Travelogues vary widely, they can range from dry statements of what happened when, little more than an itinerary, to wildly evocative word pictures that transport the reader to far off places. The latter are a fascinating sight and their owners may rightly treasure them. But what makes a great travel journal and how do you write one? Practice and experience help, so let’s get started.
When writing your travel journal, consider who you are writing it for. If it’s a private journal that only you will see, you’ll probably use a very different style than if you intend to allow others to read the journal.
Think about all your senses: what you see, hear, feel. Be descriptive: “the honey-colored stone gently crumbling into the walls of the stifling chapel in the oppressive midday heat” is more descriptive of a moment and feeling that “it was very hot today when we visited the chapel.” The first sentence most strongly evokes the essence of the place and gives the reader an idea of what it was like to feel that warmth and see the color and age of the chapel walls.
Try to read what you write out loud: does it sound vivid and interesting or forced and confusing? Reading a passage out loud will allow you to identify if what you have written is in your voice and if it works. It can also prompt you to write something extra as the memory fires up.
I think it is better to keep the travel journal in a pocket size, then I can easily carry it with me and make short notes when I have coffee or when something inspires me.
It is often helpful to record the practicalities after the trip is over, as well as descriptive images. I find that I often want to remember how much things cost, or the details of transportation routes and methods. These problems are quickly forgotten (for me at least!), so jotting them down in bullet points helps in this regard.
You can use a camera as a useful memory jogger when taking notes just isn’t possible. Keeping this useful purpose in mind, you will make specific memory shot photos as well as artistic travel photos. A shot from a menu, for example, or a street map sign can go a long way if you don’t write your diary right away.
Whatever style you decide to use in your travel journal, if it has a lot of personality, it will certainly make for a more colorful and interesting record. I’ll leave you with a short checklist to help you find your own voice and make sense of your travel journal.
Things to collect (use an envelope or attach directly with a glue stick):
- costs and itinerary information
- found item clippings (hotel, restaurant, tickets)
Make a note of:
- Forgotten or unforeseen things that would have been useful
- What about the place was good, bad, ugly, beautiful?
- Let your imagination run wild, immerse your thoughts and senses or remember the atmosphere, then try to write a short poem describing the place and impressions.
- What were the practical and pragmatic essentials?
Trigger Words and Phrases for Travel Journal Entries:
- I like it because
- I didn’t like it – why?
- viewed
- colors
- smelled
- He felt
- tried
- overheard
- calm
- noisy
- study
- new
- ancient
- likeness
- dissimilarity
- my feelings – and the reasons why
- weather conditions and light quality
- people
- Flora and fauna
- humor
- peculiarities
- ignorance
- the same but different
In this article, I explored why it’s important to let your personality into your travel journal writing and explored examples and ways to do so. To conclude: in the writing of a travel journal there is no right or wrong, but there is your way of being, which should be as unique as you are.
