The Easiest Way to Start a Travel Journal

Good morning. I’m in Spain right now, sitting with my notebook and a cup of coffee, and I thought I’d invite you to join me for the simplest way to start a travel journal.

The good thing is you don’t actually have to be travelling to begin. You can start right where you are, using the small moments of everyday life as if they were little adventures. Because they ARE if you start noticing them.

Travel journaling doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. You don’t need a perfect journal or the “right” supplies. You don’t even need a big trip planned. The easiest way to begin is to make it so simple that you can’t help but start. No pressure, no polished writing. Just tiny memories collected in one safe place, ready for you to come back to later.

Start With a Daily Log

If keeping a travel diary has always felt overwhelming or you never know what to write, try beginning with a very small daily log. Just a few bullet points at the end of the day. Three things that happened. Three little notes you want to remember.

It can be as ordinary as what you ate for breakfast or as special as a new experience you had while walking around a new place. Writing a daily log helps you notice more. It turns the day into something almost story-like, even if it was just an ordinary Tuesday.

And later, when you flip back through your journal, these tiny notes become a kind of map of your days.

The 3-Line Memory Method

This is the method I use most often, especially when I’m traveling. It’s wonderfully simple.

All we’re going to do is write the date at the top of the page, and then choose one memory from the day. Just one. And describe it in three short lines.

Or, if you prefer, choose three different things you want to remember: the green parrots flying over your head, the oat milk cappuccino you enjoyed this morning, the moon reflecting on the water during your evening walk.

If you’re not sure what to write, you can follow this simple formula:

One line about what happened.
One line about how it felt.
One small detail you noticed.

That’s it. Tiny memories add up. When you look back later, these short notes become the story of your journey, whether that journey is happening across the world or right at your own kitchen table.

Travel Journaling Tools ~ Start With What You Already Have

You absolutely do not need a fancy setup to keep a travel journal. In fact, the simpler the better. A pen and a small notebook are enough.

An expensive notebook can feel intimidating if you’re just starting out. Writing into a cheap lined notebook takes the pressure off to create something beautiful. Get started first, and improve your techniques later. Grow with your journal, step by step.

If you enjoy adding extras, you can gradually include things like coloured pens, a glue stick for little paper treasures, washi tape or tiny Polaroid photos. Some people love spiral notebooks. Others prefer paper journals with soft covers. And some people keep everything digital, especially if they’re traveling light or want to write on the go.

Use whatever feels easy and enjoyable. Slip it into your hand luggage or day bag, and you’re ready to go. The goal is to make journaling accessible in the exact moments when inspiration arrives, not to carry around a kit that feels too precious to touch.

What to Capture in Your Travel Diary

One of the sweetest parts of travel journaling is realising that everything counts. Not just the big moments, but the tiny ones too.

You can write about:

Small details that made you smile
New experiences or new cultures you’re discovering
A new friend you met
A great place you wandered into by accident
A good time you had doing something simple
A beautiful view or a perfect place to sit for a while

You can also include more practical things, if you like: contact information, to-do lists, notes about transportation, or a quick place to track expenses. Some people tuck in ticket stubs or receipts. Others paste in a photo or two to create a simple photo album alongside their notes.

Once you’re ready you can check out my other post/video on 20 Creative Ideas for Your Travel Journal. Or if you want to take it step by step, you can go to the second part of this series and begin adding tiny doodles to your daily log.

Why This Works ~ Tiny Notes Can Become Stories

The lovely thing about keeping these small, simple entries is that they quietly build something much bigger. One tiny note doesn’t seem like much. But over a week, or a month, or a whole trip, they start to weave together into a fuller story of where you were and who you were in those moments.

You’ll find yourself remembering not only the big events, but also the feeling of a warm morning, the kindness of a stranger, the colour of a doorway, or the way the air smelled at sunset. These are the things that make a journey feel alive again when you revisit your pages.

Join Me in this Simple Practice and Start a Travel Journal

If you’d like some gentle inspiration to keep going, think of this as a practice we can do together. You can journal at the end of the day, in the morning with your coffee, or in a quiet moment whenever it appears. It doesn’t have to take long.

My hope is to share more simple journal ideas in the coming weeks.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re not the kind of person who keeps a journal, or that your writing needs to be perfect, I hope this reassures you: none of that matters. The most important thing is simply starting. Showing up to the page with whatever you have and whatever you remember.

Tiny entries are enough. They add up. And one day, when you flip back through your notebook, you’ll be so glad you captured these small moments.

Thank you for being here, and for journaling with me. I hope your own travel journal — wherever you begin it — becomes a gentle companion on your journey.