A great trip will be filled with wonderful memories. Why not preserve those memories with a Travel Journal?
Several years ago, I had the fantastic opportunity to visit India. It was part business, part a chance to see an area of the world I had never experienced. Two weeks of meeting people, eating local foods, traveling within the country, visiting monuments, museums, and, yes, the Taj Mahal. I kept all those memories alive, not just with photos. Although I had plenty of those. But, also with my own thoughts and impressions, postcards, brochures, even ticket stubs. Whenever I’m in the mood, I can pull out my Travel Journal and relive those tremendous two weeks.
Whether you travel to the other side of the world or make a trip to visit Grampa, a Travel Journal is a great way to keep your memories alive.
What You Need to Make a Travel Journal
Gather the ingredients
Before you take off on your travels, gather your ingredients together. When involving the kids, make sure you have plenty of age-appropriate items for them to participate in, too.
Make sure you have plenty of paper and pens. Recording your thoughts, impressions, and reactions will help you remember all the special moments of your safety trip. Every time you settle down for a bus trip, a car ride, an afternoon rest, even before going to bed at night, take a few moments to write what you thought about the activities you just experienced.
How did you feel? What did you see? When did you see this? Where did you eat? How did the food taste and smell? Did something funny or strange happen? What did you think about it? How did the kids react to various experiences? Write it all down.
Make sure you collect postcards, brochures, even ticket stubs. Have a special place in your purse or luggage to collect these all together. A place where you prevent them from getting bent or dirty. You will want to have nice-looking items to preserve in your Travel Journal.
Make Your Travel Journal Beautiful
Personalize it
Keep all of your memories, mementos, and photos in a nice binder. Add a specific title so that you know it’s just for that wonderful trip. The Smith Family Trip to Paris, September 2010, is much more personalized than Our Vacation.
Making your own binder cover can be a bit difficult, but a crafty family can turn this into a family project. Purchasing one from Zazzle.com allows you to personalize a design you like.
Choose a Binder That Matches Your Trip
The variety can be endless
You are going to be putting lots of fun memories into your Travel Journal, so pick a binder that matches your travels. A trip to visit Grampa in Florida can be remembered in a palm tree-designed binder.
Consider the Size of Your Travel Journal
Make sure you have enough room
With many photos, mementos, and written memories, you want a binder big enough for your Travel Journal. If you took a short trip, a thinner binder will work, but for those longer trips with many more activities, make sure you get a big enough binder.
Have Fun with Your Travel Journal
This is an enjoyable experience
For years to come, you will have many opportunities to relive your vacation or travels. So make it a fun experience to put together your Travel Journal. Involve the whole family. When it’s all done, plan a special memory night. Pop some popcorn and gather together to relive your trip.
Experience is the Best Teacher
Use your Travel Journal for more than memories
Sooner or later, every child will need to do a paper or report on something that they experienced. Either related to geography or lifestyle, your Travel Journal can be brought out to help them remember the trip and write a better paper or report. The Travel Journal works great for Show and Tell, too.
Other Experiences Can Be Travel Journaled
Memories of great events
A day trip to visit the beautiful fall colors can be chronicled in a Travel Journal, as well. How about a day for the family at a pumpkin farm? Even having an apple-picking day can have wonderful memories for your Travel Journal. This is a time to be creative and keep those wonderful memories alive.
Decorate the Pages of Your Travel Journal
Use stickers to hold momentos on the pages.
This is where you can get the kids involved more. Have them add stickers to the pages. Smiling faces for fun memories, animal stickers for a trip to the Zoo, star stickers for the best parts of the trip.
Travel Journals to Share
For years to come
When my eight-year-old granddaughter visits, she always likes to take a little trip with me. We take that trip along memory lane. She pulls out one of my Travel Journals and asks me to tell her a story from that particular trip. I always start with “Once upon a time, a funny old grampa took a trip to…” Then I get to relive a portion of that trip while telling her a funny story. She adds bits and pieces as we go along. It is one of those treasured times I get to have with her. For me, it’s the most important reason to share my Travel Journals.