Ways To Journal While On Vacation

Summer is already upon us, and so are our most anticipated days of time off. And here you are, everything packed neatly, passport ready, trip itinerary printed and bookmarked, all the places on your must-visit list. But right before you zip up your bag, you take one last look at your new travel notebook and think to yourself, "I will FOR SURE be journaling each and every day while away." 

You bought a beautiful notebook for your trip.

Maybe it's linen-bound. Maybe it has a little leather strap. Maybe it looks like something a novelist would carry while wandering through cobblestone streets in a foreign city.

You picture yourself sitting in charming cafés, sipping espresso and filling pages with profound observations about life, travel, and the meaning of it all.

Then the trip actually starts.

You write three lines while waiting at the airport. You lose your pen on day two. The notebook disappears somewhere beneath charging cables, receipts, and a pair of socks you swore you packed separately.

The next time you see it, you're halfway through the trip and wondering if it's too late to start.

Good news: it's not.

Travel journaling doesn't have to be a flawless record of every day. It doesn't have to be beautifully written, perfectly organized, or filled with deep reflections. It can be messy, quick, and wonderfully imperfect.

A few notes scribbled on a train. A funny conversation you don't want to forget. A restaurant name written in the margin. A ticket stub tucked between the pages.

That's enough.

You don't need to write every day. You don't need perfect handwriting. And you definitely don't need to become the main character in a European café montage to create a meaningful travel journal.

This is a low-pressure guide to travel journaling for the forgetful, the chaotic, the overpackers, and anyone who's ever remembered their notebook only after the trip was already well underway.

1. One sentence per day

Try the one-sentence-per-day technique. You can summarize how your day was in one line, describe the highlight of your day, or how a food made you feel. All one liners! The best tip I have is to do it every night before bed. Unwind, take a shower, gather your thoughts, and simply write what moments stood out.

2. Keep paper receipts and napkins

There is a high probability that you'll forget your journal in the room. Don't fret! Just use anything you can scribble on, like a napkin or a receipt. You can stick them in your journal later, and look at you! You mastered the art of scrapbooking as well as journaling :D 

3. Camera roll journaling

I've said it once, but I will say it again. A photo shows you what happened. A journal reminds you how it felt. Looking back at them, make a note on why you took it, what you felt in that moment, and reflect back.

4. Mood board your trip

Coming back to the art of scrapbooking, one of my favorite hobbies, collect wrappers, postcards, or stickers and stick them in the journal. Sketch a scene or the window of your hotel. Pick 3 colors that remind you of the trip.

5. Airport brain dump 

Let's say that all of the above failed, and you decided to journal on your way back from your vacation. It's a great time to write down what you will the most, the best, or most emotional moments.

And if your travel journal ends up with empty pages, crooked stickers, unfinished sentences, or a random coffee stain from a café you barely remember… keep it. Those little imperfections are part of the story too. 

Because years from now, you probably won’t care that you didn’t write a perfectly curated travel diary. You’ll care that one tiny note brought you back to that sunset, that pastry, that song playing in the background, or that random little moment that made a place feel special.

So take the pretty notebook. Bring the cute pens. Collect the little memories. But most importantly… allow yourself to enjoy the trip first and document it whenever inspiration finds you.

And for those of us who love the idea of journaling but sometimes forget the notebook somewhere between the airport snacks and the hotel room chaos (guilty), I also created a digital travel journaling template to make it a little easier to keep your memories. No lost pens, no pressure, no “I’ll start tomorrow” excuses — just a fun little space to capture your adventures in your own way. 

Your travel journal doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. It just has to be yours.

Until the next page, happy reading! 📖✨

XoXo Plot Threads