Have you ever gone on a vacation, enjoyed every moment of it, then come home and couldn’t remember what the heck you did?! Ok, maybe your memory is better than mine, but I’ll tell ya, the little details disappear SO quick. The only way to actually remember things is to write them down and I LOVE using my travel journal to do exactly that! Today I’m going to outline how I use my travel journal to keep my memories fresh and share some tips for journaling on your next trip!
Memory Keeping is Hard
Using a memory keeper while on vacation doesn’t have to be a burden. If you’re pressed for time, or lack the motivation (hey, you’re on vacation after all!) you can simply jot down simple bullet points to remind yourself what happened each day.
In the photo above, prior to taking the time to journal about the whole day, I had just written “Cliff Walk, Beach Swing, Blow Hole, Lucky Fish, SO HAPPY.” It wasn’t until I had the time, the following evening, that I wrote out my memories for the day. And while it’s always best to write down your memories and feelings as soon as you can, this is an activity you can even do on the plane or when you get home.
The goal is to get down some sort of memory for each day, and if you happen to snap some photos to go along with it, even better! Plus if you use my Travel Journal, I’ve included easy journaling prompts throughout the book to get you thinking and reflecting on your trip!
Different Methods of Memory Keeping
With the Travel Journal, each day of your vacation (up to ten days!) has space for journaling prompts on the right page and open ended space for memory keeping on the left. I like to change what I document on the open ended page each day to keep things fresh and exciting. Here are some ideas to try:
A Day in the Life – capture your day on a timed schedule, every little detail from big to small and write any fun stories or memories to go along with it.
Quote it Out – nothing like a quote or a song lyric to really capture a feeling. If there’s a song that’s feeling particularly relevant or a quote that seems poignant, write it down! This is also a great time to try out some fun lettering!
Journal More – if you’re bursting at the seams with thoughts and memories, take the extra space and use it for more photos and journaling.
Going the Extra Mile
While you can memory keep with nothing more than a journal and pencil, I think being extra is a bit more fun, so here are some of my favorite extras to make the experience even better:
Stickers – I mean, duh. You knew this was coming, stickers are my second love, next to paper! I like to bring along a few themed sticker sets with me to embellish pages with. Check your favorite shops for themed kits and even the big box retailers might have a book or two that matches!
Portable Photo Printer – This is a bit of an investment, but you can find decent prices on photo printers around the holidays! I have an HP Sprocket and while the photo quality isn’t perfect, it does an amazing job at portable printing. What is cool about the Sprocket, and most other photo printers, is they use Zink photo paper – a special zero ink photo paper with crystals on every sheet that show up as specific colors when they’re heated up. It’s magic every time it prints AND oh did I mention the photos also double as stickers?! WINNING.
Washi and Whatever Else – Raid your craft stash, but don’t go bananas! Bring along samples of washi you may use, papers to embellish, and markers if you’re so inclined! Think strategically about what you will actually use and try to remember that you can always embellish more when you get home if you don’t have room for all the extras.
So, let me see your planner!
What's a blog post without a little planner flip?! Check the video below for a full video flip through of my travel planner from my last trip to Hawaii:
