Travel Journal Set Up for My Next Trip!

 

As some of you know, I do a big trip at the end of each year during the summer break (Yes! I am from Australia, so our summer is in December…). Following our trip to Europe last year, we decided that we will go back this year for more! I am super excited about this trip and have being looking up places to go since May! As with my last trip, I will be keeping a travel journal along the way. So today I will be sharing with you the journaling kit I will be packing and some tips to set up a travel journal. Are you ready? Here we go!

Like everyone, I struggle to make a decision on what I should pack for travel journaling. I know I will be moving around a lot so whatever I bring has to be lightweight and compact. I limit myself to a notebook and a pouch for all my journaling needs. I keep them both in an Organizer from the Traveler’s Company To & Fro Collection gifted to me from Mits☺ Let’s see what’s inside!

 

The Delfonics Utility Pouch I used was from the September subscription box in 2018. It has two zippers and can be folded out into four pockets. It is quite small in size but like many of the Delfonics products, it is surprisingly roomy. Here is a list of tools I will be packing in this pouch:

- Pentel Slim Drafting pencil

- Tombow Pit Glue stick

- Marvy Uchida For Drawing Black Ink Pen

- Kaweco fountin pen

- Rotring Isograph in .20

- Zebra Sarash Clip pen

- Uni Emott marker

- Sailor Shikiori brush pen

- Kokuyo Gel Marker

- Escoda traveling brush in size 2 and 4

- My own custom watercolour palette

- Tombow Mono Dust Catch Eraser

- Kokuyo Dotliner

- Plus compact scissors

*Shown in pic from left to right

I tried to include a range of colours and nib types and sizes to allow myself to be creative with the limited tools I have on the trip. I included two different type of adhesive tools in this kit, but to be honest, I find the dotliner more convenient for journaling on the move. Also, I usually keep my scissors in my cosmetic bag, just in case I forget to take them out from my kit before the flight!

Now, let’s move onto the set up of my travel journal. I have been using the Olive edition Traveler’s notebook in my last three trips and love it! The main problem I have with travel journaling is that I always have this grand idea of journaling every day and recording all the things I do, eat and see with pretty pictures and words. But the reality is that after a long day of traveling, I am exhausted and all I want to do is to lay down on the bed and watch some local TV in the hotel room. Does this sound familiar? Right! So this time, I came up with a better strategy that will allow me to use the planner more effectively with my travel plan and at the same time put less pressure on myself with the daily journal. Here is what I did:

1. To add variety to each page, I took the idea from Pooi Chin, and took apart four different TN inserts- MD cream, grid, dot grid and kraft paper. I then re-assembled the insert with alternate pages. I ended up with an insert with four different types of backgrounds. This helps to add more interest to each page, and it encouraged me to approach each spread with a different layout.

2. Set up weekly layout for the trip. This will allow for day-to-day planning and recording of the trip along the way. I leave a blank page in between each week to allow for visual journaling during the week. This set up will mean that I can still record what I did each day without the pressure of doing a spread every day. It also means that I can be more free with my spreads, so I can capture the moments and essence of the trip in the rest of the insert without the restriction of dates.

3. Stencils are the best for travel journaling. I own three types of stencils and will be using them extensively in this trip. In the weekly set up I used the Uchida Stencil for the date over the Sakuralala Clear Stamps from the December box. The trick with using stencils is that you will need a fine tip pen like the Marvy Uchida Ink Pen or Micron 003 Ink Pen. I also like using the Kokuyo Stencil and the Brass Stencil from Traveler’s Company.

4. I don’t carry any stamps and ink with me during travel as they are not very practical for journaling on the go. Instead, I pre-stamped some notes and paper to bring along with me as well as a variety of seals and washi samples for decorating or adding accents to a spread. Note Pads from Midori and Classiky are great for jotting down notes and daily planning. I keep all these bits and pieces in a wallet insert in my TN.

 

Here is a video of my weekly page set up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NnH8CZTJsc

 So, that’s it for now! I have to keep going with my packing and planning of the trip. I hope you will find this blogpost useful for setting up your travel journal. If you are interested in seeing how I use this set up in my upcoming journey, follow me @pepperconarts on IG. I will be posting on my IG feed and stories daily to keep everyone posted ☺. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you all in 2020!