Airplane Mode: Journaling while Traveling

Traveling and journaling seem like polar opposites. Traveling is fast-paced and active while journaling is intentional. Because of how different they are, it’s a bit difficult to imagine how some are able to keep a journal while they’re traveling across the globe. Doing both can be a bit of a challenge but it’s definitely possible.

You’re on a vacation! Why should you still journal when you travel?

I don’t have much experience with journaling while traveling because every time I travel, I leave my notebook behind. I have always thought that I wouldn’t have time to journal at all when I’m in a foreign country or a different city. The past few months been completely different for me. Long-form journaling has become a huge part of my daily routine that it’s almost like coffee. In fact, my morning pages habit is one of the things that gets me through my morning. Because it’s that one thing that has kept me sane, I didn’t want my travel days to interfere with my journaling.

If journaling has become part of your daily routine, it’s difficult to part from it even when you know you’re going to a foreign country. If you really want to keep up with the habit of journaling, you should learn how you will be able to incorporate this with your travels.

What type of journal do you want to take with you?

Journaling comes in different forms such as bullet journaling, art journaling, scrapbook journaling, or long-form journaling. Before you start packing, decide on what you intend on creating when you’re on vacation. You probably want to stick to what you’re accustomed to or maybe you want to deviate from that standard – because you’re on vacation anyway!

Journaling, in all forms, takes discipline and time. You need to motivate yourself to write and you also need to make time to write your thoughts. Understanding the format of your journal will help you build a positive frame of mind before you travel.

What should you take with you?

When traveling, you don’t have to bring all of your journaling supplies that you would use at home (oh, you stationery addict, you). Remember to pack light! You don’t want to overwhelm yourself with choices especially when you’re not in the comfort of your own home. You also need to bring reliable yet inexpensive tools because there is a possibility of losing things during a trip.

Notebooks

I have 2 main journals, an A5 Leuchtturm notebook for bullet journaling and another A5 Tomoe River notebook for my morning pages. Bringing bringing both on a trip isn’t practical.

If you keep a 200-500 page notebook at home, you don’t have to bring that. You will only need a few pages for your trip so maybe a booklet or an insert would be a better choice for traveling.

And on that note, I highly recommend using a Traveler’s Notebook! It’s customizable, it’s light, and it’s durable (because it’s usually made out of leather).

Writing Instruments

Bring your most reliable writers but don’t bring the expensive ones. If you use ballpoints or gel pens, make sure you bring a few extra pieces with you. If you are more into art journals, then make sure you have your pencils and maybe a portable watercolor kit with you.

• Read: Fountain Pen for Beginners
• Read: Medical Supplies Fountain Pen Addicts Can’t Live Without

Fountain pens might be a little bit different. You might want to bring a few of your reliable starter pens and a vial of ink sample or two. I usually carry three starter pens with me, the Lamy Safari (the reliable clip), TWSBI Eco (for the ink capacity), and the Platinum Preppy (cheap, good backup).

Flying with fountain pens can be tricky too because they can leak in transit. This is why carrying at least one sample vial is also a good idea.

Folios and cases

When traveling, it’s important to keep your journaling gear in one place! You wouldn’t want to lose anything now, would you?

Zip folios are a great way to keep everything together – pens, paper, notebook, scrapbook things. The leather ones especially add some flair and class to your journaling gear.

As for pen cases, I personally like the hard shell pen cases just because it gives you an extra layer of protection.

Pen rolls are also nice because you can bring a lot of pens minus the bulkiness of a standard pen case.

Memory Keeping

Some travelers prefer documenting their trips as they go and photos (or sketches) are the best way to capture memories. When you are journaling while traveling, you would want your photos physically available as soon as possible.

A few products that come to mind are:

1. Fujifilm Instax – instantly have a photo at hand
2. Fujifilm Instax Share Mobile Printer – print photos from your phone with the Polaroid aesthetic
3. HP Sprocket Portable Printer – print wallet-sized photos
4. Paperang Paper Photo Printer – print paper-thin B&W photos from your phone

How can you keep up your journal while traveling?

Now you already have the whys and the whats, the only question remaining is how.

Journaling on-the-go is completely different from journaling at home. You’re not in your element and you can’t guarantee that you would be able to write with intention.

Like I’ve said, you will have to make time to sit down and write so you would need to adjust your schedule just a bit.

1. Get up early in the morning
2. Don’t write too much
3. Journal while drinking your morning coffee/tea
4. Take your journal to the park, by the pool, or at a coffee shop
5. If you can’t journal in the morning, do it at night when you’re resting after a long day of traveling
6. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes
7. Have fun with it!

The last time I tried journaling while traveling, I made sure that I woke up at 6am to have breakfast and found a spot by the pool to have coffee and journal. Since I opted to write in long-form, it took me at least 30 minutes to write 3 pages in an A5 Midori MD Light notebook. It was such an exhilarating experience because I initially thought that I wouldn’t be able to commit to the habit while I was away. I can easily compare the joy I felt while journaling by the pool to that feeling you get when you read a book by the beach.