How is a travel journal different from a travel blog?
A travel blog is for others: complete, useful, full of tips. A travel journal is for your future self and only needs what no photo or guidebook can capture. That means it can be short.
A three-line template for each night
- A scene: the one image from today you most want to keep.
- A surprise: something off-plan, like a wrong turn or a changed route.
- A person: something someone you met or traveled with said.
Demo entry: The old town’s stone streets were shining after the rain. The museum was closed, so we spent the afternoon in a tea house. The owner said three more days of rain and the osmanthus would bloom.
This is an original example. One line out of three is fine too.
Before, during and after
| When | What to write |
|---|---|
| Before | One line on why you are going and what you look forward to |
| During | Each night, pick one or two photos and use the template |
| After | A “first day back” entry comparing the trip with what you expected |
So many photos. Which one?
Choose the one you can tell a story about, not the best-looking one. Scenery can stay in your photo library; photos with stories go in the journal.
Travel journaling with Gemi
Gemi can scan tickets and boarding passes to log your route, add places to each day’s photo entries, and show the whole trip on your footprint map. See travel journaling with Gemi for details.