Journaling is known to reduce stress, enhance a sense of clarity and personal growth and is a great way to catalog your thoughts, moods and memories in a system that you can review again and again throughout your lifetime.
The same is true for the travel journal, a travel-specific notebook or digital document that you add to only when you travel. The way you do it is entirely up to you: it could be more of a photo-book style, like a scrapbook, with descriptions of each photo or day of travel throughout, or it could simply be a notebook in which you write about your travel experiences as they happen or after they’ve happened.
I consulted Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Jennifer Covarrubias from the Mental Health Center of San Diego on some reasons why you should start journaling about your travel experiences.
No surprise here, a lot of the benefits of traditional journaling also apply to travel journaling. Either way, it’s an easy thing to begin doing.
Memorializes Meaningful Trips
The biggest benefit to travel journaling should be fairly easy to see: it’s a great way to memorialize your travel experiences. Each day during your trip, whether it’s sipping your cafe au lait in the morning or settling into bed at night, find a set time to write in your journal about your most recent experiences.
“You can begin by setting 15 minutes of your day to sit in a quiet space and freely write about your experiences for the day,” said Covarrubias. “You can even have structured questions each day. For example: What new experience did I have today? How did this impact my emotional state? What would I like to experience or see more of? Including a picture to your post or entry can also help you keep track of your travels."
This way, you’ll have a daily account of the experiences that you want to remember for a lifetime. Recalling these memories also places them deeper in your own mind, so when you want to recall a funny story for your friends later on, you’ll likely be able to tell the story better, too.
Catalogs Your Thoughts, Worries and Dreams
A travel journal, much like a traditional journal, also helps you discover more about who you are and what makes you tick.
Travel journaling can be done in a variety of ways, from photograph collages to blogs to a simple notebook and more. (Photo Credit: SeventyFour / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
“Through journaling about your travel experiences, you can further explore your values, your likes and dislikes, and needs,” said Covarrubias. “This can also provide you with a sense of accomplishment while traveling and help boost up self-esteem. It can also relieve stress during the traveling process.”
Sure, it can be uncomfortable re-reading about the time you embarrassed yourself in front of that cute guy you kept bumping into on the cruise, or when you botched ordering a meal in a different language, but it's also about self-discovery: who are you when you travel, and how does that differ from who you are when you're not traveling?
What If You Don’t Travel Often?
You might be thinking: but I don’t travel all that often. Is starting a travel journal even worth it?
My answer is yes! A travel journal might be even more meaningful because you don’t travel often. It gives you an opportunity to really cherish and memorialize the experiences you do have, and learn more from them as they happen because your perspective is different. It’s not another business trip abroad, or something of that nature: it’s a lifelong memory that you’ll cherish forever.
“Every life experience is meaningful. When we travel we get to experience life in a different way and from a different lens. We learn about a new culture, we try new foods, etc.,” said Covarrubias. “Because these experiences are new, they offer new perspectives that are definitely worth documenting, remembering, and sharing! Do not allow the frequency of travel to take away from what you are able to share with others who maybe have not visited the same places as you.”
So the next time you see a beautiful journal in a shop or consider writing a page or two of your experiences on your laptop, do it! The benefits far outweigh the short time it takes to get in touch with yourself and put some pen to paper.
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