There’s something really satisfying about coming home from a trip with more than just a camera roll full of photos, especially if you’ve been jotting things down along the way.
Disclosure: If you purchase anything from links in this post or any other, I may receive some kind of affiliate commission. However, I only ever mention products I love and would recommend regardless of commission.
Disclosure: I’m not a mental-health or medical expert, I just share what I’ve learned through my own research and experience. The ideas and prompts here are meant to help you reflect and grow, but they’re not a replacement for professional advice. You can read my full disclaimers here.
Travel journaling isn’t about documenting every detail. It’s about noticing the bits that mattered and made your trip more interesting. You know, the weird snack you tried, the conversation with a stranger, the unexpected view you found after taking the wrong turn.
In this post, I’ll share some simple ways to start a travel journal, what to pack, and a few easy techniques to help you actually keep it up while you’re away (without lugging around a suitcase full of stationery).
How Travel Journaling Captures Moments
As a form of journaling, the travel journal has become increasingly popular recently, because it’s a great way to preserve the story behind the photo or the trip behind the travel tickets.
And for those taking a gap year, taking an extended trip, or travelling for business, it can be a great way to reflect on your experiences. It’s also become a tool for day-trippers, allowing them to record the places and people they meet.
Whatever your reason for travelling, you’ll find that most people prefer a physical paper journal to record their travel stories, something tangible and lasting. Others prefer a digital version, often called travel blogs or travel vlogs (for video).
The aim of every journal is to deepen your experience by promoting mindfulness and immersion during travel. You might record what you felt, learned, and discovered, not just what you saw.
As a byproduct, journaling is also an excellent tool for boosting memory retention, as writing triggers reflection and memory encoding. It may also help you explore ideas and themes, and even create intentions or goals that have a lasting impact on your future.
What You’ll Need to Start Travel Journaling
In most cases, you really only need the basics:
- A durable notebook or travel-sized journal.
- A travel pen set, markers, travel themed washi tape, a glue stick or travel-sized art supplies.
- Envelope/pouch for keepsakes (ticket stubs, receipts, etc.).
Digital options include tablet journaling apps, blogs, or videos.
Types of Entries You Can Create (Travel Diary or Travel Journal Ideas)
One way to create entries for your personalised travel journal is to use the daily recap method, highlighting experiences, meals, surprises, and mishaps. Almost like a travel diary.
Another option is to use your travel journal to reflect on how the trip changed your perspective or connected to your personal goals. We call this the reflective method.
Either way, what enhances your entries is the inclusion of things like sketches and maps, ticket stubs, photos and lists of your favourite things, people met, and “next time” ideas.
And this is where anything goes. You aren’t tied to a single format or look. Instead, you can make every page its own story.
But does that mean you end up carrying around lots of art supplies to keep up with your journaling on a long trip? Let’s take a look.
When and How to Journal While Travelling
Journaling for me has always been either a morning or an evening thing. If I want to manifest something for my day, I journal in the morning. If I want to reflect on something that has happened, I journal in the evening. But that isn’t always an option when I’m travelling. And that’s likely the same for you—if you are on a long trip with lots of activities booked, you’ll be pushed for time to journal and space for supplies. So, I recommend keeping things simple.
Take a reasonably sized journal with you, along with a glue stick, a good pen set with a few different colours, and a small folder for any extras you pick up. Then, when you get home, you can fill in spaces with photos, postcards and any of your other trip ephemera.
Journal with a quick notes technique. This will limit the time you need to spend on your journal when you also want to create memories with friends. But take lots of pictures. These will help jog your memory when you read your journal back through after a trip (or in several years’ time). Pictures will also help you catch up if you miss a few days of entry writing.
Looking for Inspiration?
Here are some people to follow on either YouTube or Instagram:
- Abbey Sy (Abbey also has a book called The Art of the Travel Journal on Amazon)
- Job’s Journal
- Jane the Crazy
Looking for Travel Journal Supplies?
Here is my journal, pen and supplies list. This is a mix-and-match list of a range of different options that you might like, depending on how you journal. You almost certainly will not need all of these:
- Moleskine Classic Large (Softcover) – This notebook has a flexible yet sturdy cover that survives daily journeys with ease. The smooth ivory pages work for everything from quick to-do lists to sketches.
- Leuchtturm1917 (A5 Softcover) – This notebook has numbered pages, a built-in table of contents, and dual bookmarks to keep you organised, with a soft cover that lies flat and stands up to extensive daily use.
- Sakura Pigma Micron Pen (Set) – These fineliner pens use high-quality ink that resists bleeding and fading. The set offers a range of fine tip sizes for everything from delicate details to bold outlines.
- Uni-Ball Vision Elite – According to UniBrand, these pens are aeroplane-safe. Even with cabin pressure changes, the ink won’t leak.
- 100-Pc Travel Sticker Pack – A hundred unique travel-themed stickers come in this pack, each one with world landmarks and adventures. They’re made of waterproof, sunproof vinyl.
- Tombow MONO Adhesive (Tape Runner) – Perfect for scrapbooking and journaling. It rolls out a clean, wrinkle-free strip of adhesive that instantly bonds paper or photos to your pages.
- reMarkable Paper Pro Bundle – Quite a pricey option. But absolutely perfect if you want to go digital while still loving the feel of paper. This digital paper tablet offers the uncanny pleasure of writing by hand with all the perks of going paperless. Jotting notes or sketches on its screen feels just like writing on paper
- Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 3 Printer – Send your phone photos to this pocket printer and watch it spit out a vibrant, credit-card-sized print you can hold.
- Lihit Lab Pen Organizer – This compact pencil case zips open like a book to reveal four compartments that neatly hold your pens, pencils, and even an A7 pocket notebook.
Wrapping Up
The most memorable parts of a trip often aren’t the big sights. They are more likely to be the little things you didn’t expect. And that’s what your travel journal’s for.
Don’t overthink it. Just write down what you want to remember. Stick in a receipt, a train ticket, a scribbled quote. You can always fill in the gaps later — or leave them blank. It’s your story either way.
If you’ve got a trip coming up, I’d love to hear about it. Tell me what kind of journal you’re thinking of keeping, or what kind of things you think you’ll want to hold onto.
Disclosure: If you purchase anything from links in this post or any other, I may receive some kind of affiliate commission. However, I only ever mention products I love and would recommend regardless of commission.
Disclosure: I’m not a mental-health or medical expert, I just share what I’ve learned through my own research and experience. The ideas and prompts here are meant to help you reflect and grow, but they’re not a replacement for professional advice. You can read my full disclaimers here.