Document Your Travels
Aly gives us inspiration for making our actual travels part of our journey
Recently I have had the opportunity to take a huge trip to another country. As I was preparing to go, I thought of the ways I wanted to remember our trip and document every moment, so I would always remember it. I have to admit that I did not record and document as I should have. Live and learn. I took hundreds of photos that I have to use as documentation. However, I did not take the time to journal every day. I know that I will be able to tell our story, but I also think that some of the little things . . . the specific feelings of a moment, the things that were said, the little details . . . are probably lost forever. I will still have a wonderful book to document our travels to Africa, which I am thrilled about. I want to discuss a little about my process, the good and the bad.
Preparation
I discovered that the preparation for the travel journal is just as important as actually putting it together. There are so many media options available to document your trip. I knew I wanted to create a digital book, so I did not take any supplies with me, except for my iPad to document some writing through Evernote. There are different preparations for different media.
Digital
- Take lots of photos.
- Use an app or notebook to jot down some memories or moments from every day of your trip.
- Make sure you are documenting as much as possible, so when you get home you have enough to highlight your trip.
- Hang on to the ephemera you want to include to scan for later.
- Choose some awesome templates to work with in advance to have an idea of how your layouts will flow.
Paper
- Save some time by making a premade album.
- Make sure you have all of the supplies that are essential to you.
- Include plenty of ephemera- tickets, receipts, postcards, maps, etc.
- Have some type of binding.
Creativity
Keeping a travel journal can be fun! Think outside the box in terms of design, composition, and content.
- Use fun prompts and questions, such as:
- Document what you packed and why.
- What did you think about the place you visited before you got there, and what do you think now?
- What makes you stick out from the locals?
- What scared you about this journey?
- Did you leave anything behind? On purpose?
- Ask your kids questions.
- Make a list.
- Listen to conversations. Quotes are so fun to include.
- Stay focused. Rather than trying to describe everything in a scene, pick out one thing that grabs your attention.
- Document your journey to your destination . . . planes, trains, automobiles?
- Pretend you are writing to someone else. Act like your best friends are going to read your journals. Make them dynamic and interesting, include dialogue, find the right word and the perfect expression.
- Include a hightlights page.
- Write about what you ate.
Completion
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes have such grand things in my mind, but then when it comes to following through and actually getting it done, I fail! Don’t let that happen. Finish your album in good time after you return, while the emotions and memories are fresh in your mind. Don’t put it aside, because then it may never get done.
I am slowly working on our Africa album. I chose to use Nettio Designs templates, because I really wanted the focus to be on the amazing photos and experiences we had. I have not completed my album yet, but every time I pull it up, it makes me more excited to have a finished product. I hope that this helps you prepare for a trip, with a few tips to help your journaling of your journey go smoothly.
