Why you need to Keep a Travel Journal

In this digital age of instant photos taken on smartphones, that are immediately shared on social media the idea of keeping a handwritten travel journal might seem a little quaint. Yet, despite the convenience of technology, there’s something profoundly rewarding about recording your journeys on paper. On a practical and obvious level a travel journal tracks where you went and what you did. But, on a deeper level it can add depth and meaning to your travels. In taking time to reflect and recording your day it deepens your connection to your experiences, helps you to clarify in your mind what your experience has been. 

Have you ever been on a trip and moved from one place to the next in an overstimulated  hurly burley of activity and then returned home to think as you unpack what just happened? Did I do that? I think when this happens you have not had time to take on, think about, process and internalise your experience. It has not become part of your history.

The experience is your history but it happened all too quick. It does not FEEL like it is your history. You have the photos on your phone and when people ask you will have a few travel stories to tell, but it feels like the guts of the experience is just not there. It has slipped through your finders and is fast becoming an elusive memory. That is a bit sad because a high point in your life just rushed past you and you could not quite catch it. 

Think about what happens when you sit down to hand write in a journal. Just imagine, you settle down with your notebook and pen, you think back through the day. You may review in your mind the things you saw, where you went, the food you ate, the weather, the money spent and so on. By taking time to reflect you consolidate those experiences in your mind. Then when you write about them in journal you consolidate them again. Often after writing an entry I will re-read it before closing my notebook. In other words those experiences are consolidated once again in my mind.

This process of recording your day deepens your connection to your experiences. It helps you to clarify what your experience has been and it knits those experiences into who you are. They become stitched into your history and identity in such a way that when you return home they feel yours. 

A journal can capture the details time will forget

Our brains are notoriously bad at storing every little detail of our adventures. Most people will easily remember the bucket list items. For instance the Eiffel Tower in Paris but the small incidents, the fleeting moments impressions fade. How many times have you heard a couple chatting about their trip when one turns to the other and asks “Where was that again?” They remember the incident sometimes in the same way, sometimes in a different way but that is another issue.

My point is that key information is lost, mixed in with another memory or simply  muddled!  For instance we once had two week stay in an apartment in Paris above a bakery. I will never forget the smell each morning as opened the window.  Not far way our evening walk crossed over the Pont Saint Louis where the sound of a street musicians will forever texture my memory. While in the moment you may think these delicate memories you will live  within but in time the memory will fade. A travel journal will however bring back the memory once you open that page and re-read it. 

Studies show that the act of writing by hand strengthens memory. The very act of writing about your experience will help you remember even more of your trip.Taking time to review each day while it is fresh will mean you notice more of the details and your memories will be richer for these little bits of colour in your day that otherwise will be forgotten. By recording these details down you are literally building stronger memories in your brain. Strong memories is the stuff of a rich internal life, adding meaning building a rich tapestry over time. Writing about your experiences as they happen ensures you preserve the texture of the experience of travel. 

Mindful travel

Travel can be a whirlwind. Journaling forces you to pause and reflect. By writing each day—even if just for 10 minutes—you slow down enough to absorb where you are. You notice more: the colour of the sky at sunset, the way locals greet each other, the patterns on the market stalls.  A journal sharpens your senses because you start looking for details worth recording. In other words, journaling makes you a more mindful traveller, not just a tourist passing through.

Writing in a travel journal gives you an excuse to step away from screens. While phones useful, they can also be distracting—constantly pulling you into messages, and the urge to post updates. When you are traveling they pull you home. Home in a psychological sense meaning that in your mind you have not left the place that is familiar which can colour what you see and do while traveling. I am not suggesting you cut yourself off from family and friends. When traveling sharing what you do as you do it can be fun but if you are online too much you are not present in the moment aware and taking in where you are. 

By taking out a notebook instead, you’re choosing to be fully present in the moment. You can write on a quiet train ride, in a park, or while sipping coffee at a street café. Without the pressure of likes or followers, your writing becomes purely for you. That honesty is a sort of luxury in this digital age. 

A story behind the photo

By combining facts with feelings, your journal becomes a personal travel story only you could tell. Photos are wonderful, but they can’t always convey the full story. How often have you looked at a photos and think “where was that again?”  Your travel journal is where you can capture the emotions, and thoughts behind the images. A photo might show a beautiful mountain view—but your journal can tell how it felt to climb to that spot, the struggle to catch your breath, and the conversation you had along the way to the summit.

Your travel journal can be more than the written word

A travel journal can include sketches, ticket stubs, ephemera collected along the way, or maps. Even if you’re not confident about your sketching skills, doodles, had drawn maps and diagrams can help you remember the shape of a street, or the pattern of a tiled wall. I paste in boarding passes, receipts, and other bits of ephemera.

More than a keepsake

Recording what worked well and what didn’t on your trips makes planning future travels easier. Even an old packing list can prompt your memory on what you used on your last trip and what you forgot!

For instance as I write I am about to walk the Camino de Santiago which is a 800 kilometre (500 mile) pilgrimage walk across the top of Spain. I carry what I need in a back pack. It is the type of travel where you do not want to forget a key item need on the trail. I am able to pick up stuff from towns we walk through, but it is annoying to forget something like insect repellent to be bitten by bugs for a couple of days until you can buy some!  I have done the hike 3 times so all I need to do is to check my previous packing lists that are at the back of my journal!

It is the same with the art gear I take when doing regular travel – in other words travel that is not hiking. I look at previous trip journals think about what worked and what didn’t. If you return to a city you can check the places you stayed before, cafes near by etc all those notes about the place become relevant for booking a return trip. Your journal becomes a personal travel guide you can use yourself or share with friends and family.

A space for reflection and growth

One of the reasons travel is exciting is because it can be a challenge for us. You will have to navigate unfamiliar cultures, languages, food and environments. As you travel you are exposed to other ways of doing things, another culture, different customs and viewpoints, people who do things differently or behave in a way that is different from home. As you do so you learn not just about the world, but also about yourself.  When you rub up against the life of another place it highlights your own attitudes and prejudice.

For instance I have never felt such a white middle class fat woman as I did on a trip to China. It was good for me and caused quite a bit of reassessment. A travel journal is the perfect place to process these experiences. Maybe a conversation shifted your perspective, or an unexpected event forced you to adapt. By writing it down, you clarify your thoughts and see how your travels shape you. Your travels are not just a blur of hectic events but something you learn from and become part of who you are. These lessons of course you carry home with you and forward into your life.

Mementos of a life well lived

Years from now, your travel journals might be read by your children, or grandchildren. By then they will be a time capsule in their hands. Make sure they are filled with your unique voice, handwriting, and observations so that future readers will see not just where you went but also how you saw the world.

Writing a travel Journal is easier than you think as there are no rules. You don’t have to write full pages every day. Some days you might just jot down bullet points, draw a sketch, or list three things you loved. The important part is consistency—write something everyday. It can be as much as you choose but consistently write.

You may enjoy a follow up to this article about How to keep a travel journal and how to avoid some stall points. If this topic has sparked your interest you will find more in the Travel Journaling Category of the website.