Last Tuesday I showed you the handmade journal that I plan to use on my upcoming trip. Today I have some tips for creating a travel journal and a useful kit where you can store all of your travel journaling supplies. When you're on the go, you don't have access to all of the wonderful tools and materials that you have at home, but with some planning, you can figure out what you'll need to bring to make your travel journaling experience an enjoyable one.
First, of course, you'll have to find a journal. You can either buy one or make your own. I have a post showing how I made mine if you'd like to read that but if you're looking for a more detailed, step-by-step tutorial then damasklove.com has a great series on bookbinding. Click on the link to check it out.
This is what my journal looks like:
You can decorate the cover however you want, leave it how it is, or save the decorating for once you get back home. This is a good idea because you might want to incorporate photos and mementos from your trip. You could find a map of the place you are visiting and use that as a cover.
As for initial setup, there's not much that you can do. You can add page numbers for easy reference, create a table of contents, or add some doodles to the pages of your journal. You could label pages with the dates but I recommend doing that as you progress through your trip because it's hard to estimate how many pages you will use up on each day of your trip.
Now let's make our travel journaling kit. Keep in mind that you do not need to use everything that I use, and that you can add your own items.
1// Pen - A pen is probably your best option for writing. It won't fade as quickly as a pencil will but it also won't bleed through the page too much. I really like using gel pens. They're so fun to use because they write very smoothly.
2// Sharpie - If your notebook has very thick pages then you might like to use Sharpies, or other dark black markers. But if not, then it's best to avoid writing utensils that are likely to make the backsides of your pages look like mirror images of the fronts.
3// Highlighters - For highlighting! When you're writing your entries it's great to highlight key words and phrases so that in the future when you're scanning through your journal you can quickly pick up on main events and ideas. I chose a mellow orange color instead of a neon yellow. Those are just too bright for me.
4// Gluestick - You will probably have some photos and mementos that you will want to put in your journal and one of the ways that you can do that is by gluing them in.
5// Paper clips - You can use them to put in photos or keep your place in your notebook, like a bookmark!
6// Post-it notes - Use them for quick ideas, or maybe keep a pad of post-its and a pencil in your pocket on the go for short journal entries and then put the post-its in your journal once you get back to it?
7// Magazine clippings - Before you leave on your trip, look through some magazines for fun pictures and words that you might want to put in your journal later on. Store them in an envelope and keep the envelope in the back of your journal.
8// Little envelopes (not shown) - I've got a tutorial for these coming up next week. You can glue them into your journal wherever you want and put little mementos in them so that you can take them out later!
9// Washi tape (not shown) - Yet another way to put photos and such in your journal. You can also use it to decorate the cover of your journal.
10// Scissors (not shown) - You might find some things that you'll need to cut out, so it'll be nice to have a pair of scissors on hand.
11// Stamps - Letter stamps would look great for headers and such, and you could also use other travel-related stamps.
Store everything in a small pencil bag or box, and you're ready!
You can also bring some colored pencils, markers, or watercolors for when you have some downtime and have a moment to decorate and color your entries.
Any other ideas for things to put in your travel journaling kit? Comment below!
Thanks for reading!