When asked about their hobby, many would respond with traveling. It allows you to get out of your comfort zone and explore different places, traditions, and cultures and gain new and invaluable experiences! Traveling is also done for various reasons such as vacations, business purposes, adventures, events, and more.
For more information please visit Pritish Kumar Halder’s page.
What are travel journals?
Travel journal on the bed with other travel items.
Travel journals help you to write and document the experience you had during your trips. You can include a written description of the place that you have visited, a list of your itinerary, the photos that you took during your trip, and even voice recordings that you have made during your time. Travel journals are one of the most popular journals among the different types of journals.
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Ask yourself… who is the diary for?
Is it just for you to read – or to share with your friends? This could influence what you put in or leave out! It will also influence the tone and style of the way you write. If you’re keen to write for a wider audience, how about creating a travel blog?
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Ask yourself… What do you want to include?
When writing your notes, think about what you’ll want to remember from the trip in ten, 20, or even 30 years.
It’d be a good idea to include your itinerary; your route plotted on a map, plus a ‘cast list of people you meet en route (include brief descriptions or even photos to jog your memory). Keep the contact details of the people you would like to keep in touch with (and do keep in touch with them!).
You could list the ‘top moments’ or ‘best bits’ from your trip – best sunset, view, meal, restaurant…
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Avoid listing mundane activities
‘And then I did this… and then I did that… It can become tedious! You want to create a captivating story, not a repetitive list. Indeed, this is one of the big no-nos of travel writing!
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Remember entries don’t have to be chronological
Write whatever catches your imagination, whenever it occurs to you.
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You don’t have to record everything!
What you leave out is as important as what you put in.
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Use dialogue
Funny things you’ve overheard, or a conversation with a camel driver, for example.
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Use ALL your senses
Write about the sounds, smells, tastes, and even textures of your trip.
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Illustrate it
The act of drawing a building, termite mound, or person will help to etch them in your memory. If you’re not artistic, how about learning how to get the best results from your camera or how to take great iPhone photos instead?
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Use it as a scrapbook, too
Stick in tickets, bottle labels, snippets from local newspapers, receipts, etc – use the pocket in the back of the journal to hold them, or stick them into the day they refer to. You’ll have a thick, full memory book to look back through.
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Give a day and date for each new memory…
Or else you’ll forget what happened when.
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Get it down on paper while it’s fresh
It will be much more vivid. If there’s not enough time for a full description, jotting down a few key words which will jog your memory and fill in the gaps later.
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It’s your journal, so stick to what interests you
If you want to record distance in miles covered, units of wine drunk, funny road signs, tacky souvenirs, or even cute cats, then great – that’s up to you!
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Enjoy yourself!
Your travels and trips are fun – and your journal should be too! If it’s becoming a chore, think about how you can change it to make writing more enjoyable… How about summarising each day with one sentence, a best of/worst of the list, or replacing words with pictures or photos?
Start a digital journal – download the Journey app today!
Why write a journal when traveling?
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Discover and learn more things
Young woman writing in a travel journal diary while sitting on the terrace in the city.
Traveling usually leads one to gain new experiences and discoveries. By writing down your experience, you will get to understand your surroundings better, reflect and remember the discoveries that you have made during the trip.
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Travel memories not to be forgotten
Writing down the journey of your trip using diary software helps you to remember the activities and things that you have done during the trip. When recording your travel experience, a travel journal can also remind you of the reasons and purpose of the travel.
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Write a shared travel journal
Creating a shared travel journal with your travel companion helps to foster a sense of unity that can bring each other closer. With a shared journal, you are more likely to commit to documenting the full experience of the trip. For more information please visit Pritish Kumar Halder ‘s page.
How to Write Travel Journals: 3 Amazing Tips to Get Started
Colorful hot air balloons before launch in Goreme national park, Cappadocia, turkey
Feeling the urge to write the first travel journal entry for your next trip? You don’t need to be abroad to write your first travel journal. You can start by writing about the places that you would like to visit!
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Use your journal to plan your trip
You don’t need to be in the country where you will be traveling to start your first journal. Travel journals can be used to plan your upcoming trips as well. In your journal, you can add the places you would like to visit followed by the itinerary plans, tours, and more into your travel wish list!
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Write about your expectations of this vacation
Before you set foot in the first city, you can write about your expectation of the trip in the journal. Listing down your expectations on what the holiday will be like, can heighten your pre-departure excitement and make you feel like the vacation has already begun. At the end of your vacation, you can compare your expectations listed in your journal with what you experienced on the trip.
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Write a reflection after your trip
Writing a reflective journal of your travel journey can be useful as it is a great way to recap what you have learned about the people you were with, yourself, and the trip in general. It is something that we advise you to do after a particular event, trip or activity as it helps you to gain more insights and apply them to your future vacations.
Travel journal ideas that inspire you
Top view of people writing a travel journal before and after a vacation trip.
Not sure how to start the first page of your new travel journal? Refer to some of the travel journals prompts to kick-start your first journal of the trip!
Pre-departure ideas
- Why are you going?
- What are the places that you are most excited to visit?
- What are your expectations for the trip?
Post-holiday ideas
- Write about the people that you have interacted with.
- Write about the food.
- What did you like/dislike most about the trip, and why?
- Reflect and write on your experience of the day.
- What is something that you wish to do the next time you visit again?
- How would you recommend the trip to your friends and family? Write a travel guide for them!
- Where’s your next stop that you would like to travel to?
Reference
https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/how-to-write-the-perfect-travel-journal
