Hi friends!
Today I'm sharing an updated version of my last travel journal post. I am sharing this for two reasons:
- Because I rarely journal anymore using the methods I mentioned in my last post.
- Because I've come up with new methods and observations that I want to share with you!
I'd like to note, I will not be sharing a "tutorial" here. Travel journaling looks different for everyone. Styles, preferences, and abilities, are all different! Instead I am going to share with you the things I've found to be helpful for me and how I've made them work so that those things can hopefully help you on your travel journal journey.
Let's jump in!
I love travel journaling
To start off, I obviously am still just as in love with travel journaling as I was when I wrote this last post. Possibly more so because I've been doing it longer now and have found more methods for making it work for me and my schedule.
I love to have my (now several) sketchbooks full of my travels to look back on and re-live those journeys through.
The power of travel journaling
Just like I said in my last post, studies show that when you write things down, your brain stores a lot more information than when you don’t. I wish I'd started travel journaling sooner because of all the memories I have that aren't as accurate or that I don't even remember at all.
What I bring in my travel journal kit
Remember, everyone's travel journal journey is different. These are things that I know, use, and love, but they are only suggestions for you! Use what works for you and ignore the rest!
- A sketchbook: I'm not usually picky about which kind I use, but I do use watercolor in my sketchbooks, so I like to make sure the pages can hold up to that pretty well. This is the brand I've used for my last two sketchbooks. The paper does warp a little with the watercolor, but I don't mind. It gives it character!
- Pens: I've used and loved my Micron fineliners for years. Sometimes I travel with my whole set, sometimes not. But I do like to have a range from thin to heavier for different types of illustrations. I also make sure I have several ballpoint pens on hand. (I love these ones.)
- Watercolors: I was gifted a beautiful set of Windsor and Newton watercolors a few years ago. I have loved them as well, although they have been a bit heavy for carrying around on travels. I recently figured out that I could move the pans from the large container they came in, to a smaller metal one I had on hand. I'm excited to get to try it out on our next adventure!
- With this you will need some paper napkins or a paper towel (to wipe your brushes) and something to hold water in. My grandma uses a large shell, I use a plastic cup. Use whatever works for you!
- Brushes: Brushes are a tricky one for me. The normal ones I use are from Golden Maple. They were gifted to me with the watercolor set. They are wonderful brushes and have served me well. However, their handles are a little long for travel. I have used water brushes in the past, but they aren't my favorite, so I've stuck to the long handled ones. I also bring along the Cotman Series 111 No.3 brush that came with my watercolors to use as a small detail brush.
- Markers or other colorful writing implements: Sometimes I will choose a color palette of Tombow Brush Pens and/or Gelly Rolls to bring along for extra color. I pretty much always have a white Gelly Roll with me. Sometimes I will bring along a couple colored pencils too.
- Washi tape: This stuff is so useful! Obviously it's fun to decorate pages with, but it can also come in handy anytime you may need some sort of tape! I've encountered may instances when I've needed tape and I've had some (cute, even!) on hand because of the washi tape sampler I keep in my bag. (A quick google search will provide you with endless washi tape sampler tutorials!)
- Double-sided tape or a glue stick: I like to have one of these (I usually only bring one or the other) on hand in case I want to glue or tape something into my sketchbook. I put these in my checked luggage when flying. I don't think they would cause a problem with TSA, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!
- Sketching supplies: A couple pencils and an eraser are handy to have for any sketching or laying out of a page before painting.
My travel journaling style
As I noted above, my journaling style has changed quite a bit since my last post. I mentioned in that post, about all the different travel journaling styles. I'll put them here again for reference:
- A written journal
- A photo journal
- An art journal
- A food journal
- A list journal
- A sticker journal
- The list goes on!
As for my travel journaling style, I often use a little of all of those options. Mostly though, I love to do an illustrated journal.
I mentioned in my old post that I prepped my travel journal before the trip. That option doesn't work for me personally anymore. I found that even though I spent all that time prepping my journal, I rarely wrote in it and often wished when I was in the moment that I could do something other than what I had prepped for.
I have found that the type of travel day determines what kind of journal page I create for the day. If we've been driving or flying most of the day, sometimes I don't have anything (or very little) to draw and will do a very text-heavy, if not entirely written, page. Other days when we've been hiking or enjoying a museum, I will have a very illustration-heavy page. You can see some of my different spread styles below!
I also choose to do my travel journal pages inside my normal everyday sketchbook instead of having a separate one for each trip. I do this for a main reason, when looking back through my journals, I want to be able to see those pages in the midst of the life that I was living at that time which I think gives more context to the trip. The days leading up to and the days after a trip are often worth remembering too! I also don't want to have to keep track of yet another sketchbook haha!
My observations and learnings
I have learned to give myself grace and to not set my expectations for myself too high for what my journal pages will look like for a trip. As I said above, the kind of trip determines which kind of journaling style I use and that's okay! I've learned that it's okay to have different kinds and styles of pages. They don't all have to look the same. In fact, I enjoy having different pages with different characteristics to look back on!
Something else I have learned is to journal literally anywhere and everywhere. When traveling in the past, whenever I had a few spare minutes, I would find myself wondering, "is this a good time to pull out my sketchbook?" While a good question to ask, I sadly lost a lot of journaling time by wondering if now was a good time. So I have learned, if you have a few minutes, don't think about it, just pull out your journal! This is where it can be handy to do your future self a favor and make your travel journal kit as minimal as possible!
All in all, this has been a wonderful process for me to learn and I encourage you to begin or continue your travel journal journey and find what works for you!
I hope this post was helpful!
Happy journaling!
