create a photo travel journal

A Little Journal… These Digital Travel Diary Apps Are Worth Your Time

Last updated on July 7, 2024 by Shannon

As travel enthusiasts, we yearn to capture the essence of extraordinary travel moments and freeze them in time. We even want those mundane details preserved—what was the name of that hilarious taxi driver who shuttled you from the airport to your guesthouse?

If you’ve logged those details in a travel journal, you don’t have to remember—that’s where travel journaling apps come in, offering a digital travel scrapbook that easily documents even the craziest travel adventures.

I’ve been traveling the world for 15 years, writing, photographing, and sharing my travel stories from the first day. That means I have pretty high expectations when it comes to using digital travel diaries meant to preserve the memories of your expeditions. Here’s what you need to know about the best online travel journal apps available.

Table of Contents

What are Digital Travel Diaries?

While journaling about your travels via a paper notebook used to be called a travel log, the more modern equivalent is an online travel journaling app. That said, even diary app is just a new way to log the most important moments of your travels—and the mundane ones too.

Travel journals essential just document your experiences, capturing your memories as you travel the world. By logging your travel memories in real time via a journaling app, you ensure the smaller details are captured.

Was it a torrential downpour on the day you had booked an “any-weather” tour of the Norwegian fjords? Log that and then share how you felt at that very moment, otherwise the details fade with time.

That’s the real magic of keeping a travel log in any form, a beloved notebook, an app, or a blog. I’ve used all three over my 15+ years of travel. This travel blog was my primary travel log, but at times I’ve used these travel apps to capture moments more immediately.

And no matter my online travel journal app of choice, I always, always have a small physical journal. Even if you diligently record all of the best moments of your trip in your digital travel diary app, you should also carry a small travel journal that acts as your travel log—you use it to jot down funny off-the-cuff moments, or even just mundane details.

Perhaps you press between the pages ticket stubs, a pretty flower from your world wanders, and other small memorabilia that can’t be captured in a journaling app. It becomes a place to log currency conversions you can surreptitiously glance at when haggling at a market, or jot down lists and travel plans.

I never travel without a pocket Field Notes waterproof notebook and this Moleskine travel journal —its these two things that have allowed me to share such rich details on this blog, my personal travel log that’s been running 15 years and counting.

How to Choose an Online Travel Journal App

Travel journal apps are not one-size-fits-all. The best apps offer the exact range of features you need and at a price point you can afford—which can mean free! Many journaling apps offer a free version that may just meet your needs. Often its the more sophisticated features that require a paid upgrade.

Given that you’re probably snowed under travel planning, don’t waste your time downloading every travel diary app here. To pick the right app for your travels, consider these things before you download it:

When choosing an online travel diary app, there are several factors to consider that can help you find the one that best fits your needs. Here are some tips to help you make a decision:

• Features : Review what the journaling app actually does—what are the key features these app developers believe are the hallmarks of their app? That will tell you a lot about functionality. Standard features of most digital travel diaries include: text entry, photo and video uploading, geotagging, and weather data. Decide which features are important to you and ensure that the app provides them. Maybe you want an awesome map interface because you’re hopscotching around the world for a year ? Or you’re studying abroad you might want an app with more functionality around text and photo entries.
• Platform Compatibility : Check if the digital journaling app is available on your preferred platforms, such as iOS, Android, web-based, and desktop. If you’re bringing both a smartphone and laptop on your travels , you may wan a travel diary app that seamlessly switches between the two devices.
• Syncing and Backup : Consider whether the app offers syncing and backup options—and if those are free or paid features. You want access your travel diary across multiple devices, and you want it securely backed up to the cloud.
• Export and Sharing Options : If you plan to share your travel diary with others or would like to have a backup of your entries outside of the app, check if it offers export options, such as PDF or other file formats.
• Company Story : If the travel journaling app you’re considering using hasn’t been around for at least two-to-five years, run in the other direction. Companies, especially app makers, fold quickly. The last thing you want is an email saying you have a matter of days to download your cherished memories before they’re all deleted.

Best Travel Journaling Apps

Day One tops most of these lists because it’s actually that good—and it’s been around since 2011, so you know your travel memories are safe with this online diary app. The company has invested in a high-quality product, and updates over the years have responded to user reviews and feedback—which is enthusiastic across the board.

Its clean interface and seamless integration with iOS (both iPhones and Macs) and Android make it a joy to use. You can effortlessly capture each destination through text and photos, while popping in location data too.

Best app features : The “On This Day” functionality is neat because it doesn’t pull in the best of anything, but rather that exact moment years ago when you were on an incredible adventure out there in the world—or maybe you had logged a tasty hot chocolate at a hipster spot near that landmark you were visiting.

Either way, you’ll be transported back there in an instant and that app feature is maybe one of the strongest motivators to journal about all the big (and small) things that happen as you travel.

Cost : The free version is enough to see if you like it, but if you’re using this as your main digital travel journal then the one photo per entry restriction on free plans isn’t going to cut it. Premium is affordable though, at just under $3 per month, which buys you unlimited photos, videos, audio, drawings, and more.

If you go all in on Journey as your travel journal app, it will become your trusted companion. Rather than being a journaling app that’s great for travel, this travel-centric journaling app goes above and beyond with its extensive features.

Geotagging allows you to pinpoint the exact location of you experiences, while the inclusion of weather data and “mood” status adds depth to entries. You can import photos from your camera roll directly into journal entires, creating vivid visual narratives of your travels.

This robust app works on iOS devices and Android phones, Mac or Windows computers, and there’s even a web app! Basically, it’s an accessible and essential tool for any travel writer seeking to document their adventures with style and precision. Not only because of the features, but also because it allows multi-media exports in PDF or doc format.

It’s also a bit cheeky and has a handy guide to what Journey offers versus Day One or Daylio .

Best app features : Stand out for many will be the features that let you automatically sync and import social media content from Instagram and the like—what a time saver! And the full text editing screen is nice—you can bold, bullet, color, or link to anything you’d like right inside the text. Surprisingly, that’s not in every diary journaling app.

But one of the neater travel-focused elements are the three views for your journal—media (where you scroll by photos), map (which shows your entries pinpointed on a map of the world) and calendar (journals organized by date).

Cost : Unlike essentially all competitors, Journey offers a one time purchase license—currently $18. You can buy a membership for ~$4.20.

3. Journalfy

The Journalfy Travel Journal app is a new contender on the market with a lot of potential. It entered the market earlier this year, so the company has a short track record, but it’s beautifully designed with a lot of thoughtful touches—including an analog, old-school travel journal that you can back up using their app.

I love using a physical travel journal, so it’s a neat differentiator that you can use these either together or independently (the paper journal is as beautifully designed as the app). If you use the app without the physical journal, the free plan allows you to upload up to 10 photos per entry, which is plenty for most travelers. The free and paid plans include the same features, however, you can just add more photos and create more entries with the paid plan.

Best app features: The share function is seamless—friends and family can view entries without the app. The writing prompts are helpful, and the intuitive, ad-free layout makes it easy to record travel memories on the go. The PDF export feature is handy, though adding images to the exports would be an improvement.

Cost: The free version is probably enough for most, however, they do have a monthly option for $2/month or an annual plan for $18.65/year.

Daylio , billed as a “simple micro-diary app,” adds an interesting twist to a travel journaling routine. As a mood and activity tracker, it enables you to record daily experiences and emotions with ease—and without writing anything. It’s an interesting way to to reflect on how your travel adventures have impacted your overall well-being .

It’s not for the hardcore travel writer, but rather, Daylio captures the essence of the travel experiences in a uniquely personal way. It’s a good companion for those seeking to intertwine their emotional journey with their physical travels. And for those who want a more streamlined diary app with fewer features and just straight to the meat of what you want to do.

Best app features : This app is dead simple to use and can be updated in under a minute thanks to the tap interface. It’s certainly not going to be the only way you record you travels, but if you’re already planning to share extensively on a Facebook or Instagram page , then this ease of use may just ensure that you use it every day.

Cost : You could get pretty far with the free version, or upgrade for just $3 per month—only the premium version supports exporting to PDF.

5. Evernote

Real talk: The digital travel journal of your dreams may be something you’re already using. When it comes to versatile note-taking, Evernote reigns supreme. Its functionality goes beyond simple journaling, allowing the creation of multimedia-rich entries.

I’ve organized my entire life via Evernote—travel pans, stories, etc—and its robust features make a compelling case for this being one of the best journaling apps out there, period. Not just in travel, but in general.

As one of the best digital diary apps, you can update it seamlessly across iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.

Best app features : Well, you could use Evernote to basically plan and execute your trip, in addition to using it as a digital journal. You can also stay ruthlessly organized.

Cost : The free version offers 60 MB monthly uploads, which is constraining for travelers looking for an online app where they could add photos and videos to Evernote itself—this would like be better if you’re embedding YouTube videos, for example, versus storing them in Evernote.

The Personal version offers a more reasonable 10 GB in monthly uploads, but costs $11/month for that perk. If you’re already paying for Evernote for other reasons then this could be an excellent online travel journal, otherwise some of the other ones are likely better priced for a traveler.

6. Travel Diaries

For those seeking a dedicated travel journaling app, Travel Diaries hits the mark. It’s really a truly solid option. As a travel writer, I’m captivated by its interactive features. You can easily create immersive travelogues, complete with photos, maps, and annotations.

It’s also a captivating way to showcase your journey to fellow travelers (and your family and friends back home, of course!). The ability to share your travel stories and explore others’ adventures on the platform adds a sense of community not available in the other digital travel journaling apps.

It’s available as software for web, iOS and Android, but will only work with an internet connection (either cell data or wifi)—which means this might not be the best journaling app for those going far off-the-beaten path .

Best app features : A broad range of fonts and styles allow you to design your travel diary according to your own taste, and your travel log can include itineraries, travel photos, and a traveling map. The layout as an actual travel journal is a fun and personal touch that makes it feel like your digital diary is just as capable of creativity as a blank page in front of you.

Cost : There is no free version of Travel Diaries—it’ll be a subscription for as long as you want access to your travel journal. The basic plan costs $1 a month and includes unlimited storage and is really all most travelers will need for a robust travel journal. If you want to export your stories to PDF, you’ll have to upgrade to $3 per month.

Diaro App is a reliable companion for millions of people, not just globetrotters. This comprehensive diary app offers an array of features that elevate a travel journaling experience. Sometimes the best travel journal is, well, just a great online diary that you happen to use to document your travels.

The ability to add text, photos, tags, and organize entries into folders keeps this app well-organized—you can effortlessly find specific memories or delve into specific themes from your trips. It has a map of entry locations, which is especially important for those using this as a travel journal diary.

Diaro’s sleek interface and user-friendly design make the process of documenting adventures a true pleasure. Available on web, iOS or Android devices (with cross-device syncing via Dropbox) Diaro is a go-to app for travelers who want to capture the essence of their trip with elegance and efficiency.

Best app features : The multilingual UI (30+languages) may be a real boon for those for whom English is not their native language, but the shining standout features is just how easy it is to create a robust diary accounting for all of the key moments on your trip.

Cost : The free version has robust functionality. Upgrading to Diario Pro costs $10 per month and offers more customizability.

8. Polarsteps

Polarsteps is a great travel journal app that offers automatic tracking of your journey, making it effortless to document and share your trips. With its GPS technology, the app traces your route in real-time, creating a visually appealing map of your adventure without requiring any manual input.

This feature sets Polarsteps apart from other travel journal apps, as it eliminates the need for constant updates and allows you to focus on enjoying your trip while the app takes care of recording your route—and uses minimal data and power to do so.

What truly makes Polarsteps unique is its ability to create a beautifully presented travel log that showcases your journey. This app is made for the travel photographers out there also wanting a digital travel log of their journey.

Along with the automatic tracking, the app allows you to add photos, captions, and personal insights to your entries. These elements are then combined to create a visually stunning travel journal that can be shared with friends, family, and fellow travelers. I think this is one of the prettier apps—the maps alone are just a step up from the others.

Best app features : The GPS tracking is easily the standout here. You’ll know the precise spot you took a photo, and can then include a quick note—an inside joke you shared with a friend while there, a tidbit about the day, and more. This kind of precise location data is invaluable in the months and years after you travel.

Cost : It’s free! Polarsteps offers you a printed travel journal of your trip, which is how it’s monetized.

9. Waffle Journal

Waffle Journal stands out from the rest as a a collaborative journaling app that allows you to document and share your travel experiences with others—probably those on your same trip. Its unique approach fosters collaboration, allowing friends, family, or fellow travelers to contribute to your journal. With the ability to add stories, photos, and memories, everyone can create a collective travel diary that captures the essence of your adventures.

The app goes beyond traditional journaling by integrating multimedia elements. You can include photos, videos, and audio recordings. It’s not a travel journal specifically, so you’re not going to have any of those map features the travel apps have integrated into the experience, but it could be a great option for those travel in a group, or a group of friends who just love to share their travel adventures with each other. Social sharing features make it easy to showcase your travel adventures on social media platforms or via email.

BONUS: RIP: Bonjournal

Bonjournal captured my attention many years ago for its visually stunning approach to travel journaling. As you penned your travel stories, this app transformed them into beautifully presented narratives—and it made you choose just one photo to represent your day. Which was really quite neat.

This travel journal app is no longer available! Even though other websites are still recommending it as a travel diary app, the gorgeous app that debuted more than a decade ago is no longer up and running. Instead, a new app with the same name launched in 2021—it’s not a viable alternative. This new Bon Journal diary app is glitchy and poorly rated—storing your cherished travel memories there is not a good idea.

Don’t forget a paper journal as well.

This Moleskin travel journal is well made and worth the space it will take up in your bag. There will be times you just want to put pen to paper—you’ll be glad you have an analog record of your travels too.

How to Safely Store Travel Photos and Videos

These travel journaling apps are a terrific way to document your journey for personal memories, and to share with others. Although some long-term travelers create a travel blog to record their trips, using a travel diary instead is a great alternative.

You get amazing functionality and the ability to share your travel stories without the hassle of running a blog—which can get pricey and generally lacks the ability to share some stories privately with family, or keep other journal entries entirely private.

One thing all of these apps have are general constraints on how you upload, store, and present your travel photos and videos. Although some of these apps offer paid subscriptions with unlimited uploads, you’re likely safer if you store your actual travel photos elsewhere, too. Here’s a quick review of other places you can store travel photos, and the perks of using them in addition to, or instead of, a travel diary app.

• Facebook pages : Rather than use your personal profile, consider setting up a Facebook page for your trip—then you can share unlimited stories, photos, and videos. And you’re creating and sharing in a place where it’s likely your family and friends are already hanging out.
• Instagram : This is a great way to share photos, but videos and stories are a little more constrained on this platform. This might be a good option in addition to a digital travel diary.
• SmugMug : If you need a place to both store and display all of your travel photos, SmugMug is a great option. I’ve had an annual plan for more than a decade and it offers unlimited storage for all of my photos from all over the world for $88 per year. And it’s totally customizable—you can create gorgeous albums on a custom domain name if you own one.
• Google Drive : If you just need a backup solution without the need to share then Google Drive is a good option (I find Google Photos a chore to use). It’s just $2 a month for 100GB of cloud storage.

Ready for some travel inspiration? These are the best travel stories of travelers to follow now, inspiring books from historic travels, and short reads, too.

10 Best Travel Journal Apps to Organize Your Travel Memories

As a digital nomad or frequent traveler, you likely want to keep a log of your travel activities. But what and how you record is a very personal experience.

You may want to write extensively about your experiences and feelings and keep them private. If so, you are probably better off with a paper journal and a pen.

Or maybe, you want to log the most important moments, photos, and travel routes and share them with your family and friends. In that case, a digital travel journal makes more sense.

Perhaps you’re an Instagram Influencer or blogger and want to keep copious notes for future posts/reels.

No matter your reason, if you’re looking for a travel journal app to maintain a digital log, this list of the 10 best travel journal apps will help you find the one that suits your needs.

Let’s start!

Table of Contents

10 Best Travel Journal Apps

1. day one journal.

With a Twitter-like interface, the Day One Journal is about capturing the important moments of your trip. The app can collect data such as location, weather, and music, for your travel photos and videos.

You can use this app as a digital diary and write using your finger or Apple Pencil and quickly comb through the entries using photos, timeline, or calendar. It even accepts voice commands.

This travel journal app can record fine details such as temperature, moon phase, weather, address, etc.

A free version is available, but upgrading to the premium version gives unlimited journal entries, photo storage, cloud sync, audio recording, and 25% off on book printing (if at some point you’d love to create a printed book of your adventures).

Platforms Supported:

• Apple Watch
• Safari and Chrome browser extensions

Cost: $2.92 per month billed annually.

Perfect for: Anyone looking for an online version of a standard journal that can also include images, voice recordings and track your locations

2. Find Penguins

One of the top digital travel journals, Find Penguins uses GPS tracking and AI to automatically track your journeys.

It also updates temperature, weather, altitude, etc., giving you a quick snapshot of the conditions on a particular day.

All the data that the app gathers is then displayed in a fun way on an interactive map as a trail and posts.

Find Penguins refers to those posts as footprints that are essentially blog posts where you can attach photos, videos, and texts as diary entries.

If you want, you can order a printed photo journal complete with maps, photos, and footprints.

Cost : Free with in-app purchases. You can buy a monthly or yearly subscription for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year respectively.

Perfect for: Anyone who needs the best travel journal app for automatic journey tracking.

3. Polarsteps

If you need a completely free travel journal app that not only helps you to plan and track your journeys but also doubles up as a digital travel diary, Polarsteps is one of the top travel diary apps you can find.

It comes complete with an editable itinerary planner and transport planner. It even plots and automatically tracks your path on a digital world map.

You are free to add thoughts, videos, and photos. If you want, you can leave tips for the traveling community, or retrace your steps by scrolling through your travel stats, photos, and places.

The app also supports printing a hardcover travel book with just a touch of a button. The best part? It works offline and allows you to manually add journal entries that can later sync when the internet is available.

Perfect for: Anyone looking for a free travel tracker app that can track the travel route and keep the family informed!

Momento is more than just a travel journal app. It can double up as a project/work journal, pregnancy journal, or private journal.

This app can organize and streamline your social network activities from 11 social platforms. You can add photos & videos, tag your fellow travelers and places you visit , and even record your pregnancy journey!

Momento can also give daily, monthly, or yearly visual summaries, and allow you to explore past timelines.

Cost: Free with in-app purchases for paid upgrades.

Perfect for: People who need a multi-purpose digital journal that works not only as an online travel journal but also as a private and/or work journal.

5. Journi Blog

Journi Blog is a unique photo journaling app that you can use to record your travel experiences as timelines and maps or even have them printed as a photo book to show off to your friends and family members.

Whether you have a travel blog where you write about your vacations and travels, or whether you are maintaining personal travel diaries or recording your kids’ photo album, Journi Blog helps to capture all the moments and stories.

With this travel diary app, you can create a public travel journal or create a private journal entry.

Cost : Free with in-app premium membership purchase options. Membership costs €9.99 for one month, €43.99 for 6 months, and €53.99 for one year.

Perfect for: Those who want a photo journaling app.

Penzu isn’t particularly designed to be a travel journal app. In fact, it is more of a reflective journal meant for note-keeping and milestone tracking. However, it can be used as a pregnancy journal, a food diary, and even a travel diary.

It will give you the feel of maintaining an online travel blog with the ability to add images, add photos, and write your travel stories. You can use custom tags to categorize your travel logs.

Penzu has an incredibly simple interface where you can record beautiful memories of your entire trip.

Cost : Free, Pro for $19.99 a year, and Pro+ for $49.99 a year.

Perfect for : Anyone who needs a private online journal or a digital diary with syncing ability across the web and multiple mobile devices.

7. Tripcast

Tripcast is one of the favorite travel journal apps for many users worldwide. The app is perfect to keep your friends and family members updated about your journey.

With Tripcast, you can create shared photo albums where your fellow travelers can upload and share photos they click and store them in a single place.

The app uses photo geotagging to create a map of the places you visit.

Cost: Free!

Perfect for: Those who are on a group vacation, or participating in volunteer projects.

8. Journey: Diary, Journal

Journey was listed as the Google Editors’ choice in the best travel apps category. Just like other travel diaries, Journey will help you to maintain a travel journal complete with texts, audio files, images, and videos.

You can also use this dedicated app to add location and weather details to all your journal entries.

If you want, you can download and keep your entries private on your computer. Alternatively, you can export them as PDF or DOCX files for easy sharing.

Journey is not just a simple travel journal app. It is a multi-purpose app that allows users to record anything they want such as a stress management journey, sleep journey, better habits development journey, and so on.

Cost : Journey is a free app, but there is an in-app membership purchase option for $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year.

Perfect for: Those who need a multi-purpose journal app that can also be used as a digital travel diary.

Diarium is another great app that allows maintaining a travel journal using a calendar interface.

You can quickly attach texts, audio files, and images, and even tag multiple entries in a single day.

There is an option of adding a sitemap with location info. Plus, the app will display a wide range of data including your fitness data, weather info, and calendar events.

You can easily export entries in HTML or DOCX formats. Journal entry is possible using a laptop, PC, mobile, or tablet.

Cost: Diarium is free, but offers in-app purchases. You can purchase a lifetime pro version for $5.99.

Perfect for : Those who want a travel journal app without committing to a monthly or yearly subscription.

10. Worldee Trip Planner & Journal

Worldee is a popular digital travel diary that not only allows you to organize and store your travel memories.

You can mark the countries visited on an interactive world map, add timelines, photos, and maps, and even share your trips.

You can share your stories with other travelers or you can keep everything private. The app will also help you to plan your next trip using the integrated trip planner.

With the trip planner, you can set your itinerary and travel map on the same screen and then share your trip details with your travel partners.

Cost: The app is completely free to use.

Perfect for: Those who want a completely free digital travel journal.

More Journal Apps to Consider

1. trotter it.

Trotter It is a digital travel journal app that allows you to create and share travel stories with travelers across the world. It also doubles up as a social networking app for travelers. The app is available only through Google Play Store and is completely free to use.

2. Jauntlet

A mix of a travel journal and a free travel blog, Jauntlet allows you to present your trips in a neat timeline. The app connects with Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and imports photos from different profiles.

You can add the location to a post to add it to the map and write your story. Jauntlet is a web application that offers a platform-independent mobile site.

3. Esplorio

A beautiful and interactive travel journal app, Esplorio can record trips even without a data connection. You can choose what to share publicly and what to keep private.

It easily integrates with social platforms to retrieve previous journeys. The app is free but there is a pro plan available for $49.99 per year. It is available on iOS devices and through a web app.

4. Traverous

Traverous is an automated travel journal application that uses GPS data to track and record your trip. It also records media and location to create a personalized animated travel diary. The app is free to use but to unleash its full potential, you will need a premium account that costs $4.99 a month or $54.99 a year. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices.

How to Choose the Best Online Journal App

Choosing the best online journal app can be tricky. They’re all so good and you need to pick one that does everything you want it to.

Here are a few tips on choosing the best online journal app:

• Ease of use : The app you select should be straightforward and easy to use. An overly complex app will only make your life difficult.
• Mobile apps : Since you will mostly be traveling with your phone or ipad, the app must have versions for either iOS or Android or both. However, digital nomads traveling with laptops can always use web apps.
• Social features : The app you select must be able to integrate with social platforms. If the app has a built-in community feature, it is even better, especially for group tours and backpackers.
• History : The company developing the app must have a proven history of offering digital journaling services. You will not want to use it only to see that it is no longer under development.
• Cost : The app you select must be cheap. Expensive subscription plans can put budgetary pressure.
• Security: If you want your journal entries to be private you need to ensure the app has end to end encryption services.

Best Travel Journal Apps FAQs

Is there a free journaling app.

Yes, there are a few free travel journal apps available today. While some are dedicated digital travel diaries, others are all-purpose digital journals that can be used for keeping travel records.

Day One Journal has a free version, Polarsteps is completely free, Penzu has a free version and Tripcast is free. Try them out and see which one you like the best!

What’s the best app to track everywhere I’ve traveled?

Most of the digital travel diaries listed above can track every place you have traveled . Apps like Day One Journal and Find Penguins can not only track the places you visit but also add additional data like weather, temperature, altitude, address, and more.

Best Travel Journal Apps Summary

Digital travel diaries or journal apps are immensely beneficial (and fun) as they help to organize your travel experiences and keep your memories stored in a single place.

They will allow you to add written notes, images, videos, audio files, tags, etc., and help you to easily share your experiences with friends and family, or other users.

For digital nomads or influencers, some come with customizable layouts for enhanced personalization and some will even allow you to blog automatically and share moments of your trips with your readers.

Try a few out and select the one that is within your budget and meets your needs the best. Hopefully, this list of the best travel journal apps will assist you in finding an awesome journal for your travels! 🙂

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They say that the trick to remembering anything you learn, think, or feel, is to write it down. Travelling is all about learning, thinking, and feeling, and these free travel journal apps make it easy for you to maintain a trip diary, which you can embellish with photos and share with friends.

1. Find Penguins (Android, iOS): Auto Track Your Travels and Post Updates for Friends

Find Penguins is a smart app that automatically tracks your movements during your trip, while your phone is in your pocket. It also updates the weather, temperature, and altitude, providing a quick snapshot of what the conditions were like that day.

All the data that the app gathers is presented in cool statistics and interactive maps. It's fun to see how you traveled represented on a map as a trail and posts about the noteworthy events. Find Penguins also updates your profile along the way, noting how many countries you went to, how many trips, and so on.

Each post in Find Penguins is called a footprint, which can include text, images, videos, or a combination of these. The app is a bit like using social media, and you can control who sees your posts. If you discover something you want to do while browsing a friend's feed, you can add it to your "bucket list" and save it for later. If you're traveling with someone else, you can add them to your trip to get joint updates on your statistics.

Download: Find Penguins for Android | iOS (Free)

2. Travel Facets (Web, Android, iOS): Turn Your Camera Roll Into an Automatic Album

Travel Facets turns all the photos you take on a trip into an organized album of your travels. The app reads the geotagging location data in each picture you've taken with your phone, matches the date and time with weather records, and maps out the trail. You won't have to lift a finger throughout this process.

Once the album is ready, you can edit it to add captions or additional data. These are called waypoints, and you can even add non-image waypoints manually to note something worthwhile.

You can also skip the entire automatic album maker and make a trip manually. You get more control over each waypoint and how it represents your trip. You'll want to use this mode if you want a robust travel diary, adding your thoughts to create a memorable journal.

Share albums with other Travel Facets users or privately so that only those with the link can see your trip.

Download: Travel Facets for Android | iOS (Free)

3. TravelMap (Web): Simplest Way to Create a Map of Your Travel Blog

Sometimes, you don't want the complexities of an app, social news feeds, auto-tagging, and all that jazz. Instead, all you want is to create a map where you add places of interest to plot your trail, along with photos and journal entries. TravelMap is that simple, free solution.

The simplicity of this web app is its best part. Sign up, create your mini-site with a unique address, and start creating your map. The map is your homepage, where you add places by searching or clicking placemarkers. You can always reorder these too.

Then, add images to your map or write posts and link them to the placemarkers you've already mapped. The result for a viewer is a neatly ordered map showing your journey, with a sidebar that displays images or posts to reveal more about your adventures.

The free version of TravelMap should be enough for most people, as its restrictions are still pretty high (like a maximum of 100 images). However, the premium version removes all such limitations if you need it. You can also check out a cool demo of TravelMap to see its full possibilities.

4. Jauntlet (Web, Android, iOS): Journal That Looks Like a Travel Blog Timeline

The Jauntlet web and mobile app look a bit dated compared to others in this list, but the final output looks so good that it deserves a recommendation. It's a mix of a travel journal and a travel blog, presenting your trip in a neat timeline.

When you sign up, Jauntlet asks you to also connect your Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts. This lets the app import photos from your different profiles. When you make any new post of a city you've been to, add the location to plot it on a map, write a journal entry of what you saw and felt, and select photos to add to the entry.

The final result looks fantastic, as seen in the image above. It's a timeline of where you've been, showing a map on the left, the city and date at the top, and your thoughts and photos on the right. Viewers can also comment under the entry. The whole thing can be played as an automatic slideshow, taking readers through your entire journey.

Download: Jauntlet for Android | iOS (Free)

5. Travel Diaries (Web, Android,iOS): Create an Actual Diary and Optionally Print It

Travel Diaries is a free app to design what a travel journal of your trip will look like and optionally print it too. The app is a virtual open book where you can write beautifully formatted entries.

For each page, you can apply one out of 38 custom layouts, choosing how text and images will appear on the page. Based on the layout, select and upload images from your camera roll, and write text in the simple text editor.

Travel Diaries isn't the best app for on-the-fly travel journaling while you're on the trip. It's more a place to reflect on your journey and compose a good-looking travel diary that you would be proud to show to friends. If you like what you've created, you can pay to download a PDF of the journal or ask the app makers to print and ship the travel journal to you directly.

Download: Travel Diaries for Android | iOS (Free)

6. Traveldays (Web): Travelogue of Photos With Location, Time, and Captions

Traveldays is one of the best online photo album creators to show off your trips and vacations. It's shockingly easy to use, as it takes your photos and automatically turns them into a picture journey of your travels, almost like showing postcards or polaroids to friends.

Upload your pictures in the order you want, and Traveldays will seek their geotagging information to pin it to a Google Map. You can also write small captions on each image. Share the link with your friends, and you're done.

Try a Physical Travel Diary

So which travel journal app should you go for? There's no one-size-fits-all app here. As a rule of thumb, Find Penguins, Travel Facets, and Jauntlet can better log your thoughts while on the trip. TravelMap, Travel Diaries, and Traveldays are better to create a travel diary after you're back from the trip.

But as much as we love these apps, there is a case to be made to use a physical travel diary instead. Not only do many travelers swear by the little diary they carry with them, but How Life Unfolds offers a detailed guide on how to use a travel journal while you're on a trip to make it more memorable than ever before.

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The 12 Best Travel Photo Book Makers of 2024

Create a forever keepsake and preserve your precious vacation memories with a photo book.

In This Article

• Our Top Picks

You Might Also Want

• Tips for Choosing
• Why Trust T+L

Travel + Leisure / Alli Waataja

The old cliché dictates that a picture is worth a thousand words, and certainly photos are one of the best souvenirs you can bring home when you travel. But, let’s be honest: how often do you really scroll back through your phone reel or revisit those online albums? A photo book is a much more tangible, attractive way to keep those memories safe and accessible forever. 

There are many photo book makers out there, all with slightly different offerings. Some specialize in simple, budget-friendly books that you can make for every trip while others excel at luxurious coffee table art books meant to commemorate once-in-a-lifetime adventures . We’ve researched the best options to help you choose the right photo book maker for your next vacation — and beyond.

Best Overall

Artifact uprising.

The gorgeous, high-quality products come in a range of styles and materials to suit all tastes and budgets. 

You won’t find themed layouts or same-day production here. 

Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly softcover photo book to add to your travel collection or a premium layflat coffee table book to commemorate your destination wedding, Artifact Uprising has you covered. The company offers a full range of photo book sizes, shapes, and layouts including some more unusual options (board books for babies, for example, or Insta-friendly books designed especially for square images). Each book promises exceptional print quality and durable construction. 

You can customize every aspect of your photo book, although options vary depending on the product you choose. Examples include cover color and material (with possibilities including softcover, hardcover, linen, and leather), foil stamping, paper finish, the layout of your photos and text, and the page count. Most templates include 20 pages with an additional fee for each page thereafter. You won’t find colorful themes here; all products print on white paper for a clean, uncluttered look that puts your images front and center. 

For the most professional result possible, consider paying extra to collaborate with one of the company’s in-house design specialists. Production times vary from three to eight days depending on the complexity of your project. There are also four shipping options that range from standard to rush.

Best Budget

Their full range of customizable templates and colored backgrounds makes it easy to get the look you want. 

Expect additional fees for any project over 20 pages, upgraded paper, and finish choices. 

Although Snapfish also offers costlier products, their classic photo books are some of the most affordable out there. If you opt for a 7x5 or 6x8 softcover or hardcover book and stick to the included 20-page limit, you can easily spend under $20. Affordable upgrades include premium gloss pages and/or a matte cover; but bear in mind that extra pages can quickly add up. Making your photo book is simple. Choose the size and orientation, then design your own from scratch or use one of many premade templates.

Travel-themed templates include roadtrip, destination stamps, and tropical beach escape . After personalizing them with your photos and text. you can change the background color and add embellishments to each page. Optional layflat binding is worth the extra cost for seamless double-page spreads. If you find yourself with extra room in the budget, you can upgrade to a linen or leather cover. Production times vary, with the quickest delivery taking around three days with rushed shipping, but there are four total shipping options to cater to every budget.

Easiest to Use

Shutterfly’s in-house designers can create a photo book for you in 24 hours; all you have to do is provide your images. 

If you’re in a hurry, bear in mind that rush production and delivery is only available for certain products.

Most photo book makers require you to upload your images and then manually build each page or use an auto-uploader to add the pictures to a premade template. The first option is time consuming and the second often results in images being cropped or grouped in strange ways. Shutterfly offers a third option: upload your photos, then let an in-house designer create your book for you in 24 hours. Upon reviewing their design, you can order as-is or tweak it to suit your specifications. 

Best of all? This design service is offered free of charge. You can even use the Shutterfly app to upload photos directly from your phone. If you don’t want to use this service, no problem. You can still create photo books manually or use the faster autofill option. There are plenty of templates to choose from, with six square and rectangular size options and four cover types (softcover, matte or glossy hardcover, or premium leather). Production and delivery can take between one and 10 business days depending on the product and shipping option selected.

Best Themed Templates

Mixbook photo book.

With more than 700 themed templates to choose from, there’s an option for every kind of vacation. 

Not all templates offer the same number of free pages, so be sure to check before deciding. 

Mixbook photo books are divided into three main types: hardcover, softcover, and layflat for those seamless double-page spreads. Whichever you go for, there are more than 700 templates to choose from. These can be browsed by category with categories like year in review, seasonal, and, of course, templates for every major life event from weddings to baby’s first year. Travel-specific templates include options for photos only, or photos and text in a dizzying array of different layouts. 

Some are customizable to any trip while others are specific to certain adventures with themed graphics, text, and embellishments. There’s one for Disney trips , another for Royal Caribbean cruises, and another for national park adventures. You can also start with a completely blank canvas. Books can be landscape, portrait, or square and there are different paper and cover finishes to choose from. Production typically takes one to two business days with four shipping options available.

Best for Complex Designs

Canva photo books.

More than just a photo book maker, Canva lets you edit your photos and share your design with a team of collaborators. 

Some templates and features are only available with a paid Canva Pro account. 

For full creative freedom, choose Canva. Decide on a landscape or square book, then choose a hard or softcover. Next, browse thousands of templates (including a category dedicated to travel) and upload images from your phone, tablet, or desktop. All templates are fully customizable, which means you can change the font, the colors, and add icons and graphics. You can also edit your photos as you go with options to crop and rotate, adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation, and enhance with different filters and frames. 

All layouts can be adjusted to suit the number of photos you want on each page. If you upgrade to Canva Pro, you can remove backgrounds with a single click (kind of like cutting and pasting elements of real photos for a traditional scrapbook.) Canva autosaves as you go and creates an editing link that you can share to ask for input from friends and family. Recycled packaging and free standard shipping round out this company’s benefits.

Best for Simple Designs

Chatbooks is affordable and easy to use with the option to subscribe for repeat orders. 

Customization options are limited.  

If your photo book goals are a little less ambitious, opt for stackable, collectible designs from Chatbooks. The company’s classic photo books offer high quality printing at a price tag that’s reasonable enough to justify regular creations (if you like, you can even sign up for a monthly subscription.) How do they do this? By keeping things simple. You won’t find fancy templates or colored backgrounds, or an endless array of customizable graphics and fonts.

Instead, upload photos from your desktop or phone. Then, decide how many you want to appear on each page. If the answer is just one, choose whether you want it to cover the full page or have a white border around it. You can leave the layout text-free or add a simple location tag and/or caption. Other design choices include the book’s size, whether it has a hard or softcover, the color of the spine, and the cover. Books are made in the U.S. and include a generous 30 pages, with the option to buy more up to a total of 366. Standard shipping is free.

Best for Fast Printing

Walmart photo.

Walmart lets you design, order, and collect your photo book in-store, all on the same day. 

Most photo books must be no more than 40 pages to be eligible for same-day pickup. 

Walmart offers a solution for anyone who’s designing a photo book on a deadline, with more than 80 layouts that can be created online and then picked up in-store on the same day. You can choose from a variety of square and rectangular sizes in several different styles including softcover, matte and glossy hardcover; layflat; and premium layflat (with extra thick pages and a matte finish). Alternatively, upgrade to a linen or leather cover, or opt for a die-cut style that showcases your favorite image through a window. 

There are many themed templates to choose from, though most of them are fairly basic (don’t expect Canva-level creative flair.) Most templates include 20 pages with the option to buy more, but be aware that there’s usually a 40-page limit if you want to pick your book up the same day. If you have a little more time to work with and want extra pages, you can also opt for home delivery with free shipping on orders over $35.

Best Coffee Table Books

Once upon photo books.

Once Upon focuses on simple layouts that can be shared with and edited by multiple people. 

Designs may be a little too basic for fans of complex templates and embellishments. 

Once Upon offers three options for simple yet visually striking coffee table books. These include large and medium hardcover photo books with a sturdy build and a title of your choice printed on the spine, and medium softcover books for a flexible, lightweight feel that’s reminiscent of a luxury magazine. Choose whether you want silk matte or glossy pages, then create your book by uploading pictures directly from your phone, tablet, or desktop. 

Layouts are simple, with no themed templates, background colors, or fancy fonts. Instead, choose the number of photos you want featured on each page and let Once Upon create a collage automatically on the white background. You can edit the order in which they appear and add simple captions or separate text pages. Want to collaborate with your co-travelers? Share the editing link or QR code to get their input. The first 20 pages are included with a maximum of 200 available. Expect delivery in six to 12 business days.

Best Board Books

Pinhole press.

From their wipeable pages to their easy-turn binding, board books from Pinhole Press are designed especially with little kids in mind. 

The number of included pages varies from one template to the next, and not all templates allow you to add more. 

If you love the idea of making a photo book for the baby or toddler in your life but want it to last more than a few hours, check out Pinhole Press. Their board books are made especially for little people with rigid, high-gloss pages that can be wiped clean of errant crumbs or juice drops. A spiral binding makes for seamless page turning, while the 5.25 x 5.25 inch size is ideal for tiny hands. We love the clear, bright photos and just-right text size. 

There are lots of different templates to choose from, including a story board book that’s perfect for commemorating baby’s first vacation. The company also offers educational templates (think ABCs, colors, emotions, count with me, and my first cookbook options). Some have space for a fixed number of pages and photos while others let you pay to add more. For slightly older kids, consider Pinhole’s Itty Bitty books (miniature sized for long journeys) or their All About books with space for 10 photos alongside fill-in prompts your child can write on.

Best Mini Books

Nations photo lab albums.

Buzz Books are cost-effective and require minimal storage space, making them the perfect collector’s item.

Beyond choosing which photo appears on each page, customization options are very limited. 

Nations Photo Lab offers a full range of photo book products including templates for everything from travel to weddings and boudoir photography. Depending which one you choose, you can customize the binding, cover material, page thickness, and more. We particularly like their Buzz Books for those in search of something simple. At 6 x 6 inches, they’re both small enough and affordable enough to justify purchasing one for every trip. 

There are more than 120 pre-designed, soft-touch covers to choose from (you can also create your own) but the inside of each Buzz Book is the same: 40 pages, with one photo per page. The photos are printed on professional-quality Mohawk Matte paper against a white background for full visual effect. There are multiple shipping options available, including USPS First Class which delivers in two to six business days.

Best Sustainable

Paper culture.

Paper Culture photo books are made with recycled paper and every order placed equals a tree planted.  

Shipping rates are relatively expensive. 

Paper Culture is a certified Green Business that offsets its carbon footprint and has been recognized by the EPA as a Top 10 climate leader. All photo books use 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and with a tree planted for every order, you can feel good about your purchase on multiple levels. Books are 8 x 8 or 8 x 10 inches and you can choose a hardcover, a layflat hardcover, or a layflat with a foil-embossed Kraft cover and personalized dust jacket. 

There are multiple templates divided into categories such as travel, holiday, or wedding. Whichever you go for, you’ll be able to create an end result that’s entirely unique since all elements are customizable. Choose the layout and order of your photos, add text in different fonts and colors, and change the background color of each page. Templates include 20 pages with the possibility of purchasing more. Shipping options range from standard to next-day express.

Best Video Books

Heirloom lets you add up to one hour of video to a physical book that plays original audio with crystal clear quality. 

Video books can show vertical or horizontal footage, but not both. 

For a slightly different approach to preserving your travel memories, consider Heirloom which adds your videos to a physical book so that they can be looked at and enjoyed over and over again. Each book includes a five-inch HD screen. You can choose for yours to be oriented horizontally or vertically (more appropriate for those that typically shoot footage on their phone.) There are three options: up to 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or one hour. 

Here’s how it works: purchase your video book online, then receive an email with instructions on how to add video using the online builder. Your book will then be created and mailed to you. You don’t have to limit yourself to video. The books can also display photos as a slideshow and even mix photos and videos together. Add a personal message. Then, choose from 16 premade covers or pay extra for a custom cover printed with your own design. All video books include a charger and expedited delivery is a possibility.

If you're looking for creative ways to display and share your travel photos, you aren't limited to photo books. There are a few other options when it comes to memorializing your trip.

Aura Carver Digital Picture Frame : A digital picture frame is a great way to display a lot of pictures without spending a fortune on paper. Simply upload photos from your phone or computer directly to the frame and watch your snapshots cycle through on the high-resolution screen.

Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2 Smartphone Printer : Print individual photos on the go with this smartphone printer that's travel-sized and easy to use. After connecting to your phone via Bluetooth, it only takes about 15 seconds to print out a 2-by-3-inch photo.

Tips for Choosing a Photo Book Website

Consider turnaround time.

If you need your photo book in a hurry, make sure to take production and delivery times into consideration when choosing which company to use. A handful — usually more budget-friendly ones — offer same-day production and the option to collect in-store, which is ideal for last-minute gifts . Others take several days to produce your book, but then offer expedited or rushed shipping to cut delivery time down to a minimum. Others can take two or more weeks to deliver. Check product descriptions carefully, since turnaround times can differ within the same company depending on the size and complexity of the photo book you choose. 

Look closely at the templates offered

Think about your desired photo book aesthetic and then look for a company with templates to match. These can vary from the simplistic (your photos and perhaps some text on a plain white background) to the complex (different background colors and designs, optional filters and frames, the ability to create collages and add text bubbles or other graphics.) Some companies offer templates that have been pre-designed to suit a specific theme, whether that’s travel in general or a Disney trip, tropical cruise, or camping adventure . 

Prioritize ease of use

If you have a background in design or count scrapbooking among your hobbies, you may relish in the challenge of building a photo book from scratch. But if you’re pressed for time or simply don’t want to spend hours choosing which photos go where and how to make them look their best, look for a photo book maker that does the hard work for you. This can either be through an autofill service that arranges your photos on the page (usually, you can tweak this afterwards) or through a collaboration over email or live chat with one of the company’s in-house designers. The latter service often costs extra but sometimes, as with Shutterfly, is offered free of charge. 

Image quality is key

The most important thing when making a photo book is ensuring that the photos look as good as possible. This means choosing a professional, well-reviewed company that uses quality paper and printing methods. It also means submitting photos that are good quality . Most photo book companies will have guidelines for optimum image size and resolution, and others will come up with a warning message if the image you’ve selected is not of a sufficiently high quality. You can usually choose to use it anyway, but be prepared for it to look a little grainy or pixelated. Top tip: use your lowest resolution photos for the smallest spaces on collage pages. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, most photo book makers can be used on your tablet or smartphone, either via a mobile-friendly website or with a special app. Just bear in mind that complicated layouts or photo books with lots of collage pages are often much easier to view and organize on a larger screen. 

The cost of a photo book varies hugely from under $20 to over $200. The price depends on which company you use but also on the size of the photo book, how many pages you want, and the materials you choose. Most templates include some pages in their starting price (20-25 on average), with a per-page fee for longer books. Softcover books are typically the cheapest, followed by hardcover and then linen and leather options. Traditional binding is cheaper than layflat, but layflat looks much better if you’re planning on having photos extend across a double page spread. Other factors that could increase cost include custom covers, premium paper finishes, design assistance, and expedited shipping. 

You want to find a company that prints photos that look as close as possible to the original, whether it was taken on a professional DSLR camera or downloaded from Facebook or Instagram. Images shouldn’t look grainy, blurry, or over- or undersaturated. Choose a photo book maker that uses professional printers and high-quality paper, and be sure to check customer reviews for the best insight into the kind of results you can expect. Don’t forget, though, pictures can only ever look as good as they were to begin with. So choose the crispest, best resolution images you have and use a light hand when editing them for a natural look. 

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

Jessica Macdonald is a published photographer with a passion for finding new ways to preserve and display her travel photos. For this article, she drew on her own experience with photo book makers and also spent several hours researching the best options online. She compared services, prices, and reviews before choosing her category winners.

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6 Best Travel Journal Apps for Your Next Trip

By Author Meg Frost

Posted on Last updated: October 20, 2023

Categories Travel Tech

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I love to look back on past adventures via journals, photos, and videos – but it can be so time consuming!

One of my tricks to organizing all of my travel memories is to use travel journal apps.

Over the years, many of these apps have evolved to include so much more than a way to organize photos and videos.

Many also help you plan your travels, gather and report data, and a few even help you create printed photo books!

Check out this post for my absolute favorite travel journal apps to help you document your adventures through slide shows, photo collages, timelines, maps, photo books, and more.

1 Second Everyday

Turn your travel videos into a travel journal summary with 1 Second Everyday.

This app pieces together 1 second video clips to create a video, making it a super easy way to create travel video without the need for video editing skills.

1 Second Everyday is a great way to journal a day or an entire trip with ease. I love that it eliminates the analysis paralysis when it comes to journaling creatively or creating content for your social media.

In my opinion, 1SE is the best free journal app for iPhone and Android overall, not just for recording travel memories.

Pros : Super easy to use and create fun videos that can double as social media content. Cons : Sometimes 1 second just isn’t enough! Download : iOS / Android

Day One Journal

Day One Journal is an impressive digital travel journal app for iPhones, Android smartphones, Apple Watch, and Mac computers.

Its biggest strength is the collection of data for all photos and videos, such as weather, location, and music. It also includes a timeline view and a map view.

This is a great travel journal app for those that like to reflect about everything that happened on their trip.

Day One Journal will make it a bit easier to remember the finer details, like weather and addresses.

Pros : Not just an app – also has a Mac app and a Safari browser extension so you can work on your Mac laptop or desktop. Cons : No browser extension or software for non-Mac laptops and desktop computers. Download : iOS / Android / Mac / Browser Extensions

Grid Diary combines digital journal capabilities with a planner for one ultimate app.

Users can keep track of all they need to do, create journal entries with guided writing prompts, add stickers and tags, and gather statistics.

This app is more of a traditional text-based journal and planner, but sometimes that is really all folks want!

Pros : One app to keep you organized and record memories. Cons : Most of the valuable features are only available in the premium version (can’t blame ’em though!) Download : iOS / Android

Momento pulls in data from all of your social channels to piece together a journey’s story, such as Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, and Uber.

You can keep your stories private or share with friends to select social media channels, as well as via text message or email.

Momento is a great travel journal app for those that are heavy social media users. You’re already documenting your travels elsewhere, but this app will pull them together in a cohesive way.

Pros : Super easy to use and affordable premium subscription available with extra features. Cons : Only available on iOS. Last major update was in 2016. Download : iOS

PolarSteps is a fun app that helps you plan and track your travels.

However, the standout feature with this travel journal app is that you can transform your journal into a printed photo book!

The PolarSteps book includes summaries and stats pulled from app usage, such as maps, miles or kilometers traveled, number of countries visited, and so on.

In my opinion, this is not only the best free travel journal app for iPhone and Android, but one of the best traveling apps for iPhone and Android, too.

Pros : Top notch usability design makes it super easy to use. Cons : Some limitations with customizing the travel book, such as inability to choose size and limited number of color themes. Download : iOS / Android

Keep mom and dad updated on your travels without annoying your Facebook or Instagram friends with every single photo you take via Tripcast .

Or if you’d rather not share with everyone you can use Tripcast to share photos with just your travel group.

Tripcast is a great way to track longer journeys and still keep up with your friends and family back home.

Pros : Makes sharing photos from everyone on a group trip seamless. Cons : Limited social media capabilities despite being one of its focus features. Download : iOS / Android

What are your favorite travel journal apps?

Let me know in the comments below which travel journal apps you use when you travel.

Next up, check out more of my favorite travel & tech tips:

• 15 Best Travel Journals
• 8 Best Manifestation Journals
• 8 Photo Sharing Websites
• Best Photo Editing Apps
• Best Camera Apps

About the author

Meg Frost is a Boston-based travel blogger that helps people embrace technology to make vacation planning and traveling wicked easy, affordable, and fun.

She holds an M.A. in Journalism from Northeastern University and B.S. in Communication & American Studies from University of Miami.

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This post was originally published April 22, 2017. It was last updated December 1, 2022.

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Wednesday 14th of February 2024

I have been hunting and hunting for a travel journal that is easily updating- shareable with friends, with a push notification kind of thing. There are SO many and have read and read. I want to journal and add pictures. I don't want anything that does anything automatically or populates anything. I want to write and add photos or maps as I choose. Thank you SO much

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Travel journaling: 10 tips to create a gorgeous travel journal to treasure for a lifetime

By: Author Monica

Categories Blog

Do you write a travel journal? 

I know, it’s the 21st century and we all take a billion photos a day and share everything online. That’s like a modern form of journaling travel, right? Well…no. Today I’d like to make a case to bring back the lost art of travel journaling.

This post about travel journaling was created in collaboration with Snappy Snaps and I’d like to share some tips to help you create a beautiful and thoughtful travel journal. I’ve got some tips to get started and also tips to keep travel journaling, even on the days you aren’t in the mood!

For me, writing a travel journal or a travel diary is one of my favourite times of the day while I’m travelling.

In my opinion, not enough people write travel journals! Travel journaling is honestly the most therapeutic and creative way to store and reflect on your travel memories. A journal brings back memories in a way a photo never could, and the act of writing helps solidify memories so you’re less likely to forget them.

I’ll usually write in my travel journal before going out for dinner, at that gorgeous time of day when the sun is setting and everything is peaceful and calm. I love to reflect on the day, write about everything I’ve done and jot down notes about things I want to remember. I’ll have a cold beer or a glass of wine and spend half an hour quietly jotting down my thoughts from the day.

Even on the days where I don’t have a lot to say, I’ll just bullet point some thoughts and stick in a few tickets or notes or whatever I’ve collected that day.

I love writing my travel diary but I love reading it back even more. 

I’ve got travel journals from my first backpacking trip in 2009. I’ll admit that many of the pages make me cringe, but it’s a joy to read and it brings memories flooding back in a way that photos never could. It’s interesting to see what felt important at the time and there’s always so much I’d forgotten about until I see the words on the page written in my own familiar scrawl. I’ve written pages and pages about people I no longer remember and destinations that are just a vague blur in my mind.

Here are some tips to help you create travel journals you’ll treasure for a lifetime

#1. Why should you create a travel journal?

• To preserve your memories
• As a fun, creative outlet
• To ensure you have a moment of calm during a busy trip
• As a form of self-care to help organise your thoughts and talk about your feelings
• To give yourself a wonderful thing to read back in years to come
• To help with writing travel blogs and Instagram captions
• To help remember key facts that could help people plan their future trips

#2. What should you put in your travel journal?

The lovely thing about journaling travel is that there is no right or wrong answer here. You can write about whatever you want. You don’t need to be a good writer or be artistic or creative. You just need a notepad and a pen and some thoughts in your head.

I like to play around with different formats in my travel journals such as:

• Brain dump – Just sit and write anything that comes into your head. Don’t overthink it, just write.
• What I did today – A traditional journal style, chronologically following everything you did that day
• All photos – Some days I don’t want to write so I just stick a load of photos in
• Bullet points – No time to write sentences? Just get your thoughts down quickly with bullet points
• Scrapbook style – Stick tickets or other notes into your journal that will remind you of your day

#3. What do you need for your travel journal?

You could keep it simple with nothing more than a notepad and a pen, or you could go all out!

Take a look at craft supply stores like Hobby Craft, Etsy or even bargain shops like Poundland for crafting supplies. You can get things like travel themed washi tape, cute accessories to stick in, stamps, stencils, frames and fancy pens.

Notepad – Personally, I like a notepad where I can tear pages out if I need to. I like knowing that if I make a mistake I can just rip the page out.

A nice pen – Stationary geeks will understand the joy of finding the right pen!

Two coloured pens – I try to stick with a particular colour scheme so I’ll rarely use more than two colours

Photos – More on photos below

Scissors – Remember that you can’t take scissors in your hand luggage!

Pritt Stick – Vital for sticking in tickets and notes

Travel wallet – I also travel with some kind of travel document wallet. I’ll use this to store any of the tickets or notes I want to add into the journal as I often do this once I get home.

#4. Printing photos for your travel journal

I wait until I’m home to print out my photos and stick them into my journal. When I’m writing I’ll leave pages blank to allow space for photos.

For me, photos in a travel journal are SO important. This is mostly because they encourage me to look back and read old journals as it’s more enticing when the pages are broken up with pictures.

For my latest travel journal I used the online photo printing service with Snappy Snaps. I was so impressed with this service. I ordered them at about 2.30pm on Tuesday and they arrived with my postman by midday on Wednesday. I couldn’t believe they came so quickly!

The quality is brilliant and I love the matte effect in my journal.

Travel Hack Tip: When selecting the photos you’d like to print, always choose the best quality ones you have. Avoid filters or heavily edited photos and, if you can, use photos taken on a camera rather than a phone. You often don’t notice the difference in quality when it’s on the screen of your photo but you really do notice the difference once they’re printed. Filters look great on your phone but they don’t look great in print.

#5. Digital travel journals vs paper travel journals

I’m sure you’re aware that there are countless travel journal apps available. Personally, I prefer a good old fashioned paper journal. I find the words flow easily when written with a pen and it’s a more rewarding and creative process. I’m also more likely to read it back in years to come when it’s a paper journal.

If you’re the kind of person who prefers to keep things digital then I’d highly recommend using an iPad along with an Apple Pencil and the app Day One Journal. It’s a lovely, intuitive app and you can add photos into each journal entry. It also gives you daily journal prompts if you’re struggling for ideas!

#6. Travel journal prompts

If you’re struggling for ideas for what to write in your journal then here are some travel journal prompts to get you started:

• What was the highlight of your day?
• Who was the most interesting person you spoke to today?
• Write about an interesting conversation you had.
• Describe the best meal you had today.
• What was the worst thing you did today?
• What surprised you today?
• Did you learn anything new today?
• Did anything scare you today?
• Describe your accommodation.
• What are you missing from home?
• What happened today that you never want to forget.

How travel journaling led to my career as a travel blogger

I’m just going to interrupt these travel journal tips to share how my travel journal led to my career as a travel blogger!

Read more: How I turned my passion for travel into a career as a travel blogger

Passive income and making money as a blogger in 2022

I’ve always been a journaller. Yes, even back in the days when writing a journal wasn’t ‘cool’ and it wasn’t part of every millennial’s self-care routine. I wrote journals about my best friends and my latest crush, my days at school and my hopes and dreams for the future. Yes, it was just as embarrassing as it sounds! It was my way of processing all the confusing thoughts that jumbled around my brain and journaling helped me feel calm and relaxed after a hectic day.

It felt natural to begin a travel journal when I left to go backpacking for two years in 2009.

I wrote a daily journal and eventually typed these handwritten notes up and posted them on the internet in the form of a blog.

I did this for years without anyone really noticing what I was going…until one day people did notice. And quite quickly, lots of people noticed! And, to cut a very long story short, I’m now lucky enough to do this full time! If I hadn’t written that journal all those years ago then I never would have ended up doing this and I just feel so pleased with myself for taking the time to write those journals!

#7. Travel journals + self care

Let’s not forget that writing a journal, even if it isn’t a travel journal, is an invaluable form of self care. Whenever I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed or like I have too many thoughts in my head, I always find journaling will help. 

Travelling can often be stressful and we often travel when we need to escape things at home. While you’re writing your journal, don’t confine yourself to just writing facts and figures and descriptions from your trip, write about everything. Write about how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking and how the overall trip is affecting you. Observing your feelings and how the world around you is making you feel. No one else needs to read your journal so don’t worry about getting personal because this is only for you.

#8. Should you use an Instant camera for your travel journal?

Polaroids look gorgeous in scrapbook-style travel journals and it is nice to instantly print your photos and add them to your journal as you write. Aesthetically I think they look amazing but realistically I’ve always found it cumbersome.

Polaroid cameras are bulky and annoying to carry. You’ll probably be taking the majority of your photos on your main camera or phone so it’s a big thing to lug around for just a couple of snaps each day. Not only that but the reels are expensive and you’ll have to make sure you’ve got enough for your whole trip.

#9. What if I’m not artistic, creative or good at drawing? How can I make my travel journal look amazing?

That’s OK, I’m not either!

If you’re no good at drawing but would like something extra in your journal then use brochures, maps and tickets to create gorgeous pages.

#10. Travel journal inspiration

I’ve left this tip until the end because it can be a double edged sword. Looking at other people’s travel journals for inspiration can give you so many ideas and inspire you to create your own, but it can be overwhelming and put a lot of pressure on you to create ‘the perfect journal’.

The best places to find inspiration are:

Search for the terms:

#TravelJournal

#ScrapbookingIdeas

#BulletJournal

Tuesday 19th of October 2021

Oh I'd love to try this out when I go on holiday next!

Definitely give it a go! It's a lot of fun and such a nice way to keep a record of your holiday.

Ambica Gulati

That was a very interesting read. I used to keep a diary as a kid, now everything is online. But would love to write again.

That's how I feel too. I love writing blog posts and sharing photos online but it isn't the same or as creative as sitting and writing a journal. It's so theraputic!

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How to Make a Creative Photo Journal in 2024

Discover how to craft a captivating photo journal that combines storytelling and visual artistry to capture life's moments in a unique and creative way.

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This guide will show you how to make a photo journal that stands out using a variety of methods and styles.

One of the best ways to document your life, preserve your memories, and reflect on the experiences that have shaped you is by making a photo journal!

In fact, even the process of creating a photo diary can be a highly rewarding experience that takes you on a journey back in time!

If you’re interested in making an exceptional photo journal that stands out, you’ve come to the right place!

Today, I’ll teach you how to make a photo journal from scratch using a variety of methods along with various tips to help you along the way!

Table of Contents

What Makes a Photo Journal Special?

Before diving into the juicy details of this guide, let’s have a quick look at what makes a photo journal special and how it can benefit you.

Photography journals are collages of photographs and captions that are common among the photography community.

They’re also known as “photo diaries” because they’re quite similar to written diaries in principle, but they mainly focus on the photographic element rather than the written text.

Photo journals can be about anything and have tons of themes. For instance, you can have a personal photography diary where you recap your experiences and highlights of your day.

On the other hand, you can make a travel photo journal to document your travels and outdoor photography or a certain trip you had, the sky’s the limit!

In other words, every photo journal can be unique in its own way, especially if you inject your personality and taste while creating it.

Benefits of Creating a Photo Journal

Besides being a rewarding experience, making a photo journal comes with plenty of benefits, such as:

• It helps you preserve your memories and reflect on your thoughts in a personalized way
• It can be a great way to practice and improve your photography skills
• It’s an excellent personal creative space where you can express yourself in many ways
• It allows you to connect with others by sharing your thoughts and experiences in your own style. You can also publish it online and inspire others!

A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Inspiring Photo Journal

Now that you know more about photo journals, here’s a brief guide that shows you how to make a unique and creative one to stand out!

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies and Necessary Tools for Photo Journaling

Credit: Olia Danilevich

If you want to create a physical photo journal, you’ll need to gather all the necessary tools and items for the projects. The two primary items here are, of course, your camera and notebook.

You can use just about any camera to capture your photos. For example, a digital camera with a good resolution and lens will be an excellent choice, but you can also use film cameras or even your smartphone camera if it has good quality.

As for your notebook, you’ll have plenty of options to pick from, and the choice here depends on your personal preferences. For instance, you can pick the style of the notebook, sheet size, the number of pages, its cover material, whether the pages are plank, lined, or in a grid, etc.

Since the notebook is the core of your journal, you must make sure that the paper is durable enough to withstand the weight of printed images.

Besides the notebook, you’ll also need to gather a few essential supplies and craft items that you’ll need to create a DIY photo journal, such as pens and crayons, scissors, paper glue, stencil sets, photo stickers, etc.

The advantage of choosing these items on your own is that you get to decide the general vibe of your photography journal.

For instance, if you want to give it a romantic tone you can opt for warmer colors while styling it. On the other hand, if you want to create a nostalgic effect, you can go with something vintage, such as off-white paper color and rustic, old-school designs.

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Alternatively, you can get a ready-made  photography journal kit , which includes most of these items in one package. This option may limit your customizability options but saves you the time and effort to look for those items separately.

Step 2: Pick a Theme or a Topic for Your Own Photo Journal

Credit: Charan Sai

After gathering your items, your photography journal-building journey should be underway! The next step is creating a suitable topic for your journal.

As I’ve established above, your journal can be about anything you like. In fact, you can create a random photo journal where you can add any pictures you like.

That being said, choosing a particular theme and topic for your journal will make it much more impactful and establish connection and cohesion between the pages.

This makes browsing through your journal a more enjoyable and fulfilling experience, as it’ll be immersive and captivating!

If you still prefer adding variety to your journal, you should consider proper organizing where you split your journal into multiple sections or chapters, each with its own unique theme and design.

Popular themes you might want to consider for the journal include travel, seasons, daily/weekly highlights, family members, and personal growth.

Step 3: Experiment with Various Layouts and Arrangements

Credit: Dmitry Zvolskiy

Next up, you should establish how you want the pages of your photo journal to look. This step is essential because you’ll need to keep the style consistent throughout the journal, even if you have multiple sections.

The first element to decide here is the size of the photos relative to the page. You also need to decide on the size of captions and texts per image.

A good average here would be 2 to 4 images per page, along with properly sized descriptive text. This leaves enough room for other decorations and stickers.

On the other hand, if you want to maintain a minimalistic feel, you can reduce the number of images to 1 to 2 per page.

You also need to test out multiple font styles and sizes and choose ones that suit the general theme of the journal.

A good trick here is to use a photo template of the same size as the images you’re adding to test the design. Alternatively, you can use digital photo journals to try out various styles, but more about this in the following sections.

Step 4: Choose and Print the Photos You Want to Include in the Journal

Credit: George Milton

After figuring out the ideal layout for your photo journal, all that’s left would be getting your photos ready.

At that point, you should have a good estimation of how many photos your journal can take. For that reason, you’ll need to sort out the photos you need to add to the photo journal and pick the best, most meaningful ones.

If you want to add more photos, you still have a few tricks up your sleeve. For starters, you can use notebooks with larger pages.

An even better idea would be diversifying your photo print sizes , which allows you to squeeze small but crucial photos between larger ones.

You can use plenty of printing apps to turn your digital photos into physical ones, such as Snapfish, Printastic, and Shutterfly. You can also get the photos printed professionally for an affordable price if you don’t have a printer at home.

Step 5: Arrange and Add Photos to the Journal

Having the actual photos in your hands will allow you to give them a final test run before gluing them permanently to your journal.

First, you’ll need to arrange the photos in the order you find suitable for the photo journal. The most common arrangement here is by chronological order, especially if you’re going for trips or personal highlights.

However, you can also use other arrangement styles. For example, you can arrange photos by themes or topics, or have a combination of both thematic and chronological orders.

Remember that there’s no right or wrong way to do this, so it’s okay to experiment with any style that you find creative or unique!

Step 6: Provide Context and Captions for Photo Journaling

Credit: Binti Malu

Although photos are the main highlight of a photo journal, your captions, and written texts are what give them the necessary context for cohesion.

Most people will write a simple description as the photos’ captions. However, you can use just about anything to caption your photos, which will make your journal a lot more creative. This includes quotes, song lyrics, news headlines from the same day, anything!

Using your own handwriting to write the context is an excellent way to make it unique and personalized. However, if you want to take the creative route, you can also print out your texts.

This allows you to control the font size and style while maintaining its consistency. You can also use various colors, including combinations and hues that you may not be able to recreate by hand.

Step 7: Decorate Your Photo Journal

Credit: Lisa Fotios

After adding your photos and texts to the journal page, you’ll have plenty of unused space left. This is where your decoration comes into play!

Stickers, glitter markers, highlighters, and geometric shapes are excellent choices here because you can mix and match them to create something remarkably impressive and unique!

However, you can also decorate your journal pages with themed drawings if you have the skills. For example, if you’re discussing a certain trip, you can draw landmarks and other related aspects that didn’t make it to the photo selection.

Can You Make a Digital Photo Journal?

While making a physical photography journal is an enjoyable activity, it requires a lot of work.

Luckily, there are plenty of powerful tools and apps out there that can autopilot the whole process, leaving only the final touches to you.

These photo journaling apps include paid options like Day One as well as free online photo journal options like Photo Diary and Google Photo Books .

These photo journal apps can save you a lot of time because they have multiple ready-made and adjustable templates, allowing you to create as many pages and styles as you like.

Tips to Create a Unique Photography Journal

Lastly, here are some helpful tools that you can use to streamline your photo journal creation process.

Use Digital Photo Journals to Make a Prototype

Even if you’re planning to make a photography journal yourself, you can use these apps and tools to test out tons of ideas and styles to implement in real life. This can help you get as close as possible to how you envisioned the journal.

Embrace the Imperfections When Photo Journaling

While creating your journal, you may make a couple of small errors here and there. However, you shouldn’t stress yourself out about them.

Instead, you should embrace them, as they’re part of your journey and can tell some stories themselves.

Make Room for Future Entries

If you’re making a photo journal about an ongoing event, you might want to get a notebook with more pages, which allows you to add new entries and photos when you have new experiences.

Consistency Is Key for Photo Journaling

Creating a photo journal, especially an ongoing one, can be quite a lengthy process. For that reason, rather than perfection, you should seek consistency, whether by keeping your journal constantly updated or by committing to a proper style or layout as you move forward.

Remember to not stress yourself to finish the journal in one sitting and try to have as much fun as possible while creating it!

Consider Creating a Photo Journal Box

While physical photo journals don’t have infinite pages, you can still have as many journals as you want.

In that case, keeping them in a larger journal box with consistent decorations and style can be a great way to preserve and organize them.

15 Fun & Creative Photo Journal Ideas

Photo journals can be a creative and expressive way to document your life, experiences, and emotions through photography. Here are some photo journal ideas to get you started:

• A Day in the Life Photo Journal: Begin your own photo journal by capturing a typical day in your life. These snapshots can fill the blank pages of your journal, creating a visual diary of your daily experiences.
• Seasonal Changes Photo Journal: Embrace the art of journaling through photos to document the seasonal transitions in your area. Over time, you’ll accumulate a series of photos that showcase the natural beauty and the people who adapt to these changes.
• Travel Adventures for Your Visual Diary: When embarking on your next adventure, consider photo journaling your travels. Your phone’s camera roll will be filled with stunning images of the places you visit, the people you meet, and the cultural experiences you encounter.
• Family Stories for photo journaling: Chronicle the lives of your loved ones through photo journaling. Each image becomes a written entry in your family’s history, capturing candid moments and significant milestones.
• A Project in Progress: Use your photo journal to document a personal project or goal. These visual entries in your journal will showcase your progress over time.
• Faces of a Community: Explore your local community through the lens of your phone’s camera. Document portraits and candid shots of the people who make your community unique, and share their stories.
• A Year of Self-Portraits: Dedicate your photo journal to a year of self-portraits. These images will serve as a reflection of your changing moods and experiences.
• Reflections: Experiment with reflective surfaces to create artistic compositions. These images can serve as artistic, almost blank pages in your photo journal.
• Minimalism through photo journaling: Seek simplicity in everyday scenes and objects for calm and contemplative entries.
• Color Themes: Periodically choose a specific color theme and create a series of photos highlighting that hue.
• Emotions Captured: Use your photo journal to express your emotions through captivating imagery. Each photo becomes a written entry that conveys your feelings and experiences.
• Abstract Expressions: Push the boundaries of traditional photography by experimenting with abstract and surreal imagery.
• Food Adventures: Document your culinary explorations in your photo journal. These entries featuring delicious dishes and ingredients will tantalize your audience.
• Urban Exploration: Delve into the urban landscape, offering a unique perspective of your surroundings.
• Nature’s Beauty: Dedicate your journal to capturing the beauty of the natural world. These entries will transport your audience to serene landscapes and encounters with wildlife.

Remember, a photo journal is a personal project, so feel free to adapt and modify these ideas to suit your interests, style, and the stories you want to tell through your photography.

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20 Inspiring Photo Journaling Ideas & Examples

• July 13, 2023

Home » Day One Blog » 20 Inspiring Photo Journaling Ideas & Examples

Photo journaling captures the essence of experiences and emotions, allowing us to revisit them with vividness and depth. By combining visual imagery and written reflections, your journal can paint a comprehensive picture that extends beyond what words alone can convey. A journal can become a visual diary that tells the story of our lives, preserving the sights, textures, and details that fade with time. Through photo journaling, you can preserve memories, enabling us to relive cherished moments, learn from our past, and gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.

In this post, we’ll explore how to start photo journaling with ideas, examples, and tips to inspire your own journaling practice.

What is Photo Journaling?

Photo journaling is a creative journaling practice that combines elements of photography and journaling. You can use photo journaling to document your experiences, thoughts, and emotions through a combination of photographs and written entries.

In a photo journal, people typically use photographs to convey the visual aspects of their experiences, such as landscapes, objects, people, or events. Photos are often accompanied by written entries that provide context, descriptions, emotions, or reflections related to the photographs. The written component can include personal anecdotes, thoughts, feelings, or any relevant information that enhances the story or captures the essence of the moment.

Photo journaling can be done in various formats, including digital journaling , physical journals, online blogs, or social media platforms. The benefits of photo journaling include preserving memories, self-expression, self-reflection, and creative exploration. Photo journaling can be a therapeutic activity, helping individuals process their emotions, explore their creativity, and gain insights into their lives. Photo journaling can serve as a valuable tool for storytelling, communication, and sharing experiences with others.

Photo Journaling Tips

If you’re new to photo journaling, you may be wondering how to get started. Here are a few tips for how to start:

1. Choose a journaling format that makes photo journaling easy .

Determine the format that works best for you, whether it’s a physical journal, a digital journaling platform or journaling app like Day One , or a combination of both. Select a format that allows you to easily capture, organize, and revisit your photo journal entries.

Since printing photos can be expensive and inconvenient, going all digital with your smartphone camera and a journaling app like Day One can be an easy way to get started with photo journaling.

2. Keep your camera handy.

Use your smartphone or carry a camera to be ready to capture moments and scenes that resonate with you. Take advantage of spontaneous opportunities for unique and authentic photos.

3. Capture details.

Pay attention to small details and elements that can convey a deeper meaning or evoke specific emotions. These can include textures, colors, patterns, or expressions that add richness to your photo journal entries.

4. Embrace imperfections.

Don’t worry about capturing the “perfect” photo. Embrace imperfections and allow them to add character and authenticity to your photo journal. Focus on the story and meaning behind each image.

5. Be consistent.

Establish a regular photo journaling routine. Set aside dedicated time to review and reflect on your photos, write entries, and organize your journal to maintain a consistent practice.

6. Reflect and review.

Take time to reflect on your photo journal entries. Revisit previous entries to observe patterns, track progress, and gain insights into your growth and experiences.

20 Photo Journaling Ideas & Examples

From capturing the beauty of nature to exploring personal growth and reflections, each of these photo journaling ideas is designed to preserve memories, evoke emotions, and deepen your connection with the world around you.

1. A Day in the Life

Dedicate a photo journal entry to capturing the essence of a typical day in your life. Document the various activities, routines, and moments that make up your daily existence:

• Choose a specific day to focus on and commit to documenting it from morning to night. Capture photos of your waking moments, morning rituals, meals, work or school activities, leisure time, and evening routines.
• Embrace a mix of candid shots and curated compositions to capture the authenticity and beauty of your day. Experiment with different perspectives, lighting, and angles to add visual interest to your photos.
• Write brief journal entries alongside each photo, describing the significance of the moment captured, the emotions experienced, or reflections on the activities or interactions.
• Include both significant and seemingly mundane moments to provide a comprehensive representation of your day. Find beauty in the ordinary and appreciate the small details that often go unnoticed.
• Reflect on the overall narrative of the day. Identify patterns, connections, or surprises that emerge as you review your photos and journal entries. Consider how your daily experiences contribute to your personal growth or well-being.

2. Travel Journal

A travel journal is one of the best ways to incorporate photo journaling. Capture the places you visit, the people you meet, and the adventures you embark on in your journal

• Choose a travel destination or a specific trip to focus on for each entry. It can be a recent trip, a memorable journey from the past, or even a virtual exploration of a place you’ve always wanted to visit.
• Capture photos that showcase the landscapes, architecture, culture, and unique aspects of the destination. Include a mix of wide shots, close-ups, and details to convey the essence of the place.
• Write about your experiences, impressions, and discoveries during the journey. Reflect on the significance of the destination, the encounters you had, and the emotions evoked by the travel experience.
• Include practical information and recommendations, such as favorite attractions, local cuisine, hidden gems, or travel tips that can be helpful for others who might want to visit the same place.
• Explore the interplay between photography and storytelling by using the written entries to complement and enhance the visual narrative of your travel photos.

3. Seasons and Nature

Create a photo journal dedicated to capturing the beauty and changing seasons of nature around you.

• Begin by observing the natural world and its seasonal transformations. Pay attention to the unique characteristics, colors, and moods associated with each season.
• Select a specific location, such as a nearby park, forest, or even your own backyard, as the primary focus of your nature photo journal.
• Capture photos that showcase the flora, fauna, landscapes, and elements that define each season. Experiment with different perspectives, lighting, and compositions to capture the essence and evoke the mood of the season.
• Write accompanying entries that describe your experiences, emotions, and reflections related to the seasonal changes. Share personal connections, memories, or thoughts that arise from observing nature’s transformations.
• Explore the interplay between the visual and written elements of your photo journal. Consider using poetry, quotes, or descriptive language to enhance the overall narrative and evoke a deeper connection to the natural world.
• Encourage engagement with nature by including tips, facts, or activities that celebrate and promote environmental awareness and conservation.

4. Creative Pursuits

Create a photo journal that celebrates your creative pursuits and captures the essence of your artistic journey.

• Choose a specific creative pursuit or artistic medium to focus on for each entry. It can be painting, writing, photography, pottery, or any other creative endeavor that interests you.
• Capture photos that showcase your creative process, works-in-progress, tools, and the environment in which you create. Include both close-up shots of details and wider shots to provide context.
• Write about your inspirations, motivations, and challenges related to the specific creative pursuit. Share insights, breakthroughs, or techniques you’ve learned along the way.
• Reflect on the emotional and personal significance of engaging in creative activities. Explore how creativity has impacted your well-being, personal growth, and self-expression.
• Consider incorporating other artistic elements, such as sketches, poetry, or written reflections, to complement the visual aspects of your photo journal and enhance the storytelling.

5. Gratitude Journal

Use photos as a way to enrich your gratitude journal . Capture images of the people, moments, or things you’re grateful for. You’ll cultivate a mindset of appreciation, foster a sense of joy, and deepen your connection with the positive aspects of your life.

• Begin each entry by reflecting on the things, experiences, or people you are grateful for. Take a moment to focus on the positive aspects of your life and the blessings that surround you.
• Capture photos that represent the objects, scenes, or moments of gratitude. These can be anything from nature’s beauty to acts of kindness, cherished memories, or everyday joys.
• Write a journal entry alongside each photo, expressing your gratitude and reflecting on why it holds significance to you. Describe the emotions and the impact these blessings have on your well-being and outlook on life.
• Experiment with different visual styles and compositions that reflect the feelings of gratitude and joy evoked by the subject of your photos.
• Encourage a daily gratitude practice by committing to capturing at least one photo and writing a corresponding entry every day.

6. Personal Growth and Reflection

Use photo journaling as a way to document your personal growth and reflections over time.

• Set aside dedicated time for self-reflection . Use this time to explore your thoughts, emotions, and experiences that have contributed to your personal growth.
• Capture photos that symbolize or represent different aspects of your journey. These can include images of milestones, challenges overcome, moments of self-reflection, or objects that hold personal significance.
• Write reflective journal entries alongside each photo, exploring the lessons learned, insights gained, and personal transformations experienced along the way. Reflect on how these experiences have shaped your values, beliefs, and aspirations.
• Engage in introspection and explore topics such as self-acceptance, resilience, personal values, or moments of clarity.

7. Everyday Objects

Create a photo journal dedicated to capturing the beauty and significance of everyday objects that often go unnoticed. Capture mundane objects, patterns, textures, or details that catch your eye. Find beauty in simplicity and transform ordinary moments into extraordinary ones through photography.

• Cultivate a sense of curiosity and mindfulness as you go about your day. Pay attention to the objects, scenes, or details that catch your eye or evoke a sense of appreciation.
• Capture photos of these everyday objects, whether it’s a household item, a tool, a piece of clothing, or any other mundane object that holds personal meaning or aesthetic appeal.
• Experiment with different angles, lighting, and compositions to highlight the unique qualities or visual appeal of each object. Showcase textures, colors, or patterns that make them visually intriguing.
• Write about the significance or memories associated with each object. Reflect on why it caught your attention, its role in your daily life, or the emotions it evokes. Consider the stories or experiences connected to these seemingly ordinary items.

8. Self-Portraits

Create a photo journal dedicated to self-portraits, allowing you to delve into self-expression and explore different facets of your identity.

• Set aside dedicated time for self-reflection and self-portrait sessions. Use this time to contemplate your emotions, thoughts, and the different aspects of your personality.
• Experiment with various self-portrait techniques, such as different poses, expressions, lighting, or post-processing styles. Explore different moods, themes, or visual styles that represent different aspects of your identity.
• Write accompanying entries for each self-portrait, delving into the emotions, thoughts, or stories behind the image. Reflect on your journey of self-discovery, personal growth, or specific moments that have shaped your identity.
• Use self-portraits as a means of self-empowerment and self-acceptance. Embrace vulnerability and showcase your authentic self in the images you capture.
• Explore the interplay between self-portraits and written reflections. Consider using poetry, affirmations, or introspective writing to enhance the narrative and deepen the connection with your self-portraits.

9. People and Pets

Dedicate a section of your photo journal to the special people and pets in your life. Capture candid moments, interactions, and shared experiences. Write about the relationships, memories, and emotions associated with each photo.

• Focus on photographing the interactions, love, and connections between the people and their pets. Capture candid moments, expressions, and the unique bond that exists between them.
• Include the diverse range of pets and their human companions in your photo journal. Whether it’s dogs, cats, birds, or any other beloved animal, showcase the special connections they share with the people they love.
• Write accompanying entries for each photo, highlighting the depth of the relationships and the impact the pets have on the lives of their human companions. Share stories, memories, or reflections that exemplify the bond between people and their pets.
• Explore various settings and activities that exemplify the relationships. Capture joyful playtime, moments of comfort, adventures together, or simply the quiet moments of companionship.

10. Favorite Things

Explore and showcase your favorite things through photography. Capture images of objects, places, or activities that bring you joy and hold personal significance. Write about why each favorite thing is meaningful to you and how it contributes to your overall happiness.

• Reflect on the people, objects, experiences, or moments that bring you joy and hold personal significance. Identify a range of favorite things that encompass different aspects of your life.
• Capture photos of these favorite things, whether it’s a beloved object, a treasured place, an activity that brings you happiness, or a person who holds a special place in your heart.
• Experiment with different visual styles, compositions, or lighting techniques that capture the essence and evoke the emotions associated with each favorite thing.
• Write about why each favorite thing is meaningful to you. Share personal anecdotes, memories, or reflections that highlight its importance in your life. Express gratitude for the positive impact it has had on your well-being.

11. Goals and Challenges

Use photo journaling as a way to document goals and challenges you’re working towards. Capture images that represent your progress, setbacks, or achievements. Write about the obstacles faced and the lessons learned along the way.

• Identify a personal challenge or goal that you are working towards. It could be anything from learning a new skill, facing fears, overcoming obstacles, or making positive changes in your life.
• Document your journey by capturing photos that represent different aspects of your personal challenge. These can include images of your progress, moments of struggle, triumphs, or even symbolic representations of the obstacles you face.
• Write accompanying entries for each photo, reflecting on the challenges, emotions, and insights gained throughout the process. Share the lessons learned, breakthroughs achieved, or strategies that helped you overcome obstacles.
• Experiment with visual storytelling techniques to convey the emotions and narrative of your personal challenge. Use composition, lighting, or editing techniques that reflect the mood and atmosphere of your journey.
• Reflect on the personal growth and emotional resilience that comes from embracing challenges. Consider the ways in which these challenges have shaped your character, expanded your capabilities, or changed your perspective.

12. Abstract and Experimental

Break away from traditional photography and explore abstract or experimental approaches. Play with light, shadows, reflections, or unconventional compositions. Use photography as a medium for artistic exploration and self-expression.

• Embrace creativity and experimentation by exploring unconventional perspectives, compositions, and techniques in your photo journal. Challenge yourself to capture images that evoke emotions, provoke thoughts, or ignite curiosity.
• Focus on capturing abstract elements, patterns, textures, or colors that exist in the world around you. Look for unique angles, play with light and shadows, or experiment with intentional camera movements to create visually captivating and thought-provoking images.
• Write accompanying entries for each photo, describing your artistic intention, the emotions or ideas you aimed to convey, or the reactions you hope to evoke in viewers. Reflect on the concept behind the abstract or experimental approach you took.

13. Family Photos

Create a photo journal dedicated to preserving and celebrating your family’s memories, relationships, and generational connections.

• Gather a collection of family photos that hold sentimental value and represent significant moments or cherished individuals across different generations.
• Scan and digitize the physical photos to ensure their preservation and accessibility for future generations. Organize them in chronological order or categorize them by family branches, events, or themes.
• Capture new photos that mirror or recreate the scenes depicted in the old family photos. Visit the same locations, pose in similar ways, or recreate cherished moments to create visual connections between past and present.
• Write accompanying entries for each photo, sharing stories, anecdotes, or reflections that provide context, evoke emotions, or shed light on the significance of the family members or events depicted.
• Engage with family members, particularly older generations, to gather additional insights, stories, or details related to the family photos. Record interviews or conversations to capture their memories and perspectives.
• Reflect on the shared history, traditions, and values that define your family. Explore the connections and legacies that have been passed down through the generations.

14. Meals and Food

Create a visual diary of your meals. Capture photos of your favorite dishes, homemade creations, or memorable dining experiences. Write about the flavors, recipes, or memories associated with each meal. Consider including recipes or tips for others who may want to recreate your culinary adventures.

• Focus on photographing a wide range of food and meals, including homemade dishes, restaurant experiences, family recipes, or cultural specialties.
• Experiment with different compositions, lighting, and angles to capture the enticing visual elements of the food. Highlight textures, colors, and presentation to create visually appealing and appetizing images.
• Write accompanying entries for each photo, describing the flavors, aromas, and memories associated with the dish or meal. Share the story behind the recipe, the cultural significance, or the personal memories attached to the food.
• Explore the interplay between the sensory experiences of taste and sight. Consider how the visual presentation enhances the enjoyment and anticipation of the meal.

15. Handwriting

Incorporate the art of handwriting into your photo journal. Capture images of handwritten letters, notes, or journal entries. Focus on the unique characteristics of handwriting and the emotions it conveys. Write about the importance of handwritten communication and the stories behind each written piece.

• Gather a collection of handwritten notes, letters, journal entries, or any other written materials that hold significance to you. These can be your own writings or those of loved ones.
• Photograph these handwritten pieces, focusing on the unique characteristics of each person’s handwriting. Capture the textures, ink colors, paper choices, and any other distinctive elements that make each handwriting style unique.
• Write accompanying entries for each photo, sharing the stories, memories, or emotions associated with the handwritten pieces. Reflect on the personal connections, sentiments conveyed, or the significance of the written words.
• Experiment with different ways of showcasing the handwriting. Consider close-up shots of specific words or phrases, compositions that highlight the entire piece, or even images that capture the act of writing itself.

16. Changes Over Time

Use photo journaling as a way to capture and document the changes and transformations that occur over time.

• Select a specific subject or theme to focus on for each entry. It could be yourself, a loved one, a place, or any other aspect of life that undergoes noticeable changes.
• Take regular photos at intervals, such as daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, to capture the progression and evolution of the chosen subject. Ensure consistency in lighting, composition, and angle to provide a clear visual timeline.
• Write accompanying entries for each photo, describing the changes, growth, or transformation observed. Reflect on the emotions, experiences, or lessons learned during each phase of the journey.
• Experiment with different visual storytelling techniques to convey the passage of time. Consider collages, side-by-side comparisons, or diptychs/triptychs that juxtapose different stages of the subject’s evolution.
• Reflect on the significance and implications of the changes observed. Consider how they have impacted personal growth, relationships, or the surrounding environment.

17. Project Progress

Use photo journaling to document the progress of a specific project or endeavor. Whether it’s a creative project, home improvement, or personal goal, capture images that show the evolution and milestones of your project.

• Select a specific project or creative endeavor to focus on for each entry. It can be anything from a painting, sculpture, writing project, DIY project, or any other creative pursuit.
• Capture photos at various stages of your project, showcasing the process, materials, tools, and the development of your work. Include wide shots, close-ups, and details to provide a comprehensive view of your project’s progression.
• Write accompanying entries for each photo, describing the ideas, inspirations, challenges, breakthroughs, and lessons learned during each stage of your project. Reflect on the evolution of your concept, techniques, and personal growth as an artist or creator.
• Experiment with different visual styles or compositions to convey the essence and mood of your project. Showcase the transformation and the development of your creative vision through the visual narrative of your photo journal.
• Reflect on the significance and impact of your project on personal growth. Consider how the project has pushed your boundaries, challenged you, honed your skills, or allowed you to express yourself.

Create a photo journal dedicated to your reading journey. Capture images of books you’re reading or have recently finished. Include photos of favorite quotes, book covers, or cozy reading spots. Write reviews, reflections, or personal insights about the books you encounter.

• Select a book or a series of books to feature in each entry. It can be a book you’re currently reading, a favorite novel, or a literary genre you want to explore.
• Take photos of the book covers, pages, or specific passages that resonate with you. Experiment with different compositions that visually represent the essence of the book.
• Write about your thoughts, feelings, and insights inspired by the book. Share personal reflections, favorite quotes, or passages that left a lasting impression on you.
• Explore different settings for your book photos. Consider photographing books in cozy reading nooks, libraries, bookstores, or outdoor spaces that inspire your reading experience.
• Share recommendations or reviews of the books you feature in your photo journal. Discuss what you loved about the book, its impact on your perspective, or connections to your own life.

19. Colors & Patterns

Explore the world of colors and patterns through your photo journal, focusing on capturing and reflecting on the emotions, associations, and symbolism.

• Select a specific color or a range of colors to explore in each entry. For example, dedicate one entry to the color blue and another to the color red.
• Take photos that prominently feature the chosen color(s) or objects, scenes, or moments where the color evokes a strong emotional response.
• Write about the emotions or moods associated with each color or pattern. Consider the cultural, psychological, or symbolic meanings attributed to the chosen colors or pattern and how they resonate with your experiences.
• Experiment with different lighting conditions or post-processing techniques to enhance the vibrancy, subtlety, or effects of the patterns or colors in your photos.
• Reflect on personal associations or memories connected to specific colors. Explore how colors have influenced your mood, perceptions, or aesthetic preferences.

20. Photo-A-Day

Challenge yourself to take and document a photo every day. Capture moments, scenes, or objects that catch your eye or reflect your daily experiences. Write a brief description or reflection alongside each photo, creating a visual diary that represents a year of your life.

• Commit to capturing at least one photo each day. Be on the lookout for something that catches your eye, evokes an emotion, or represents a meaningful aspect of your day.
• Experiment with different photography techniques, angles, compositions, or subject matters to keep your photo journal visually engaging and diverse.
• Write a brief journal entry to accompany each photo. Reflect on the story behind the photo, the emotions it evokes, or the significance of the moment captured.
• Look for themes or patterns that emerge throughout the month or year. Identify connections between seemingly unrelated photos and write about the common threads or personal growth you observe.
• Embrace the imperfections and unpredictability of everyday life. Allow the photo-a-day challenge to become a mindful practice that encourages you to find beauty in the ordinary and appreciate the present moment.

How to Use Day One as a Photo Journal

The free Day One app is one of the best ways to keep a photo journal, allowing you to seamlessly combine visual imagery and written reflections to capture and preserve your life’s moments and stories. Whether you’re an avid photographer, a creative writer, or simply someone who wishes to document their experiences in a visually captivating manner, Day One provides a user-friendly photo journaling app that empowers you to curate a meaningful photo journal.

In this section, we’ll walk you through essential instructions and tips on how to maximize the potential of Day One as your photo journaling companion. From adding photos and writing reflections to organizing and sharing your entries, we will explore the various features and tools that Day One offers to elevate your photo journaling experience.

1. Download the free Day One journal app.

With the Day One app, you’ll be able to easily add photos, videos, audio, and text to your journal. Plus, all your photos and files will be protected with end-to-end encryption .

2. Create a new entry in your journal and add a photo.

To enrich your journal entry with a photo, follow these simple steps:

• Open your Day One app and navigate to the desired journal or create a new one.
• Tap the “+” icon or the “New Entry” button to create a new entry.
• Look for the photo icon within the entry editor. It’s usually represented by a camera or picture symbol.
• Tap the photo icon and select an image from your phone’s camera roll or gallery. Day One will prompt you to choose the photo you want to add to your entry. Day One Premium allows you to add unlimited photos and videos to your journal.

3. Write something about the photo in your journal.

Complement your photo with thoughtful reflections to capture the essence of the moment. Here’s how:

• Within the entry editor, find a suitable place to incorporate your written reflections.
• Add a few sentences or paragraphs that describe the photo, evoke emotions, or delve into the significance of the captured scene.
• Consider sharing why you felt compelled to capture the moment or the story behind the photo. Embrace this opportunity to preserve your thoughts and memories in a written format.

4. Use the Media View to see all your photos.

Day One’s Media View is a great way to immerse yourself in your visual journey:

• Locate the toolbar at the bottom of the screen and select the Media View icon, typically represented by a grid or gallery symbol.
• Once in the Media View, you’ll find a collection of thumbnails representing your photos and videos. Scroll through the grid to explore your visual content.
• Tap on any thumbnail to open the journal entry with the photo and view it in more detail.

5. Check out the Calendar View to see your photos over time.

Day One’s Calendar View offers a comprehensive visual representation of your photo journal over time. This view can be particularly useful if you’re doing a photo-a-day challenge or trying to establish a regular journaling habit. Here’s how to explore it:

• Open your journal and look for the Calendar View option, usually represented by a calendar icon.
• The calendar will populate with marked dates indicating journal entries that include photos.
• Tap on a specific date to view the entry and associated photos for that day.

6. Turn your photo journal … into a book!

Enjoy the satisfaction of holding your photo journal in your hands as a beautiful paperback or hardcover book, capturing your memories and visual storytelling in a tangible form. Day One offers a convenient book printing feature:

• Once you’ve completed a section of your photo journal, whether it’s for a year, a month, or a specific occasion, navigate to the Settings menu.
• Look for the book printing option that allows you to turn your photo journal into a physical book.
• Follow the instructions to customize and design your book, selecting the desired time-frame, photos, and text.
• Preview the book and make any necessary adjustments before finalizing your order.

Wrapping Up: Crafting a Visual Narrative that Preserves Your Unique Story

We hope this collection of 20 photo journaling ideas has ignited your creativity and sparked a newfound passion for capturing and documenting the moments that shape your life. Whether you choose to explore nature, delve into self-reflection, or capture everyday objects, each idea serves as a doorway to a world of storytelling and self-expression. So grab your camera, embrace your creativity, and embark on a fulfilling photo journaling adventure. Let your photos and words intertwine to create a captivating narrative that reflects the beauty, joy, and depth of your life’s journey. Happy (photo) journaling!

Download the Day One Journal App

The Day One journaling app makes it easy to build and maintain a daily journaling habit. Daily journaling reminders , daily writing prompts , and journal streaks are designed to help keep you motivated and consistently journaling.

About the Author

Kristen Webb Wright is the author of three books on journaling. With a passion for writing and self-reflection, Kristen uses her experience with journaling to help others discover the benefits of documenting their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In her role at Day One, she helps to promote the power of journaling so people from all walks of life can experience the transformative power of journaling.

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Download the free Day One journal app for free on iPhone, Android, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Or access your Day One Journal from any browser.

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Travel Journal Apps & Digital Travel Diary Options

Written by Alison Kotch on August 28, 2022

Alison Kotch is a freelance writer and editor based in Brooklyn.

If you’re hitting the road you’ll want to document every moment. These are the best digital travel apps that just might replace your journal.

Asked your boss for well-deserved time off? Good! Depending on the reason for your break (and how long you'll be away from work), you might not want to spend every second documenting your travels ... and every travel photo you post might not be Insta-worthy. Even though there’s something to be said for packing your daypack with a pen and a paper journal and writing about your trip, it’s a lot easier to keep friends and family in the loop while you’re on the road if you do it digitally.

How to Choose an Online Travel Diary App

Every trip is different, and so is every traveler. If you're headed out for a short two-week trip, you may choose a travel diary app that offers features to integrate into your life as well—more of an online journal. But if you're traveling around the world on a one-year trip, perhaps a dedicated app that could transition into a blog is more your speed. Either way these are a few considerations before you sign up and start journaling.

• Ease of use : If the travel journaling platform is online but offers no app, that might be a deal breaker if you're only traveling with a smartphone! Look for apps that allow you to quickly open it up, upload photos, and jot quick notes.
• Company history : How long has this company been offering digital journaling services? The last thing you want to do is invest time and effort into journaling only to discover the app has shut down, and you need to export all of that hard work.
• Social features : Do you want an app that excels first and foremost at getting you right to the journaling, or are you interested in digital travel communities with a social element? If you love one of the travel diary apps on this list, but it doesn't feature a built-in community, consider how you could use Instagram or a Facebook page to fulfill that need.
• Cost : Some of these are free, while others offer limited services on the free platform and require paid upgrades to make it fully featured.

Best Digital Travel Journal Apps

Here are the best digital travel diary apps that will help you document your next journey.

Day One Journal

The best part about Day One journals? You don’t necessarily need to be taking a cross-country or international trip to use it; you can just make a habit of capturing things that inspire you. Journaling novices will likely be content with the free version, which allows you to write diary entries by hand, with Apple Pencil, or your finger. You can look back through entries via calendar, timeline, or photos, while also being reminded of specifics of that day, like temperature, weather, moon phase, and altitude. Upgrading to the premium version of this digital travel diary gives you even more incentive to make journaling a habit: It allows unlimited photo storage and journal entries, cloud-based storage, audio recording, and a 25 percent off book printing discount … perfect if you’d prefer to page through your memories in paper form after collecting all of your epic travel stories.

Travel Diaries

The free Travel Diaries app has everything a traveler could want in a digital diary: Customizable layouts that allow you to enhance your text with photos and maps marking all of the places you visited, with the option to keep entries private or share them with family and friends. Inspired to turn your diary into a travel blog? No problem: The app can convert your entries from diary to blog automatically, which you can share via social media or email. Need to see your entries in print? That’s an option, too. Choose to print all (or a portion of) your trip; books are available for printing in as few as 40 pages (or as many as 320), in hard or soft cover formats.

Tripcast markets itself as the place you "share your travel photos with the people who want to see everything, not just the highlights." It's designed as a social network for those who love to spend time on the road. The app supports photos and videos and encourages your friends and family to comment, like, and interact with your updates—perfect for solo travelers who will love knowing their loved ones back home are along for the ride. The iPhone app is highly rated, and users generally rave about the variety of features to journal through the website or on iPhone or Android. You'll love the feature where it uploads all your travel photos to a map, so you can see the world populated with your best memories.

Even though it’s currently only available for iPhone users, Bonjournal is ideal for travelers who want a simple interface for documenting their activities, whether that means road-tripping up the West Coast or chilling on a deserted island. Not sure if you want to share every moment of your trip? Its privacy settings allow you to keep some entries to yourself. Need inspiration for your next trip? Follow friends (or fellow travelers), curl up in your travel blanket, and be inspired by their entries.

Are you not traveling but want to live vicariously through someone who is? Polarsteps is a photo-lovers dream. It provides the capability to track your travel route automatically when on the road (and uses minimal battery power while doing so) and transforms each travel journal into a visually stunning coffee table book. The coffee table books are complete with modern-looking layouts of the countries visited, miles and/or kilometers covered, and the number of photos taken.

Even if you don’t have any life-changing trips planned, Momento is worth downloading either way. Momento can organize your social network activity from up to 11 different platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Swarm, Flickr, and YouTube) into one neat, cohesive package. You can make it private, which is great if you’re using its pregnancy feature that allows you to journal your experience of nine months of pregnancy and beyond. You can also explore people who have tagged themselves enjoying similar experiences. No vacations (or pregnancies) in your future? This travel diary also doubles as a work/project journal, allowing you to track project notes, milestones, and meetings so you’re always prepared, whether working in-office or in another time zone.

When you use a digital travel journal you need only slip your smartphone into your waistpack and let the travel adventures get under way.

Travel Diary Apps: FAQs

What is a travel diary app.

You have all your essential tech for travel , like your smartphone to share photos with friends and family, but are you using it to document your experiences? Now, you can use app-based travel diaries to track and capture your experiences. Travel diaries allow you to document every fun and exciting thing you do while traveling the world. However, thanks to the many travel log apps available, you no longer have to carry a journal. Instead, you can create a travel journal on your smartphone to capture your best memories and create your own personalized travel book.

These apps also allow you to share your travel scrapbook with the touch of a button. You can share them either as a blog or on social media. Common features of travel diary apps include:

• Photo and video sharing
• Journal entries
• Snapshots of temperature, weather, altitude, and more

Are there any free travel diary apps?

Yes, there are tons of free travel diary apps you can use, including some mentioned on this list, such as Day One Journal and Travel Diaries. Additionally, many paid travel journals come with free versions with limited features. However, if you love traveling and sharing your experience with others, we recommend using paid versions to track your travels, upload photos, and share entries with your followers.

Can I use a travel diary app offline?

Some travel journal apps allow you to create entities offline in case you lose service, while others let you share pictures without the internet by selecting photos and creating private posts offline. However, whether you can use a particular travel diary app offline depends on the app, so you should research which apps you can continue to use when you don’t have any service.

That said, if your app doesn’t allow you to create new entries without service, you can continue to take photos on your smartphone and update your entry later.

Can I add photos and videos to my travel diary entries?

Yes! Most travel journal apps allow you to add photos and videos to document and remember your experience. Additional features may include turning your diary entries into social media posts and blogs, taking a snapshot of the time and weather, customizing layouts, and more. However, some apps are more photo-based than others, so consider what you want your travel diary to be. For example, if you prefer to create a scrapbook with photos and captions, you might choose Polarsteps, which allows you to create a coffee table book-style photo journal.

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Best Free Travel Journal Apps for Travel Enthusiasts 2024

Embark on a journey of exploration and self-expression with our curated list of the best travel journal apps. Whether you’re a seasoned globetrotter or a wanderlust-filled dreamer, these apps offer the perfect platform to capture your experiences, emotions, and memories on the road. Get ready to create lasting travel chronicles effortlessly.

Table of Contents

“Updated” List of Top & Best Travel Journal Apps 2024

Here we have listed some most popular free travel journal apps for spirited travelers.

1. Trotter It

What is Trotter It?

Trotter It is one of the best travel journal apps for travelers where you can share your travel experiences with the world in the form of text, images, and videos. And at the Trotter It, you can find a travel buddy for your next trip.

How Does the Trotter It App Work?

• Leverages GPS technology for navigation and planning
• Real-time data for accurate directions
• Streamlines travel experiences with user-friendly features

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Trotter It App?

• Detailed maps and location-based recommendations
• Customizable itineraries
• Expense tracking and social sharing
• User-friendly interface for seamless use

Who Is Trotter It For?

• Ideal for solo travelers, families, and adventurers
• Caters to various travel preferences
• Suited for those seeking detailed trip planning

Who Is Trotter It Not For?

• May not be suitable for unplanned, tech-free travelers
• Not for those who prefer spontaneous exploration

Advantages of Using the Trotter It App

• Simplifies travel planning
• Enhances safety with real-time tracking
• Offers personalized recommendations
• Budget management tools
• Seamless sharing for documenting adventures

Download the App : Android IOS

2. Jauntlet

What is the Jauntlet App?

On this application, you can share plans and stories about where you will be using the free social travel blogs. In addition, the user can record adventures by collecting information and mapping their Facebook posts, Twitter posts, and Instagram photos. You can also upload multiple images, and Jauntlet will automatically use the time and location of the images to display them on your journal and the travel map.

How Does the Jauntlet App Work?

• Utilizes advanced location-based technology
• Offers personalized recommendations and navigation
• Incorporates real-time data for a tailored travel experience

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Jauntlet App?

• Interactive maps and itineraries
• Location-based activity suggestions
• Budget tracking and expense management
• User-friendly for easy sharing and documentation

Who Is Jauntlet For?

• Solo travelers, families, couples, and diverse travel preferences
• Accommodates a wide range of user needs and styles

Who Is Jauntlet Not For?

• Travelers who prefer off-the-grid adventures
• Those who enjoy spontaneous, unplanned exploration

Advantages of Using the Jauntlet App

• Enhances safety with real-time location sharing
• Provides personalized recommendations
• Streamlines budget management
• Facilitates easy sharing of travel memories

You can also design your travel journal and photos privately, which can only be viewed by family members or selected people.

What is the Worldee App?

Worldee is the ultimate go-to travel application. You can get inspired by the various travel stories, plan new adventures, store your experiences, and be part of our community of travelers.

With the trip planner, you can plan your next adventure. You can have places you want to visit in your itinerary, choose a transport medium, and select overnight stay options. You can also select a travel buddy directly from the application if traveling solo.

How Does the Worldee App Work?

• Utilizes cutting-edge geolocation technology
• Connects users to nearby attractions and events
• Offers personalized trip itineraries and navigation guidance
• Integrates real-time user reviews and recommendations

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Worldee App?

• Interactive maps for easy exploration
• Customizable itineraries for travel planning
• Seamless expense tracking and budget management
• Effortless sharing of travel experiences with friends and family

Who Is Worldee For?

• Anyone seeking a tech-savvy travel companion
• Adventurers looking for tailored trip suggestions

Who Is Worldee Not For?

• Travelers who prefer tech-free, off-the-grid adventures

Advantages of Using the Worldee App

• Streamlined travel planning and navigation
• Enhanced safety through real-time location sharing
• Personalized recommendations for memorable experiences
• Budget management tools for cost-conscious travelers
• Effortless sharing and documenting of travel memories

4. Luggy – Travel journal

What is the Luggy – Travel Journal App?

It is an online travel journal where you can sync your photos and your journal for free. You can add places, notes, videos, and photographs to the application. You can add memorable photos to your identity and explain why the destination has impressed you. You can also share your best experiences and travel tips.

How Does the Luggy – Travel Journal App Work?

• Seamlessly captures travel memories
• Allows users to record notes, photos, and locations
• Organizes entries chronologically
• Offers cloud synchronization for data security

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Luggy – Travel Journal App?

• Digital journal for travel experiences
• Geotagging and photo integration
• User-friendly interface
• Offline access to journal entries
• Secure data storage

Who Is Luggy – Travel Journal For?

• Travel enthusiasts and wanderers
• Individuals who want to document their journeys
• Those who prefer digital journaling

Who Is Luggy – Travel Journal Not For?

• Travelers who favor traditional paper journals
• People not interested in journaling their trips

Advantages of Using the Luggy – Travel Journal App

• Convenient and portable journaling
• Enhanced memory preservation through geotagging
• Easy organization of travel experiences
• Secured data and accessibility from anywhere
• Environmentally friendly option compared to paper journals

Luggy also allows you to synchronize your travel journal and share it with your family and friends anytime you want.

5. Esplorio

Esplorio offers an easy, smart, and free way to track all your travels and share them with recommendations and friends. You can automatically log into various places you have visited, map your routes, and upload photographs in your private travel journal.

Just download the application and give access to photos. The application will update by itself and save your travel footprints on the go.

How Does the Esplorio App Work?

• Automatic location tracking via GPS
• Captures and organizes travel moments
• Seamlessly integrates photos and notes
• Creates a digital travel journal in real-time

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Esplorio App?

• Geotagging for precise location data
• Customizable trip itineraries
• Offline access to travel journals
• Private and secure cloud storage
• Integration with social media sharing

Who Is Esplorio For?

• Travel enthusiasts and adventure seekers
• Those who value digital travel documentation
• Individuals seeking an all-in-one travel companion

Who Is Esplorio Not For?

• Travelers who prefer traditional methods of journaling
• Those uninterested in detailed travel documentation

Advantages of Using the Esplorio App

• Effortless real-time travel journal creation
• Enhanced memory preservation with geotagged entries
• Streamlined travel planning and organization
• Secure cloud storage for easy access
• Social sharing options to engage with friends and followers

It is one of the most energy-efficient tracking applications that can track your parts accurately.

Download the App : IOS

What is the Momento App?

Momento is an intelligent private travel journal that helps users capture and collect memories to relive and share their life stories. The application helps the users privately secure their moments and gathers information on their daily activities, photographs, and posts. Each moment of your life is carefully organized and crafted into a beautiful journal that stays up to date.

How Does the Momento App Work?

• Automates the collection of digital memories
• Integrates with social media and photo libraries
• Organizes content by date and location
• Creates a digital archive of personal moments

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Momento App?

• Automated content aggregation
• Advanced search and tagging options
• Customizable reminders for daily journaling
• Seamless data backup and synchronization
• Export and sharing capabilities

Who Is Momento For?

• Individuals looking to capture and cherish personal memories
• Social media enthusiasts and photo lovers
• Those who prefer digital journaling and organization

Who Is Momento Not For?

• Those who prefer traditional, paper-based journaling
• Individuals uninterested in documenting their daily lives

Advantages of Using the Momento App

• Effortless and automated memory collection
• Efficient organization with tags and search
• Daily journaling reminders for consistency
• Data security with backup and synchronization
• Easy export and sharing options for memories

Keeping a digital journal like Momento also improves your mental health, memory, and creativity.

7. My Travel Journal

What is the My Travel Journal App?

My Travel Journal is an excellent application that has been exclusively designed for travel planning and diary keeping for new and experienced travelers. With the application, you can choose dates and organise your trip. You can also add events and activities to specific days with the application. Then, at any time, you can look at the map and plan how to get to the location of your next activity.

How Does the My Travel Journal App Work?

• User-friendly digital journal for travelers
• Easy entry creation with text, photos, and location tagging
• Offers offline access to your journal

What Are the Features and Functionality of the My Travel Journal App?

• Customizable trip itineraries and categories
• Geotagging for precise location tracking
• Secure and private journaling with optional cloud backup
• Export and print options for physical journals

Who Is My Travel Journal For?

• Individuals looking to document their journeys

Who Is My Travel Journal Not For?

• Travelers who favor traditional paper journaling
• People uninterested in recording their travel experiences

Advantages of Using the My Travel Journal App

• Convenient, on-the-go journaling
• Enhanced memory preservation with geotagging
• Personalized trip organization
• Data security and accessibility
• Versatility with digital and physical journal options

You will get a calendar to add and view all your travels and events.

8. Traverous

What is the Traverous App?

The application offers an easy way to track, visit, and share your travel members with your friends or colleagues. With Traverous, it becomes easy to track your trips as the application is automated. Once you log in, tap on the record button and tap start just before starting your journey. The application will automatically record your GPS location and add photos and videos. The recording process works offline, so you do not need to worry about data consumption.

How Does the Traverous App Work?

• Utilizes GPS tracking and geolocation
• Automatically records travel routes and places visited
• Creates interactive digital travel diaries

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Traverous App?

• Detailed route mapping with timestamps
• Shareable travel diaries and itineraries
• Geotagged photos for precise memory capture
• Offline access to recorded journeys
• User-friendly interface for easy navigation

Who Is Traverous For?

• Travel enthusiasts and adventurers
• Individuals who value digital travel documentation
• Those who seek a user-centric travel companion

Who Is Traverous Not For?

• People uninterested in detailed travel documentation

Advantages of Using the Traverous App

• Effortless and automated travel memory creation
• Simplified travel planning and organization
• Offline access to travel diaries for added convenience

9. Travelscape

What is the Travelscape App?

With Travelscape, you can track your roots and add the locations you have visited. You can also add events and activities to your trips. Make your traveling experience by adding photos, videos, and recorded conversations.

The application lets you track your travel route and remember the locations you have visited. It also adds events and activities to your sites and keeps minute-by-minute records of all the events.

How Does the Travelscape App Work?

• Utilizes location-based technology and GPS
• Captures and logs user’s travel routes and destinations
• Creates a visual travel diary in real-time
• Integrates with photos and notes for a comprehensive record

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Travelscape App?

• Interactive route mapping with timestamps
• Shareable digital travel diaries and itineraries
• Geotagging photos for precise memory capture

Who Is Travelscape For?

• Travel enthusiasts, adventurers, and wanderers
• Those seeking an all-in-one travel companion

Who Is Travelscape Not For?

• Travelers who prefer traditional paper-based journaling
• People uninterested in documenting their travel experiences

Advantages of Using the Travelscape App

• Automated and effortless travel memory creation
• Convenient offline access to travel diaries for on-the-go travelers

Download the App : Android

10. Places Been

What is the Places Been App?

Do you want to keep track of all the countries and places you have visited in your lifetime? Then Places Been is the perfect travel tracker that allows users to search and mark those places they have visited. These places will be beautifully displayed with the country flag on a map on the application.

You could also create your travel map, make a travel itinerary, and get detailed statistics about your travel. The application also tracks cities, villages, national parks, and UNESCO sites you have visited.

How Does the Places Been App Work?

• Utilizes GPS and location tracking
• Automatically records visited places
• Creates a visual travel log in real-time
• Integrates notes and photos for a comprehensive record

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Places Been?

• Interactive map with detailed location history
• User-friendly interface for ease of use
• Shareable digital travel log and itineraries
• Offline access to travel history

Who Is Places Been For?

• Those seeking a convenient travel companion

Who Is Places Been Not For?

• Travelers who prefer traditional paper-based journals

Advantages of Using the Places Been App

• Convenient offline access to travel history for on-the-go travelers

11. Culture Trip

What is the Culture Trip App?

Culture Trip is your travel buddy for wherever you are and wherever you are going. You can discover nearby recommendations handpicked by global experts and local insiders. You can also plan unique trips suitable for you and quickly book hotels directly from the application.

You can travel inside about a destination and see everything on a handy map. You can also bookmark your favorite travel guides and itinerary ideas and create your wish list for places to stay and must-do activities.

How Does the Culture Trip App Work?

• Utilizes geolocation and content aggregation
• Offers personalized travel recommendations
• Provides access to articles, videos, and travel guides
• Facilitates trip planning and booking through the app

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Culture Trip?

• Curated content on various destinations
• Social sharing and collaboration features
• In-app booking options for activities and accommodations

Who Is Culture Trip For?

• Travel enthusiasts and cultural explorers
• Individuals seeking local insights and recommendations
• Those interested in comprehensive travel content

Who Is Culture Trip Not For?

• Travelers who prefer minimalistic, tech-free exploration
• People looking for solely spontaneous travel experiences

Advantages of Using the Culture Trip App

• Personalized travel recommendations for diverse interests
• Easy access to informative content and local insights
• Simplified trip planning and booking within the app
• Convenient collaboration and sharing options for travel with others
• Comprehensive travel resource for cultural enthusiasts

12. FindPenguins

What is the FindPenguins App?

With FindPenguins, you can easily and beautifully track your travels. The application allows you to create a personalized travel journal. In addition, it features a travel tracker, and your mobile phone automatically follows your itinerary. The tracker is battery-saving, works without the internet, detects flights, and more.

At the end of your journey, you can also order a beautiful photo book from FindPenguins. The photo book is automatically and professionally designed with all your stories, photographs, the places you have visited, and even your friends’ comments.

How Does the FindPenguins App Work?

• Utilizes geolocation and travel tracking
• Allows users to create digital travel journals
• Captures photos, notes, and locations
• Provides real-time updates and route mapping

What Are the Features and Functionality of the FindPenguins?

• Interactive travel diaries with timestamps
• Shareable digital journals and itineraries

Who Is FindPenguins For?

• Those seeking a user-centric travel companion

Who Is FindPenguins Not For?

Advantages of Using the FindPenguins App

What is the Journo App?

With Journo, you can create your personalized classic journal. You will talk about your adventures, design your journals, publish your travel story online, and much more on the application. In addition, the application lets you document your memories and experiences on the goal by collecting drawings, images, videos, and maps.

You can also track your travel route on a personalized map, capture beautiful memories and share it with your friends. Even if you do not have internet, Journo will securely store your data in the application.

How Does the Journo App Work?

• Employs GPS tracking and location services
• Facilitates easy creation of digital travel journals
• Organizes travel entries with timestamps

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Journo?

• Interactive travel diaries with detailed routes
• User-friendly interface for effortless navigation
• Shareable digital journals and customizable itineraries

Who Is Journo For?

• Travel enthusiasts and explorers
• Individuals valuing digital travel documentation
• Those in search of a user-friendly travel companion

Who Is Journo Not For?

• Travelers preferring traditional, paper-based journaling
• People uninterested in documenting their travel experiences digitally

Advantages of Using the Journo App

• Automated and efficient travel memory creation
• User-friendly interface for seamless navigation

14. Wanderlog

What is the Wanderlog App?

Wanderlog is a free-to-use travel application that you can use to plan various trips, road trips, and group travel. You can create your travel itinerary, organize flights, and hotel reservations, view places you want to visit and collaborate with fellow travelers. After completing your trip, you can share your travel guide and adventure stories with other travelers.

The best part about the application is that you can book your hotel flight tickets and plan the entire trip all in one application. It helps you to stay organized.

How Does the Wanderlog App Work?

• Utilizes GPS technology for travel planning
• Helps create detailed trip itineraries
• Integrates with maps, notes, and photos
• Provides real-time location tracking and route mapping

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Wanderlog?

• Customizable trip planning and scheduling
• Geotagging and photo integration for precise documentation
• Shareable itineraries and travel journals
• Offline access to travel plans and journals

Who Is Wanderlog For?

• Travel enthusiasts and explorers seeking organized adventures
• Those who prefer detailed trip planning and itinerary management

Who Is Wanderlog Not For?

• Travelers who prefer spontaneous, unplanned exploration
• People uninterested in comprehensive travel documentation

Advantages of Using the Wanderlog App

• Streamlined travel planning and itinerary management
• Offline access for on-the-go travelers
• Convenient sharing and collaboration options for travel with others

15. Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note

What is the Daybook App?

Daybook is a versatile and intuitive app that serves as a digital diary, journal, and note-taking tool. With its user-friendly interface and seamless synchronization across devices, it empowers users to effortlessly capture their thoughts, memories, and ideas. Stay organized, express yourself, and reflect on life’s moments with Daybook.

How Does the Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note App Work?

• Provides a digital platform for journaling and note-taking
• Supports multimedia integration, including photos and voice notes
• Organizes entries by date and time
• Offers password protection for privacy

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note?

• User-friendly interface for easy journal creation
• Customizable cover photos and themes
• Calendar view for quick navigation
• Seamless synchronization across devices
• In-app search and backup options

Who Is Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note For?

• Individuals who value digital journaling and note-taking
• People looking to document their daily lives and experiences
• Those seeking a private and secure platform for personal entries

Who Is Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note Not For?

• Users who prefer traditional paper journals
• Those uninterested in keeping digital diaries or notes

Advantages of Using the Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note App

• Easy and convenient digital journaling
• Enhanced organization and search capabilities
• Privacy and security with password protection
• Versatile multimedia integration for comprehensive entries
• Seamless access and synchronization across devices

Download the App : Andriod IOS

Don’t Miss : Top 10 Best Travel Log Apps

List of Free Travel Journal Apps

Regarded as one of the best travel apps, Trotter It allows vacationers to focus on their adventure and collect beautiful memories. Using this app, you can capture and share those memories with others to turn them into lifetime memorable and precious moments. All your trips will be easily available in a single place.

Download the App : Android | IOS

2. Bonjournal

Vacationers who used to visit different nations, cities, or continents find Bonjournal an ideal travel journal app. It helps in saving the cost of purchasing expensive personal data when you have a weak Wi-Fi network in hotels as it can work without Wi-Fi.

3. Tripcast

Whether traveling solo or in a group, Tripcast allows uploading photos on a map during travel. While traveling with friends, you can create a mutual album to share with common people or others.

4. Travel Diaries

It features everything that a traveler expects in their digital diary. Whenever you wish to see your entries in print to share with your family and friends, select print all your trip. Books are available for printing up to 320 pages in soft and hardcover formats.

5. Day One Journal

If you are not interested in long writing, this journaling app is what you can opt for. Its Twitter-like interface makes it easier to gather moments of your traveling journey. This app is free to download but to take full advantage, you will need to upgrade to its premium version.

There is an array of free travel journal apps on the market. Hence, choosing the one seems a big and complicated challenge for you. If you’re totally out of budget, go with a completely free app. However, if you can afford something and want to access all the advanced features and functions, then go with one offering free and paid options.

Don’t Miss: Best Travel Diary Apps for Enthusiastic Travelers

List of Free Travel Journal Apps for Android & IOS Systems

I hope you enjoyed reading the list of the best & free travel journal apps. Download and use those apps at least once, Thank You…

Why Are Travel Journal Apps Essential for Modern Travelers?

Organization and Searchability : Travel journal apps allow you to categorize your entries by date, location, or themes. This organization makes it incredibly easy to find specific moments or experiences when you want to revisit them later. No more flipping through pages or scrolling endlessly through handwritten notes.

Offline Capabilities : Many travel journal apps offer offline functionality. This means you can continue to write and update your journal even when you’re in remote areas without an internet connection. You won’t miss a beat in capturing your travel memories.

Privacy and Security : Digital travel journals can be password-protected or encrypted, ensuring the privacy of your thoughts and experiences. This level of security provides peace of mind, especially if your journal contains sensitive or personal content.

Interactive Maps : Some apps integrate interactive mapping features, allowing you to plot your journey, mark significant locations, and even create custom itineraries. This visual representation adds another layer of depth to your travel stories.

Real-time Weather and Location Data : Many travel journal apps automatically capture real-time weather and location data for your entries. This adds context to your memories, helping you recall the weather conditions or exact coordinates of your adventures.

Easy Editing and Formatting : Unlike traditional journals where editing can be cumbersome, travel journal apps often come with easy editing tools. You can correct errors, change the formatting, and update your entries effortlessly, ensuring your travel stories are polished and presentable.

Backup and Recovery : These apps usually provide cloud backup options, guaranteeing that your travel journal is safe from loss or damage. In case your device is lost or damaged, your precious travel memories can be recovered easily.

Global Community : Some travel journal apps connect you to a global community of travelers, allowing you to share your experiences, gain inspiration from others, and even receive travel tips and recommendations from like-minded individuals.

Incorporating a travel journal app into your adventures is not just about documenting your travels; it’s about enhancing your travel experiences, staying organized, and sharing your adventures with the world. These apps are the perfect companion for modern travelers seeking a more efficient and interactive way to chronicle their journeys.

How to Choose the Right Travel Journal App?

Selecting the right travel journal app can significantly enhance your journey, making the process of documenting your experiences a breeze. With a multitude of options available, finding the perfect app can be a daunting task. This ultimate guide will walk you through the factors to consider when choosing the ideal travel journal app to suit your needs.

1. Purpose and Features : First, identify your primary purpose for using a travel journal app. Are you mainly interested in writing, or do you want multimedia features such as photo and video integration? Look for an app that aligns with your intended use.

2. Platform Compatibility : Ensure the app is compatible with your device. Most travel journal apps are available for both iOS and Android, but it’s essential to verify before downloading.

3. Offline Functionality : Consider whether the app works offline. This feature is vital for travelers who explore remote areas with limited internet access. Offline capabilities allow you to write and update your journal regardless of your location.

4. Ease of Use : Look for an app with an intuitive interface. A user-friendly design ensures that you can quickly learn how to use the app and start documenting your travels without frustration.

5. Multimedia Integration : If you want to include photos, videos, and links in your journal, seek apps that offer robust multimedia integration. Ensure that it supports the file types and formats you intend to use.

6. Privacy and Security : Review the app’s privacy and security settings. Depending on your preferences, you may want an app that allows you to password-protect your entries or encrypt your data for added security.

7. Backup and Sync : Choose an app that offers backup and synchronization options. This ensures that your travel journal is safe and accessible across multiple devices.

8. Community and Sharing : If you wish to connect with a travel journaling community or share your adventures with others, opt for an app that provides these social features.

9. Pricing and In-App Purchases : Assess the app’s pricing model. Some travel journal apps are free, while others require a one-time purchase or a subscription. Be aware of any in-app purchases or premium features.

By considering these factors, you can confidently choose the right travel journal app that aligns with your travel style and preferences. Remember that the perfect app is one that seamlessly integrates into your travel experience, helping you capture, share, and relive your adventures effortlessly.

Social Side of Travel Journal Apps

Traveling is not just about the destinations; it’s about the stories you collect along the way and the connections you make with fellow adventurers. Travel journal apps have evolved beyond simple note-taking tools; they have embraced the social age, allowing you to share your wanderlust with the world.

Real-Time Updates : One of the most captivating aspects of travel journal apps is their ability to offer real-time updates. Whether you’re exploring a hidden gem or witnessing a stunning sunset, you can instantly share your experiences with friends and family, giving them a glimpse of your adventure as it unfolds. It’s like taking them on the journey with you.

Social Media Integration : Many travel journal apps seamlessly integrate with popular social media platforms. This means that you can cross-post your entries, photos, and videos to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, expanding your audience and engagement. It’s an excellent way to inspire others to explore and share their own journeys.

Community Interaction : Some apps foster a sense of community among travelers. You can connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for exploration. These communities often provide a platform to ask for travel advice, exchange tips, and engage in meaningful conversations about your favorite destinations.

Collaborative Journals : The social aspect of travel journal apps goes beyond personal sharing. You can collaborate with fellow travelers to create shared journals. Whether you’re traveling with friends or meeting new people on the road, collaborative journals allow multiple perspectives and experiences to come together in one place.

Inspiration and Networking : By sharing your travel experiences on these apps, you can become a source of inspiration for others. Likewise, you’ll find plenty of inspiration in the journeys of fellow travelers. It’s not just about sharing; it’s also about networking and learning from one another.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is a travel journal app?

A : A travel journal app is a digital tool designed to help travelers document and organize their experiences while on a trip. It typically allows users to record text, photos, videos, and other multimedia content to create a digital diary of their adventures.

Q: What are the best travel journal apps for Android systems? A : 1. Trotter It, 2. Journey, 3. Diary Book, 4. Journi Blog, 5. Pintrace, more…

Q: How can travel journal apps enhance my travel experience? A : These apps provide a structured and accessible way to record your journey, helping you relive cherished moments, organize thoughts, and create lasting mementos of your adventures.

Q: Are these apps user-friendly for all ages? A : Yes, the best travel journal apps boast intuitive interfaces, making them suitable for travelers of all ages, from tech-savvy adventurers to those less familiar with digital tools.

Q: How do these apps ensure the security of my journal entries? A : Top travel journal apps often incorporate encryption and secure cloud storage, safeguarding your personal memories and ensuring your data remains private and protected.

Q: Can I add photos and multimedia to my travel journal entries? A : Absolutely! The best travel journal apps support multimedia integration, enabling you to attach photos, videos, and even voice recordings to complement your written entries.

Q: Do these apps work on both Android and iOS devices? A : Yes, most travel journal apps are cross-platform, ensuring compatibility with both Android and iOS devices, and allowing seamless syncing across various gadgets.

Q: Do these apps offer additional features besides journaling? A : Indeed, many travel journal apps come with extra functionalities, such as itinerary planning, location tracking, and even weather updates, providing comprehensive travel assistance.

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Travel Photo Albums

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Beautiful Photo Books with collages full of memories and full-page photos that show off your favorite moments. Automatically designed for you by Journi, so that you only need to personalize it!

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Flights & passport stamps, quality assured, timelines designed for you in seconds, 6 million happy users, journi books are travel photo books.

We’re not called Journi by coincidence - we have travel photo albums in our DNA! Telling stories of our adventures is how Journi began, and that’s why our vacation photo albums are unrivalled.

Through technical wizardry, the Journi Print app automatically creates maps of your adventures for your travel photo album, showing off your route and the places you’ve explored. Tell your story to friends and family so clearly they’ll think they were there, whether it’s with a honeymoon photo album, a family vacation photo book, or a 6 month travel album.

When creating a vacation travel album for a tour of different states and countries, or a travel photo book covering many months and national borders, Journi adds stickers for the flights you’ve taken and collects passport stamps for all the countries you’ve visited. So your travel photo album can even tell the story of your adventure for you!

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How to Make a Travel Journal? DIY Tips and Must-Have Supplies

Posted on Last updated: June 5, 2024

During my travels, I’ve always kept a travel journal – but they always have been different in style. If you ask me how to make a travel journal , I’d say that the only limit is your own imagination .

You can organise your journals by destination (country, or city), by itinerary or for by date, for example in weekly or daily logs, the possibilities are endless.

There are some tips and supplies that might help you get started on your first travel journal. Today I share them with you!

TIP: For a complete list of our favourite travel journals, have a look at the bottom of this article!

1. TRAVEL SKETCHBOOK

2. travel scrapbook, 3. travel notebook, 4. travel logbook, 5. friends travel journals, 6. themed travel journals, 7. local travel journals, 8. city travel journals, 9. travel photo album, journal sizes, binding types, paper thickness, extra journal features, what should a travel journal include, travel writing tips, prompts for travel journaling, travel journals with prompts, travel journal examples, how do you start a beginner travel journal, travel journaling supplies, travel journal decoration ideas, travel without leaving home, want to be a travel blogger, which book to read, our favourite travel journals, our favourite travel notebook covers, travel journals for kids, discover unique travel gear & gifts in our shop.

HOW DO I MAKE A TRAVEL JOURNAL?

OUR TOP 6 TRAVEL JOURNALS The Adventure Book (prompts + scrapbook per country) Moleskine Passion Journal Travel (blank paper) Duncan & Stone Travel Journal (prompts + scrapbook) Promptly Journals X Kelli Murray (prompts + scrapbook) Clever Fox Travel Journal (prompts + stickers) Wayfaren Travel Journal (lined paper)

What is a Travel Journal?

Let’s start at the beginning and go over what makes a travel journal. There are just so many different types! It really depends on how you would like to use your own journal to decide the best one for you!

Perhaps you first think of a simple lined notebook where you write down your travel stories, but there are so many other ways to keep your memories from on the road.

Just to name a few:

You don’t have to be a master artist to have fun with a travel sketchbook . Just take a notebook with blank pages and start drawing (or painting!) what you see. You can use pen, pencil, markers, crayons, watercolours or other paint, whatever you like!

There are some great travel journals specifically made for making watercolour drawings, such as the Tumuarta journal and the Seawhite journal .

Here are some other journals with blank pages perfect for sketching: the Moleskine Passion Journal and this personalized monogrammed leather journal .

Bookishly sells cute A5 (6×8″/15x21cm) travel journals with vintage world map covers featuring an inspirational quote on Etsy. The books have 244 blank pages, you can choose gift wrap, they have free UK delivery AND even upgrade to a “Journal for Life”, where you can send them a photo of a full travel journal and they send you a new one free of charge!

You don’t always need to be physically on the road to enjoy the beauty of destinations from all around the world!

From vintage travel posters to beautifully displayed souvenirs and home decor items inspired by your favourite places and from travel journals and crafts to exploring world recipes, music and dance.

With our creative articles you’ll get some fresh ideas on how to bring the world closer to the comforts of your own home.

If you aren’t a fan of drawing or painting, then perhaps making collages in a travel scrapbook is more your thing.

Nothing calms me down faster than ripping inspiring images and words out of magazines and flyers, or collecting little scrapbook items such as ticket stubs, napkins, packaging, etc. Simply arrange them in a nice way, add some text or embellishments like washi tape and you’ve got a great page!

I love using Project Life as a scrapbook , this is a system by Becky Higgins where you slide cards and photos into plastic pockets. It’s not widely available anymore, but I still love it.

Another great book to use for scrapbooking is The Adventure Book , which comes in two sizes.

Ok, I kind of already mentioned it in the intro, but some traditional travel notebook ideas / travel diary examples couldn’t miss in this first roundup.

You can choose lined, dotted or blank paper and write down anything you want to remember from your trip.

Of course you can combine it with elements of the above, for example by adding little doodles, papers, perhaps flowers or feathers, or any other flat trinkets you collect.

The Robrasim refillable leather travelers notebook has a mix of different paper types (and also a handy pocket)

Wayfaren on Etsy sells Weekender travel journals , which measure 6×8.5″ (about 15×21.5cm) and feature 28 lined pages (56 front and back) with a pre-printed box for location and date. The covers come in ivory and navy.

My favourite dotted journal is the Leuchtturm1917 .

If you love to write, but don’t feel like you have the time or energy to fill entire pages with text whilst on the road, a travel logbook might be something for you.

Just write down short little things that stood out about your day, so you won’t forget them. Think about what you did and who you met, what the weather was like, what you saw, heard, smelled, felt or tasted. Use all your senses!

The Everywhere You Go journal by Compendium let’s you take a quick snapshot of a place.

The Trip Passport by Letterfolk is a small, 48-page pocket-sized journal. Each entry page is accompanied by a blank page and there is space to record the date, location, who you went with, first impressions, sights, wildlife and more! It measures 3.5×5.5″ (about 9x14cm), roughly the size of a travel passport.

There is a lot that goes into running a profitable blog and there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes than you might not realize at first.

I’ve been blogging since 2006 and have a ton of tips to share! From brainstorming ideas to creating content all year round and from posting on social media to maintaining your website, tracking what’s working, networking at events and eventually working with brands…

Another cool idea might be to start a friends journal . What is a travel journal for friends? Let me tell you!

I actually did this on my first solo world trip, where friends gifted me a journal to take with me. Instead of writing in it myself (I already kept up a digital journal in the form of a blog) – I let everyone that I met on the road write a message in the book for me!

That made the journal super unique and personalized. And it’s still amazing to read back and remember all these people.

I also own a road trip journal , which I think is also such a fun idea! Usually on a road trip, you don’t have much time to keep up an extensive diary, so this pre-printed book is an easy way to keep track of all everything along the way you would like to remember.

Here you can find Axel & Ash Life’s a Road Trip Journal >

The Brand Clever Fox has a few fun themed journals, such as the Camping Journal and the Bucket List Journal >

You can really add a personal touch by choosing a journal that has a relation to the kind of trip that you are taking.

For example, you can buy a travel journal locally (like I did with the albums below, that I bought in Nepal and India from the market).

On markets across the world, you can also find amazing leather bound journals that right away give a whole explorer-vibe to your journal. You can also turn them into a personalized journal by having your name or the date engraved in the cover.

Here is a beautiful refillable handmade leather travelers notebook by the brand Robrasim >

Some great customizable travel notebooks are these from bamboo by Ruben & Jule of CamperVanStore on Etsy, this beautiful leather travel diary with a compass monogram by TealsPrairie on Etsy and the leather notebook covers by family-run business Galen Leather (their journal covers are compatible with Moleskine , Leuchtturm1917 , Field Notes and Traveler’s Notebook – and they also sell refills )

I found these fun city journals by Moleskine that also make for a great travel journal if you’re visiting these specific places.

I haven’t found many of these, but here is one for London , Paris , Hong Kong and New York >

Moleskine also has a great general travel journal and traveller’s journal in collaboration with National Geographic >

Any finally, the good old photo album . When I grew up, the albums that could stack all the images from one film canister (*ugh*grandma*ugh*) were very popular – you would usually bring the album to parties for people to flip through! Nowadays, they come in all different shapes and sizes.

Here you can find all kinds of albums for those little Instax photos .

Did I already mention I’m a huge Project Life fan ?

How to choose a travel journal?

After choosing your type of journal, there are a few other things to consider when selecting your perfect paper trip companion, such as:

What size is a travel journal? Well, that depends on what you use it for! Personally, I am most happy with an A5 size when it comes to travel journals. The smaller ones I find hard to write in and don’t fit all my keepsakes, the bigger ones just take up too much space in my backpack.

Perhaps you only want to take quick notes, or want to travel real lightweight, then an A6 travel journal (with pockets) might be best for you. And if you only create your final travel notebook at home and want to go all-out, a bigger size, such as A4 , or even larger, makes you happiest!

If you’re only creating a photo album of your trip, then you could for example also look into 1:1 sized albums, like the typical scrapbooks that are 12″ (30,48 cm) x 12″ or the 1.33:1 albums, for example 6″ (15,24 cm) x 8″ (20,32 cm).

I love this A5 Bullet Journal , also perfect for travel.

Incredible A4 travel journal .

Here are some cute Field Notes books – National Parks-themed!

This leather cover fits a 6″ Field Notes notebook perfectly .

The type of binding of a notebook is the material that is used to make the upper (front) and lower (back) covers of the journal, also taking into consideration how the pages are attached to the covers/back of the notebook.

For example, a saddle-stitch bind is when paper is folded with a staple or thread through the fold. PUR binding uses a paperboard or heavy cover stock to attach pages to the spine with glue (like in a paperback book). With spiral binding , there is a loop wire going through holes in the cover and pages (Nick hates these, as he’s left-handed and somehow always finds the wire in his way when writing), and with section sewn binding or coptic stitch binding , you get a flexible spine so you can lay the pages flat to work on.

As for the cover, you can choose between a hardcover or a more flexible, soft cover .

There are so many more types of binding that the ones I’ve just mentioned. Which do you prefer?

I mentioned them already briefly: are you most comfortable to work on lined/ruled paper (and how close do you like the rules to be?), blank paper, dotted paper, or perhaps paper with a grid or pre-printed boxes or prompts to fill in?

What type of page type for a travel journal you choose all depends on how you’re going to use the notebook. Are you going to write in it with pen or perhaps print typed text? Would you like to use markers or paint? Make drawings? The possibilities are endless.

This is a great example of a travel journal with prompts .

The Promptly journals are filled with custom prompts and also have plenty of space for mementos & photos.

Super handy pre-printed pages in this Camping Notebook by Clever Fox. And they also do a cool Travel Bucket List journal that’s fun to fill out!

Paper thickness is measured in weight, which varies from country to country. In the United States for example, you have “ U.S. basis weight ” (in pounds), where they look at a 500-sheet stack of the paper at its original, uncut “basic” size. But this can be confusing as a consumer, because different paper grades have different basic sizes, so even when the weight in pounds is higher, it doesn’t automatically mean the paper is thicker, because the basis size can be different.

It probably makes more sense to look at GSM (“ grams per square meter “). The weight is now determined by one sheet of paper at a size of 1 meter by 1 meter, measured in grams. All different grades of paper are measured at the same size. So a higher GSM always means heavier paper.

For reference, the standard weight of most A4 copy paper for your printer is 20 lb. / 75 gsm.

If you don’t want your pens, markers or paint to bleed through the pages, the thickness of your paper definitely matters, so make sure to test this!

Are there any other features you need when choosing your perfect travel journal? For example, I love notebooks with little pockets to keep my receipts and tickets. Or when they have a bookmark or pocket for a pe n!

Tips for extra features in a travel journal could also be page numbers , dividers or dedicated room to write dates . What extra features can you think of that you might need?

TIP ! Unique is The Travelogue by Luckies . This 64 page notepad journal also has check lists, travel tips and 8 miniature scratch maps, each representing different regions of the world. You can simply scratch off where you’ve been!

I believe there should not be a hard rule on what a travel journal should include, as the beauty lies in the fact that you can so easily customize it to your specific taste and type of trip!

Besides the obvious elements such as date , location , some highlights of the day and perhaps additional information about the weather, people you’ve met, things you ate and activities you did, you can add anything to your travel journal or scrapbook that’s important to you.

If you are looking for some inspiring examples of things to add to your travel journal, make sure to check out our blog about creative travel journal ideas >

How do I write a travel journal that is worth reading?

Travel writing can quickly become repetitive if you just list things you did in chronological order. So what can you do to make a story more interesting?

In a separate blog, I’ll give you my best tips on how to write a travel journal .

For more writing tips, check out “ The Soul of Place: A Creative Writing Workbook ” by Linda Lappin, “ Lonely Planet Travel Writing ” by Don George and “ On Writing ” by Stephen King.

If you’re looking for a bit of travel journal inspiration, then check out this blog in which I’ve handpicked some fun travel journal prompts for you.

There are also several travel notebooks out there that already have printed prompts in them. You can find the best travel journals with prompts at the bottom of our blog about travel writing prompts.

Spoiler : Some of our favourites are “ The Adventure Book ” by Nicole Nagelgast, “ Life’s a Road Trip ” and “ Swept Away by Wanderlust ” journals by Axel & Ash and the “ Travel Journal “, “ Bucket List Journal ” and “ Camping Journal ” by Clever Fox.

Other travel journals with prompts we encourage you to check out is this one by Compendium , this one by Promptly , this one by Moleskine , this one by OneLineVoyage and this one by Duncan & Stone .

Perhaps you’re not so fond of writing – but you love to craft, draw or paint. That’s amazing! With the following inspirational accounts on Instagram, you’ll get plenty of travel journaling ideas that don’t involve writing:

• Here are some creative travel project life scrapbook pages >
• Writer & sketch artist Candace Rose Rardon makes amazing (travel-related) sketches >
• Same goes for artist Kathrin Jebsen-Marwedel a.k.a. ( Illustrated Journal ), Andrea Muñoz , Alicia Aradilla and Meera Krishnadas ( The Little Black Journal ) on Instagram >

So far, we’ve looked at: all the different types of travel journals (sketchbook, scrapbook, notebook, logbook, friends travel journal, themed journals, local journals, city journals and travel photo albums), how to choose a travel journal (by looking at size, binding types, page types, paper thickness and additional features such as pockets and bookmarks) and what to include in your travel journal .

I also shared writing tips , journalling prompts , and creative examples of travel journals without a strong focus on text.

Ideas enough, but how do you get started?

It depends a bit what type of travel journal you’re keeping, but my system for creating a (travel) scrapbook is as follows:

• I collect photos, notes and items while on the road (I keep them on a separate hard disk for the photos, my notes in a simple lined notebook or in my phone and the items in a plastic folder I can zip closed)
• At home, I organise my photos on my computer in folders by date and location, and I keep all loose items (brochures, ticket stubs, etc.) in a plastic folder in a box – for when I’m ready to start the scrapbook.
• Before I get started on the journal, I plan where all photos and notes are going to go in the album. If I’m working with project life , I already slide the loose items into the pockets they’re going to go and also write on little papers (that also slide into the pockets) which photos I want to put where – I keep these in a separate folder on my phone.
• When the planning is done, I print all the photos I want to use in the album.
• Then I write all the notes that go with the photos.
• If that’s all done, I collect all scrapbooking supplies (list follows below) and I cut, glue or write where necessary.
• And FINALLY – I embellish the pages with extra stickers , stamps or other decorations.

We’ve written an extensive article on all the travel journaling supplies we recommend, but here are a few that shouldn’t miss in your own travel journal kit:

• colouring pencils
• felt tip pens (love these from Stabilo and Paper Mate )
• pens (love this Fisher space pen , the PILOT Rolling Ball Gel Pens and the Stabilo sensor pens )
• highlighters
• sharpie markers and pens
• hole puncher
• cutting mat and ruler
• glue stick or glue roller
• project life album , pocket pages ( type 1 / type 2 ), lined cards and more items …

If you’re wondering ‘how can I decorate my travel journal?’ then I’ve got a handy list for you with some ideas for travel journal embellishments:

• travel photos / vintage photos
• polaroids ( fujifilm instax mini camera, film and printer here )
• travel journal stickers (for example: travel sticker set , planner stickers , world landmark stickers , passport stamp stickers , US state stickers , travel around the world stickers , US national park stickers , outdoor stickers )
• stamps (big fan of these wooden travel stamps and silicone travel stamps )
• magnetic page markers
• some fun digital printables: travel stationary and country flags
• origami paper or scrapbook paper
• coins, sand, pressed flowers , pressed leaves or feathers
• paper ideas: drawings, rubbings, food / product packaging, food / product labels, menus, ticket stubs, postal stamps, receipts, maps, postcards, boarding passes, business cards , letters or notes from friends, written/printed local language, cuttings from (travel) magazines , brochures
• …what else can you come up with?

And there you have it! This is how I make a travel journal from scratch. I hope you found these DIY tips and inspiration helpful. For our favourite travel journals, please look below. And for a full list of travel scrapbooking supplies, check out this post !

The Travel Tester loves to review books that teach you something about yourself or the world around us.

From travel guides and stories to books about business and self-development and from cultural stories to cook books from kitchens around the world… if it looks interesting to us, we’ll test it!

No matter where you’re going, with our reviews you’ll know exactly what to read next!

• The Adventure Book – Original Edition (prompts + scrapbook per country)
• The Adventure Book – Europe Edition (prompts + scrapbook per country)
• The Adventure Book – Ultimate Traveler’s Edition (prompts + scrapbook per country)
• Moleskine Passion Journal Travel (blank paper)
• Moleskine National Geographic Traveller’s Journal (tabbed sections + prompts)
• Moleskine Journey City Notebook – London (pocket)
• Moleskine Journey City Notebook – Paris (pocket)
• Moleskine Journey City Notebook – New York (pocket)
• Moleskine Journey City Notebook – Hong Kong (pocket)
• Duncan & Stone Travel Journal (prompts + scrapbook)
• Everywhere You Go: Guided Travel Journal (prompts)
• Promptly Journals X Kelli Murray (prompts + scrapbook)
• Robrasim Refillable Leather Travelers Notebook (mixed papers + pockets)
• Clever Fox Bucket List Journal (prompts + stickers)
• Clever Fox Camping Journal (prompts + stickers)
• Clever Fox Travel Journal (prompts + stickers)
• Axel & Ash Life’s a Road Trip Journal (prompts)
• Axel & Ash Swept Away by Wanderlust (prompts)
• Field Notes: National Parks Series (pocket, graph paper)
• Bookishly Travel Journals (blank pages)
• Wayfaren Travel Journal (lined paper)
• Oakdene Designs Personalised Motorhome Travel Journal (prompts + scrapbook)
• Oakdene Designs Personalised Travel Journal (prompts + scrapbook)
• Oakdene Designs Personalised Caravan Travel Journal (prompts + scrapbook)
• Oakdene Designs Personalised Wooden Journal (lined pages)
• Oakdene Designs Personalised Hiking Journal (prompts + scrapbook)
• Oakdene Designs Personalised Road Bike Journal (prompts)
• Oakdene Designs Personalised Wooden Adventure Journal (prompts + scrapbook)
• Oakdene Designs Personalised Camping Journal (prompts + scrapbook)
• CamperVanStore Bamboo Travel Journal (lined paper + pen)
• Personalized Monogrammed Leather Travel Journal (blank pages)
• OneLineVoyage Faux Leather Travel Journal (prompts)
• Luckies Scratch Off Travelogue (prompts + scratch maps)
• Letterfolk Trip Passport (pocket + prompts)
• Galen Leather – Leuchtturm1917 Notebook Covers
• Galen Leather – Moleskine Covers
• Galen Leather – Field Notes Covers
• Galen Leather – Traveler’s Notebook Covers
• I Was Here: A Travel Journal for the Curious Minded
• Go!: A Kids’ Interactive Travel Diary and Journal – RED
• Go!: A Kids’ Interactive Travel Diary and Journal – BLUE
• Go!: A Kids’ Interactive Travel Diary and Journal – YELLOW
• Kids’ Travel Specialty Journal
• Lonely Planet Kids My Travel Journal
• Lonely Planet Kids The Travel Activity Book
• The Ultimate Travel Journal For Kids
• Road Trip Activities and Travel Journal for Kids
• Travel Journal for Kids
• Here I Go!: A Kid’s Travel Journal

MORE ABOUT TRAVEL JOURNALLING

• How to Make a Travel Journal ? Tips and Supplies
• How to Write a Travel Journal ? Best Writing Tips
• 65+ Travel Journal Prompts to inspire you
• 10+ Travel Bullet Journal Ideas you’ll love
• Best Bullet Journal Tips
• These Travel Journal Covers will amaze you
• Explorers’ Sketchbooks Review
• A Short History of Travel Writing
• 15 Signs you are born for Travel Writing
• Our Okinawa (Japan) Project Life Album
• Must-Have Travel Scrapbooking Supplies

In The Travel Tester shop, you will find our favourite travel products and original gift ideas.

Whether you’re looking for the best travel gear, gadgets, electronics, packing solutions, clothing, shoes, travel books, health- or beauty products… we’ve made a personal selection for you!

We’ve also included our favourite tech items used to create this blog, as well as material that can help you in your self-development, such as interesting books and courses.

Saturday 9th of March 2024

Creating a travel journal is a wonderful way to capture memories! Your DIY tips are spot-on, especially the emphasis on personal touches. Including must-have supplies like a sturdy notebook and colorful pens enhances the experience. Thanks for inspiring us to document our journeys with creativity!

Friday 21st of July 2023

Creating a travel journal is such a delightful and personal way to preserve the memories of our adventures. I love how the article emphasizes that there are no rules when it comes to making a travel journal, only the limits of our imagination. It's true; each travel journal can be as unique as the journey itself!

The tips and supplies shared here are truly helpful for anyone looking to start their first travel journal. I particularly resonate with the idea of incorporating various embellishments into the journal. Adding travel photos, stamps, and even pressed flowers can truly bring the memories to life and make the journal visually captivating.

Cheers, Femi.

How to Travel Journal: Tips for Getting Started

Posted on Published: July 19, 2020  - Last updated: April 26, 2023

A travel journal is a powerful way to record your travels. In a time when destinations, souvenirs, and even iconic photo-ops barely vary from traveler to traveler, creating a personal notebook of your trip guarantees you’ll have a treasured souvenir that’s all yours. A journal filled with lists, photos, longhand reflections, ticket stubs, itineraries, doodles, and/or art is sure to be a treasured keepsake long after other souvenirs are lost or forgotten.

In this article, we’ll talk about getting started making your first travel journal or travel art journal. Including: supplies you’ll need, types of travel journals, how to decide which type is right for you, set up, post-trip storage, and a FAQ. It’s a long article, so feel free to use the table of contents below to jump around to find the information you need.

My First Travel Journal

I didn’t start my first travel journal until I was 30. I spent most of my 20’s working so hard I never made space for art and journaling, but after selling my business at 33 and returning to school for a Masters’s degree, I found myself often doodling in the margins of my notes. These margin doodles eventually turned into illustrated notes, so when I took my first big solo international trip the summer after my second year of grad school, it felt like a natural extension to begin the first of many solo international travels cataloged in mixed media art journals.

I created my first travel journal on my inaugural solo trip – a month-long trip from Italy to Croatia , then Bosnia and Herzegovina and back again. It was the PERFECT trip to experiment with my style and practice of travel journaling, since as a solo traveler I had the time to make my own schedule, and my trip included a little bit of everything- including famous art, iconic architecture, awe-inspiring visas, and a few amazing air B&B experiences to illustrate.

Download my Free travel Journal eBook

Get this full article- plus all the information you need to create an amazing travel journal, via my free eBook: The Ultimate Guide to Travel Journaling . Download the PDF + eReader bundle below!

Download the Free eBook

Types of Travel Journals

The way I see it, there are five types of travel journals, explained below. Which style – or which combination of types – that you use is up to you.

How to choose? Consider what style works best for you, what skills you’d like to practice and grow through your travel journal, and what kind of memories you most want to put on record through art and illustrations.

The “Listicle” Travel  Journal

Half article, half list, the “listicle” is a top format for new sites, and it’s a format that works great for travel journals. A photo or doodle, paired with a brief description is a good way to organize a travel journal without spending too much precious travel time writing.

This style of journal works well with a bullet journal style format, and can even be started well before your trip. Using your travel journal before your trip to plot out things to do , itineraries, and points of interest you dream of traveling to can be a helpful way to organize your trip and set up journal pages that can then be filled out in more detail on-location. (Need some inspiration to start? Download my printable Bullet Style Travel Journal Template )

The “Sketch Note” Travel  Journal

In medieval times, scribes who were tasked with hand-copying sacred texts often added complex illustrations in the margins. Over time, these illustrations began to communicate context and tone in a language all their own. These text, which came to be known as “ illuminated texts ” were valued because they offered something that text alone could not- the visual experience of the story.

Similarly, this style of travel journaling draws on the inspiration of the naturalist illustrations of 19th-century environmentalists- who painstakingly recorded botanical or animal details, adding Latin genus and species and common names, to create records that to this day are used in biology textbooks.

The sketchnote style travel journal brings both of these traditions together in a format that combines short-format text mixed with small and medium-size illustrations. The travel journal page shown here describes my unforgettable day on a truffle hunting Airbnb Experience in Italy. It’s a combination of a landscape-style travel art journal page and a sketch note version.

In the illustration above, I capture a broad-stroke memory of the day via the landscape, add words, and include an educational close-up illustration – in this case, a little study of what I learned to look for in a good black truffle mushroom.

Sketchnote Travel Journals are best for:

Sketch note style journal pages are great for taking notes on things you want to remember. They can help illustrate your memory and review what you learned. This type is perfect for remembering details, key points, and specifics of your trip. It’s perfect for using your travel journal occasionally. If you’re in the food business, you can make notes about meals and ingredients to try back home, if you work in tourism/travel, you can take notes detailing what is/isn’t working about your current trip, etc.

How to create sketchnote style journal pages

• REFLECT. When you sit down to work on your art travel journal, think about what sticks out to you from your day – what objects or images are most poignant? What did you learn?
• ILLUSTRATE  2 to 3 of these items. Even if they’re just rough sketches, research shows that the process of translating the memory to a drawing (even a terrible drawing) helps us remember much better than we would if we wrote about it or didn’t record it all.
• ANNOTATE. Once you’ve done a rough doodle – or a full-on finished illustration, add a few notes to the drawing. Draw lines connecting important parts to relevant text and highlight what you’d want a reader to notice or know about the thing that you drew.

My Experience Sketchnoting in my travel journal in Italy

I didn’t actually get the chance to doodle the page above until I was in Croatia. To be honest, it’s not one of my favorite travel doodles but it captures that experience well- and that is what my travel journals are all about. The journal gave me space to capture what stood out about the experience- the texture of a truffle, our guide and his dog, and the views as we hiked through the Tuscan hills overlooking Florence. Space left for text allowed me to record a few things I learned about truffles. You can read more about my adventure truffle hunting in Italy on my post about it .

The architectural record travel art journal

If you’re a student of architecture, an artist practicing perspective, or just appreciate the hard lines of urban landscapes, including architecture in your art travel journal – or even creating a travel journal that focuses exclusively on architectural scenes, may be a fun way to create a personalized, unique record your trip and practice your architectural drawing skills.

The following section may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Steps to create an architectural focused travel art journal:

• PLAN. Decide if you will dedicate entire pages or if you will split pages to also include journal entries.
• PACK. If this is your focus, your travel art kit may need extra tools or, I recommend, just a goniometer . This fancy word actually just refers to a simple, hinged ruler that can replace packing a ruler, protractor, and a drawing compass. It makes it easy to draw straight lines, circles, and measured angles while weighing hardly anything and flexing enough to not break in your pen case.
• DECIDE whether to sketch live or by photos. Keep your eye out for sketchable scenes as you travel. For travelers with a lot of flexibility, you may wish to stop and find a park bench or café where you can sit and sketch. For others, it may fit better with your itinerary to take photos and later create a sketch from the photographs.
• BE INCLUSIVE. You’ll be tempted to put only iconic, majestic, or famous buildings in your travel art journal, but one of my favorite things to include in this type of travel art journal is ordinary rooms and buildings that were significant to my trip: the interior of an  Airbnb apartment overlooking an Adriatic coastal bay, or the exterior of my Florence Airbnb apartment, shown below, that blended so nonchalantly into the background of shops, vendors, and residents’ doors.

A travel printer is such a cool way to add easy visual elements to your art journal- creating a travel scrapbook as you go. Sometimes, like shown below, I print a photo of the scene I drew live, just to add more depth to my record of the experience.

Studying the Masters with a Travel Art journal

I started my very first travel art journal in Florence Italy. Starting my travel art journal in the city that is home to so many of the art world’s greatest masterpieces was an invitation I didn’t quite expect.

I didn’t start that journey expecting to create studies of these famous artworks, but I couldn’t resist the invitation to sit in the great hall at Galleria dell’Accademia with Michelangelo’s David or stand in front of The Birth of Venus at the Uffizi Gallery  without creating. After a jaunt over to the Dalmation coast of the Adriatic, I ended my trip in Rome and I got a repeat: again getting to create replicas of Caravaggio and the iconic Trevi fountain in my travel art journal.

If you’re a student of art- formal or informal- dedicating pages in your travel journal to creating your own versions of classic art isn’t just fun – it’s an important part of how art students have learned and honed skills for ages. It’s okay if you aren’t a dedicated art student, giving yourself the opportunity to learn in this way can both improve your skills and create a souvenir that’s far more personally significant than any of the replica tchotchkes sold in gift shops in the surrounding area.

How to create a travel art journal focusing on studying the Masters:

• MAKE TIME. Plan your travel itinerary so that you’ll have plenty of time for live sketching. Although you can technically do this through photographs later in the trip, there’s something really powerful about creating the work live. Plan to spend at least an hour creating your own version of the art. Some museums may have seating nearby, and others do not, so be prepared. (When I doodled David, I just had to wait for a bench to open, but the Birth of Venus had no chairs, so was created via a combination of standing-sketching and working from a photo from a bench in the hallway)
• MODIFY KIT. Modify your travel art journal kit for museum rules: NO scissors, NO paint, and ADD a hard-backed drawing surface since you won’t have a table. Although scissors and watercolors are must-haves in my travel art kit , there’s a chance that security will confiscate any art supplies that could damage valuable art – like scissors or, in the case of many museums, even watercolor and pen-style watercolor brushes.
• PREPARE to be, well, looked at. If you choose to sketch in a popular museum, you may become something of a tourist attraction yourself. My advice? Keep focused and let people look.
• PACK LIGHT. Most museums that house priceless artwork will not allow a large purse or even a tiny backpack. On museum days, pack yourself down to a tote bag or even a fanny pack to be sure that the essential art supplies you need will be with you in the museum. (I love Travelon’s travel purses because they are secure/zippered, hands-free, big enough for my whole art kit, but small enough that museum security waves them through without a glance.)

My Experience Studying Classical Art via a Travel Journal

Florence was my first big solo trip- and what a great place to start! I intentionally planned my days without an itinerary, so I had the freedom to wander, to bask, or to explore. On my first full day of my trip, the only thing on my to-do list was to make it to the Academia Gallery by day’s end. Galleria del Academia was built specifically to house their most famous piece:  Michelangelo’s David sculpture.

It was at this gallery that I discovered the best part about solo travel as an artist- the freedom to really pause and take in great art. Without having to be sensitive to a partner or group’s interest or boredom, I could sit for hours with David- and I did! After some study and some people watching I went to work on this little doodle shown above.

I had so much fun doing this sketched that when I stumbled onto Logia Del Lanzi plaza later that day, I sat and doodled one of those ancient sculptures as well:

Making a Landscape-focused Travel Art journal

Landscape travel art journals are perfect for capturing a broad glimpse of what it’s like to be in the place for you are. Unlike architectural-focused urban drawings, landscapes tend to feature natural elements or a combination of natural and urban, like this cityscape of the bay in front of the Diocletian’s Palace in Split, Croatia.

A landscape travel art journal can be fun to create in cafés and restaurants in tourist spots. Often, prime locations with scenic overlooks feature cafes, making them a perfect spot to sit for a bit and rest while creating a piece for your travel art journal.

To create an artistic travel journal that focuses on landscapes:

• PICK supplies accordingly. Landscapes sometimes require different supplies than a basic travel art journal kit. For example, if you plan to get very detailed you may need multiple sizes of pen nibs.
• PLAN. Landscape travel art journaling is perfect to do as a midday break – especially since landscapes sometimes require climbing up to a vista point. A break is much needed and desired by the time I reach the pinnacle of a scenic overlook on foot!

“Self-portrait as a traveler” travel art journal

I’m not sure this exists as a genre outside of my own travel art journal, but some of my favorite art from my travel journal has been drawings of myself experiencing something significant from my trip. In the image below, it’s me wading into the Adriatic Sea on a beach about 20 minutes south of Dubrovnik near Cavtat, Croatia .

A self-portrait in your travel art journal offers the opportunity to create art that represents both internal and external landscapes . It says something about the place and it says something about you. At the time of this drawing, I was doing a lot of processing around what it means to be a human with a larger than average body and to live fully in that body in environments that aren’t always welcoming to it.

This little painting in my art journal is so special to me because it captures not just the beauty of the Adriatic seascape, but also something really beautiful that was happening within me as I waded into open water.

To create a travel art journal that focuses on self-portraits:

• Give yourself permission to represent yourself however it feels right at the time. When we do self-portraits can be tempting to feel that we have to be accurate or that we might be judged if other people look at our self-portrait and don’t determine it to be “close enough”. Allow yourself to create what you need to create, in the way that you need to create it – this is never more true and art and when it comes to your own journal and your own body.
• Work from photos or by feel . When I created this doodle at a little seaside café after my swim, I was looking at the water but obviously not at my own body. Instead, I drew the landscape as I saw it and sketched in my own body informed by feeling rather than what was in front of me.

Where to Start: Materials and Planning your Travel Journal

Best notebooks to use for travel journals:.

The two most important things when you’re looking at journals to use as a travel journal are (1) paper quality and (2) how flat the book lays when it is opened. Although strong binding can be helpful in other journals, for a travel journal it’s important that each page be able to lay completely flat in order for your art not to be distorted and for the paint to dry right where you put it.

The journal featured most prominently on this site is a blank staple-bound Fabriano EcoQua softcover notebook . The staple-bound binding (like a basic booklet) lets the notebook lay perfectly flat with no significant gap- enabling double-spreads. The hardcover spiral-bound version of this notebook offers more rigidity which may be helpful if you expect to create art on the fly without a table or flat surface. The paper quality in these journals is, to me, well balanced between texture, weight, and finish. Read on to learn more about paper quality for a travel art journal.

I like the paper in these notebooks because it’s smooth to write on but not too slick to accept simple watercolor washes. It’s thick enough to prevent bleed and minimize show-through between pages.

The paper that works best for you might favor pen and ink, or lend itself to standing up to more complex watercolor art. If you know you’ll be watercoloring a lot, you’ll want to choose thicker paper, but if your emphasis is pencil or pen sketches – even with a bit of watercolor wash, you’ll want to choose thinner, smoother paper. Notebooks in Canson’s Mixed Media Paper line have paper that is perfect for journaling and mixed art use, but I personally find their notebooks too bulky to make good travel journals.

Gathering & Packing Supplies for your travel journal

Whether you’re creating a traditional travel journal, a bullet journal, or a travel art journal, the supplies you bring will significantly shape the final look of your journal.

Free Bullet Journal Style travel art journal template

It can be hard to know how to get started when you are staring down a blank page. If you find that the blank page can be a little bit intimidating, I recommend starting with templates. A template can be as simple or as complicated as you need or wanted to be. Sometimes, rotating a few basic layouts can be a way to create visual interest while stimulating your own creativity within those blocks.

If you think a template might be helpful for you, you can start with my  travel journal template printable , which you can download and print for free. It includes page layouts for a typical size travel journal as well as some prompts of things that might be helpful to journal about during your trip.

If you like the idea of the support of template blocks, but don’t want to be tied into my single layout in the resource above, you can make your own templates to pack them to use in your travel journal.

How to Pack Art Supplies

My list for making your own travel art journal kit is designed to provide you with all the supplies you might need without triggering any issues and airport security or airline policy. Everything in the travel art journal kit is allowed in your carry-on on an airplane and allowed to be used in the airplane during your trip.

Use a pen case.

The best way to pack art supplies for your trip is inside of a pen case. A pen case often has interior straps that help keep art supplies in place to keep them from getting damaged during your trip.

Keep your art supplies in your carry-on.

Always keep your art supplies with your carry-on luggage. Scissors under 4 inches from the pivot point are allowed through any airport in your carry-on luggage (even if they are sharp scissors) however museums and UNESCO sites set their own rules and may x-ray bags and demand the surrender or paid-storage of scissors, paint, or even permanent markers before entry into their area. Art supplies are generally always allowed on a plane, within reason.

Place art supplies inside of an airtight bag before flying.

Be aware that some markers and pens can do funky stuff due to changes in air pressure (I’ve observed pens ooze ink uncontrollably after being uncapped mid-flight). To remedy this, many travelers carry their journaling supplies in sealed zip lock bags. This method can work to prevent potential issues caused by air pressure changes during takeoff and landing, but you should avoid opening the bag at any point during your flight . 

In years past, simply keeping pens capped helped avoid issues with pressure changes, but with most caps perforated to prevent choking, you’ll need to be a bit more proactive about protecting your pens from pressure changes in flight.

6 Things you should always include in a travel journal

Everyone’s travel journal will turn out different and will include different elements – after all, our journals are a reflection of who we are, where we went, and how we travel! Despite these huge differences, there are a few elements that every single travel journal should include:

• Date marking the day of your visit and the day of the art-making, if different.
• Location  – always identify where you made the piece.
• Location Depicted – if different from above.
• Your Signature – or an @username tag you plan to share on social media
• Something about your experience. If you don’t want to write a block of text about your day, just name something you touched, saw, tasted, smelled, or experienced.
• Anything else that’s important. I love adding Illustrative Highlights: see above in the sketch note style travel journal, it can be fun to add arrows and circles to highlight important things to remember within a larger piece of art in your travel journal.

1 Tip for Bridging Journals and Social Media

Although your travel journal exists as a way to keep the memory of your travel adventures, one of my favorite ways to bridge the gap between a travel journal and social media (which, for many, is a modern format for journaling life events like travel) is by merging the analog journal and the digital. I do this by taking photographs of my journal spreads on location, in front of the icon or landmark they depict.

Taking a photograph of your travel journal entry in front of famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the White House, or an Iconic mountain scene in Patagonia is a great way to digitize your travel journal – keeping it safe in case something happens to it and making it more accessible.

Why You Should Create a Travel Journal

To enhance memories.

Over time our memories of travel naturally fade. By creating an art journal as we travel, we can not only create an amazing unique record of our trip, but researchers have found that through making art, we can actually experience our trip in a different way- and remember more of it!

Taking photographs, it turns out , makes us less likely to remember an experience than just being present to the experience. Drawing an experience, however, increases the vibrance of our memories significantly. For this and so many other reasons, a travel art journal is an incredible way to enhance any travel experience.

In my professional life, I’m part researcher- so I’ve tracked the research (or rather, lack thereof) of travel-journal related research for a few years.

Finally, in early 2021, a research team from Hong Kong, the UK, and the Netherlands presented the results of the first study centering on how a journaling practice may or may not enhance the experience of traveler. You can read the full pape here , but essentially researchers found that travel-created happiness is generally short-lived, but journaling well (in the case of the study, through a guided journaling app designed by the researchers) increased the memorability and meaningfulness of participant’s travel experiences, which appeared to result in positive long-term benefits from travel.  

To create a totally unique souvenir

Except for the unique, antique souvenirs you can pick up at a good street market , most travel souvenirs are pretty unremarkable. 5-10 years after your trip, you’re probably going to donate that Starbucks mug emblazoned with “London” to a thrift store and toss out those laminated travel magnets, but a well-preserved travel journal creates a unique, quality souvenir that even your grandkids would likely treasure. Journal well and follow the journal preservation instructions below, and you’ll return home with a priceless and enviable souvenir of your travels.

To grow writing or art skills

We are often led to believe that the ability to make art or write well are skills that people are born with. While it’s true that some people are more artistically inclined, everyone has the capacity to develop their skills as an artist. Often, the way that we encourage children based on their natural inclinations determines what they dedicate time to, which determines what they become good at. Whether you are a skilled artist/writer or not, practicing will make you better at your craft .

Travel is an amazing opportunity for practice – it dovetails so well with exhausting days of endless walking as a tourist. Taking a very long break in a café to sip a hot drink and sketch- even very terrible sketches- allows you to experience a location in a completely different way while developing your skills.

To grow through personal reflection

Research is very clear that when we reflect on experiences, our ability to be mindful and make more thoughtful, emotionally mature decisions develops. Journaling isn’t just a great way to grow your art skills and create a cool souvenir, journaling can help you grow into a kinder, braver, more thoughtful human.

To share your experience with others

One of the hardest parts of traveling is not being able to share the experience with the people that we love. Even if we are traveling with a partner, a group of friends, or family, there are people we love back home that are only getting the Facebook version of our experience. Being able to come home and walk our loved ones through a travel journal is a gift both to them and to us. This has been especially true for my elderly grandmother who passed away just after I returned from my Transylvania trip , sending her postcards with foreign stamps and hand-scrawled doodles was an important way that we stayed connected over the many miles. ( Click here to read more about my story and how sending postcards to my grandmother from around the world was a way we stayed connected)

Steps to Make a Travel Journal or Travel Art Journal

How to Make a Travel Journal

Time required: 30 minutes

Pick a notebook and create a kit of supplies

Use our travel journal supply list as a guideline to create your own, compact journaling kit.

Take your journal everywhere

While traveling, always keep your journal in your bag. Use it to fight boredom on long layovers , jot down impressions of a place, sketch loved scenes, collect papers, and even to press flowers or leaves.

Create a routine

Your journal will turn out best if you create- and stay faithful to- a routine. When I’m solo travelin g, I often spend an hour or more after dinner relaxing, drawing, writing, painting, making a bullet list of the day’s itinerary, and printing photos on my travel printer for my journal.

Give yourself permission to make mistakes

Think of your journal like a record of your trip- and embrace the imperfect parts as part of the experience. In a travel journal, like in travel, perfectionism can ruin the fun.

After your trip, preserve your journal

Follow our tips to preserve your journal safely so you can return to it to remember your trip for many years to come..

Estimated Cost: 10 USD

• Blank notebook
• Pens and/or Art Supplies

Flip Through of a Mixed Media Travel Journal:

A travel journal can be an amazing way to record your adventures while traveling, help you grow as an artist, and improve the memory of your significant travel experiences. By creating a travel journal that focuses on- or combines- scenes of architecture, natural landscapes, studying the Masters of classic art, creating self-portraits, or creating a sketchnote styled doodle record of your trip, you can create a souvenir with priceless value that’s totally unique to you and will be cherished for years to come.

Lynli Roman’s unique approach to travel is informed by decades of experience on the road with a traveling family and, later, years spent as a solo international traveler. When she’s not writing about Seattle from her Pike Place Market apartment, Lynli writes on-location while conducting hands-on research in each destination she covers. Lynli’s writing has been featured by MSN, ABC Money, Buzzfeed, and Huffington Post. She is passionate about sharing information that makes travel more accessible for all bodies.

Friday 3rd of September 2021

"It’s ok for your art to reflect your experience of a place rather than create an exact record- you get to make the rules and document what is important to you" - truly, truly priceless advice. So very obvious in retrospect, but the sense of freedom it brings is astonishing. Thank you!

LynLi Roman M.A.

Saturday 4th of September 2021

Thanks for commenting Tammi! I'm glad that way of looking at it was helpful- it's definitely helped me feel freer to make MY travel art, whatever that will be!

How-To Create a Travel Journal with Photo Prints

The end of summer is near and we love looking back on the fun we’ve had over the past few months (and have plenty of photos to show for it)!

We make great memories while on trips near and far, but sometimes it’s easy to forget the little moments during your trips over time. Pictures say a thousand words, especially paired with a journal entry about your experiences so that you don’t forget those precious memories.

One way we like to remember our trips are by keeping travel journals. Continue reading to gather our best tips, along with some inspiration from our customers.

Keep track of your experiences

Jot down your favorite parts of each day during your trip, or as soon as you return home while it’s still fresh in your mind. (Pro tip: journal in your notes app while on the go, then transfer it to paper later).

Print your favorite photos from the trip

Tiny Square Prints fit perfectly in most journals. We also love Retro Prints and utilizing the white space to caption the photos.

Personalize it!

Adhere the prints to the page with washi tape for extra pizazz.

In addition to prints, you can add souvenirs such as postcards, tickets and stamps. Fill in the extra spaces with bright colors, doodles and calligraphy.

Do things your way

Don’t have a journal? Skip the prints and make a photo book of your trip, then write your journal entries in the white space. Genius.

Or, plan out your travel bucket list before you even go! Travel journals don’t have to just be summaries of your past trips.

Have fun with it!

These are your experiences that you’ll look back on fondly for years to come. Happy journaling!

Photo: @samlerato

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40 Creative Travel Journal Ideas & Writing Prompts to Save Your Best Travel Memories

Last updated on January 17th, 2024 at 05:47 am

It’s so easy to let our travel photos get buried in our camera roll or to say “I’ll remember this night forever” and forget the details that made it so special just a few months later. That’s where keeping a travel journal becomes such an important part of your trip! These travel journal ideas & writing prompts will make you fall in love with trips all over again and keep your favorite memories alive.

Travel journaling is therapeutic, fun, and provokes self-reflection and creativity. While we travel, we can be pretty busy – exploring different places, sleeping on planes, meeting new people. But just because you’re busy during your trip doesn’t mean you can’t keep a travel journal!

Keeping a travel journal is even more rewarding when you can make it personal with mementos (and other travel journal ideas I’m sharing below!)

And if you’re just here for the prompts, you can jump to the bottom of the post or download the free ‘Where She Goes’ Travel Journal Prompts list from The Travel Library .

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Let’s get into everything there is to know about travel journaling and the creative ways you can go about your trip memory-keeping.

Some of these links are affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure !

All About Travel Journaling: What It Is, How To Do It, & Should You Keep A Travel Journal?

Keeping a travel journal is simply about recording memories from a trip. You can even keep track of and plan future trips in a travel journal (which I, as someone in love with lists, do often!)

There’s no one way to journal about travels. You could write during or after your trip, keep a travel bullet journal, track you running bucket list, save travel tips for your next trip – the important thing is to be creative and reflective!

Travel journaling is an amazing tool to see how travel has influenced us to grow as a person, from conquering fears to gaining self-confidence.

It can be used to beat the lonely times of solo travel or try to escape the post-trip blues by reliving those memories just made.

While we travel, there are so many highs, lows, emotions, funny moments and more that we say we will never forget. But to really never forget them, we have to reflect on them and document them! That’s where keeping a travel journal comes in handy.

The Best Travel Journals

There are lots of different options for travel journals. You could use a plain basic notebook or write in a travel diary with printed prompts and exercises. So, how do you know which one to choose?

The truth is, you can go through a lot of travel journals. Maybe you’ll get the chance to experience multiple different kinds! If you are naturally more creative, choose a mostly blank travel journal to which you can add personal touches.

If you struggle with what to write about, opt for journals with prompts built into them (or scroll down to the prompts below and download the list!)

Two travel journals that are both cute and interactive are the Wander Always Journal and the Page A Day Journal . These have prompts and activities within them, so there’s a bit less room for creativity. But, it also makes the process easier and faster with these bonuses.

Another travel journal that is perfect for those wanting a more sleek and clean look is the WNDRD Trip Planning Journal . As it says in the name, you can use this notebook for journaling and for trip planning with the specially printed planner pages.

Travel journals can also be great sentimental gifts for friends and family (or for yourself – I won’t tell!)

Travel Journal Apps

Everything has an app these days, right? Travel journaling can even be done on your phone! Some apps for travel journaling include:

• Travel Diaries

There’s also a sweet app called Journi, where you can create photo albums with diary entries and track your trip on a map. Then you can print or share these mini albums! You can group your photos while traveling or after so that they are easy to find. This way won’t be lost in your camera roll!

Creative Travel Journal Ideas

If you want to do more than just write in your travel journal, then there are many ways to make it special and personalized!

These unique travel journal ideas are meant to get you thinking about how to make your love for travel or the travels themselves come alive.

Look for inspiration everywhere. Maybe you have a ton of extra coins lying around from your trip to Italy . Or you saved those flowers you picked near the coast of France and they are now dried. These can all be accessories used to bring your travel memories back to life in your journal!

Photo Pocket

The first travel journal idea is to add a photo pocket to the back or front of your journal. This is a super simple way to create a little storage of your photos without having to spend time doing a complete album!

Simply take a piece of cardstock or stiff paper and cut it into a rectangle large enough to hold your photos. You can even create a scoop like mind so they peek out.

Then add adhesive to the bottom and sides and attach it to wherever there is a sturdy spot on your journal. Voila, you have a place to put all those photos instead of letting them get buried in your phone!

Scrapbook Layout

While the first idea to making your travel journal more creative was a simple way to include photos in your journal, this version takes a bit more time and creativity.

In your travel journal, you can either leave space on the pages as you write or write and layout photos at the same time to create a commemorative mini travel scrapbook.

You’ll need small adhesive, scissors, and some creative juices flowing to transform blank pages into something beautiful.

Decorating your travel journal is another way to give it more personality and bring out the fun of your trips.

You can opt for inexpensive sheets of stickers or find specific decals you fall in love with to tell the story of your trip!

Good places to buy unique stickers and decals are Etsy , Amazon , and Society6 .

Here are some of my favorites for an aesthetic travel journal cover and pages!

• Go Travel Decal
• Trip Planning Stickers
• Vintage Vinyl Stickers
• Gold & Black Aesthetic Travel Stickers

Add Your Own Art

Take the design of your travel journal to the next level by channeling your inner artist. Use paint to decorate the outside. Doodle your favorite places on the pages or the cover to bring you back to a place.

Whatever artistic addition you can make to your travel journal, the more personal to and reflective of you it will be.

Preserving Tickets, Passes, & Other Mundane Mementos

One of the best travel journal ideas is to preserve all of the extra bits from your trip – things like train tickets, museum passes, and local maps – to add to your writing entries.

They may seem useless after your trip, but these tokens of your travels are the real elements that bring your memories to life. Seeing a word can help you imagine a place, but physically touching your metro pass or gallery ticket takes you right back to the moment you used it.

Tape these small papers to page corners, stuff them in the photo pocket, or even use them as little bookmarks to organize your journal.

Choose Something to Collect

Make your travel journal completely unique by sticking with a theme. This idea for travel journals will take some time to execute throughout your travels, but it can be a special way to remember each place you’ve been to.

Whether it is stamps, postcards, or boarding passes, build up a consistent collection of them from wherever you travel.

Then when it comes time to assemble your journal, you have a cute consistent theme and a visually appealing diary to document every place you have been.

Travel Journal Prompts for Reflection & Memory-Keeping

Travel journal prompts are ways to combat writer’s block and inspire creativity. To make these prompts easier to reference, you can download the free printable of ‘Where She Goes’ Travel Journal Prompts from The Travel Library, where you’ll also have access to resources like my girl’s packing list and Lightroom photo presets.

The Journey

• What was the journey like to be here? What happened on the way to your destination?
• Did you learn anything new on the journey?
• Who did you meet while traveling to this place?
• What was your favorite part of the journey?
• Did you reach here by car, plane, train?
• Was it a long journey? How did you feel once you reached your destination?
• What songs did you listen to on the way that take you back to this trip?

The Destination

• Describe your current surroundings.
• How does this place make you feel?
• Why did you want to be here? Did you want to be here?
• What surprised you most about this place?
• Who are you traveling with?
• What have you learned about this place since arriving?
• What’s a funny story you would tell your friend about this trip?
• Where did you explore off-the-beaten-path?
• Did you try any unique foods?
• How would you describe this place to a friend or family member?
• Name one thing you never want to forget about this place.
• What is a memory you’ll cherish forever from this trip?
• Did you enjoy your trip? If not, why?
• What did you learn about yourself after visiting this place?
• What could have gone better?
• How do you feel after leaving? Would you return?
• Name three things you are grateful for from this trip.
• Describe your favorite photo from this trip.

General Memory-Keeping

• Write about the first travel memory that comes to mind.
• Doodle a monument or favorite place you have visited that made you want to pinch yourself.
• Describe your first travel experience. What were you feeling? Scared? Excited? Anxious?
• Make a list of all the people you’ve met while traveling.
• What’s one thing you would change about travel?
• What’s one thing you want to do better while traveling?
• Where’s your favorite place to travel with family? Describe it in vivid detail.
• Describe a place you’ve visited through using all five senses.
• If you could choose one place you’ve been to stay forever, which one would it be?

Final Tips for Travel Journaling

Hopefully with all these travel journal ideas and writing prompts, you feel more comfortable and excited to document your travels! Here are some extra tips to make travel journaling work for you:

• Keep your travel journal with you as you are on the go. This may seem obvious, but when you think about it, we don’t want to pause our day to go write about what’s happening that very second. Instead, have your journal with you to doodle your surroundings or write down specific feelings you have at the moment. You can elaborate later!
• Write down keywords to escape writer’s block. If you have trouble getting started, jot down a few words that come to mind when you are looking at a prompt. Often when writing, we get overwhelmed by what the finished product should look like that we can’t even start! Start as small as keywords and as your ideas come in the writing will flow.
• Use every sense for details. An easy way to get more creative and describe a moment well is to think about it from the perspective of all five senses you experienced with. What sounds did you hear, things do you see, flavors did you taste?

Let me know what you think of these travel journal ideas, prompts, & tips with a comment!

Save this guide to Pinterest for later reference!

The more memories we make, the more important it is to jot them down so we have them forever. Tell me if you’re excited about travel journaling like me!

Michela is a travel writer and photographer living in northern Italy. She is passionate about helping people make the most of their travels by sharing advice gained from her personal experiences, off-the-beaten-path destinations and memorable itineraries. Browse her top articles or have her help you plan your itinerary to your dream destination!

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I absolutely love making Shutterfly photo books!!! Every time we take a trip (and we travel a lot), I immediately create a Shutterfly travel book when I get home. We keep them on our coffee table so that they are available to look at any time. When traveling with friends, I make minor picture adj... ustments if needed, and then send them one. Now when we travel with friends, they ask me ahead of time to create one! I give them the code to my account so they can upload their pics to be included with mine. This is a great way to preserve memorable trips. I love that I can add text whenever I want - this allows me to add notes, identify buildings, monuments, people, etc., as well as put a date on the first page of each new day. You can select page backgrounds, embellishments, and text fonts. The embellishments are so much fun to add! If I had any criticism at all it would be to add more embellishments!! We look at the books so often - sometimes just to reminisce, sometimes to remember the name of a great restaurant or site we visited. We share them with friends who are traveling to the same place we have been or who just want to see our trip in pictures. The text boxes provide the explanations for most of the pics. Shutterfly Customer Service has also been excellent!! I have also used Shutterfly books to document a family reunion, to do a Year in Review each year of the highlights of that year, and one that is just pics of my granddaughter.

This is not the first time that I contacted a Shutterfly agent about my dissatisfaction with a product. For this particular order, the font color that I selected was changed making it more difficult to read. I had selected a black font on a cream colored background, and it was substituted with whi... te on cream, making it very difficult to read. On another page, a random heading appeared in the middle of the page. Not sure how that came about. I proofed my book several times before submitting, and even viewed the online copy of the book upon receiving my hard copy, and it is clearly an error on Shutterfly's part. I must admit, however, that working with a Shutterfly agent was a very positive experience. I was given a credit for a future purchase in the form of a gift card. It is still disappointing that I received a book that did not meet my expectations.

I am so pleased with my "Into the Midnight Sun" photo travel journal from Shutterfly. I love that Shutterfly offers the ability to design pages the way I want, with as few or as many photos per page. Excellent selection of backgrounds, stickers, and themes allows me to personalize my books!

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From  Puerto Rico

Using Shutterfly to make album not user friendly. Delivery packaging was good, however upon opening it up. the outside album was covered with some sort of sticky bumpy substance which I needed to remove/clean by hand. When we opened the album, we noticed the front and back page that attached it to the inside album cover was sloppy. Appears debris got in between the glued page and the inside album cover, which caused distinct protrusions. Pics were generally okay, but for the price of extra quality, we were not over impressed with the overall quality of the total product.

Submitted 1 month ago

By  Mr Disappointed

From  Los Angeles

Wonderful keepsake

By  Heather

From  Ottawa , Canada

I make a family album every year, an album for big vacations. This time around the album was for my son's photos of his service living in Thailand. I LOVE it when the unlimited free pages sales come around.

By  Schinn

From  UT

I have created five books in the past 6 months of major travel adventures. So much faster and easier with Shutterfly!!! #sweepstakes . (I had been using a competitor for years and just recently switched 6 months ago, and am extremely happy with my end products!)

Submitted 2 months ago

By  Korilyne

From  VA Beach

It's so much easier to have all the favorite pictures in a book

By  Cathy

From  Michigan

I love my new photo book. Somehow, I used the wrong format when creating it. All of my other books are 11 x 8. I accidentally selected 11 x 14 for this book. I usually size my text in relation to the size of the pictures on the computer screen. This time my text came out rather large because of the bigger pictures but now I'll be able to read as I age!

By  Marcy D

From  Chesterfield, MO

Well bound photo essay but some poor editing. Three photos had white lines drawn through them and not removed in the final copy published.

By  Anthony Dason

From  Victoria BC Canada

I used the Shutterfly design service and everything came out beautifully. I ordered the largest hardback and it makes an impressive coffee table accessory

By  Sootwo

From  Little Switzerland, North C

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13 Travel Mistakes Our Writers Will Never Make Again

From pricey foreign driving fines to late-night ant attacks, our travel correspondents reveal trip snafus they don’t want to relive

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There’s no perfect trip. Despite the best planning, the unexpected happens, like the ferry service doesn’t run the only day you need it, or you didn’t know that there are two German towns named Frankfurt.

We asked our longtime travel writers and editors to tell us about their most memorable travel mistakes, the ones that taught them a significant lesson or two. Some of their stories made us chuckle, and most were relatable. If you’ve ever been seriously sick while abroad, frustrated with others on a group trip , or ignorant of the rules of the road in some foreign locale, you’ll appreciate these sticky situations.

1. Desperately Seeking Arctic Apparel

While on my first and only small-ship cruise along the southeast Alaskan coastline one September, I was so excited for the adventures ahead that I mistakenly left my luggage on the airport conveyor belt. The shuttle picking me up transported my group directly to the Mendenhall Glacier for an initial hike before dropping us off at the dock for departure. The boat had set sail before I realized that I had nothing more than the clothes on my back for a chilly seven-day itinerary. I was mortified.

Thankfully, the ship captain and company owner raided the vessel’s supply closet and were able to deck me out with a staff T-shirt and sweatshirt. An angel fellow passenger loaned me an extra puffy and a few essential layers. Disaster averted, with the help of a few kind people. — Stephanie Pearson  

2. Double-Check That Google Maps Route

After skiing powder all day in the Alpine mecca of Chamonix, France, my husband and I grabbed a baguette and a hunk of cheese and hit the road in our rental Peugeot bound for Tignes, France, the next stop on our winter European road trip.

Still giddy from our time at the iconic resort, we didn’t consult Google Maps as closely as we should have. It navigated us east through the Mont Blanc Tunnel—a seven-mile-long feat of engineering that cuts through the massif and connects Chamonix to the neighboring ski town of Courmayeur on the Italian side. The one-way toll costs about $55. Baffled but believing in Google Maps, we continued to follow the directions and enjoyed the finest of scenic drives for another 30 minutes. Then the cobbled streets turned into a one-lane dirt road that soon dead-ended at a snowbank, with skiers cruising atop it.

There was nothing to do but turn around and try a different route, which, of course, directed us back through the tunnel (forcing us to pay again) and added several hours to a long day. But it made for a good story afterward. — Megan Michelson

3. Pack Back-Up Meds in Case You Get Sick

I habitually get sick in foreign countries. I’ve suffered numerous bouts of strep throat while visiting family in Sweden, food poisoning on a rural train in northern India, and came down with scarlet fever on a five-day backpacking trip in the remote Alaskan bush. That last trip was a turning point for me. I now always carry antibiotics with me when I travel. — Emily Pennington

4. Why Overpreparing Isn’t a Bad Idea

I was invited to Nepal in 2003 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest . I signed up for a 30-day trip with an outfitter that took the scenic route from the steamy jungle up over a series of very high passes, including 19,100-foot Amphu Labtsa La, and back down into Tengboche, the original base camp for the 1953 climb, which was hosting a big celebration.

The trek was absolutely stunning and supremely remote. It was also nerve-wracking. Every day we had reports that Maoists were going to intercept us. That never happened, but incompetence among some in our own group proved to be far more dangerous.

The crux of the trip was an almost impossible ask: we had to summit a “minor” 17,000-foot pass, cross an ice field, and then get both up and down Amphu Labsta La— all in a day.

I was toward the front of the group when I reached the top of Amphu Labsta La in the afternoon and took a gander at the descent. What I saw terrified me: a 50-degree slope of solid blue ice running at least 400 feet. Getting everyone down was going to be a huge ordeal, since not everyone could rappel on their own.

We ended up having to sleep atop the pass for two nights. Because much of the clients’ gear had been lowered with the porters after the initial night (everyone thought the full group would have rappelled down that day), we found ourselves stranded atop the peak with insufficient equipment. A quick tally revealed we had just three tents, three sleeping bags, and two sleeping pads for 11 people. Four of us piled into my three-person tent, and I spread my sleeping bag as best as I could over us. I didn’t sleep at all, just shivered and prayed a storm wouldn’t roll in. At first light, exhausted and pissed off at how miserable I’d been, I packed up, clipped into the rope down the pass, and rappelled myself, not waiting for anyone to lower me. You can bet I partied my ass off when we finally got to Tengboche. — Tim Neville

6. Bugged Out

Failing to zip my backpack after sleeping outside in the jungle of Panama had me toting not one, not two, but three massive (and I mean massive) cockroaches with me back to the Panama City hotel where I stayed the night at before my flight home. Between the surprise discovery and the aftermath of dealing with them, I got zero sleep and am still haunted to this day. — Stephanie Vermillion

7. Renting a Car in a Foreign Country Can Come with Pricey Curveballs

In 2019, my wife and I bought cheap tickets to Milan, rented a Fiat, and road-tripped through northern Italy. It was thrilling to speed on the mountainous highways and cruise through quaint villages via winding roads that topped out on ridgelines with views of the Mediterranean below. Because it was spring, there were few tourists, so we’d simply park, walk around visiting a plaza or ancient buildings and churches, and continue on. It was all perfect—until we got home.

On a monthly basis, I started getting fines in the mail—for improper parking, speeding, and driving in restricted residential areas without the requisite permit. At first I thought this was a mistake. Then I realized that every fine was in the place we’d visited that day.

After paying hundreds of Euros in penalties, I swore off ever traveling to Italy again. I took to retelling the story of my travails to any Italian who would listen, only to discover this is a common occurrence. One Italian told me that when he returns home, he borrows his mom’s car, breaks countless rules, and racks up ticket after ticket.

My stance on Italy has since softened, but I still get occasional fines in the mail. I refuse to pay them and try to view them as mementos of one of the best trips of my life. — Ryan Krogh

8. Start Earlier than You Think You Need To

Lesson one: Don’t underestimate the approach to a backcountry cabin. My friends and I had booked the Eiseman, a popular Tenth Mountain Division hut in the Gore Range outside Vail, Colorado, and getting there required a six-mile ski tour with nearly 3,000 feet of elevation gain. No problem, we thought. We were a hardy crew of experienced backcountry skiers.

What we didn’t consider was that April’s warming temperatures had turned the snowpack to mush. Combined with a later than expected afternoon departure, the soft, sticky snow glommed to our skins, making travel considerably slow and challenging.

Lesson two: Less is more in the backcountry. We naively stuffed our packs with margarita fixings, avocados, jars of salsa, a foam roller. Needless to say, the ski in took twice as long as expected—we didn’t get to the hut until after dark—and half our crew ended up dropping gear there and returning to lighten the load of the slower folks. We were a total junk show. That said, the taco party sure was fun. —M.M.

9. The Pitfalls of an Undocumented Pilgrim

When I thru-hiked Spain’s Camino de Santiago , I carried the obligatory pilgrim’s passport—a thin leaflet littered with official stamps, tucked in a protective plastic bag. It proved I’d walked what amounted to nearly a marathon a day, and it was also my ticket into cheap albergues: glorified hostels reserved solely for pilgrims, where I could soak my feet, thread blisters, rinse my clothes, and crash hard before rising to repeat it all again.

But one day near the end of the trek, in Galicia, a massive storm rolled in while I was eating a sandwich on the side of the road. I hastily repacked my gear and booked the remaining four miles to the nearest town. When I arrived at the albergue that evening, soaking wet and exhausted, I couldn’t find my pilgrim’s passport, and no pleading with the check-in lady in Spanish would persuade her to give me a bunk without it.

So I retraced my steps, blisters bursting, leg muscles screaming, my head hammered by hail, until I found it blown up against a fence near where I’d stopped for lunch. I never misplaced that passport again. — Patty Hodapp

10. A Different Kind of Wildlife-Watching

Last year on an off-trail backpacking trip to Wrangell–St. Elias National Park , I learned the importance of carrying two to three days of extra food in Alaska. My group was dropped off by a bush plane for a five-day expedition and halfway through the trip, an adolescent grizzly bear ran off with one of our bear cans packed with food. We had to ration supplies for our remaining time, but fortunately, our resourceful guide cobbled together some pretty creative and delicious meals for the final two days. —E.P.

11. A Case for the Carry-on

At the check-in counter for my flight to Germany, where I’d be joining friends to climb in the Frankenjura , I noticed that airline personnel were chatting as they tagged bags. A fleeting thought crossed my mind: Always look at the tag before your bag sails away. But I didn’t.

I arrived in Nuremberg to watch an unfamiliar duffle bag circle around on the carousel, while someone in Newfoundland was looking at mine. I was in northern Bavaria in late autumn, with no sleeping bag, tent, or puffy jacket. I did have my climbing shoes and harness in my carry-on, so I went on to a house in nearby Erlangen owned by extremely generous German climbers, who were letting some of our group occupy their basement.

When I explained my dilemma to the leading free climber Kurt Albert (RIP and bless him forever), he shrugged, waved me toward his closet, and told me to take any of his clothes. There was only one problem: I’m five foot seven, while he was easily six foot one. I wore his stuff for two days. — Alison Osius

12. Frostbite Has Never Felt So Imminent

When I camped on the Greenland Ice Sheet two years ago, I learned the hard way to test my gear before bringing it on a trip. I brought “waterproof gloves” that actually weren’t waterproof at all. My hands were soaked and freezing within minutes of pitching my tent in a very wet, cold snowstorm. It was 14 degrees out. The next morning I had to thaw the gloves over the mess-tent cookstove. —S.V.

13. Tetotaling at Elevation

Alcohol and altitude don’t mix, a rule of thumb that took me two notable times in my life to learn. Once I flew from New York City (sea level) to Vail, Colorado, (8,239 feet) for a fun trip with a friend who was writing a story about a professional skier. The skier was going to take us all around the mountain to his favorite spots. The night before, I enjoyed two large glasses of red wine at dinner but had failed to drink much water that day. I woke up nauseous at 2 A.M., threw up for the next three hours, and missed the ski tour.

The second time I was in Chile’s Atacama Desert, located at 8,200 feet. I was staying at a gorgeous lodge with fantastic food and wine. This was a few years after Vail, and I had long forgotten that incident. So when the beautiful Chilean cabernet was served at dinner, I drank it, but I was hugging the porcelain again early the next morning. I missed an amazing hike up a volcano. Suffice it to say I now don’t drink at altitude and focus on hydrating instead. — Mary Turner

14. Tiny Things That Bite When You Least Expect It

I was working for the student newspaper at Montana State University when I got a fax announcing ridiculously low airfare to Costa Rica for spring break, so my brother, girlfriend, and I all went down there to dirtbag it for a week. We were poor, so we packed hammocks, intending to string them between trees on the beach and sleep there.

We made our way to Montezuma, on the Nicoya Peninsula, which back then had one restaurant and a few houses on sandy “streets.” It was pitch-black when we arrived at the beach, and none of us had a headlamp. My feet felt wet as we crossed what must have been a small stream slipping out of the jungle through leaves. But then the sensation changed and my legs and feet exploded in what felt like fire.

“Ants!” my brother yelled. We’d stumbled right into either a nest or a train of fire ants that proceeded to bite the piss out of our legs. There was nothing to do but strip down and race for the ocean, which we also couldn’t see. Waking up to howler monkeys and swimming the next morning made everything right. —T.N.

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