All the travel journal ideas out there assume plenty of time for journaling. This might be fine for the beach-only vacationers, but what are the 3-museums-in-a-day travelers supposed to do? When you take busy vacations, you need insanely good travel journal ideas.
Well, you’ve come to the right place. In honor of June, Write Your Wellness is starting the week off with tips on how to keep a memorable travel journal. Whether you are a worldwide foodie or an adventure seeker, these travel journal tips are different because they prioritize a mind-blowing vacation over a picture perfect journal page. The best part, you’ll still be able to record all the best parts of your insanely busy vacation.
Jump HERE for the full list. But if that’s TL;DR, all you really need is this Travel Journal Template.
Travel Journaling 101
Travel journals are not a new idea here at Write Your Wellness. Every journaling beginner needs to know about them. Still, you might have some questions on what makes a travel journal a travel journal.
Here’s the WYW definition: a travel journal is a catch-all place to record your adventures.
First, notice that “adventures” is a vague word. You don’t have to be jet-setting to a remote island to keep an interesting travel journal. In fact, you don’t even need to leave your town. Trying a new grocery store is enough. Taking a different route to work is enough. These things might sound mundane to some, but any change of scenery can inspire some great journal entries. That said, you can also fold in some international vacations if you are able. It’s your journal after all.
Second, keep an eye on the phrase “catch-all”. In the travel journal ideas that follow, you might just discover a few new categories of journal entries to try.
The Problem with Travel Journals
At this point, a lot of people get suspicious about travel journals. They say things like, “How will I ever find time to have an adventure AND write about the adventure”. This is a really, really good point. You should always aim to journal so you can live life, not live life so you can journal. Taking time away from your busy vacations to wax poetic about those travels is… unproductive.
Don’t worry. These travel journal ideas will help you confidently capture every amazing moment of your adventures without sacrificing excitement.
Travel Journal Ideas to Beat Busy Vacations
As promised, here are ten travel journal ideas for those of us who try to pack every possible thing into our suitcase and itinerary. Those busy vacations won’t pass you by when you keep your travel journal this way.
Start With a Packing List
If you want to eventually fill every page, you need travel journal ideas that start at the VERY beginning of your trip. A packing list is essential for any journey, whether it’s your daily carry or a couple of checked bags.
Pro Tip: Make 3 check boxes for your list and mark them off like so:
- When you pack the item at home
- When you use the item on your trip
- When you pack the item at the last hotel
The first two are obviously a great way to make sure you don’t forget anything while traveling. It may even help to add extra boxes if you plan to stay at multiple places. As many travelers will tell you, there is *nothing* worse than forgetting something hundreds of miles away from home.
BUT the secret sauce is that middle box. There are so many reasons to track what you actually use on vacation. Here are the top two. First, it is a super quick way to mark memories. It can help you remember what you wore each day, what trinkets came in handy, etc. Second, it can help you plan for the next trip. Do you really need 2 pairs of underwear per day? Probably not. With luggage fees going crazy, knowing what NOT to pack is important.
Prompt Prep
Knowing what to write about is half the battle. Sometimes a vacation day is so full that you have no idea what to write about at the end of the day. To quote the early-2010’s meme “Ain’t nobody got time for that”. If you know your trip is going to be jam-packed, why not prep your prompt ahead of time?
Think of it like a homemade guided journal of travel journal ideas. If you know you are going to try a new, exciting food on Sunday – prep a journal prompt about that. When your vacation is more nature-based, talk about how beautiful your surroundings are.
These prompts are usually different from the typical journal prompts coming from Write Your Wellness. They are more fun, less soul-searchy. Here are a few to get you started:
- What surprisingly reminded you of home today?
- When did you have the most fun today?
- How did today line up with your expectations?
- Who was the most interesting person you met today?
- Where would you like to return and spend more time if you ever had the chance?
Your Itinerary – But Make it Cute
Maybe you are a no-nonsense type of traveler. You pride yourself on a strictly functional itinerary with names, locations, and contact numbers – that’s it.
Or, hear me out, maybe you are open to adding some commentary. If we are being honest, a huge part of travel is planning the trip. There is so much excitement and curiosity before you even leave the house. Why not capture that inside your travel journal?
As you write out your itinerary, try making two columns. In the first column, add the details. It’s nice to have the important stuff on paper (especially if you are traveling internationally). Wi-Fi comes and goes but paper will never have a bad connection. The second column is for expectations. Ask yourself, “Why this place” and journal from there.
The best part? Once you’re done with the trip, you can compare your expectations to reality. More likely than not, you’re gonna be surprised.
Your Phone is Your Friend
I get it. There is something super romantic about traveling the world with a leather-bound journal in hand. Who doesn’t want to have their Colin Bridgerton summer? But you have something that even regency-era rich people didn’t have – a phone.
PSA: it is NOT cheating to keep journaling notes on your phone and flesh out the full prompts later. In fact, this is one of the best travel journal ideas for busy travelers. Will you bring your journal on that kayaking tour? Probably not. Will you bring your phone? Of course.
When you are pressed for time, jot down quick thoughts in your notes app. There will be so much time to write about these things later. Heck, you could write about them well after the trip if you’d like. I certainly have. At the end of the day, it is always better to write something than hold out for the perfect time to write.
Take a Picture (It Will Last Longer)
And while we are at it, take pictures.
No really. Even if you aren’t the type to print off a photo and stick it in your journal, photos help jog the memory. Take a picture of everything you might want to write about. At worst, you’ll have a quirky photo album. At best, you’ll remember a beautifully small part of your trip that may have otherwise been forgotten.
Good Sleep > Good Journaling
One common mistake that travel journalers make is “burning the midnight oil” to get in a few journal pages. Babe, don’t do that. This is one of the worst travel journal ideas you can listen to. Your health, sleep, and safety will ALWAYS be more important than writing a few sleep-deprived journal entries.
Let’s be honest, after a long day of travel, your writing skills are shot. Call it a day. In fact, this goes for your day-to-day journal too. Self care is essential to confidence. Besides, if you’ve been taking notes and photos throughout the trip (as per the earlier suggestions), you’ll be fine.
Take the Train
Public transportation is underrated. Every journaler should travel by train. Why? Because train rides are the perfect time to write in your travel journal! Unlike plane rides, which normally only happen before and after trips, train rides are mid-trip travel. Between staring at the interesting scenery outside, you’ll have time to gather your thoughts.
There isn’t normally a good time to talk about the joys of public transit on this wellness journaling blog so please indulge me. It really is one of the most helpful travel journal ideas.
Plug and Chug
One last bit of food for thought in this list of travel journal ideas, don’t expect more from your travel journal than your regular journal. When you are journaling on a random Tuesday, you have time to sit and think. This is rarely true on vacation. So, if a plug-and-chug gratitude list is good enough for you day-to-day, consider using a plug-and-chug travel journal.
To help you out, I’ve created the perfect travel journal template. This quick check-in has everything you need to remember your trip. If you are a paper-only kind of journal, feel free to copy these questions into your physical journal. If you don’t mind a little bit of digital journaling – I’m including a copy for Canva editing and Instagram Stories.
Oh, and did I mention it is free? Check it out!
