Bullet Journalling in a Traveler’s Notebook

The Bullet Journal system requires a notebook but not to a specific type of notebook. It has been more common to use a dotted A5 notebook like the Leuchtturm1917 or the official Bullet Journal notebook because this is what the creator of the Bullet Journal method preferred.

When I was still learning about the Bullet Journal, I was also searching for the perfect notebook to start with. I knew that the dot grid A5 hardcover journal was the go-to bullet journal notebook but I also had my eyes set out on the Traveler’s Notebook. I chose the A5 because I wanted to start from the basics – even with the tools used for the Bullet Journal and also wanted to have a consistent collection so that they would look nice when archived.

I love bullet journaling in the Leuchtturm. It has always felt like home (I tried a Rhodia and it just felt strange) but last May, I had started to seriously consider moving to a Traveler’s Notebook. Of course, there were a lot of external factors (i.e. my lifestyle) that came into play here but here are the few other reasons for finally moving to the TN.

It’s lighter and slimmer

I went on a trip last April and brought some of my journaling essentials – a Midori MD light for long-form journaling, my A5 Leuchtturm for bullet journaling, and a few fountain pens. That doesn’t seem much but I literally felt the weight on my shoulders when I stuffed them into my backpack.

I didn’t mind it at first because it was if I had just brought a book along with me. Then I realized that I didn’t need to bring all 250 pages of paper (Leuchtturm) with me during my trip because I just needed a page or two to bullet journal.

Because of that, the Traveler’s Notebook seemed more and more appealing and desirable. The base of the TN is a leather cover, which is light in itself. With notebook refills/inserts, they still weigh less than a standard A5 because an insert has (typically) only 64 pages.

The regular TN is a “slim A5”, meaning it has the same height as the standard A5 but is slimmer by at least an inch. This size is more portable than the A5 and can fit smaller purses or bags.

Another thing that makes this more lightweight than the A5 notebooks is that – if you really want to pack light, you can just take one insert out and leave the leather cover (and the rest of the inserts) at home.

You can change notebooks frequently

I like trying different notebooks and paper. There are so many brands of stationery that I want to try but can’t because I wouldn’t have enough reason to use more notebooks. Or maybe I can but I’m just a little bit impatient that I want to use the next notebook available.

The thin TN inserts kind of help me manage that stationery FOMO. There are surprisingly a lot of “regular” sized TN notebooks available in the market – some already have layouts and some are blank.

Maybe you’re the type of bullet journalist who wants to try weekly layouts in one month, then daily logs in the next. If that’s the case, then you could use the Traveler’s Notebook system to

They’re also more affordable than the Leuchtturms, Rhodias, and Moleskines. And seriously, if you can’t afford the leather cover (yet), you can start with using inserts first!

Different inserts for different purposes

In addition to the wide variety of notebooks, each insert can be assigned to a specific purpose. Some bullet journalists want to use a different notebook for work, school, personal/family. That makes sense because it can be unmanageable sometimes if every thing is in one place.

Using a Traveler’s Notebook can easily organize and manage that for you. In one TN, you can have at most 4 inserts at the same time and not worry about misplacing each of them.

Prior to migrating to the Traveler’s Notebook, I had already decided on keeping two inserts for my Bullet Journal – one for long-term collections and the other for monthly logs and short-term lists. I wanted to keep them separate so that I wouldn’t have to migrate collections every time I change my inserts.

Read: Two Notebook Bullet Journal System

I am planning to add a third one maybe as a “commonplace book” where I write down notes from books I’ve read or maybe ideas I have.

The regular sized TN has the perfect width

My handwriting is small so whenever I use any A5 notebook, I don’t usually write until the edge of the page. While some enjoy the white space, I’m not so fond of it when it comes with words.

When I started bullet journaling, I used the standard daily logging. When I felt that there was just too much “wasted space” or space that I had the urge to fill, I started dividing the page and using weekly logs instead.

Read: Daily Logs vs. Weekly Logs

With the TN, I didn’t have to worry about that anymore. I had just the right amount of space for my short and concise bullet points. The smaller space also encourages me to write less and in turn, write faster.

Finally, the leather cover is timeless (and can last for quite a while)

The leather cover is what I admire most about this particular Traveler’s Notebook. I like the rustic look and how classy it looks regardless. The material on the Traveler’s Company’s TN is not shiny or smooth but rather more matte so it can (and should) easily get scratched. Despite that, the leather is quite durable and I believe there are some TN users who have had their notebooks still intact for a few years.

The Traveler’s Company offers four colors for their TNs, brown, camel, black, and blue – all of which classic and timeless.

The Traveler’s Company’s TN does come at a price, roughly around $50, but I see this more as an investment. Think about it, if you are planning on using this as your bullet journal or planner for the next few years, you will only be spending for the inserts (which could cost at least $3 each!) – that’s probably going to be cheaper than buying a Leuchtturm (at $25) every 6-12 months, right? The Traveler’s Notebook will only cost more upfront because you will be paying for the leather.

I feel that I will stick to using the Bullet Journal system in a Traveler’s Notebook. It has only been two months but I have been enjoying it so far. I honestly cannot wait for my next iterations of my BuJo in a TN.