On the Road: Travel Journal Tips

Vacationing in an RV is hard work — but we love it! There are so many perks, but I especially love the downtime when I can work in my journal. My husband always chooses to drive, which means I have endless hours to navigate AND work in my travel journal. I find it’s the best way to document a trip in real time, but it’s sometimes hard to cull creativity with limited supplies.

_{Gathering like-minded or complimentary supplies helps pages come together seamlessly.}

In my latest YouTube video, I talk about my journal setup and supplies, as well as the challenges and rewards to this type of documenting. I also give a post-trip flip-thru of my latest travel journal. You can view the video here:

I have to admit: It’s pretty amazing to come home with a completed or near complete journal chock full of thoughts, reactions, and stories from a trip. Before I adopted this method, I found journaling extremely hard post-trip because time had already began to stretch its palm over my brain, blurring memories. Documenting in near real-time, though, I can easily capture my experiences and thoughts, almost verbatim.

**_{Using free maps and newspapers serves as great background pages and “tuckable” material.}**

TRIED AND TRUE TIPS:

Pack light. If you bring too many supplies you may feel overwhelmed when trying to use them. My space is tight, so the less supplies I have in arm’s reach, the better. Once I familiarize myself with the supplies, I develop a flow and pages are easily created. Think deeply about the direction you want your journal to go and pack like-minded supplies.

Don’t expect at-home results. Obviously, these pages are not going to mimic your pages at home. These are naturally going to be more streamlined and perhaps more text-heavy as you are documenting a trip. You photos will most likely be smaller because of your portable printing device. Give yourself leeway and grace to be a different creator on the road.

Use free brochures, maps, and newspapers. One of my favorite background page techniques is to use the free materials distributed onsite at campgrounds or National Parks. They are a very unique form of memorabilia…plus they’re free!

Don’t rule out the souvenir shop. I love to include postcards from the Visitor’s Center and gift shops to include in my journals. Because I knew I would like to include some pins this time around, I brought a little of burlap to use as a base for my pin.

Have fun! Don’t spend all of your time indoors working in your journal. You’re on vacation first and foremost, so get outside and see the sites and then document at your leisure. There are no deadlines or requirements!