4 Tips to Conquer Your Fear of Travel Journaling
With the summer months upon us, many people are gearing up for holidays and adventures all around the world. Whether you’re globetrotting or just exploring new neighbourhoods, there are a lot of benefits to keeping a travel journal!
Taking a moment to write your thoughts during your travels really enables you to bask in all the little moments that you often forget once you get home. It also serves as a great place to keep souvenirs you might not otherwise have a place for, no more guilt about finding those in the bottom of your suitcase and just throwing them out! Often we talk ourselves out of keeping a travel journal, mostly from worrying about carrying it around or feeling pressured to make entries during busy holidays but the truth is that it doesn’t have to be so daunting. 4 little things can make a big difference:
Pack the right kit
Save your paper
Format to fill
Make it part of the adventure!
Packing the Right Kit
A big part of having a successful travel journal is building a kit to suit your travel style and making it something easy to reach for!
For example, you could take a Field Notes notebook ( Sold in a pack of 3 for future adventures!), your favourite pen and a mini glue tape runner for the bare essentials. Maybe the passport size Traveler’s Notebook with some sticker release paper, and an insert for journaling would make for a great all in one kit that could double as a passport holder! And if you can’t live without having a little bit of everything, fill a Hobonichi Drawer Pouch with Kita washi tape strips, some sticker sheets, brush markers or your favourite art supples and a Traveler’s Spiral kraft paper notebook for ultimate creative freedom!
Feel free to mix and match, just remember: the key is to not overpack! Think about a kit you can take in your day bag with you, one that you feel comfortable pulling out at the park or in a café. If you have bulky favourite supplies, like many rolls of washi tape or sticker sheets, you can always condense them into washi sample cards or sticker books! And don’t forget…
Even spread on a table, pamphlets and maps add an exciting element to your journal without needing to be an artist!
Save Your Paper!
When it comes to journaling, collecting paper makes for great spreads! Pick up a pamphlet at the museums you visit or keep your transit tickets. If you’re worried about collecting trash you can curate with a few things in mind: does it evoke a memory or include imagery that will help you remember? Does it include names of people or places you visited? Most importantly, does it inspire you? If any of those are true, keep it for when you’re ready to actually sit down and work on your journal!
Format To Fill
Now that you have your supplies, remember that the goal is not to chronicle your every move as you travel ( although that is one way to do it if that excites you!) but to note some of the things that stood out to you. Write about the ambiance in that new restaurant you tried or what it was like seeing that landmark. It doesn’t have to be walls of text either! Use larger lettering for titles or place names to take up more space. Cut pictures out of pamphlets for visual aid. Some truly amazing creators are out there travel journaling, so take inspiration from the likes of Abby Sy, JanetheCrazy, or JobsJournal on Instagram!
Make it Part of the Adventure
Arguably the most difficult thing about travel journaling is finding the time to do it. Between all the chaos travel can bring, challenge yourself to add slowing down to your holiday. Take a 10-minute walk near your accommodations and see if you can find a quiet place to dedicate another 10 to reflecting on how it’s going so far. Grab a local delicacy for lunch and sit in the park or people-watch at a cafe or diner while you put your thoughts together. If making time to journal doesn’t suit your travel style, pack your kit into your day bag in case of a break on your adventures. Long queues and food breaks are almost guaranteed and make for great times to jot a few lines or sketch your surroundings.
Hopefully these tips have inspired you to take a notebook on your travels! We wish you a bon voyage from Phidon!