How to Keep a Travel Journal: A Simple Guide for Beginners

Traveling is one of life’s greatest pleasures — it introduces you to new places, people, cultures, and even new sides of yourself.

But no matter how unforgettable a trip feels in the moment, the details tend to fade. That’s where a travel journal comes in.

Whether you’re backpacking through Europe, road-tripping across your country, or exploring your hometown, keeping a travel journal can help you capture the essence of your experience.

But a travel journal isn’t just a notebook filled with where-you-went and what-you-did.

It’s your memory companion, your story keeper, and sometimes, your quiet space in the middle of an overwhelming trip.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the how of travel journaling — from choosing your format to maintaining consistency and making it a truly personal part of your journey.

Table of Contents

Step 1: Pick Your Journal Style

Pick Your Journal Style - How to keep a travel journal

The first step is choosing how you want to journal. There’s no one-size-fits-all format. Your journal should suit your personality, your style of travel, and the kind of stories you want to tell.

Popular Options:

Classic Notebook: The most timeless and tactile option. Great for sketching, taping in mementos, and writing reflections at your own pace.
Digital Journal: Apps like Day One, Notion, or Google Docs allow you to type as you go and easily sync across devices.
Scrapbook Style: A visual-heavy journal where you combine pictures, doodles, tickets, and stickers with short notes.
Bullet Journal: Great for those who like structure. You can use symbols, checklists, grids, and color coding to summarize each day.
Voice or Video Logs: If you’re always on the move or don’t enjoy writing, try recording audio or short video entries each night.

Tip: Choose a format you’re excited to use. Don’t feel pressured to do what looks popular online — your comfort is key.

Step 2: Decide What to Document

How to Keep a Travel Journal - Decide What to Document

Now that you’ve chosen your format, what should go into your journal? The beauty of a travel journal is that there are no rules.

Some people record every detail of their trip, while others focus only on meaningful experiences.

Ideas to Include:

Daily Activities: Where you went, how you got there, what you saw and did.
Feelings and Reactions: Did something surprise you? Did you have a powerful emotional moment? Write it down.
Cultural Details: Note traditions, behaviors, language differences, or street art that caught your eye.
Food and Drink: Describe what you ate. Was it new to you? How did it taste?
Conversations and People: Jot down names, quotes, or interesting interactions.
Practical Tips: Note places worth revisiting, how much something cost, and any hacks or lessons you learned.

Extra Touch: Ask yourself one simple question every day: What moment would I want to remember ten years from now? Write about that.

Step 3: Make It a Routine (How to Maintain Consistency)

This is the most important part of travel journaling — consistency. Many travelers begin enthusiastically but stop midway.

Life gets busy, days get long, and journaling feels like a chore. But the truth is, if you journal only when you feel like it, your entries will be few and far between. Here’s how to build a habit that lasts:

1. Make it a Daily Ritual

Anchor journaling to a consistent time each day. For example:

After breakfast while sipping coffee
On the bus or train back to your accommodation
At night before bed
During a solo meal or cafe break

I usually found it relaxing to write while having my morning coffee. When you tie journaling to another habit, it becomes part of your rhythm. It takes 5–10 minutes — but the return is lifelong.

2. Don’t Aim for Perfection

Your journal doesn’t need to be beautiful or grammatically flawless. It just needs to be true. Focus on showing up every day rather than creating the perfect page.

Some days will be rushed bullet points; others will be long and poetic. That’s okay.

3. Keep It Accessible

If you use a physical notebook, keep it in your day bag. If you journal digitally, make sure it’s synced and offline-ready.

The easier it is to access, the more likely you’ll use it. This is a very important point, I realized its worth after months of procrastinating! Accessibility!

4. Use Quick Prompts to Get Started

If you’re tired or overwhelmed, a simple prompt can help you write. Examples:

“Today’s highlight was…”
“I didn’t expect to…”
“A moment I want to remember…”
“Something funny that happened today…”

You don’t have to write a whole essay. Just a sentence or two is enough to keep the thread alive.

5. Forgive Yourself If You Miss a Day

It’s okay. Don’t abandon the journal because of a gap. Pick up where you left off. You can even backfill a short summary for the missed day.

6. Create a “Catch-Up” System

Dedicate a rest day during long trips just for journaling and resetting. Catch up on any days you missed.

Review your entries. Add sketches or souvenirs. This gives your journal a chance to breathe and grow.

7. Stay Inspired

Look at past entries. Remind yourself why you started. Follow travel journaling accounts or hashtags. Sometimes, a little creative nudge is all you need.

Also Read: First Page of Travel Journal: Creative Ideas to Begin Your Journey 2025

Step 4: Add Visuals and Keepsakes

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but when paired with your own words, it becomes priceless.

Here’s how you can decorate your journal and make it more personal:

Photographs: Paste instant prints or tape printed photos with captions.
Tickets & Receipts: Metro tickets, museum stubs, cafe bills — they carry stories.
Pressed Flowers or Leaves: A unique way to remember a garden or nature walk.
Local Paper or Stickers: Tear pages from local newspapers, menus, or shop flyers.
Sketches & Doodles: Even stick figures add charm and a sense of place.

Visuals make your journal interactive — something you’ll enjoy flipping through for years.

Step 5: Reflect and Revisit

Your travel journal is not just about documentation; it’s also about reflection. After the trip, take time to revisit and expand on certain entries:

How did this journey change me?
What would I do differently next time?
What did I learn — about the world or myself?
Which moment still lingers in my mind?

You can even add a final entry titled “Post-Trip Thoughts” to close the journal. This is where insights gather, and memories deepen.

And months or years later, you’ll find that these reflections often hold more meaning than any photo album.

Bonus Tips: Personalize the Experience

Use Colored Pens or Washi Tape to create themes for each city or country.
Create a Table of Contents if your journal is long — it helps you find key days or sections later.
Give Each Entry a Title — it makes flipping through more enjoyable.
Include Maps or Itineraries — a small fold-out sketch or printout adds structure.
Rate Experiences — meals, stays, hikes — using stars, smileys, or your own symbols.

Also Read:

Final Thoughts

A travel journal is more than just a record of your trip — it’s a dialogue with yourself. It helps you slow down, take notice, and connect more deeply with the world around you.

Years later, your words will take you back more vividly than even your best photos.

Note that consistency is key to keeping your travel journal. That’s why I say that your travel journal is not only your own book of memories but also a way to inculcate productive qualities within you.

Where raw talent doesn’t get you, consistency does. Keep your travel journal, and keep it alive by being consistent with it.