As we are gearing up for summer and planning our travels, one of the first things I anticipate and excitedly plan for is my summer travel journal. I started keeping one a few years ago on our annual road trip to Michigan, and now it’s one of my favorite activities of the summer. Not only does the completed journal become a keepsake (my kids love looking at my old Michigan journals with me)–documenting so many things on our trip I would otherwise completely forget–but the activity creates a space for gratitude and helps me slow down during exciting adventures and really think about all the things I’m discovering and enjoying and my favorite moments on the trip.
It’s also a great activity for kids during travel. Lainey and I often side-by-side journal, a great creative bonding activity for us. And before big trips, I love getting her all set up with a little package of supplies that will make journaling fun–stickers and washi tape, colored pencils, a few good pens, and a little bag to keep it all in.
I change up how I journal every year, but last year was my favorite travel journaling experience. I had the sweetest blank book journal, handmade by my friend, and I wrote in it every single day, drawing pictures and writing down all the things that were making me happy on our trip. Every morning, I poured my coffee, lit a candle and sat down to color and write whatever I could think of that was memorable the day before–something I wore that made me happy, something funny Dash said, a dinner we enjoyed together on my dad’s back deck, my favorite scenes from a town we visited. And then my kids got all into it, wanting to see the new journal pages every day.
Want to keep a travel journal this year? Do it! Even if you’re not taking any trips, journaling through summer can help create a tourist perspective and help you reflect on things you love, making even the places you experience every day seem suddenly more special. Before you get started, here are a few things that have helped make our journaling experience more meaningful and fun:
Favorite Journals
Dig & Co. Adventure Journal & Travel Case
I used this journal last year, and I loved it. The size is perfect, the pages are all blank so you can completely freestyle your entries, it’s handmade and personalized with whatever you want on the front, and it comes in the sweetest wool case. I have looked back through this journal several times this year after we returned, and it never fails to make me happy.
I Was Here: A Travel Journal for the Curious Minded (Chronicle)
This year, I’m keeping just a small 5/5 watercolor sketch journal to paint favorite things on my trip, so I’m using this journal with it to document other adventures. It’s full of the most fun, creative prompts (I have a feeling Lainey will love it too) like writing down snippets of conversations you hear from people talking on their phone and writing down what you imagine the person on the other line is saying, asking people you meet for recipes, recording colors you see, making press releases for your daily adventures. I’m so excited to fill it this summer.
Square Watercolor Journal (5×5)
I bought one of these for me and one for Lainey for this summer. The goal is to illustrate one spread a day with a scene we remembered from the day. I love how little and simple it is (perfect to keep in my purse).
Kids Travel Journal (Mudpuppy)
This is a great beginner travel journal for kids. It includes some great prompts as well as lots of free space for their own writing.
What to Journal
So now you have a journal for your travels–what do you put in it? The sky is the limit! Sure, you can simply record what you did and saw every day, but travel journaling gets really fun when you color outside the lines and include all sorts of other details from the trip.
Tape pictures and ticket stubs in it, draw, doodle, color. Here’s a list of fun things to include while you’re journaling:
– Places you visit
– Great meals you ate
– Things you fell in love with
– Fun souvenirs you bought
– Funny things that happened on trip
– Favorite moments
– Quotes from people on the trip
– Things you wore
– Tape or tuck in pockets: pictures, postcards, bumper stickers, ferry tickets, plane tickets, event tickets, brochures, receipts to a great meal
– Write down all the songs from your road trip playlist and rate them 1-10
– Make a list of the favorite things you packed in your suitcase for the trip (your kids will love reading this someday)
– Keep a list of your favorite smells from the trip
– Write down detailed steps for the perfect s’more you made at the first summer campfire
– Describe in detail your favorite breakfast from your travels
– Document a new recipe discovered on your trip (your sister’s dill dressing, your Bed & Breakfast owner’s pineapple smoothie)
– Write down all the songs you chose on the jukebox at the mountain lodge you stayed at
– Document all the things you bought thrifting
– Take pictures of your family members standing in front of something that’s the same color as their outfit and tape them in journal.
– Take pictures of a family member doing handstands in funny places on trip and tape them in journal.
– Do daily challenges like “5 Things that are Yellow that I Saw Today” or “5 Things that Remind me of Love I Noticed Today”
Pictures
One of our favorite things for trips is our Polaroid ZIP Printer.
It’s this itty bitty printer that fits in my purse, and it requires no ink–the magic is in the paper. It connects to my phone, and I can print any pictures I take in a matter of a few seconds. The back paper on the photo can be peeled off to turn the photo into a sticker, so you can add photos to your travel journal in a snap.
I’ve had a couple different portable printers like this as well as Instax cameras, and this, by far, prints the best photos. I have a photo printed from this printer on my refrigerator, and it’s been there three years and hasn’t faded.
Art Supplies
Not everyone likes to get arty in their journals, but I love drawing and coloring in mine. Art supplies we keep in our journal bag:
Watercolor Pocket Paint Set
Sakura Micron Pens (won’t bleed with the watercolor paints)
Prismacolor Pencils (we also use Crayola)
Draw 500 Nature Things The best little drawing book
20 Ways to Draw a Dress
Stickers: Michael’s and Joann’s both have a great selection of travel stickers including specific destinations. I’m not as “scrapbooky” as I used to be, but Lainey loves adding these to her journals.
Travel Journal “Pen Pals”
One other way to make travel journaling extra fun, especially for kids, is to find journal partners. This year, we’re pairing up with our Nashville friends who are also traveling this summer. We bought the same journals, and at least once a week, we’ll take photos of our journal pages and the things we’ve recorded and text them to our journal friends and vice versa. Kind of like pen pals. :o) It’s a great way to share adventures, and a fun challenge to keep us creative and committed to our trip documentation.
Brooke says
I’ve kept journals since I was about 6 years old and had just discovered the cathartic beauty of writing, but I had never thought to make such colorful, creative journals as yours! Thank you so much for sharing and for inspiring me with a fresh take on journaling. Looking forward to diving in to a summer of journaling with all of these new ideas! Thanks again and best wishes
Pamela says
love this post Kelle, thank you!
Stephanie Wilson says
You are such a goals Pinterest mom and I was so intimidated before I read this post. But as I read I started crying, thinking about all the things I can journal with my kids (your Lainey and my Scarlet are the same age and both artists). Thank you for sharing your creativity with us, even if I will never be able to draw like you (your sidewalk creations are out of this world!).
Kelle says
Aw, Stephanie. Thank you. This is my favorite thing about art and parenting and connecting online…it’s all doable at whatever level we’re comfortable with, and with what fits our own families. Pinterest can be so intimidating and take away all the fun that was meant to be enjoyed in an activity. This one is close to my heart because I our family loves these journals so much. xo Hope you enjoy!
Audrey Johnson says
Journaling is a wonderful way to get everyone involve. Always fun.
Robin Hellgren says
I remember seeing your sweet journal from last year and was hoping that you would share more for it was so precious and creative! Thank you for this post! I just bought a journal myself! Can’t wait to hear and see your fun summer adventures!
Cassie from True Agape says
I love this post. This is also something fun that we can do with the kids. I will try to work on this soon with my girls so that when they get older they’ll remember this as one of their fond memories.
jeanie says
What a good idea having journal partners for your kids. I love it. I’m a big travel journal fan and have run the gamut from art ones (better for the lake) and word ones (since I don’t have quite so much time to paint when I’m on a road trip to an all new spot!)
Perhaps if you head back to Lewiston or Alpenfest, we will connect for a cuppa this summer. I’m counting the days till June when I am back at the cottage and settled in my porch on Otsego Lake!
Kelle says
Ahhh! Sounds like heaven! We can’t wait to be back in July!
Melanie Quinn Campbell says
Hi Kelle, I have a question about the Polaroid zip printer mentioned in your post. Is it compatible with your dslr camera, or your laptop? I am looking for a mobile printer that I can connect directly to my camera (Canon Rebel T3i) or to print photos from my laptop. I like the quality of photos I get with my Canon, but I’d like to print them out in fun sizes with sticker paper to add to our summer journals. Can you offer any advice? Thanks SO much!
Kelle says
So this one is compatible with your phone through bluetooth and the app that you download. So, for dslr, I have an Apple device that holds the camera card and pops in my phone. So anything you send to your phone, take with your phone, store in your phone, etc. can be printed from the printer. I hope that helps!
Melanie Quinn Campbell says
Hi Kelle, thank you for your response. My quandary is this- I don’t have a smart phone, just an old-timey flip phone. Don’t laugh, I know I’m behind the times. I love taking pictures, and I’d like to get a little portable printer that makes 2×3 sticker photos, so I can fill my journal with them, but the printer needs to connect directly to my camera, or my laptop. If you know of such a magical printer, I’d love the details. Thanks again for replying, I really enjoy reading your blog and seeing your beautiful photos.
Best wishes, Melanie
Kelle says
Girl, I love simplicity, and if that little phone works for you, then knock yourself out with that flippy phone! Ha–I love this. Also, my mom just recently gave up her flip phone after all these years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Hmmmm. Do you have an iPad? Because you just need the app and Bluetooth to make it work.
Laurie K. Lockman says
Hey – thanks so much for this post. I’ve ordered the Dig & co. Journal and the ZIP printer. My Mom is taking my 16 year old son to Rome for 10 days later this month, and I be asked them to keep a journal of the trip as a present to me ( my birthday is also later this month). Really appreciate all of the research you do and the good info.
Kelle says
I love this, Laurie! And what a beautiful opportunity for your son!