
The beauty of keeping a travel diary
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Before I went travelling I had never kept a diary in my life. Believe me, I had tried. I wanted to be one of those girls like many of my friends at school who wrote the thoughts and meanderings down for various reasons, but I just couldn’t do it. I would either forget or think ‘what’s the point’? But before I left for my round the world trip I was given a diary, and for the first time, I kept it. And thank god I did! Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t enjoy keeping it; I literally had to force myself to write something in it every single day of my trip, but since I started this blog, I have never been so thankful I did.
If you’ve been following Escapes Etc you will know that I actually went backpacking around the world 4 years ago. 4 YEARS!! Can you remember what you were doing on this day 4 years ago? Nor can I, but thankfully I have my diary to help me remember! The poor thing is well a truly knackered (as you can see in the photo) with nearly all the pages stuck in with sellotape, but it’s done some serious mileage and I was pretty knackered by the end too! But I love it and the memories it sparks, and if my house was on fire and I could only grab one thing, that would be it.
As you can see, mine is jam-packed full of what I did, what was annoying me, who I met, how I was feeling as well as little mementoes like ticket stubs, beer mats, flags that you get in food, EVERYTHING. So you can understand why the pages had to be taped in. All of these bits and bobs are personal to me and from them, I can remember the most random things.
The beauty of keeping a diary is that it doesn’t have to be perfect. I kinda think of it as the opposite of Instagram which is full of the most perfect views and the most exotic of adrenaline filled experiences. A diary is for those memories but also for the realities of travel like when you’re bored or stuck in some shit hostel. Just because it’s not picturesque, doesn’t mean it’s not important!
Here are my tips for keeping a travel diary:
- Find a diary that you like. If you like it you will more likely to write in it and not just use it as scrap paper.
- Take some nice pens to write with to make it easier.
- Bring sellotape, scissors and glue to cut out things and stick them in, or of course to tape pages back in like I had to!
- Don’t write it like someone else is going to be reading it. It’s YOURS for you to do what YOU want with it.
So my advice to anyone about to go travelling is to take a diary and do what you want with it. So much is shared with the world electronically on social media today, that putting pen to paper is forgotten. Make it be what you want it to be and enjoy reminiscing years down the line!
10 Comments
The Barefoot Backpacker
Not exactly. I mean I used to -> on my old personal website, I used to post stuff as and when I was travelling (this started way back in 2000), so that acted as a kind of ‘public’ travel diary, and prior to that I kept hand-written notes on scrawled A4 pads, or on small hardbacked blank-lined A5 notebooks (most of which I still have, incidentally), where I’d write down everything that happened in the day and my feelings about them.
I still use hardbacked A5 notebooks when I travel. But these days they’re not so much travel ‘diaries’ as ‘travel notes’. They’re what I use to plan out my trips, to make notes of ‘places I ought to think about’ before I go, but also for noting in while I’m on the move for new information, for hints that other travellers give me, and for writing impressions of something, anything, that suddenly comes to mind when I’m on the move, or in cafes. It is, literally, a book of notes – not pretty, not that organised, but definitely in-the-moment, and interesting to look back on afterwards, even if sometimes to say ‘ahhh, that plan didn’t quite work, did it?’! 🙂
lsell1991
This is why they’re great! It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else because it’s not for anyone else. It’s a space to do whatever you want it and jot down some great memories ?
Lynsey Ellard
I feel like my blog is my travel diary, but do wish I’d kept a proper journal.
lsell1991
That’s great! I’ll be sure to check it out
RealNess
Id love to travel! I like to keep lil memories of where I go with my bf 🙂
lsell1991
That’s what I love about it!
Christina from Happy to Wander
Ahh I needed to read this. For real, I have such a love/hate relationship with diaries. I’m terrible at keeping up with them but the ones I kept when I was younger (on and off) are some of my most precious possessions now. It’s difficult especially because so much of my life is spent blogging about my travels now, but like… obviously there’s SO much that doesn’t make it into blog posts like random quotes/memories. Definitely need to find a balance for both!
lsell1991
Haha I had to force myself everyday to do it! And exactly! It’s so nice to be able to remember the random bits that happened at the time, and also to have them just for yourself
Life...One Big Adventure
Yes, I always keep a travel journal. I love the creative process of trying to record all that I have seen and experienced that day. It allows me to think more deeply about what I have seen, to reflect on the contrasts with my day-to-day life. If nothing else, my journals will still allow me to travel down memory lane when I am too old to get my butt on a plane, a bus or any other mode of transport. I hope those days are a long, long way off! Mel
lsell1991
This is exactly why I love mine! Anything can go in there and there’s nothing like a diary to stand the test of time!