As this post comes out I will be on day 2 of my vacation and if you have been to my blog before you know that I am a fan of journaling. However, I can’t travel with all of my journaling supplies. I wish I could, but that is A LOT of stuff. I want to be able to relive my memories years from now. So… I am sharing what I will be doing for my vacation journal.
Why do I want to vacation journal?
I am a very nostalgic person. There is just something so happy about reliving past moments. REMINDER: We don’t LIVE in past moments, but we do enjoy reminiscing. Journaling has been a way for me to work through some of my past trauma as well as document highlights from the past year.
I wish I started journaling years ago so I could physically look at pictures and read what was going on when I took them. So that part has really been a blessing since I started journaling on and off in March of 2020. Wow, It has been a year. I didn’t even realize it. Dang man! I started taking it really seriously in January of 2021. Of course, I have documented highs and lows. I really learned how to make journaling fun.
Can a vacation journal boost your happiness?
I saw this fun fact on this website thereseritual.com… (that actually inspired this blog post) That asked What do the greatest minds in history have in common? Journaling. Daily journaling improves creativity, clarity, focus, productivity, and happiness. Combine that with travel, and Woah, talk about seeing the world with new eyes.
I am already happy to be on vacation but now let’s capture that happiness on a blank page. You and I both know that going on vacation can be stressful. It does have its hiccups. And another fun fact: a study was published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, showed that the largest boost in happiness comes from the simple act of planning a vacation. In the study, the effect of vacation anticipation boosted happiness for eight weeks.
If that is the case I will “plan” vacations all 52 weeks of the year, but never actually go. hahaha
Where to begin…
I have my regular journal that I spend hours decorating pages and then spilling my feelings and memories upon each page. As I mentioned earlier I cannot travel with all of my supplies. So… We are going basic. All you need is a notebook, a pen and a Ziploc baggy. So simple right?
I grabbed one of the MANY, MANY empty notebooks I have just lying around my house. You know I am stationary WHORE-der. HAHAHAHA. As soon as you utter those words ” I am going to take a vacation” Grab your notebook and pen! Write down all your ideas, research, and questions. Have all of that information in one spot so you don’t lose anything.
What is your style of writing?
There are 2 ways you could go about this. It all depends on your preference. Some prefer long detailed descriptions of the food they had, the places they saw, and people they met. If that is not you, don’t do it. You will be miserable trying to write all of that. You will spend more time with your head in your book than you would actually be experiencing your vacation.
Or you can just jot little snippets of things. Basically one-liners. Just a quick “hey we went here and saw this. It was cool.” Whatever works for you, but I would love to remember as much as possible. So if I write a little bit more detail. It makes me feel like I am romanticizing my life.
I have opted for jotting things down in my notebook when we are driving somewhere. So my head is fully engaged with those around me and I am fully present. My journal will be left in the car. If there is something I want to remember that I think I might forget… I can always shoot myself a text. (yes, I have an ongoing text thread with myself) I am the main character of my life, so why not?
Michele, Where does the Ziploc baggy come into play??
Don’t worry I didn’t forget. It’s coming. 🙂
What to include in your vacation journal
Let’s go with some basic information each day. The date, the state you are in, and maybe the weather?? Short notes that I would include in my journal would be things like :
What are my intentions for the day?
Things I am grateful for.
The most memorable moment of the day.
Feelings I have had through the day.
THIS IS WHAT THE ZIPLOC BAGGY IS FOR:
I like to save receipts, brochures, logo napkins from restaurants, anything that I could use as decoration in my journal at home. This notebook to keep all these notes in is just for safekeeping till I get home and fully decorate my journal pages with all the cool things I saved from vacation.
OOOO, don’t forget to find one of those crank-a-penny machines! I love those things!
Journal Prompts if interested
If you are unsure what to write about here are some prompts that could help you get the juices flowing.
– What is on your destination bucket list? Why?
– What part of this trip have you enjoyed planning for the most?
– Have there been any pre-trip disasters?
– Did you try something new?
– What item did you wish you had packed? Or things you realized you didn’t need to pack!
– Describe the place you are in detail (see, smell, taste, sounds, and feelings)
– Write down some interesting facts or history about your destination
– Did you get out of your comfort zone?
– Make a list of music are you listening to?
– What books/magazines are you reading?
– What states have you gone through?
– Is there one song that reminds you of vacation?
– List the highs and lows of your trip.
– Did you learn anything useful for your next trip?
I have other journal related content that you might be interested in like:
The beginner’s guide to journaling
Healing your Inner Child
October journal prompts for self-discovery
Questions you should be asking yourself, but don’t
Life Audit Questions
Go write your adventure
Now that you are all inspired go enjoy your trip and write down everything you experience. The more you write now the more you will have to relive years from now. Collect everything on your trip and make a really cool scrapbook journal when you get home. I will be making a video of my journal decorating so look out for that.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post and that it inspired you to document your travels. Even if journaling isn’t for you… I hope you record as much as you can. I will be doing all of the above.
Until next time, Have a great day!
I wish I had the patience you have when it comes to collecting things, so I can focus more on the writing side when got home from vacation.
Hahaha, I just save everything that comes in contact with my hand… except food. I take a picture first then eat it.
This is really fun to read. I’m a writer too and I have a journal where I record my thoughts and memories. Vacation journal sounds fun. Thanks for sharing your insights.
You are very welcome Nikhila.
I liked the fact that planning a vacation makes you happier because I totally agree. Now that a vacation here in the philippines is not even possible, we can all kinda feel hopeless. But yeah journaling does help with that too hahaha
You don’t have to actually take the vacation, Christian. You just plan it and find really cool things in different areas you want to go to. Kind of like a vision board.
I like to read your articles because there are so many interesting things to reflect on. This has been a good reading. Thanks for sharing. As a traveler I always document your travels hehe
Aww, thank you for such a sweet comment. I appreciate it!
Ha, “WHORE-der”, nice one! I love your idea of having the ziploc bag to collect items. That never occurred to me and definitely I can see myself doing.
Hahaha… you got what I said. I didn’t think someone would catch it.
This is great! Sometimes I try to close my eyes and relive my best moments. Having a journal would help so much!
A journal could definitely help with that.
Thanks so much fot sharing! I absolutely love all these tips so much. Saving this for later,thx u!
Aww thank you Dris. you are so welcome!
Oh I love this! I’m an extremely nostalgic person too, I actually did this after I got home from my favorite trip ever where my now fiancé proposed to me on a cruise. I didn’t want to forget a moment of that perfect vacation! I’ll need to do this more often though, I love this so much!
I think my nostalgia has to do with my mom not taking enough pictures of me when I was younger. I just want to remember everything.
I love vacation journaling and keeping track of receipts and dated pictures I wish I’d done more of it when I was younger.
Me too, Tina, Me too! I do still have movie tickets and little trinkets from my childhood, but there are so many things I wish I would have kept.
Oh you have just inspired me so much to start a journal now.. like now now.. it feels like being on a mission and see how those beautiful pages would then come alive with memories from each trip. WOW.. I am gonna start this for sure.
I love how my pages come to life with all the little snippets I save. Pictures, receipts flyers, brochures. Makes me so happy.
I never heard of this before. I really never thought about reliving or writing down my travel memories. I never thought they were really important.
Oh, they are so important. I am doing this now so when I am older I can share my journals with my grandkids and great-grandkids. I want them to know that I struggled with the same issues they probably do and I have had beautiful adventures during my life. Everything is worth remembering the good and the bad.
I love to relive my memories but I definitely need to do it more often.
It has made me so happy seeing all the things I have done this year in one little beautifully decorated journal.
As a kid I used to do journal writing. Whenever we had to go on the trip I used to write what I would love to do on that trip and how I would like to spend my vacation. That had its own unique fun and made the trip more memorable.
I agree. It definitely makes you pay attention a little bit more and find things you appreciate and are grateful for on trips.