Friday, June 21, 2013

Travel Journal Tutorial - Anglophile Friday

 You can see that it's been a while...
I'm hoping for next spring

I posted this in 2010, but thought it might be helpful to bring it around again - especially now that it's travel time for many. Along with planning an itinerary and making a packing list, this is one of my favorite things about preparing for a vacation.

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I have found a great way to come home from a trip with a keepsake that I will enjoy for years to come.

BEFORE LEAVING ON VACATION:

I like to purchase a Cambridge 6"x9" spiral bound drawing tablet, for it has good, heavy paper. For this particular one, I found some pictures of England and made a collage for the front cover, then laminated it.



The inside of the drawing tablet has a pocket which is nice for storing adhesive mailing labels which I pre-print and take along, so that it's easy to address postcards to mail home. On the inside front cover, I glue the print out of our flight and itineraries. I also use adhesive labels to keep important contacts  and phone numbers close at hand.



The only other items I need to take along on my trip to make my keepsake, then, are a gluestick and camera. The gluestick has to go into that one TSA-allowed quart-size Ziploc baggie of toiletries, such as shampoo, toothpaste, and soap. When I once packed a bar of soap separately, I found out that  even bar soap scans as a liquid, so I make sure to pack my gluestick in that baggie as well.




WHILE VACATIONING:

Wherever we go, I collect ephemera, and when we're back at our hotel in the evening, I tear our pictures from brochures, postcards, etc. and glue them here and there on the page. Then I start journaling around them. If I've taken a certain photo that day that I'll later want to include, I make a note of it in the journal so that when I print out the photo after arriving home, I'll make sure to place it in the journal.



I think it was about the time of the Churchill Cabinet War Rooms that I realized I need to make better use of my journal space. That's when I started overlaying, as you can see in the photo above. The two WWII posters are hinged at the top, so that I could lift them up and write under them. Same thing with the photo of Winston Churchill. He's hinged on the side. You don't want to see Churchill unhinged.



Tickets, receipts from the grocery store, ale labels, and business cards all went into making my journal a fun keepsake to read and re-read (if you're like me). :-)



Occasionally, I'd even sketch in my journal. This is supposed to represent the holiday cottage we rented with our daughter and son-in-law in Sutton on the Forest, near York. Okay, the illustrators of the world have nothing to fear from me.  By the way, I was fascinated by the many chimney flues that poked out of the tops of the houses.



If you're ever in London, it's definitely worth the small cost to take a London Walks walk. They're greatly entertaining and we learned so much from them! It just so happens that the man who owns London Walks and writes the fun brochure (see link), is from Wisconsin! Who would have thought!



More 'layering,' allowing me to lift up the photo and write in the journal underneath.



I'm trying to visually scan these pages and see if I'm giving away any family secrets. I hope not. But you can see by this page, above, that we paid $110 per room per night in downtown London, near Victoria Station. (That's US Dollars, not British pounds.I think the exchange rate at the time was 2:1, USD:GBP. It's not that bad now, although airfare has gone up dramatically.) For someone who generally stays at Super 8, (like we do) that may seem like a lot, until you compare it with other hotels in London - or even Duluth, MN!! It was really quite a find, and our hotel room, though microscopic, was very clean, and our hosts very friendly and accommodating!



UPON RETURNING HOME:

By the time we returned home, I already had most of my journal done - all except for the occasional photo I would add later. Above, the beefeater is 'hinged' on the edge so it can be moved to reveal more text.

In summary, this is a great way to remember a trip. It's so easy and inexpensive, and unlike the huge project of making a scrapbook after you return, it's almost done by the time you get home! I happened to have enough space leftover from the 2007 trip, that I decided to take it along on the 2008 London adventure with Joe and Anna. Now my journal sits on the bookshelf next to our England guide books. :-) It occasionally comes down so I can enjoy it all again, and will continue to do so until airfare comes down!



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37 comments:

MadSnapper said...

fantastic idea... i love the page with the sketch and you will always be able to remember the trip by turning those pages..

Paulette said...

What an outstanding idea. I will be attending the Christmas markets in Germany this coming December and will certainly take your marvelous along with me. Thanks for the inspiration.

Unknown said...

That's. a brilliant idea, makes it fun to go back and remembering your trip. I love the front page

Samantha said...

Next time I need to book a hotel, I'm coming to you to find it, that's a steal!

Your book is gorgeous, I can't to see the one you make of Wales :P

Amy Burzese said...

Fantastic.

Terri @ A Creative Princess said...

Judy, that's awesome! What a great idea to do your journal along the way. I always save everything and when we get home, they stay in the box. This is perfect!

Parsley said...

Fabulous idea! Of course, I would have to also take a seasoned traveler with me if I ever go to England...

Unknown said...

I'm pretty sure I remember this post! Love the idea of it... very inspiring. Now, we just need to travel more! lol

Elizabeth Edwards said...

awesome idea. i love that.

i enjoy keeping memories of our trips as well. so fun to look back & recall all those great moments. ( :

Bossy Betty said...

Such a great idea! So many times our thoughts and mementos get scattered. This is wonderful!

Yenta Mary said...

Oh, how fabulous! An Anglophile Friday post plus excellent advice and a great idea ... :)

Ruth Kelly said...

I wrote a journal of my trip to England and Ireland and when I got home, I transcribed it, added a few extra memories and photos too. It is so nice to pull out the binder and read about my trip.

aspiritofsimplicity said...

What a great idea for a travel journal.

TexWisGirl said...

really clever and a great way to keep memories as they're happening!

Deanna said...

What a fantastic idea! I'm going to start one just for our short trips and fun outings and keep adding to it. Then I'll do separate ones for longer vacations. Thanks for sharing!

jennyfreckles said...

Great idea. I might copy that. I'm doing a big holiday to Boston & New England in the Fall. Can't wait!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Hi Judy A wonderful idea to keep memories safe. Have a great weekend. Margaret

20 North Ora said...

What a creative idea! My husband always insist that I do my scrapbook within two weeks after getting my photos developed and made into paper prints. He says that way we don't forget details. (And he is right!). I definitely am taking a notebook with me to Alaska and Canada so I won't forget one single thing.

Judy

Terri D said...

Such an excellent idea!! I received three travel journals as gifts, when Joe and I were going to Italy. It was such a great way to write details I didn't want to forget. I never thought about gluing things in as we went along. I will, for sure, next time!

Carlene @ Organized Clutter said...

You sure make the most of your trip with your notebook idea!

Donna Wilkes said...

I am still picturing an unhinged Winston! Great idea for any trip or special time. Love the layers.

tlcukjourney said...

I'm so glad you posted, I had trouble 2 different times trying to post on my phone through bloglovin! Please email me at tammy.chrzan@yahoo.com your address, I have misplaced it and I have magazines for you!
Tammy xx

Carla from The River said...

I love this idea. Having it done by the time you get home!! Yay, that is just when everyone wants to hear all about your trip. And you can pull your travel journal out. :-)

Great idea, thanks!

Lorrie said...

What a great idea. I always keep a written journal, but adding ephemera would be a wonderful addition.

Denise said...

Nice share.

bj said...

This is the BEST idea and, if ever I get to take another vacation, I hope to remember to do this...:))

Debra Hawkins said...

I love this so much! I think I am going to have to do this for our trip coming up. It is absolutely gorgeous!

Linda @ A La Carte said...

This was so fun to see. I've been gifted with a great journal to take on my trip to Paris and I want to add photos and mementos. I like how you did it during the trip. I think I'll grab a glue stick and take it with me to Paris!!

Claudia said...

Judy, this is such a great idea. I am notorious for NOT doing something like this and I vow to use your method in the future.

Thanks so much for joining in this week!

xo
Claudia

Anonymous said...

Judy, this is so inspiring. I'm so glad you shared it again. It's so intricate and bursting with special memories. I absolutely love it.
Thank you so much for stopping by the table. I cannot remember the exact link to that Venice image, but it is wonderful, isn't it. I know I googled it, but if you search specifically for Venice photography your jaw literally will drop. So dreamy. Enjoy.
xoxo's

Gail @ http://biblelovenotes.com said...

Looks like it was a memorable trip and your journal is a great way to record it. I bet you enjoy taking it out and looking through it.

Julie's Lifestyle said...

Hi you did a beautiful job with the travel journal. I saw it on kathe with an e.
Julie from julieslifestyle.blogspot.com

Joyce said...

What a great keepsake! I do try to mail myself postcards and I keep a journal, reminding myself at the end of the day of what I saw and felt. Particularly in Europe-those cathedrals can blur together without some cliff notes to help you remember which was which!

Trying to catch up a bit in blogland...enjoy your week!

Unknown said...

Awesome!! Thank you for linking up at Wildrafting Wednesday.

The Cottage Market {Andrea} ♥ said...

Simply WONDERFUL!!!! LOVE IT!!! : ) hugs...

J_on_tour said...

A Great idea to remind you of your trips. I recognised & remembered your London accommodation & a familiar looking car parking ticket ... LOL. I must have about 10 in the side pocket of my car. I keep getting given travel journals as presents (third one now), maybe you are the inspiration that I need to start using them as I am stowed out with A5 & A6 tourist leaflets. I'm a bit selective now & only pick up new ones if it's going to help me out with a blog post.
Here's hoping the airfare is in your favour soon.

Donna said...

What a terrific project!

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