101 Travel Journal Ideas: Page Examples, Inspiration & Prompts

These 101 Travel Journal ideas will help you fill up a notebook of all sorts of adventures - whether it's an exotic voyage or the everyday journey in life.

And of course, please, please, please DO NOT feel like you have to do every single thing I put on this list - especially all in one journal. {That would be one awfully big, heavy book to lug around!}

Whether you're off to a grand exotic adventure, dreaming of places you want to go or maybe just enjoying a stay-cation and local points of interest, I hope you will find this post of travel journal ideas inspiring to document your next creative adventure.

101 Travel Journal Ideas: What to Put in a Traveler's Notebook

1. Start With a Map

Maps are always great in a journal. You can paste or tape them in or even make pockets and envelopes with them. Drawing maps can be a lot of fun also.

There are also a lot of ways to get maps:

• Google Maps: You could even print out a satellite/street view version or the directions.
• Maps Category on Wikimedia Commons: Lots of great free maps you can download and print out.
• Old Books & Atlases: If you have an old set of encyclopedias that's way outdated and not of collector value, there are likely a lot of great maps to use in your journals. I love finding an old atlas at the thrift store or book sales.
• Marketing Maps: Many welcome centers, tourist agencies and travel rest stops have all sorts of maps available in marketing brochures.

Staying local? Why not make a map of where you live? It could be your neighborhood, the backyard or even your kitchen. Doodles and sketches are perfectly 100% awesome here.

Another idea is to cut out shapes from old outdated maps you have. I sometimes buy old atlases and books with maps just for this purpose! These hearts shown below were cut out using a heart shaped punch similar to this one on Amazon.

I love scrapbook punches for so many different things in my art journals - you don't even need that many of them and you can get perfect cut-outs anytime. These are great to make in advance before you travel somewhere - and you can get all sorts of different shapes! Circles, tags, you name it.

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2. Can't Decide Where to Go? Make a Mind Map

As creative people, making plans and staying organized is sometimes a challenge. I know when I go anywhere it sometimes feels overwhelming to keep track of all the details or even just decide what I want to do. Sometimes I don't even know where I want to go or what I want to do.

Mind Maps are great for easily mapping out ideas, dreams, plans, thoughts - especially if you're not sure how to really organize them. You can draw them out on paper or even use mindmap software to create one you like and then print out and decorate.

Sometimes just making a mind map of an ordinary place can be fun - this mindmap of things to do in Ohio actually makes me excited to go there this summer. {Living next door in PA sometimes causes me to take all the neat things to explore in Ohio for granted.}

Even if you're only going as far as your imagination, a mind map is a great way to explore all sorts of different ideas and concepts.

3. Packing List & Trip Prep

If you are using your travel journal as part planner, part journal, making a packing list and a to-do list before leaving is a great idea.

This is not only practical, as it will hopefully help you remember everything, but it can also help document some of the excitement and anticipation for the trip before you even arrive at your destination.

4. What's In Your Bag?

While similar to a packing list, it can sometimes be fun to either snap a quick photo or sketch and doodle a picture of your suitcase and bags.

This can also be a fun way to document different day trips - it's always interesting to see what sorts of things you consider essential to carry with you - especially if you find yourself looking back 5 - 10 years later. I am still in awe that fanny packs are coming back in style.

5. Make a Bucket List

A bucket list is a list of all the things you want to do. Maybe this is a list for while you are at a specific location for a period of time - or this could even be a list of all the different places you want to visit during your lifetime.

Some of the examples of things you could create for a bucket list:

• Places you want to go
• Region Specific Foods you want to try
• Things you want to do
• People you hope to see

6. Found Things: Collecting Ephemera & Other Treasures

Lately I've been keeping my eyes on the ground whenever we go places. I've found all sorts of very interesting things by keeping my eyes and my head open to finding stuff at random.

I've found old coins and pennies, tokens, dropped business cards - all sorts of interesting stuff. A lot of times people may think this stuff is just trash, but if it's flat enough it can fit into a journal and a great way to document things you've encountered while out exploring the world. You never know what you might find on a sidewalk.

7. Save Those Receipts

Receipts are a great way to keep track of different things you do and need during your trip. Maybe you need a special airline approved travel bag you buy before the trip, or it's the receipt for lunch at that adorable sea-side cafe you stumbled across.

Usually these sorts of things also have geographic information printed on them, so it can make even the national/international chains a little more interesting.

I always joke that doesn't matter where we go or how well I plan I usually end up at a Wal-mart buying supplies we forgot - but hey, at least it's fun to see your Wal-mart receipt has a different city and state printed on it.

8. Attach an Envelope or Pocket for Collecting & Storing Supplies

Speaking of ephemera and found things, another great idea for things to include in your journal is an envelope you can use as storage. The pocket for collage supplies is one of my favorite things about Dylusions Art Journals - so handy for holding stuff!

Since most of my journals are either 7x10" or 6x9", I like to use the 6x9" mailing envelopes and glue them or tape them into my notebooks and journals to use as a pocket for holding stuff. They are great for fitting all sorts of paper scraps and other things you might find on the trip!

If you are like me and realize what a deal it is to buy 100 clasp envelopes on Amazon, you can use the envelopes to make many, many more junk journals and art journals in the future!

Beyond just envelopes, there are also a lot of other ways to display and store things inside of a journal, and one of the great things to use for this are the pocket page protectors often used in pocket scrapbooks.

If you are trying to keep things small and simple while traveling, Simple Stories is one brand with a wide variety of differently configured 6x8" Pocket Page Protectors that can be a great way to hold and display items you might find in your adventures. Bonus: No glue stick needed.

9. Keep a Record/Log of Daily Events

I know sometimes when I actually DO go on a real vacation, I don't always have time to keep track of everything we do. One good way to get around this, without necessarily having to write a whole lot or spend the day drawing and gluing things in the book is to keep a very simple log each day.

This doesn't have to be elaborate. Keep it simple - use the actual date or the day of the week and challenge yourself to just write one word for each day. This will help you remember details of the trip long after it happens.

• Monday - Beach
• Tuesday - Friends
• Wednesday - Museum

Keeping a log helps you remember things so that you can continue to fill the book up with memories and ephemera from the trip long after you return.

10. Method of Travel: Document Your Transportation

There are plenty of ways to get from one place to another. You can ride a bus, take a train, or fly up high in a fancy jet plane!

Once you arrive at your destination, there can also be a lot of additional things to note about getting around town, especially if you are traveling somewhere that drives on opposite sides of the street or relies primarily on bicycles or scooters for transportation.

All of these things make for great ideas for stuff to doodle, sketch, and write about!

11. Accommodations - Where Are You Sleeping?

Whether you're staying in a hotel, airBNB, fancy resort or maybe your RV, there are plenty of things to document about where you are staying during the trip.

Some ideas for ephemera might be brochures, print-outs of your reservation confirmation, map directions to the location. You can also always do a sketch of your room or view out the window.

12. How's the Weather?

Weather is one of those things that might be considered "small talk" but it's also something I know can really influence what types of activities we do when we are on a trip.

We do a lot of camping - so if it's warm and sunny, you'll find us hiking, kayaking, and fishing. If it's rainy, you might find us playing card games, visiting shops, or checking out area museums.

Sometimes bad weather can even make a trip more fun than expected - you might check out something new you ordinarily would have skipped, or maybe you will come home with a funny story of events.

You can record different weather events bullet journal style in your notebook or just draw different weather related symbols whenever you jot down any notes.