Over the years, I have had the fortune of traveling to many amazing destinations. However, I am not a crafty individual so I don’t have beautiful scrapbooks displaying my photos and souvenirs from each trip. I do though love to write. So for me a travel journal is my “scrapbook” of words, detailing memories of my trips.
Keeping a journal… some might consider it a turn-off. “Sounds like a homework assignment,” someone once said to me. But it really can be very easy. Granted, some of my entries are long and detailed, but some are just a few sentences. Like this one: “Day trip to the St. Louis Arch—The view was great. Wonderful way to see the city when you are there for only a few hours. Can’t believe how many riverboat casinos there are. It rained the entire time we were there. Made up song: “St. Louis Blues” on the ride home.”
If you are still not convinced that a journal is a simple way to document your adventures consider this easy method of organizing your thoughts: Answer the 5 W’s–who, what, where, when, and why. Who went on the trip? What did you see? Where did you go? When did you go? And finally, why did you go? It doesn’t have to be long and involved and it is a great method for kids to document their travels. Encourage your kids to write down what their favorite attraction was and why it was so much fun. I’m not suggesting they carry the journal around and jot notes as they go, rather encourage them to use down time in an airplane or car to put their thoughts into words. It will keep them busy, something any parent can appreciate.
I date each of my journal entries and add the city and state to the top of each page. I also highlight the name of the attraction and the method of transportation I took to get to each place. Sometimes I will document the admission price to each attraction. For example, when my husband and I traveled to San Antonio, I wrote down how much it cost us to take a boat ride along the city’s famed Riverwalk. I might also jot down how popular the attraction was (noting the time spent in line). These are just suggestions. I do it so I can look back and say: “Remember, when we waited two hours in line for that riverboat ride.” My husband, (who reasons that if I am keeping a journal he doesn’t need to) will reply: “How can I forget.”
A journal is a nice thing to have to spark memories and laugh about events that took place on your trip. It is also great to have as a reference to help others who are traveling to a destination you have already visited. I have had many people ask me for travel tips and I will inevitably turn to my journal to see what lessons can be learned from my travels there. I hope you will consider keeping a travel journal.