If you know me, you know I’ve never been the best in English class. For starters, literature has never been the most interesting to me, and writing has never been my strong suit. So, what made me think I could get into blogging?  

Since 2015, I’ve brought a small journal on nearly every trip to write about our adventures. It’s not always easy to remember everything from your travels, especially when you’re constantly on the move or, like your mom, simply have a really bad memory and can’t recall anything for the life of you! So what better way to keep the memories intact than to write it all down?

However, keeping a journal on a trip is not that simple and poses its challenges. You scramble to jot down those fleeting details whenever a spare moment arises—be it at breakfast or on a bus en route to a tour. Writing becomes a task squeezed between activities. You find yourself a couple of days behind, and despite the short time span, the days blur together, requiring you to piece everything back together. Admittedly, at times, travel journaling feels like a chore, yet the effort is rewarded in the end with preserved memories!

Even during moments when you feel like abandoning your journal, keep going. The beauty of journaling is that it’s entirely personal; it’s your story, written your way. Whether you consider yourself a skilled writer or not, what truly counts is capturing the memories. Grammar mistakes and incomplete details don’t diminish its value.

With this being said, if you’re contemplating starting a journaling journey or just need a few pointers, here are five fundamental tips I’d love to share with you:

1. Keep up with the day

It’s incredibly easy to fall behind. Feeling like everyone around you is having fun while you’re stuck writing might lead to thoughts like, “I’ll finish it tonight,” but that’s not ideal. If you’re like me, your days are packed, and by nightfall, you’re exhausted. The idea of writing more only adds to your fatigue, perpetuating the cycle of “I’ll do it at breakfast.” Push through and finish it, you’ll feel accomplished!

2. Selective journaling

Avoid detailing every single aspect. When you look back, do you really care that you had scrambled eggs and orange juice for breakfast in Mexico? Maybe, but probably not! Avoid getting caught up in unnecessary details when you’d rather be immersing yourself in your travels. Enough said.

3. Vary your sentence starters

In my early days of journaling, I used to begin every sentence with “then,” “next,” or “after.” While it’s unnecessary to obsess over your writing style, diversifying your sentence beginnings can make your travel memories more engaging to read later on. Experiment with phrases like “the following moment…,” “arriving at…,” or even “later on…” to add variety to your journal entries.

4. Use your phone for quick notes

Another tip I suggest is to jot down anything you might quickly forget but want to remember in your phone’s notes. It’s not always feasible to write in your journal during all activities, such as a walking tour, for instance. In these situations, I prefer to take notes on my phone for easy reference when I have more time later on.

5. Table of contents

Since I started journaling, I’ve made it a habit to include a table of contents at the beginning of my travel notebooks. While it’s not absolutely necessary, it significantly improves organization and enhances the overall presentation.

Here’s how I do it: I begin by writing a brief blurb introducing the trip, including details about how the trip came to be, the destination and, if applicable, the people accompanying me. Each day of the trip becomes a separate chapter, titled with the main activity or highlight of that day. I carefully number the pages and specify the range for each day; for example, Day One: Hiking – pages 1 to 5.

It’s a simple but effective way to keep your travel memories organized and accessible.