Are you dreaming of the perfect vacation? Whether you’re eager to visit another continent or your neighbouring town, travelling can be stressful. This is especially true in 2022, in a post-pandemic world with differing national regulations and flight delays being among the new and evolving challenges travellers face.

While some challenges are out of our individual control, we are not helpless against the sometimes overwhelming experience of travelling. Journaling is often used as a method to improve travel planning, to reduce stress, note down happy memories, and keep track of to-do items. 

To learn more about the ups and downs of traveling, and how journaling can make this often bumpy ride a bit smoother, we spoke with Yuka of @beautyoflife.12 on Instagram, who recently travelled to from Tokyo, Japan to New York City, USA for work, and stayed organised using her bullet journal. 

Yuka has benefited first-hand from using a journal to arrange her travels: “By using journal, I think it’s so obvious what I want to do when I travel. It has made me more organized!”

To help more travellers benefit from journaling, our team at The Washi Tape Shop has five tips to add to travel adventures using a journal:

1. Plan your trip

Using a journal to plan your trip may encourage you to think through the finer details of your travels, and becoming a habitual journal user will help you to remember these ideas while you’re travelling. 

A checklist is always a great place to start in a journal, and that’s especially true when planning a trip. Be sure to check your destination’s COVID-19 regulations and list any requirements that you need to meet before arrival. Also, think about the usual paperwork that may be necessary, for example, visas and health passes. 

“Packing list is the one I would like to use! Don’t wanna forget something it’s really important for travel! I like making checklists for the places I want to visit and food I want to try — food is always so important for me, haha”, Yuka told The Washi Tape Shop. 

2. Be creative with your journal spreads

If you’re keeping your journal to look back on your travels, consider adding some decorative elements, even after your trip is over. If you’re artistic, you may find inspiration from your favourite landmarks to doodle quick sketches. Alternatively, items like our Solo Expedition Planner Stickers may add a unique element to your journal.

3. Journal as you go 

The benefit of travel journaling is that you can take your journal and a pen with you everywhere you go, or use it when you have spare time, without being distracted by technology. In places where you technology use is restricted, such on flights without internet access, a journal might be the ideal travel companion.

While you’re on your trip, consider winding down in between the busy days of sight-seeing and adventuring by noting your progress on checklist items and by jotting down your plans for the day ahead.

4. Reflect on your favourite memories

If you choose to journal to wind down, journaling before bedtime each evening may allow you to reflect on your favorite moments from the past day which may otherwise slip your mind. 

The moments you highlight will depend on your destination, but ideas to consider include making notes of your favourite restaurants, jotting down your favourite piece of art in a local museum or gallery, or highlighting the scenery you noticed while walking or driving around the area you’re visiting.

If you have a Polaroid camera or a printer, you can easily print your favourite photographs from the trip and include them in a memories spread once you’re back from your trip.

5. Finally, you don’t need to go far to benefit from travel journaling

It may seem that a travel journal is best used for long trips to faraway destinations, but that’s not the case at all. While it’s true that a travel journal can be especially beneficial to someone planning a long trip, the principles and ideas discussed in this blog post can be adapted to any kind of trip -- even a day trip!

If you’re looking to stay organized, a packing spread could be ideal for a day trip if you’re packing items like a picnic basket, a camera, or some hiking boots. Similarly, you could also reflect on your favourite moments from your day trip in a spread once you get back home! 

For anyone interested in travelling, who isn’t going anywhere in the near future, a dream destination spread may be ideal. “I made dream destination page for fun, and for the near future (hopefully). For people who can’t travel soon, I highly recommend creating this spread to motivate yourself to go or just enjoy yourself,” Yuka told us.