Travel Journaling has been a part of travel for most of human existence, whether it was ancient Grecian warriors recounting their heroic tales of campaigns, Lewis and Clark discovering the untold riches of the American West, or Reginald Huggins writing about his adventures on the Aegean sea during the First World War. Journaling is an important part of your travel experience. It’s a way to keep your thoughts and memories jotted down and fresh so you can look back on them long after the memory has faded. But keeping a journal is a learned skill, it doesn’t always come naturally to people. So what are the tricks and keys to keeping a consistent and vibrant record of your time abroad? There are literally dozens, but here are our top 5 tips to make sure your travel journal is the best it can be.

Set a Time

As with any task, scheduling can be the hardest part of planning something, especially when you’re on the road. But specifically deciding to jot everything down at a specific time can help you get in the groove and develop consistency. There’s no hard-and-fast rule as to when you write, but making it the same time every day will help you keep track of your adventure more accurately. Many chose to dedicate the first half-hour of the day to writing while they are in bed, others chose to jot it all down at the end of the day while the memories are still fresh. Whatever you decide, make sure you stay disciplined, but don’t freak out if you miss a day! You can always make it up! 2. Keep Notes As you walk throughout your day, it can be handy to keep a small not

Keep Notes

As you walk throughout your day, it can be handy to keep a small notebook in your pocket or purse to let you take notes as you go about the adventure. This isn’t meant to be its own journal, rather a quick reference for you when you recount the adventure at the end of the day. Marking down the exact smells, sights, feelings, and emotions you’re experiencing in two or three words will let you expound later. It can especially be helpful in jogging your memory if you’re writing about your day the morning after, or if you have to skip a day.

Outline

Jotting down memories seems simple, but if you want to have something coherent years later, it can be helpful to outline your entries before you write them. First, take your notes from the day and timeline your sequence of events. Then fill in the gaps with your thoughts and the points you want to specifically plan to remember. Once you have the “map”, all there is to do is flesh out the outline on paper as a journal entry.

Plan Ahead

Start your journal off by reviewing and planing your itinerary. Write down the first entry as a collection of your expectations, excitement, and hopes. Write about your flight, what you’re expecting to see, and the top four or five things you’re stoked for. This way you have a baseline for the finish of your trip when you sum everything up

Sum It Up

At the end of your trip, look back on your initial entry and then on the day’s reflection. To close out that particular journal, finish your writing out by expounding upon how the trip went versus how you expected it to go. What did you think would be the best part, and what was actually your favorite part? This puts a nice finish on the whole adventure, and clears your mind for the next one where you start the process all over again!