How to make a travel journal: 9 tips to capture the moment

Personal Growth

Sep 12

Written By Calm Editorial Team

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

Want to remember all the details of all your favorite destinations? Learn how to make a travel journal with these 9 simple tips that focus on presence, not perfection.

Travel journals aren’t just for seasoned travelers, professional scrapbookers, or even people who journal every day. Travel journaling is for people who travel and who have a journal. It’s as simple as that.

A travel journal can help you hold on to memories that wouldn’t necessarily make it into photo albums, like the feeling of being somewhere, the sensory moments, and the experiences that felt like yours and yours alone. Whether it’s something specific, like the gorgeous tulips outside your hotel, or just the rush of excitement you felt when you touched down in a new place, a journal can help you keep track of it all.

It’s easy to assume travel journaling means writing long, detailed recaps or creating something that looks polished on social media, but the real point of travel journaling should be presence, not perception. And the best part is there’s no right way to journal. You can scribble notes on napkins, dictate in an app on your phone, or draw a stick-figure version of that adorable dog you saw in Central Park.

Whether you’re heading out on a big trip or reflecting on a journey after the fact, here are some simple ways to make your travel journal feel personal, flexible, and easy to keep up with, even when your schedule isn’t.

What is a travel journal?

A travel journal is any space, physical or digital, where you reflect on your travel experiences. Some people use it to log their itinerary, track expenses, and document meals. Others use it more like a diary, writing down how they felt and what they noticed during their time away.

There’s no right way to do it. It’s really just what feels good to you. You could jot a few notes at the end of each day or free-write during a long train ride. You could also include sketches, tickets, pressed flowers, overheard quotes, and anything else that sparks a memory. And if you prefer a digital journal, you could record voice memos or take short videos.

At its core, this type of journaling is a way to hold onto the texture of your experience. It’s a container for what surprised you, comforted you, or made you laugh.

4 mental health benefits of keeping a travel journal

Travel can be thrilling — but it can also be disorienting, tiring, and overstimulating. Keeping a travel journal can help you navigate your emotions with a little more ease. Here’s how:

1. It helps you feel more grounded: When you’re in a new environment, your senses can be on high alert. This can be exciting, but it’s also a lot to hold. Taking a moment to write can help regulate your nervous system and reconnect to your body.

2. It creates space to slow down and reflect: Journaling can gently interrupt the momentum of travel, inviting you to pause and take stock of your experiences. When you notice what’s bringing you joy (or what’s wearing you down), you can make more intentional choices.

3. It strengthens your memory: Recording a few key details, like the color of a café wall, the joke your friend made, or the sound of the rain, can help you remember your trip in a more lasting way.

4. It gives your emotions a safe place to land: Big feelings can show up while traveling, like awe, loneliness, wonder, and frustration. And a travel journal can help you hold all of those feelings. It allows you to just notice your emotions, and then give them somewhere to go.

How to make a travel journal: 9 simple tips to get started

The great part about a travel journal is that it can be whatever you want it to be. All that’s important is that it feels good to you. Whether you’re heading out on a solo backpacking trip, packing the car for a family road trip, or exploring your own city, these tips can help you build a practice that feels low-pressure and meaningful.

1. Start with what you already use

There’s no need to buy anything new. You can use an app on your phone, a voice recorder, or even scribble on the back of a receipt.

But if you do want a dedicated space, look for a notebook that’s light and easy to carry, or a journaling app that syncs across devices. Choosing something you’ll actually want to reach for when you’re tired can help you make journaling a habit.

2. Find your format

Experiment with your style. Some people enjoy writing long, reflective entries. Others prefer bullet points or pasting in photos with captions. Perhaps you use a combination of both.

If you'd like, you could also include quotes, questions, overheard conversations, or brief sensory snapshots.

3. Make it easy to access

Making your journal easier to find means you're more likely to use it. You could keep it in your day bag, your nightstand, or on your phone's home screen.

4. Journal when it makes sense for you

If journaling before bed makes the most sense for you, great, but you can also do it first thing in the morning, when you’re waiting for your food at a restaurant, or while sitting on a train.

You could also pair it with a daily ritual, like having your morning coffee.

5. Focus on the small and sensory details

Specific and sensory notes are often the ones that stick with you. Plus, they’re easier to write than trying to capture everything.

Instead of attempting to summarize your whole day, consider zooming in on one moment. Ask yourself questions like, “What did the air smell like?” and “What local sound made you pause?”

💙 Tour Your Senses with Dr. Eric Lopez to become more mindful during your travels.

6. Use prompts when you’re stuck

When you’re facing writer’s block, try a prompt to make it less intimidating.

You could answer one of the following:

“What surprised me today?”
“What made me laugh?”
“What’s something I want to remember about this place?”
“What was hard, and how did I handle it?”

7. Give yourself permission to be messy

Don’t get caught up in proper grammar or structure. If you’re writing in shorthand, write in shorthand! If your penmanship isn’t to your standards, embrace the chaos.

Scribble, cross things out, use fragments, or write full paragraphs if that’s what you prefer. Do whatever your brain can manage in the moment.

💙 Imperfectionism with Jay Shetty can help you let go of your perfectionist tendencies.

8. Save mementos if you want

Consider keeping ticket stubs, receipts, museum brochures, and even leaves or flowers that have fallen to the ground. These little scraps can bring memories flooding back later.

If you’re using a physical journal, tape or glue your findings in it. If you’re going digital, create streams or folders for your photos.

9. Re-read your entries as you go

Flipping back through what you’ve already captured can spark gratitude, creativity, and perspective.

Sometimes seeing your own words reminds you of what really matters. It can also nudge you to be more mindful moving forward.

How to make a travel journal FAQs

What should I write in a travel journal?

You can write whatever you want in your travel journal, but a nice place to start is with what feels most alive in your memory. You could write something that moved you, frustrated you, or made you pause. You could also describe what you saw, heard, smelled, tasted, or felt.

A good rule of thumb is to simply write a snapshot of your experience in whatever way feels most comfortable to you.

What are some reasons to make a travel journal?

Travel journals help you slow down and stay connected to your experience, making it easier to remember the parts of your trip that you might otherwise forget.

Journaling can also offer emotional clarity, spark creativity, and act as a tool for self-reflection.

Is journaling while traveling hard to keep up with?

Journaling while traveling can be hard to keep up with, but only if you set rigid expectations for yourself. Try to stay flexible. If you’re exhausted, consider scribbling a single sentence. And if you miss a few days, just try starting again.

Make the practice as low-maintenance as possible. You could use your phone, your camera, a voice note, or whatever’s easiest in the moment.

What’s the best travel journal format — paper or digital?

The best format is the one you’re most likely to use. Paper journals can offer a grounding, tactile experience, which is great if you enjoy writing by hand or collecting physical mementos.

On the other hand, digital journals are perfect for quick notes, voice memos, and making entries on the go.

You can also use both, jotting notes digitally during the day and then transferring them to a physical journal later.

Can I start a travel journal after the trip’s over?

You can definitely start a travel journal after the trip is over. In fact, some of your deepest reflections may come when you’re back home.

Post-trip journaling can help you process what the experience meant to you and what you want to carry going forward. But don’t worry if the details are fuzzy. What matters most is how the trip lives in your memory.

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Calm Editorial Team