Have you ever wanted to keep better track of your travels? Give travel journaling a try!

I’ve had a natural inclination towards writing for as long as I can remember, but over the years, my writing has evolved and changed from exclusive expression through words and morphed to include art, charts, photos, and lists.

That’s the beauty of journaling: ITS YOURS.

If you need to write, find your favorite colored pen. If you need glitter glue, you go get glitter glue. If you need to draw, pick up a pencil. Do yo thang!

Step 1: Buy a Journal

If this journal will only be for one trip, consider buying a smaller one with less pages. If you want to make it more long-term, go for something nice like this leather journal. I’ve had three of those in different colors from Barnes & Noble and they last me about a year.

Another option to consider is when you travel, find a cute local shop and buy yourself a journal for your next trip (or the one you’re currently on if you can find it that quickly).

Step 2: Find a Good Set of Materials

Next, you need something to write with in your new journal!

My favorite pens for travel journaling are these Sharpie multicolored pens. I prefer thin felt tip markers for creative lettering and Sharpie pens for writing.

If you want to watercolor on the go, take a look at this portable set that I love!

Step 3: Be Kind to Yourself

You’re probably not going to make a Pinterest-worthy page on your first try. The goal is just to get your thoughts written down so that you have something to remember about your trip years from now.

Step 4: Focus on the Smaller Details

Years from now, you’ll likely still remember that you visited the Louve, but will you remember the cutest little coffee shop you visited beforehand? Probably not. Switch your focus to conversations with locals, things that surprised you, meals that you ate, etc.

These will fill in the gaps between your photos and other souvenirs that tell the story of your major experiences.

Step 5: Mix Your Mediums

Finally, you don’t need to be an excellent artist to start travel journaling. You can just add stickers or tickets from places you visit to add some variety to your pages.

Now, you’ll have a beautiful, long-lasting journal that will reflect all you’ve done on this trip and will be a personalized keepsake for years to come.

Ready to add more to your journal? Check out some prompts!