ride. This train is pretty cool in that it is mostly run by kids, and everything inside is just like a traditional Russian train, except smaller. (Notice the kid on the far right of the photo... he is a conductor and obviously so, as he is decked out in the appropriate conductor suit!)

Then we went to the top of a Ferris wheel!

Where the views of Yekateriburg were quite impressive!

We ended the amusement park experience by climing on statues and playing frisbee...

August 26th - Tanya's Ducha

Saturday morning (actually afternoon, but hey, were're on vacation) two of anna's cousins came to visit us -- Alexi and Anna. They hung around for a couple of hours as we drank tea and coffee, looked at photos, played with Alexandra, drank some more tea and coffee, listened to music, and discussed Anna big trip to England. She will be studing for a year in England (outside of London) starting this Fall.

At one point while they were here, I was showing them the webcam on Victor's computer, and we took a took at this web site. Alexi took one look at the photo above with me and Anna riding on a bicicle and said, "Wait a minute!" Anna started laughing because she knew I was in trouble. He said, "That's my bike." And a few moments later he asked, "who is on that bike with you, Anna?" To which Anna says "Dustin," and lets him think about it for a minute, before she explains that I put my face over his using a fancy dancy picture program. As you can imagine, I was in trouble...

As I (Dustin) was not feeling all that well on this fine Saturday, Anna, Alexandra and I just hung out around the home until the evening when we left with a group of Anna's University Friends for a trip to Tanya's mother's Ducha. (This Tanya is Anna's Friend, not her mother!).

One of the great Russian characters of this trip has been Alec. Although he speaks next to no English (and I still speak next to no Russian), we managed to bond quite well! From what I have seen, he is pretty good at pouring Vodka, making everyone (who understands Russian) laugh, and playing old russian folk songs. Additionally, is capable of remembering an "Old Russian Tradition" at just about any time.

This Saturday evening, I retired early to bed, while Anna, Alexandra, and her college friends went outside by the river play folk music, make sashliki (shishkabobs), and drink... (Although at one point I did make an appearence as can be seen in the first photo. Regarding the third photo (in the next series)... It was kind of mixed blessing that just about every woman in Russia seems to be named either Tanya or Anya (or some derivative of those names). If you stutter the "T" a little and yell out "T..Anya" you can get a whole room full of women looking at you.

All in all, it was quite a fun weekend spent at a Russian ducha. Granted, a Russian illness was making a larger presence in my throat glands making me miss most of the action. However, as of this weekend, I was still slowly moving into the world of a "Russian Illness." I will say now, in case I publish this without updating further... I did get much worse as far as sicknesses go, although I have recovered, and am doing very well at the moment.

September 1 -- Transportation

September 6 -- moscow.

So, my sickness meant that we couldn't leave for Moscow on the day we had planned but had to postpone it for a few days (this also gave Anna some more time to sort things out with the Russian Passport Agency). However, we did make it to Moscow eventually for a day whirlwind trip through the biggest of the best.

This will sound obscure to most Americans travelers who make it to Moscow, but... Moscow was a breath of fresh air. Sure the water is still undrinkable, and the air is only slightly better than Yekaterinburg's, but the attitude of the people on the streets, lights the city up. Hope is in the air.

Probably due to the large tourist population, Muscovites have learned about the concept of service (imagine that!). When I walk into a store in Moscow, I often get a smile from the cashier! (as oppose to the Yekaterinburg stare that says, "Yeah, I got something you want... Get down on your knees and beg and maybe I will consider selling it to you.") Of course, Aeroflot (the airline I am flying as I write this) is still much more like the Russian government than a private company based in Moscow, but that is another story. Because our flight from Yekaterinburg to Moscow was delayed by seven hours, our time in Moscow was cut from two days to a day and a half... However, we did make the most of our short time available.

The driver who picked us up from the airport was nice enough to give us the scenic tour to our destination -- the apartment of Anna's friends, Ullia and Michael. On our drive, we went through downtown Moscow, past Pushkin Square, and the driver delighted in telling us the history of Moscow as he remembers it. (For example, he became very animated when he discussed waiting in line for hours and hours in order to get a hamburger on the day that the first McDonalds opened.

Our first stop was Michael's home (Ullia was out of town visiting family in Yekaterinburg of all places!). At their apartment we met Lidia, a woman also from Yekaterinburg who was also staying at their apartment while she was trying to a visa for her and her son so that she could work in Germany. She had already worked the previous year in Germany as a computer programmer, and only returned to Moscow to renew her visa AND pick up her son who had been living with her parents for the past year.

After a short break (so that Anna could make the necessary telephone calls) we left for Pushkin Square, where we met up with Michael. As he is the local expert on Moscow history and culture he lead us all (Lidia, Anna, Alexandra, and I) on a tour of Red Square and the surrounding area. After walking around and watching the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we searched out a good place to eat dinner. We settled on a Ukrainian food where I enjoyed a pot of meat and potatoes.

After dinner, Lidia left for home while Anna, Alexandra, Michael, and I took the Metro to the University of Moscow. On the ride over, we randomly rain into a good friend of Anna's -- Alexander. He quickly changed his plans, and joined us on our adventure. At the University we walked past the massive Stalinist Building to a look our point. From there we were supposedly at the highest point in Russia and most of the historic landmarks were within view.

As it approached midnight, we decided to head home where we could get the appropriate rest necessary for a full day of touristing the next day.

September 7 -- Moscow

The next morning we met up with Alexander, his wife and their one and a half month old daughter at an outdoor museum. the museum consisted of a few Russian Orthodox churches amidst lots ancient (500 year old) oak trees. While the main church was pretty dilapidated, the views of the surrounding area were amazing. After a few hours of strolling, we separated from Alexander and his family, and we headed to Red Square where we visited a historical museum. Like all museums in Moscow, they had a Russian price (20 Rubles or about 65 cents) and a Foreigner price (150 Rubles or about 5 dollars). Just another example where of the Russians trying to squeeze everything they can out of people as oppose to making life pleasant.

The museum had three exhibits. The first looked at the Russian history from pre-history through the Czars. The second exhibit looked into the military history around the time period of Peter I. He is the Czar who is given credit for culturing the peasant Russian population. He traveled extensively through Europe, and took some of the best Europe had to offer in designing the city St. Petersburg. The third exhibit honored one day, June 24, 1945, in Russian history. As this was a day of a mass rally celebrating the World War II victory that is ever at the heart of all older Russians.

After taking in what the museum had to offer, we headed outside (into the rain) for a walk around Moscow. We ended up at the home of the Romonov family before they rose to they rose to become the Czars of Russia over 400 years ago. At their past home, we were able to see how the upper class of Russian society would have lived in the 1600s... and it was very bleak. The men had their very dark rooms where they would entertain their male friends. The women lived on the top floor only leaving their quarters once or twice per year.

After an hour of the Romonovs, we made our way to Arbat Street where we met another friend of Anna's, Colia. We walked down Arbat Street once, bought some souvenirs, and headed, once again, to Pushkin Square to meet with Michael and Lidia.

The group of us walked around downtown Moscow in the rain for a few hours admiring and discussing the architecture among other things. Michael happily pointed out the historical monuments and buildings as we passed them. Then we headed home where (in Russian tradition) the women cooked an excellent dinner and we all drank to help us discus the state of the world.

The next morning, two drivers showed up... One to take Anna and Alexandra to the Domestic Airport so she could head back to Yekaterinburg for a final week, and me, to the International Airport so that I could board a plane for the United States of America.

That successfully ended my story of our Summer of 2000 Family Trip to Russia.