How I Use Journaling to Document My Life and Travels
Introduction
I’ve been journaling off and on since I was a kid but, since my early twenties it’s become a really important part of my life. Since starting to travel long-term, especially while I’ve been solo, journaling has been a tool I use not only to document my life, journey and experiences but a way to stay grounded, reflect and process my emotions. If you’re interested in starting a journaling practice or want to change up your current one, this post is perfect for you. I’ll break down how and why I use three journals every day to document my life and travels.
Journal 1: My Everyday Journal (Reflective & Free-form)
My primary journal is for anything and everything I want to write. It’s full of brain-dumps, reflections, stories, journal prompts and super incoherent ramblings. I try to write in this journal everyday even if it’s just a few lines. But, sometimes I go to write a few lines and end up writing for pages and pages about things I didn’t even know were on my mind. Having a safe space to say whatever I’m feeling knowing it’s for my eyes only forces me to be super honest and allow me to draw meaning from what I’m going through or experiencing.
While travelling we are moving around so much, seeing and witnessing new things everyday. It’s easy to forget special moments, but even easier to forget the totally mundane things that years later seem really special. This could be something funny your hostel mate said, a new food you tried, a cute stray cat you saw. Write it all down. I think of this journal as a sort of time capsule of who I am at this moment in time. As somebody who’s gone through huge changes the past few years, in both my internal and external world, having this collection of my thoughts and experiences are incredibly precious to me.
Journal 2: My 5-Year Journal (Snapshot-style Memories)
If you are totally new to journaling and find the thought of a blank book daunting, a 5-Year Journal could be perfect for you! A 5-Year Journal gives you a question or prompt to fill in every day. As the name suggests you answer these questions for 5 years, repeating the same questions/prompts on the same day each year. It may seem like a big commitment but it only takes a few minutes to write in your response daily making it perfect for a busy lifestyle and people who don’t want to write a long entry. This is an amazing way to document your life and changes that occur over the years. Answering the same prompts can really show you where you’ve changed and stayed the same over the course of 5 years, all with one journal.
I’m currently on my second 5-Year Journal because I loved the first one so much. I started the first one in January 2020… so it was an interesting year to start documenting every day to say the least! Now I have this incredible time capsule of my life from age 20-25 and it just required writing a few sentences everyday.
The only con to this journal is that it works best to start it in January. But, you can really start at any time. This is the 5-Year journal I use, but they make tons nowadays so you can find one you like best!
Journal 3: My Point-Form Journal (Quick, Minimalist, Daily Tracker)
My previous two journals were how I documented my life even before travelling but I didn’t start this journal until I began my travels. I treat this journal as a no frills journal without writing much fluff. I write the date, location and jot down in point-form what I did that day, where I want, people I met, accommodation I stayed in, places I ate etc. This is a great way for me to document my travels in a quick and practical way because as a long-term backpacker it’s so easy to forget all the details.
I really recommend this style of journaling for travellers because it’s a great way to remember how you spent your time in each place you’ve travelled and to remember specific names of places you’ve gone. It’s especially helpful if you want to offer advice or are a blog writer because you’ll have a clear outline of what you did in each location!
This is a great way to get into journalling if you aren’t interested in writing long passages or aren’t yet comfortable with writing about your emotions and feelings but still want a way to document your life.
Why I Keep All Three (And How They Work Together)
Three journals can seem excessive but I truly love having three different outlets to collect my thoughts, experiences and ideas in. My first journal is necessary for emotional reflection and gives me the creative freedom to write whatever I want. My second journal is like a time capsule and is a great keepsake of years of my life. My third journal is the best to quickly jot down what I did that day, it helps me keep track of my travels, and is super beneficial as somebody who creates content about her travels! So these three journals all serve a different purpose helping me reflect emotionally, document my life over years and on a day to day basis while travelling.
Tips for Starting a Journaling Practice
If you are just starting a journaling practice and not quite sure where to start, these five simple tips should give you some guidance.
- Don’t overthink it!– Just start writing, it doesn’t have to be pretty, well written or even legible for that matter. This isn’t for anybody other than yourself so don’t try to be perfect just (cliche incoming) be yourself and write anything you feel inclined to jot down. If you never journalled before maybe setting a 5 or 10 minute timer and just writing anything that comes to mind can be helpful to get you into the routine of journaling.
- Get a journal you love– Having a journal you are excited to write in will motivate you to start and keep up the practice. If you’re already travelling buy a beautiful journal that will remind you of this time of your life and it will make it all the more special. Or just go to your local bookstore and pick up any journal you love!
- Start with one journal style– The idea of starting with 3 journals can seem intimidating so just pick one type of journal style you want to start with. You can slowly add more as you go and see what works for you.
- Try starting a digital journal– You can use Notion, Word, Google Docs or even just the note app on your phone to get started. If you are travelling and don’t like the idea of carrying a bunch of books, using a digital journal may be best for your current lifestyle.
- Trust the process– It may seem like keeping record of your daily life, travels and emotional reflections can be tedious or pointless. But I promise it’s such a great way to process daily emotions and the best way to keep record of your present self for your future self.
Final Thoughts
I encourage you to start your own journaling practice as a traveller or just of your daily life. Journaling is a great way to stay mindful and give you time to prioritize yourself and your journey (whether that be a literal journey or internal). You just need to write a little everyday at the beginning so don’t be intimated or overthink it. Documenting your life and travels will have great impacts on your present and future self so get writing!
