In this new article, I would like to address a subject that can concern all travels: whether you are going to France for a few days, a few weeks on the other side of the planet or whether you are a nomad across Europe, the subject of the day can be found in any suitcase!
Indeed, the travel diary to be filled in is an element more and more popular with globetrotters but also with occasional travellers. These travel diaries, or road-books, have many advantages, this is what we will see later in this article. They can also be perfect gifts for travelers.
But then the question you can ask yourself before you too embark on a travel diary is: how to choose the right travel diary to fill in? A question that I will try to answer as clearly as possible, by providing you with all the important and necessary elements so that you can choose the travel diary to fill out that best suits you!
Summary:
- What is a travel diary?
- Why take a travel diary with you?
- How to choose the best travel diary?
- Tips for filling out your travel diary
- What happens to your travel diary next?
- My opinion on these travel diaries to fill in
What is a travel diary?
Let's start first with a little reminder, or rather a clarification, on what a travel diary is. In the spirit of this article, a travel diary will be a small notebook that will follow you during your stay and in which you can fill in a lot of things. The idea of the travel diary will be to trace your journey, step by step, and to note the more or less important experiences that you have had and that you want to remember.
We will see later that there are different forms of travel journals and that each journal is specific to its owner, to the person who fills it and embellishes it.
Why take a travel diary with you?
The reasons why you take a travel diary can be many and varied, but above all, they depend on each of us. So let's take a quick look at these different reasons, and don't hesitate to tell me yours in the comments if they are not mentioned here:
- Immortalize your memories
The main reason will be to keep many memories of your travels. Often, a few years later, your memories are less precise, you tend to forget certain less important or less significant details. To no longer remember the name of the delicious restaurant you had unearthed or the charming bed and breakfast where you had stayed. So take a travel diary with you, allows you throughout your stay, to fill it out and thus remember your trip in detail when you pick up this precious diary some time later. - Give your tickets a second life
But taking a travel diary with you is also a solution for not throwing away all the tickets and brochures you collect during your stay: stick them on or slip them into a souvenir envelope, you will give everyone a second life. those little bits of paper! - Express your artistic side
This is a good reason to always have your travel diary with you! Most travel journals offer more or less blank pages so that you can draw as you see fit, or paste your photos, ... The ways to express your artistic side are endless, even more so when you travel and discover new things. new horizons, new places, landscapes or new people. - Take care of the children
And yes, a reason that is often forgotten, but having a travel diary to fill in can save a few hours of waiting, a few evenings at the restaurant,... Drawing, ticking boxes, filling in blanks,... are all very popular activities for children. So why not give them the opportunity to fill in their own travel diary?
The perfect gift idea!
The travel diary to fill in can also be an excellent gift idea for the travelers around you! Blank travel diary or specific to a destination or theme, the possibilities are varied and are sure to please. Gift ideas for travelers
How to choose the best travel diary?
Here is a big question! The choice of your notebook will be made according to the use you wish to make of it. To help you see more clearly, let's take a quick tour of the types of notebooks you can choose from.
The blank notebook
The simplest and probably the most widespread notebook: a blank notebook. It is simply made up of blank pages to fill in. You can choose pages with lines, dots or nothing. It will depend on whether you prefer to write, sketch or draw.
The advantages: this notebook adapts to all situations and all destinations. You can have one always with you, it will always come in handy. You can fill in what you want when you want.
The dedicated travel diary
Depending on the trip you are planning, you may be more likely to be interested in a travel diary specific to your future destination. And how is this notebook specific to a destination? Quite simply because you will find many items inside that will be specific to the country or city you are about to visit: a map of the country, travel advice for this country, etc. For certain information such as the weather forecast by example, you will only have to tick a box, ... This type of travel diary to be filled in can very well be aimed at adults, as well as children, because a free space is provided for each of your stages: drawing, coloring, stories, photos, … You can fill this page as you see fit!
Advantages :
- several themes and several destinations are available, so you can start creating a collection of your travel journals that you have filled out.
- You can also start filling it before you even leave. Indeed, the pages of the to-do-list or for your itinerary can be filled in upstream. A taste of travel!
- These travel diaries to fill in also include a practical advice section depending on the destination or the theme of the notebook. These tips can be of great help to you before but also during the trip.
My Travel MemoriesBuild up a collection of travel journals! My Travel Memories offers different destinations and different themes in several languages: French, English and German.
Start your collection with the notebooks that already exist: Canada, New Zealand, My Travels, My World Tour. And above all, stay tuned, new notebooks may be coming soon! See all notebooks
Alternative: scratch cards, pin cards, etc.
Increasingly widespread, many models of playful and interactive cards are emerging. Depending on the models and sizes, they can be an alternative, or an excellent complement, to your travel diary to be filled in.
Some maps are scratch off, depending on the countries or regions you have already visited. Others are more imposing and are intended to receive small thumbtacks to remind you of your various trips. Many variations exist.
The advantages: this system is very visual and easy to use. For scratch cards, there are some in small format, so you can carry them with you and your notebook to fill. Large formats are not transportable but they can be decorated for your office, living room, bedroom, etc.
The disadvantage: the main disadvantage compared to the travel diary to be completed will be that this format is not intended to tell your story. You will only keep the places visited as a souvenir, nothing more. Hence the interest of choosing a travel diary to complete in addition.
So, which travel journal to choose?
The answer will mostly depend on you. At first glance, I find the destination- or theme-specific notebooks offered by MyTravelMemories interesting.
Not being a great designer or artist, I like the side:
- 1 part to be completed on the stage
- and 1 free part to tell my stage, my anecdotes, …
Having different travel diaries to fill out in the same style makes for a nice collection! I who like to travel and who am often on the move, I find this very interesting.
On the other hand, if you like to draw, write, paste, … and you don't like the pre-filled part to be completed that much, then opt for a blank notebook. If you do not use it during your stay, you will be able to use it in other circumstances, whether or not related to travel!
Tips for filling out your travel diary
Now that you know why you need to set off with a travel diary to fill out, and how to choose the best diary, here are some tips for creating and filling it out!
Choose the right material
Once you have the travel diary of your dreams, remember to equip yourself correctly: pencils, pens, markers, … Think about the different colors you want to use.
If you plan to glue elements and decorate your notebook, then also think about getting the necessary: small stick of glue, pretty masking tape or even paper clips, …
Print your photos as you go
To fill your travel diary as you go, it may be necessary to be able to quickly access your main shots. Two solutions are possible!
- The instant camera:
The first is to opt for an instant camera. It will allow you to immediately see the photos you have just shot. The format of the photos is smaller than traditional photos, allowing you to easily insert them into your travel diary. - The travel printer:
The second possibility is to opt for a portable printer. All you have to do is connect it to your phone and print the photos you want to include in your travel diary. It is small and very practical to use when traveling!
Organize your materials
Now that you are well equipped to fill your travel journal, I recommend that you opt for a small storage pouch. This will allow you to group all your "travel diary" material in the same place.
It also protects everything! In fact, when travelling, you are not immune to a bag falling, an overturned bottle or a heavy downpour. All this could damage the notebook as well as your pencils, glue, tape, camera, printer, etc.
So choose a small waterproof pouch that can accommodate all of your equipment, notebook included. Do not hesitate to organize your various supplies with a pencil case for example.
Fill in the My Travel Memories notebooks
These notebooks have the specificity of being personalized according to the destination or the theme. Inside you will find:
- advice to prepare for your stay: this advice is adapted to the country or theme of the booklet;
- a blank page to glue an envelope intended to keep the small papers that you will not have glued on other pages;
- a to-do-list: complete this to-do-list before and during your stay and remember to check off what you have achieved as you go;
- a large map of the country or the world depending on the theme: draw your route on this large map. It will allow you to have an overview of your stay;
- a summary: step by step, fill in your summary and the pages to access it more quickly;
- the stage pages: made up of a page with practical information about your stage (date, place, weather, accommodation, good addresses) and a blank page so that you can tell your stage or paste memories, draw, etc.
What happens to your travel diary next?
It is important to address certain questions before your trip: how to choose your travel diary to fill in, the supplies to fill it in properly, how to go about it, ... But it is also important to know what you will do with this precious notebook once back home. And yes, telling your trip is good, but the best thing is to dive back into it a few years later! So let's see what you will do with your travel diary once it is filled:
Share your adventures!
Of course, I invite you to share your most beautiful pages and your most beautiful drawings on social networks. My Travel Memories notebooks have an Instagram page where you can share all the adventures you live with these notebooks!
Tell your trip
Once back home, you will tell your loved ones about your stay. Remember to take your notebook with you! It will allow those around you to see your most memorable photos, enjoy your anecdotes, relive your trip step by step, … This travel diary, once completed, will be the most beautiful memory you can share with those around you. .
Collect notebooks
Whether you opt for a blank notebook or a My Travel Memories travel diary, this is the perfect opportunity to start a collection of objects that have incalculable sentimental value and above all, that are absolutely unique!
“The best trip is the one you haven't taken yet! »
Loïck Peyron (French navigator)
So hope you keep traveling and your collection grows year after year!
My opinion on these travel diaries to fill in
The simple fact of writing this article made me want to travel, to discover new places, new people, new cities, countryside, … The power of travel is infinite! So why not keep the precious memories that we have sometimes gone so far to look for a little longer?
The travel diaries to fill in are the essential accessory to immortalize every moment and keep forever what we have experienced.
Personally, I like the idea proposed by My Travel Memories: to create my little travel collection. Not out of pride or for the saying of having visited such and such a country, but simply to preserve these precious memories for life. It's such a pleasure to come across old travel diaries that it's what makes me want even more, today, to fill in new ones and to always leave with a diary, whatever the reasons. of my stay and whatever the destination: France, Europe, America, …
