• about
  • City Guides
    • Europe
      • Czechia
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Scotland
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
    • Canada
    • Caribbean
    • Middle East
    • New Zealand
    • USA
      • Atlanta
      • Chicago
      • COMO
      • Dallas
      • Destin
      • Kansas City
      • Los Angeles
      • NYC
      • Orlando
      • San Francisco
      • Seattle
      • St. Louis
      • Waco
      • South America
  • Tips + Tricks
  • Lifestyle
    • Blogging
  • shop

round trip travel and lifestyle blog

3 Tips to Travel Journal like a Pro

October 25, 2017
Pin2K
Share6
Share
Tweet
2K Shares

No more excuses: I’m too tired, I’m not a writer, it’s boring, I don’t want to.  Whether or not you enjoy writing, travel journaling allows you to experience your trip on a deeper level—and remember it later.  That being said, it can be tricky to simply begin the habit.  Here are 3 tips to travel journal like a pro:

1. Don’t be perfect

Your travel journal probably isn’t intended for publication so quit worrying about making it neat, clean and pristine.  It’s okay to scribble things out.  It’s okay if you don’t have perfect grammar (which gives this grammar brat some anxiety to even say!).  But at the end of the day, your travel journal is yours—raw as it is.  Eventually you may consider going back to edit and to form your thoughts into a complete story like I did for my stay in a French castle.   I brought a leather journal for my summer in France, which provided the sturdiness I needed for all the travel I did.

2. Share stories

Listing off what you did for the day is a place to start, but it shouldn’t be the end.  Include your emotions, inside jokes, conversations, frustrations.  When writing about my night at the museums, I could’ve just listed the museums I’ve visited and the pieces of art I saw.  But instead, I included my thoughts, lessons and highlights.

3. Collect items throughout the day

A travel journal should be more than just pen and paper.  Get creative by including little pieces you acquire throughout the day like brochures, receipts and newspapers.  This helps tell your story in a bigger, more accurate way, and it also makes it fun to look back through.  I packed my Eiffel Tower scissors, which allowed me to include fun itty bitties and are darling themselves.

Like these tips but want to dig a little deeper?  Try my Travel Thoughts Journal, a 12-day guided journaling experience for deeper, meaningful adventures.

Travel journaling is an investment time and energy-wise, but it forces you to reflect on your experiences so that these memories live much longer than just your one-week vacation.

3 tips to travel journal like a pro

Author Signature

Share with a friend & save for a future adventure!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Pin2K
Share6
Share
Tweet
2K Shares
0
6 Comments

My Fave Finds

Previous Photo Diary: Small Town Hoppin’ in Mid-MO
Next Round Trip Roundup: OCTOBER

Related Posts

Photo Diary: Munich, Germany

6 Things That Make Travel Easier

17 Things to Do at Disney World

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Kristin Blake’s 40 Ways To Travel Better: A Review – the mountains are calling says:
    December 18, 2017 at 10:06 am

    […] follow Kristin’s blog, Round Trip, here and check out some of her awesome posts like this one about tips to travel journal like a pro! I hope you can get your hands on a copy of her book soon […]

    Reply
  2. Round Trip Roundup: DECEMBER – round trip says:
    December 31, 2017 at 8:45 am

    […] I’m a strong advocate for #RealTalk, and several of my posts talked about just that—like when I found the one little monster that followed me all the way to Europe.  And why living abroad isn’t always glamorous.  Practicality is also a huge value here at Round Trip with posts on topics from how to wear a travel backpack and tips to travel journal like a pro. […]

    Reply
  3. Round Trip: The Best Of – round trip says:
    December 1, 2018 at 11:53 am

    […] 3 Tips to Travel Journal like a Pro-We all get writer’s block, but these handy tips will help you beat it. […]

    Reply
  4. 5 Ways to Fight Homesickness – round trip says:
    January 30, 2020 at 5:55 pm

    […] You might also be interested in 3 Tips to Travel Journal Like a Pro. […]

    Reply
  5. My 4 Biggest Travel Regrets – round trip says:
    January 31, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    […] You might also be interested in 3 Tips to Travel Journal Like a Pro. […]

    Reply
  6. How to Plan a Motorcycle Trip Through Europe - round trip says:
    December 22, 2020 at 12:31 pm

    […] Because I had experienced an Edelweiss Moto Tour in 2009, I felt confident to plan a 10th anniversary trip for just my husband and me in 2019. I reviewed all my journals from the trip a decade earlier, as well as some websites that touted the best Alpine mountain passes to ride. We made a “hit list” of the 15 or so passes that we wanted to complete, and I created a little spiral-bound travel itinerary for us. The books I made for our trip in 2019 featured daily routes, maps, points of interest, history, restaurant suggestions and space for notes. For more travel journaling tips. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Bonjour

Hi, I'm Kristin. I'm a content creator teaching English in southern France. I'm all about exploring new places, practicing my French and sharing blogging tips. Allez-viens!
learn more about my story

Ad

Top Posts & Pages

  • 50 Most Used French Verbs to Know + Free Flashcards
  • The Beginner’s Guide to Universal Studios
  • bonjour
  • Useful French Phrases
  • 40 Things to Do in St. Louis

About

Hi, I'm Kristin. I'm a content creator teaching English in southern France. I'm all about exploring new places, practicing my French and sharing blogging tips. Allez-viens!
learn more about my story

Want free access to my 30-minute travel budgeting course?

Why is being present so hard?!🙈Double tap if yo Why is being present so hard?!🙈Double tap if you agree!

It's so easy for me to get stuck in the past or focused on the future — so much so that I made this quote my lock screen for a looooong time. It's funny how forgetful we are as humans: We long for the future, but once we're there, we crave the past.

🌍I love how travel reminds me to be present. When you've saved up, planned and dreamed about a trip for so long, OF COURSE you want to savor each moment. But it's a great lesson for our everyday life, too.

❓How do you keep yourself in the present? I like keeping a gratitude journal. Tell me in the comments!

 #blogginglife #dametravel #dametraveler #blogger #girlswhotravel #travelquotes #quotes #inspirational #bloggerunder5k #bloggerlifestyle #bloggersofinstagram #bloggervibes #bloggersgetsocial #travelblogger #instablog #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #quotable #eze #ezefr #tapif #assistantdelangue #tapifusa
Not to be dramatic or anything, but those nine day Not to be dramatic or anything, but those nine days truly changed my life😍 About 7 years ago, I was taking AP European History and heard about a summer trip to Europe with my high school. London, Paris, Florence and Rome.

Yep, we were that group of students walking around Europe with our lanyards and headsets. I got those jitters when I saw Europe in its glory for the first time. And I still do.

If you would’ve told me then that I’d move to France during a global pandemic, I’d tell you you’re complètement fou.

But here’s the thing: that trip with @EFtours stirred something inside of me, and it has yet to settle. It was a longing to see and experience the world with my own two eyes. And it inspired me to start my travel blog, to continue with my French studies, to study abroad and to move to France.

This ain't sponsored (but I sure wish it were!), and I mean with my whole heart those few days in high school set me onto this path. And for that, I am beyond grateful.

🤔What about you? Can you point to a specific moment or experience that set you on the path you're on today, all these years later? Tell me about it⬇️

@ef #eftours #efabroad #educationfirst #inspo #inspiring #efgapyear #efexplorer #completementfou #expatlife #whereicamefrom #expat #expatdiary #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder10k #francophile
One thing you rarely hear about life abroad: so mu One thing you rarely hear about life abroad: so much dang paperwork and many complicated processes🙈

💰I have several bank accounts in the U.S. and France. I'm paid in euros, but I still have recurring subscriptions on my American credit card. I'm also all about growing my savings and getting those credit card points on my American account.

What👏to👏do?👏

❌I tried sending money directly from my French bank account to my American credit card bill. It worked, but there was bigger fee. And it was only to pay off charges, not grow savings.

✅But then a friend introduced me to @TransferWise and now I am set! I can easily transfer between my different checking accounts for the lowest rates I ever did see. Plus,  I'm still able to grow my savings and investment accounts in America.

❓OK but what is it?! @TransferWise is a third-party site that transfers money between accounts from all over the world. They price compare their rates with other companies. Their site is super easy to use and explains the whole process. And the rates were crazy low and not as high as the transfer I made directly through my banks.

🔗Bop over to link in bio for the link to get a free account and the other 5 things every expat needs.

#expat #expatlife #americanabroad #americansabroad #assistantsdelangue #eslteacher #teflteacher #tefl #esl #englishteacher #americaninfrance #americansinfrance #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder1k #microinfluencer #wanderlust #tapif #tapifusa @tapifusa @assistantsdelangue #albi #albifrance #france
Have you ever had one of those “it’s a small w Have you ever had one of those “it’s a small world” moments?🌏

☀️Back in 2017, I spent a summer in Toulouse. One weekend, my friends and I went on a road trip to a slew of villages in southwestern France. They were truly some of the best days of my life: we stayed in my friend’s castle🏰(casual), we swam in the river + sunbathed, we drank wine + played games, we explored idyllic villages.

One of my favorite spots with the sweetest of nostalgic memories was in a small village called Laguépie. Population: ~600. Whenever people asked me my favorite place in France, nobody ever knew where I was talking about. It wasn’t in the magazines or travel blogs. (Ahem, it’s on mine!)

➡️Fast forward to 2020. I’m preparing to leave for France and am keeping a close eye on my teaching program’s Facebook page. An American girl posted in the group about her time in Marseille, and we began messaging. She helped me with a million and one things during my move to France, and we’ve stayed in touch and become good friends.

Earlier this month, I visited Albi to see her along with her French boyfriend, who’s from a small village. He never told me the name, but as we were sipping wine and eating saucissons, he said something about Laguépie.

“WHAT?! Did you say Laguépie? I’ve been there and fell in L O V E!” He said, no, we can’t be talking about the same place, no one ever goes to my hometown😂 But after showing him my photos, including ones the village’s castle @chateau_louvielcastel reposted, it was one and the same.

Can someone queue “Invisible String” because what a small world this is that we’re all connected. Do you have any wild stories like that? Tell me in the comments⬇️

#laguepie #laguépie #viaur #franceprofonde #lafranceprofonde #microinfluencer #tarn #garonne #occitanie #frenchvillage #vivelafrance #stmartinlaguepie #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder1k #bloggersunder10k #itsasmallworld #smallworld #jaimelafrance #patrimoine @occitanietourisme
What do you like searching for on Pinterest?📌 What do you like searching for on Pinterest?📌

✈️I love finding travel destinations + itineraries, easy recipes and decorating ideas. My guess is that you've found some blogs and ideas you love through this site. 

😍I'm even more obsessed with how @pinterest serves to grow my blog and brand.

Currently kicking myself for not getting on the Pinterest for Business train sooner because this site is truly a game changer. I went from a personal account with a wedding board and gluten-free board with recipes I’d never tried to a bustling business board with more than 400,000 monthly visitors. And most of that is not from advertising.

📈I took a free @jennakutcher webinar on how to use Pinterest for Business and saw massive growth. And the best part? You can schedule out content for an entire week in just 30 minutes to an hour. 

⏩Pinterest is my top driver of traffic, and if you want to upgrade your blog like a pro, this is where you need to invest your time, hands down.

Want to learn how you can use Pinterest to grow your blog, brand or biz? Head over to link in bio for my best blogging tips💯

#bloggergirl #blogginglife #blog #blogger #girlswhotravel #bloggingtips #bloggingadvice #getrich #sidehustle #sidegig #monetize #monetizeyourblog #bloggerunder5k #bloggerlifestyle #bloggersofinstagram #bloggervibes #bloggersgetsocial #travelblogger #instablog #monetizeyourbrand #monetizeyourpassion #cassis #france #cassisfr
Best day trips from Nice No. 4: Èze🏰 This med Best day trips from Nice No. 4: Èze🏰

This medieval village enchanted me so much so I almost teared up as we left because I just didn’t want to go. If there are castles, sea views and charm, I’m so there. And Èze checks all these boxes✅ 

😍This medieval village is a labyrinth of cobblestone and windy paths, but the steps are worth it. There are shops and restaurants along the way to the top where you get sweeping views of the Mediterranean Sea. 

🌵Once you make it to the top, you have to pay to enter the Jardin Exotique d’Èze, and I can't recommend it enough. (Be sure to ask about the combo deal that includes both the garden in Èze and the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild nearby.)

🚗🛤️Distance from Nice: 30-minute drive or 15 minute train ride

Craving more photos + day trip ideas from Nice? Head over to link in bio ❤️

#nicefrance #nicefr #nice #southernfrance #eze #èze #ezefr #ezefrance #ezevillage #medievalvillage #seaside #seasidedining #seasidelunch #mediterraneansea #mediterranean #oceanviews #microinfluencer #tapif #tapifusa #assistantsdelangue #assistantdelangue #tefl #esl #eslteacher #teflteacher #teachabroad #teachabroadfrance #jardinexotique #microinfluencer
How's your sense of direction?↪️🗺️I am th How's your sense of direction?↪️🗺️I am the queen of getting lost — and not on purpose😂

When I lived in Toulouse in 2017, I took a day trip to a nearby town to visit a friend. Wanting to get the best deal, I booked the 6 a.m. train. Unfortunately, I didn't think it all the way through🙃

I left my apartment on time, but when I got to the metro, it hadn't started running yet. I was nervous about getting to the train station on time, but if I hurried, I could make it.

Alas, I made it to the metro stop where I was supposed to switch metro lines. I had one job, and I failed🙈

⚠️I went the wrong direction, and once I realized it, I quickly got off the next stop and ran up to the street. I was unbelievably lost, and the sun hadn't even come up. Eventually, I made it to the train station but had completely missed the train.

And defeated, I sat down in the bakery, cried and FaceTimed my mom. Some kind French girl saw my tears and approached me to help me book a new train.

Since then, I've gotten lost many more times😆 But it's taught me to not be so hard on myself because getting lost is part of the journey. (And if it's not a good time, it's a good story, eh?😜)

 #blogginglife #dametravel #dametraveler #blogger #girlswhotravel #travelquotes #quotes #inspirational #bloggerunder5k #bloggerlifestyle #bloggersofinstagram #bloggervibes #bloggersgetsocial #travelblogger #instablog #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #quotable #eze #ezefr #tapif #assistantdelangue #tapifusa
Copyright © 2021 round trip
Theme by SheShoppes
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.