I do not keep a journal at home but I always do when I am traveling. Even though I take a million pictures and think that I’ll remember everything, I just can’t. But I have found a fun way to document my experience and help to remember so many more of the little things that really make a vacation special.

Before I go on my trip I buy a few things to be prepared. I like to use a sketcher’s notepad so there are no lines and the paper is a little bit thicker to work with. I also pick out some colorful markers (with a smaller tip to write with) and clear tape. I basically scrap book as I go. If someone that went with me tripped while walking into a restaurant, I might write that on a napkin form that place and tape it into my journal later that day. My journals tend to be really random bits of information rather than a letter to myself about how my day was and how I am feeling. It seems to be a bit more interesting and it doesn’t take nearly as long.

The key is to make sure you do it every day so you don’t forget something special or get behind. Each night before I go to sleep I would jot down basically what we did and any funny or interesting things that happened. I taped in a lot of pamphlet covers and dried out flowers and such. This method worked for me and I really cherish all of the notebooks that I brought home from around the world.