A travel journal is a fantastic, creative way to record your adventures. Whether it’s written, through photography, or sketches, it’s unique to you. Whatever style you choose, there are a few things to include. Read my article The Beginners Guide to a Unique Travel Journal for a helpful introduction to journaling.
What to include in your travel journal:
Dates & times
This helps you to remember specifics. The bar you visited on a Monday might be quite a different experience on a Friday. Record the dates you flew, and when you entered and exited a country.
This also helps when applying for visas etc, and they need to know the dates of every country you visited recently. This has saved me a lot of time and hassle in the past! Make a single page just for that so it’s easily accessible. Also, when you write your daily journal entries, date each entry. I include the day of the week too, to complete it.
Itineraries
Write your itineraries ahead of time and keep track of them in your journal. Feel free to add or cross things off as you go and your plans change. But it’s super helpful to have this list written down to see it.
Include things on your bucket list, recommendations, when things are closed, how long the coach trip will be, etc. Read How to Create a Bucket List for more help with this one. This helped me to plan a 4-week itinerary for the Australian east coast. Although I did write it first on a scrap piece of paper and then the finalised version in my journal. Otherwise, it would have been super messy! Include times of coaches, trains, your tickets, etc.
Find out how to create a travel itinerary from Four Around The World.
Sketches
Make a sketch of something you saw that you liked, or the route of the hiking trail you’re planning to take. This can be helpful to break up all of the words on the page. And you can find information easier.
You don’t need to be an artist…trust me, I’m not. But it’s fun to doodle the flowers you see on a hike or the shape of a mountain. In the cities maybe you had an amazing-looking coffee or saw a fascinating piece of art. Even everyday things like London’s famous Underground sign can be fun to draw. Let your creativity flow. Pinterest is a great source to find inspiration.
What you saw, smelt, heard, tasted...
Use all of your senses and record anything that stands out to you. A lot of times memories are linked to specific smells and tastes of the place you visited. Or one still image of something you saw. This can be powerful when reading back on journal entries. It may even illicit an “oh yeah, I forgot about that!” Small details are often where the beauty is.
For example, when I think of Mexico City, I think of the small groups of people dancing every evening. I would walk by and it would feel so fun and carefree.
Your emotions
How did the experiences make you feel? Was it exciting? Less than what you expected? Overpriced, or a hidden gem? Maybe the tourist attraction was too busy for your liking, but you found something similar nearby with no one there. Or perhaps it was everything you thought it would be and more! Playing it cool is not cool.
Gush about the amazing things you experienced so that it transports you back there when you read it again. This is also a great way to practice your writing skills; it gets your creativity flowing. The more you write the more the words will come to you.
Encounters with people
Whether it’s locals or fellow travelers, write about the time you spent with them. How did you even meet them in the first place? There’s a ton of opportunity to meet people when travelling. The possibilities here are endless. Did you have any good conversations? Did they give you any good advice? Maybe they recommended something to you?
Even if you’re an introvert or not interested in much socialising, just people-watch. To do this in a different country and culture is fascinating. I’m sure you will make some great observations, learn about the culture, and have something to write about.
Advice you have acquired
If you have any advice for other travellers, write them down so you don’t forget them. There’s a good chance you will develop some great advice as you travel that others would appreciate. Was that famous restaurant worth the money? Did you find better food for cheaper? People will appreciate information like that. Write them down so you don’t forget them too, for next time!
Get creative and use a highlighter to make these valuable bits of information stand out to you. Or make a page somewhere in your journal dedicated to these little useful nuggets.
Things that went wrong!
Add some humour to your journal. Even a story about mishaps can be a good story! It will give you valuable advice too about what not to do; or that the museum you spent hours travelling to is closed on Tuesdays… This can add some humour to your stories, and they’re good lessons learned. It also highlights that not everything about travelling is positive and fun. Sometimes things happen, plans change, and money is spent.
But it’s all about learning, and it gives your travel journal a more authentic appeal. Of course, you may not want to include something truly tragic here. This is more about the small things that went wrong, that you can look back on and laugh about.
Packing lists
Make sure you have everything you need. Whether that’s before you go or what you need to buy when you arrive. You may need to pack specific things for a specific trip. These are handy to know and remember. For example, visiting the Yukon in the Winter is very different than visiting in the Summer. You will need a lot more clothing that will keep you warm in the Winter, and you can’t forget anything. No one wants to freeze their butt off unnecessarily!
Make it into a checklist and tick off everything you have packed. This also ensures that you don’t forget anything when you leave a destination. If you need help with your backpacking trip, read these 7 Brilliant Tips to Help with your First Backpacking Trip.
Pages for important information
At the front of your travel journal keep a few pages for the important things. Like contact numbers in case you lose your phone, your travel insurance information, etc. It’s never thought of until it’s needed.
Maybe even a few key phrases in the country’s language you’re visiting to help you along. These would be a great memento for when you leave as well. Then you will be relieved to find it all one in place, ready to go.
Let's get your travel journal started!
There you have it, a quick guide on what to include in your travel journal. Hopefully, this information gets your creative energy flowing and it helps you to get started. Your travel journal will evolve so it’s always better to start now and improve, then wait. Even if the pages never see the light of day to anyone else, do it for yourself.
