Why and How to Write a Travel Journal

By Justin Osborne

Writing a journal is one of the best activities to engage in when traveling *aside from, you know, all the other cool adventures you’ll engage in.* Journaling has long proved to be effective for stress management, memory improvement, mood-boosting, and emotional strengthening. While traveling is an enjoyable experience for most, it can also be demanding from many perspectives, including stress, of course. So, to release it but also remember the great times of the adventure you’ve got yourself into, journaling can be very helpful. Let’s explore what a travel journal is and why you need to get yourself one as soon as possible.

What is a travel journal?

A travel journal is a notepad or a notebook in which you can write tips on how your trip went and what you’ve learned across days or months of traveling. It can be a diary of your feelings or emotions upon the journey but also an album of your memories. It is a collection of the most and least impressive stories of your traveling experience. It doesn’t really matter who you travel with and where you are going, the traveling journal will always be a good reference point to where you have been and how you’ve been feeling while there.

Why should you have a traveling journal?

A good traveling journal will allow you to remember all the great times you’ve had on your trip and all the amazing people you’ve crossed paths with. Dana Humphrey at uk.bestessays.com talks about some of the other benefits of keeping a traveling journal – and why you should do it.

*Before the trip*

• Set your intention for the trip and write down the reasons why you are engaging in such an experience – what do you want out of this and how do you want it to unfold?
• Write down the contact details of all the people you are expecting to see on your trip and gather all the info you need on the places, countries, hotels, etc. that you are going to visit.

*During the trip*

• Slow down to enjoy your surroundings. Write down what you like and dislike at your current situation – is there something that is bothering you? Are you rushing through your trip? Have you taken the time to observe and listen? If not, a traveling journal is a good checkpoint.
• Be present right now. A traveling journal gives you a more present state of mind. You are in the here and in the now, writing down exactly what you see and feel.
• It is a creativity boost. You not only become more creative by writing but you could also draw to engage your right brain hemisphere! Draw sketches of the places you’ve seen or been in to remember them more accurately.
• Organize your thoughts. Remember all the destinations that you’ve been through by writing them down *and your thoughts on them*. Who knows, you might be able to open up a blog page or become an essay specialist and write my essay for me one day; that would be pretty neat! It would also bring you quite some money.
• If you are waiting in line or for a flight, a traveling journal gives you the opportunity to reflect upon your trip while waiting. It is a good activity to make time pass more quickly!

*After your trip*

• Your traveling journal will be your reference point when talking to your friends and relatives. You can hold on to it and later, show your stories to those interested. Also, you might not remember details about your trip accurately, so you can always open your journal to remind yourself of those good times.
• In case you lose your digital copies of the images you’ve gathered; your traveling journal will always be there for you to remind you of everything you lost. Your memories will remain intact and fresh in your memory.

How to start a travel journal

1. Understand that there are no rules on how or when to start your travel journal. If you want to start it half-way on your trip, that is totally fine. Also, there are no rules on what to include in your journal. If you want to draw on it, you can draw on it. If you want to stick photos to it, you can do that. If you just want to write in it on blank pages, then opt for that. Whatever floats your boat!
2. You can start a travel journal even if you are not on the road backpacking. You can take your travel journal with you everywhere you go – at school, at work, etc. Just write down notes on what you’re doing and how that makes you feel. As I said, this is a good checkpoint for your mood.
3. You don’t have to give journaling the attribution of being a chore. If you do that, you won’t enjoy it. Just make sure you write in your journal whenever you feel like it. Don’t set alarms or things like that to write in your journal. Go with the flow and you’ll see how cool your diary will look like by the end of your trip!
4. Add more details while you are back home if you need to. If you are traveling with friends, ensure that you stay present while there. So write down notes on your journal but add more details once you get back home to avoid not staying in the now.

Conclusion

Journaling is an incredible way to feel more connected to your surroundings and notice more while you are traveling. It is also a good way to keep memories intact and safe! So, before traveling, get yourself a pretty notepad and start journaling!

Justin  is a travel writer for write my essay, blogger from Leicester, UK. He likes to discuss travels and share his own ideas with readers on different blogs and forums. Currently, he is working as an editor at  uk.bestessays.com.

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