The best trips continue long after we’ve returned home: in memory, in the stories we tell, and in the ways we re-orient our lives. But how do you catch in words the light above the Pacific, an evening with new friends at a fantastic pub, or the way the Hawaiian morning sun feels on your skin? How do we turn sights into lasting insights and use the landscape around us to unlock the treasures within? By keeping a travel journal, we can deepen our experiences and increase present-moment awareness. Journaling and collaging can help us become our truest selves.
You do not need to be a writer or an artist to make a meaningful collection of thoughts, memories and ticket stubs into a treasured keepsake you’ll enjoy for many many years.
On our Quests we will use our experiences, periods of silence, exercises, and spirited discussions to explore how to catch the smells of native flowers, the spaciousness of the dramatic landscape, and how to give life to the way they make you feel. We will make an intimate exploration of your inner and outer worlds through the lens of travel journaling and collaging.
You don’t need me to make one for yourself, however!
If travel is recorded vividly and searchingly, it can be a way of waking up the senses and bringing us back to our deepest home. Invoking our inner Bilbo Baggins, you can discover how every trip can be a kind of transport and how writing about your travels can be the first step toward transformation.
What do you need?
Mostly things you already have plus a few additions.
~ A notebook.
I like a spiral bound medium sized one.
~Your favorite pens.
I love rollerball pens because they write without a drag on my hand.
You can get a few different colors if you like!
~Glue sticks.
~Scissors.
~Little watercolor case.
My traveler’s watercolor set is my all time favorite item on this entire list. I use the Winsor & Newton Pocket Box set – which at the time of writing is $15.00 USD. You can check them out here using my affiliate link if you’re interested! https://amzn.to/3TIwXDN
~Markers of beautiful colors.
I like to include a map of some kind for the front pages of my journal. Something that shows where I am.
Some topics to get you started:
- Why did you pick this destination, retreat, adventure?
- What are you looking forward to the most?
- Are you overcoming anything to be there?
- What are the unknowns and how can you prepare your mindset?
- Do you have any personal goals?
- What are your intentions for the overall journey?
I mentioned collaging. What we will do is collect cool little random things that will help you bring back the memory of the event, meal or place. Write down what you did, where you were, who you met, how you felt and what you saw, smelled, tasted and add something to it like the train ticket, or matchbook cover from the restaurant.
Somee ideas to help you:
- Matchbooks, Napkins
- Postcards – awesome because they are usually the best photo in light that is hard to get, or location. I love retro ones.
- Travel tickets (plane, train, bus & metro)
- Itinerary!
- Photographs, cut from magazines or brochures
- Tourist maps & brochures
- Paper bags with cool labels
- Flat sea shells & sea glass, press leaves & flowers & herbs
- Sand from the beach (place in a small plastic or glassine bag)
- Candy wrappers
- Business cards from people, or places you want to remember
- Museum, art gallery, movie & theatre tickets
- Menus from restaurants and cafes
- Flattened bottle caps
- Luggage tags and stickers
- A drawing or sketch you do when somewhere or that someone else does!
- Wine bottle label
- Money (small coins and denominations of foreign currency)
- Rubbings of interesting textures (graves, paving stones & metal grates)
- Receipts
- Tags from clothes & souvenirs
- Coasters & beer mats
- Find random objects of specific colors and group them together on a page
- Smudging the bottom of your drinking glass with a candle and press on the paper to remember a cup of tea or glass of wine.
- Flattened coins
- Maps
- Stamps
- A list of all foods tried at restaurants (I sometimes go back home and find recipes and cook for the whole family so they get a taste)
- Pictures of all the food
- I pick up a postcard for each day in a place I’m staying and write a journal entry on the back, string them together at the end and voila – travel journal for a specific trip.
- Everywhere I go I pick up a couple of rocks, crystals, fossils, feathers
- I collect recipes. It’s cool to share and swap recipes, along with stories!
- I brought home some spices from Africa.
I cover the pages with folded maps. When opened, they have photos with arrows to the place where they were taken plus a little tab with info.
If you’re really struggling to motivate yourself to journal during the day; I find the best way to take the pressure off is to keep brief notes on paper or in your phone as you go along. Make sure you take advantage of your smart-phone camera too! Take a picture of the menu, or a the sign of a restaurant you ate at, a sign at the location so you’ll remember.
Then, all you need to do is take 5 to 10 minutes in the evening or the next morning to quickly note down your day and some of the key memories. If you want to scrap-book it all together you’ll have time to do that later when you get home. Capturing the memories and photos is your main goal right now.
On my Quests, I am scheduling in reflective time for journaling, and we spend time together as a group putting together small collages.
Travel journaling is for every person; elf, hobbit, muggle or magical.
If you make quick notes instead of worrying about creating a full journal everyday, then you can spend more time traveling and sightseeing! You will always be able to scrapbook your memories together once you get home, or even on a relaxing travel day.
The main thing is to have fun!
Daily Journal Notes
Dates
- Make a note of today’s day and date
- If you want to, you can also add the time to your journal notes, or any time differences from traveling (i.e. the time at home)
- How do you feel about the date? Is there a special event happening?
Weather
- How was the weather today?
- What is the forecast for the coming days or next week?
- What does it smell like today?
- How does the air feel?
- Does the weather make things look differently today?
- Is the weather affecting you at all? Do you notice an emotion?
Location
- Quickly write the address, and/or the name of the town or city, county, and country
- If you want to, you could also add the coordinates
- Take a picture of anything that will help you identify the place.
- Note interesting markers, flags, buildings or land features.
- Note historical elements, happenings and how you feel about it.
- Is there something unusual such as language, accent, dress, occupation for today?
- What is your inner impression?
Itinerary
- What is the name of the place you stayed at? E.g. Hotel name, hostel name, campsite, etc.
- What are the names of the restaurants, cafes, or bars you visited today?
- What local attractions did you visit or see today?
- Did you do any traveling today? Add your starting destination and your final destination to your journal notes, as well as approximate travel time.
Memories
- Who are you traveling with?
- Write down some stories of the important things that happened today.
- What did you and your traveling partners talk about today?
- What did you overhear people talking about?
- Did you meet some new people?
- Best food today? Worst!
- Funny story, unusual happening?
- What was a win today?
You can also pick something and focus your journal on that.
Food is a huge part of every culture and its history, in which the idea of eating is not just about sustaining energy.
It can also be a social event, everything from gathering and preparing food, to sitting around the table with friends, loved ones, or even complete strangers. Use this part of the guide to help you keep track of the little enjoyments you have at mealtime, and all of the things you learn about food, culture, and history along the way.
Think rustic medieval feasts, elegant roman platters, or even modern wedding buffets.
Gather Items & Ideas About Food & Drink
- Wrappers from snacks
- Drawings or paintings of food you ate
- Writing – a review of the food, drinks, atmosphere, service, and location
- Photographs of food, drinks, labels & wrappers
- Photographs from magazines or online that remind you of food that you ate
- Recipies for similar food
- Maps to show the locations of places you ate
- Information about food in history and culture
Creative Page Ideas
Itinerary
- Make a long list of foods and drinks you want to try before you even set off on your journey. Decorate the page with drawings or photographs of those foods and drinks
- Create a table on a page that quickly keeps track of food and drinks in the morning, at lunch, dinner, and snacks
- List out a full recipe to make at home, inspired by your trip, with an ingredients list and steps to take
- Make a notes page of ideas for twists or fusions to dishes you currently make at home, decorated with pictures of ingredients
- Use a map to pinpoint every place around the city you tried food and a quick note of what you ate in each place. Add any photographs if you have the space
Memories
- Draw or sketch the inside of the restaurant, or even the view you have at dinner
- Create a page based on the profile of the restaurant. Courses you had, rating each meal, drinks, service, location, distance from hotel or a significant historical location
- Go into more depth and create a full review page of each dish and wine or drinks. What does each dish and drink remind you of, have you had this before? What are the flavors like?
- Remember and write down the stories and conversation you had over food
- Write about any people you met because of food & drink
Culture
- Create a page specifically about food in the culture that you are in. Does the food have any cultural relevance that you know about? Do a little bit of research to find the answers
- Use maps to show where the food you’re eating comes from, and where the traditional dish come from?
- Are there any traditions that revolve around food in this culture? For example, Thanksgiving in the USA and Canada, Sunday Roast in the UK, etc.
History
- Create an historical profile about food through history in the place you’re visiting. For example, the Romans ate laying down. Why? What did they eat? How did the food in this region develop over time? What foods originated here and when?
Summary
We hope that you find this guide useful when documenting food, drink, and all of the memories that come along with it! Can you think of any more fun ideas for documenting food and drink while you’re traveling? Leave a comment and let me know, and I can add it to the list!
Happy Eating, Drinking & Journaling!
