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Atlas & Boots

The UK's most popular outdoor travel blog

95 most inspirational travel quotes ever penned

Our favourite inspirational travel quotes have encouraged us to travel with abandon over the years. Perhaps they will do the same for you…

For us, there is no such thing as luxury travel; travel is, by default, a luxury. It is a privilege provided by the country of our birth, a privilege that many are not as fortunate to enjoy.

Sometimes, we have to pinch ourselves at just how ridiculous our lives have become: an ex-teacher and jobbing writer travelling the world for a living. It is absurd, it is astonishing, it is luxury.

When I first went travelling at 21 years old, my father gave me this quote scrawled on a piece of card.

It infused me with wanderlust. It encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone, make the most of my time, see the world and enjoy the freedom that comes with being on the road. It remains one of the most inspirational travel quotes I’ve read (even if Twain did not actually say it).

Today, 20 years and almost 100 countries later, it’s still in my wallet. Despite its tattered and dishevelled appearance, it’s every bit as important to me now as it was then.

With that in mind, we’ve collated our most beloved inspirational travel quotes to encourage readers to “explore, dream and discover” for themselves.

inspirational travel quotes

1. “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

2. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

3. “Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage.” – Paulo Coelho

4. “With age, comes wisdom. With travel, comes understanding.” – Sandra Lake

5. “When overseas you learn more about your own country, than you do the place you’re visiting.” – Clint Borgen

6. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

7. “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.” – Paul Brandt

8. “The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.” – Henry David Thoreau

9. “The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” – Rudyard Kipling

10. “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

11. “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” – Susan Heller Anderson

12. “No place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be.” – Chuck Thompson

13. “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharlal Nehru

14. “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu

15. “There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.” – Charles Dudley Warner

16. “A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships were built for.” – John A. Shedd

17. “Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

18. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

19. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

20. “Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli

21. “Once a year, go somewhere you’ve never been before.” – The Dalai Lama

22. “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

23. “What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re travelling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon

24. “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveller only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

25. “Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.” – Paul Theroux

26. “A traveller without observation is a bird without wings.” – Moslih Eddin Saadi

27. “Your true traveller finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty-his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure.” – Aldous Huxley

28. “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

29. “All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

30. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” – Anatole France

31. “I can’t control the wind but I can adjust the sail.” – Ricky Skaggs

32. “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment.” – Hilaire Belloc

33. “People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” – Dagobert D. Runes

34. “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener

35. “The use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

36. “You don’t have to be rich to travel well.” – Eugene Fodor

37. “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

38. “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber

39. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” – Robert Frost

40. “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

41. “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

42. “Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” ― Michael Palin

43. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

44. “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck

45. “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman

46. “There are far, far better things ahead than we leave behind.” – C.S. Lewis

47. “Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” – Freya Stark

48. “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley

49. “All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveller learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.” – Paul Fussell

50. “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

51. “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G.K. Chesterton

52. “Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation.” – Elizabeth Drew

53. “People don’t take trips, trips take people.” – John Steinbeck

54. “Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury

55. “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert

56. “The journey not the arrival matters.” – T. S. Eliot

57. “Time flies. It’s up to you to be the navigator.” – Robert Orben

58. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

59. “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” – Oscar Wilde

60. “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

61. “If an ass goes travelling, he’ll not come home a horse.” – Thomas Fuller

62. “Travelling tends to magnify all human emotions.” – Peter Hoeg

63. “To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote: To travel is to live.” – Hans Christian Andersen

64. “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

65. “I am not the same having seen the moon shine from the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

66. “I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth. Then I ask myself the same question.” – Harun Yahya

67. “I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad.” – George Bernard Shaw

68. “A wise traveler never despises his own country.” – Carlo Goldoni

69. “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

70 “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

71. “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin

72. “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

73. “The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton

74. “A man of ordinary talent will always be ordinary, whether he travels or not; but a man of superior talent will go to pieces if he remains forever in the same place.” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

75. “He who would travel happily must travel light.” – Antoine de St. Exupery

76. “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

77. “The more I travelled the more I realised that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine

78. “Live your life by a compass, not a clock.” – Stephen Covey

78. “Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” – Lawrence Block

80. “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” – Chief Seattle – or Si’ahl

81. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

82. “It is not down in any map; true places never are.” – Herman Melville

83. “We live in a world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharlal Nehru

84. “The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself” – Wallace Stevens

85. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch

86. “Paris is always a good idea.” – Julia Ormond (although it is often wrongly attributed to Audrey Hepburn)

87. “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the trip.” – Babs Hoffman

88. “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain

89. “Jobs fill your pocket but adventures fill your soul.” – Jaime Lyn Beatty

90. “It is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown. The only true failure would be not to explore at all.” – Sir Ernest Shackleton

91. “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” –  Jack Kerouac

92. “Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things can not be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain

93. “Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets.” – Oscar Wilde

94. “Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” – Roy M Goodman

95. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain (or possibly H Jackson Brown Jr )

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The 100 Most Inspirational Travel Quotes Of All Time

• Quotes , Travel Tips
• November 8, 2020 November 17, 2020
• 12 min read

If you’re planning a holiday, fighting post-trip blues, or just scrolling through instagram travel photos, you can be sure there’s a quote about traveling out there that hits the spot for you.

Travel quotes to discover yourself, travel quotes to motivate your next journey, fantastic travel quotes to drive you to live your best life and more. We can all relate to inspirational travel quotes, making them so fun to read.

In this article, I gathered some of the most popular travel quotes (and my personal favourites). I hope you’ll find these incredible travel quotes inspiring, and they’ll make you want to go out and see the world.

Famous travel quotes

1. “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”–Andre Gide

2. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all” – Helen Keller

3. “I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

4. “Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have travelled.” – Mohammed

5. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” –Mark Twain

6. “Surely, of all the wonders of the world, the horizon is the greatest.” – Freya Stark

7. “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain

8. “A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu 

9. “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign” – Robert Louis Stevenson

10. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” –Saint Augustine

11. “Life is meant for good friends and great adventures” – Anonymous

12. “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” –Susan Sontag

13. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by” —Robert Frost

14. “Once a year, go somewhere you have never been before.” –Dalai Lama

15. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” –Tim Cahill

16. “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”  – Anita Desai

17. “Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.”-Anonymous

18. “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” – Chief Seattle

19. “Collect Moment, Not Things.”-Anonymous

20. “Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.” – Lovelle Drachman

21. “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment.” — Hilaire Belloc

22. “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

23. “I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.” ― Melody Truong

24. “This wasn’t a strange place; it was a new one.” – Paulo Coelho

25. “If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet” – Rachel Wolchin

26. “Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” – Michael Palin

27. “We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.” – Ray Bradbury

28. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.” ― Mark Twain

29. “People don’t take trips, trips take people.” – John Steinbeck

30. “Travel is never a matter of money but of courage.” – Paulo Coelho

31. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

32. “I travel because it makes me realize how much I haven’t seen, how much I’m not going to see, and how much I still need to see.” – Carew Papritz

33. “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd

34. “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” – Terry Pratchett

35. “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

36. “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

37. “Travel far enough, you meet yourself.”― David Mitchell

38. “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley

39. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Lao Tzu

40. “Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been had you not been afraid to live it?” – Caroline Myss

41. “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” – Anonymous

42. “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” ― Jack Kerouac

43. “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert

44. “Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret” – Oscar Wilde

45. “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

46. “And then there is the most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.” –Randy Komisar

47. “I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth, then I ask myself the same question.” –Harun Yahya

48. “Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” –Unknown

49. “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain

50. “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

51. “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin

52. “No place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be.” – Chuck Thompson

53. “I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

54. “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert

55. “He who would travel happily must travel light.” – Antoine de St. Exupery

56. “To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

57. “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination with reality, and instead of thinking of how things may be, see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

58. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine

59. “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

60. “With age, comes wisdom. With travel, comes understanding.” – Sandra Lake

61. “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” – Anonymous

62. “Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions.” — Peter Hoeg

63. “You don’t have to be rich to travel well.” – Eugene Fodor

64. “When overseas you learn more about your own country, than you do the place you’re visiting.” – Clint Borgen

65. “The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine

66. “I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine.” – Caskie Stinnett

67. “Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” – Roy M. Goodman

68. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” – Robert Frost

69. “It is not down in any map; true places never are.” – Herman Melville

70. “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

71. “Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” — Lawrence Block

72. “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley

73. “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

74. “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comforts of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things — air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky. All things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

75. “And then there is the most dangerous risk of all — the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.” – Randy Komisar

76. “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

77. “To travel is to live.” – Hans Christian Andersen

78. “What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do — especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon

79. “Travel makes a wise man better but a fool worse.” – Thomas Fuller

80. “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” – Susan Heller

81. “Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” – David Mitchell

82. “Live your life by a compass, not a clock.” – Stephen Covey

83. “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” – Anita Desai

84. “We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.” – Ray Bradbury

85. “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

86. “He who would travel happily must travel light.” -Antoine de St. Exupery

87. “And then there is the most dangerous risk of all — the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.” – Randy Komisar

88. No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

89. “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” -Jack Kerouac

90. “Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” -Benjamin Disraeli

91. “Own only what you can always carry with you: known languages, known countries, known people. Let your memory be your travel bag” -Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

92. “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.”   -Susan Heller

93. “What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon

94. “Conventional wisdom tells us… we take our baggage with us. I’m not so sure. Travel, at its best, transforms us in ways that aren’t always apparent until we’re back home. Sometimes we do leave our baggage behind, or, even better, it’s misrouted to Cleveland and is never heard from again.”   -Eric Weiner

95. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” -Robert Frost

96. “There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.” – Jack Kerouac

97. “If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go.” – Anthony Bourdain

98. “At its best, travel should challenge our preconceptions and most cherished views, cause us to rethink our assumptions, shake us a bit, make us broader minded and more understanding.” –Arthur Frommer

99. “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train.” -Oscar Wilde

100. “Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret” -Oscar Wilde

It’s not a matter of where, but when. Time is precious and my time spent living and experience the cultures of this world is what I lust for. This is why I created this website, to share true, genuine experiences and not just typical touristy info. Travel, the love of coffee , and food!

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151 Best Travel Quotes That Will Inspire Wanderlust

As we prepare to travel again, there are fun ways we can keep our wanderlust alive, all while sitting at home. Cue staycations and inspiring travel quotes! 

Maybe you have a travel quote painted on your wall, as a decal on your bumper, or tattooed on your forearm. No matter the situation, whether it be during times of travel or travel journaling , travel quotes are a great reminder of life, love, and adventure .

Here are the 151 best travel quotes that will inspire the wanderlust in you.

Inspirational Travel Quotes

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

“Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.” – Paul Brandt

“Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” – David Mitchell

“I don’t know the question, but travel is definitely the answer.” – Unknown

“The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the memories we’ve made along the way.” – Unknown

“Travel like Gandhi, with simple clothes, open eyes, and an uncluttered mind.” – Rick Steves

“The journey, not the arrival, matters.” – T. S. Eliot

“Once a year, go somewhere you’ve never been before.” – The Dalai Lama

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” – Unknown

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

“There are seven days in the week, and someday isn’t one of them.” – Unknown

“Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have traveled.” – Mohamed

“Life is like a camera: you focus on what is important, capture the good times, develop from the negative and if things do not work out, take another shot.” – Unknown

“Discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

“Half the fun of travel is the aesthetic of lostness.” – Ray Bradbury

“Adventure should be part of everyone’s life. It is the whole difference between being fully alive and just existing.” – Holly Morris

“I travel because it makes me realize how much I haven’t seen, how much I’m not going to see, and how much I still need to see.” – Carew Papritz

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” – Confucius

“I can’t control the wind but I can adjust the sail.” – Ricky Skaggs

“Wanderlust isn’t about running away from it all.  It’s about experiencing the outside to discover the inside.” – Unknown

“Quit your job, buy a ticket, get a tan, fall in love, never return.” – Anonymous

“People don’t take trips. . . trips take people.” – John Steinbeck

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all people cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

“Own only what you can always carry with you: known languages, known countries, known people. Let your memory be your travel bag.” – Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

“Travel leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibu Battuta

“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

“Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions.” – Peter Hoeg

“Of all the books in all the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.” – Unknown

“Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.” – Chinese Proverb

“At the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling.” – Shant

“We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” – Katie Thurmes

“Add life to your days, not days to your life.” – Unknown

“Life is short and the world is wide.” – Simon Raven

“I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth. Then I ask myself the same question.” – Harun Yahya

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert

“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears.” – Glenn Clark

“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli

“So much of who we are is where we have been.” – William Langewiesche

“If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.” – Rachel Wolchin

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place… but nothing ever grows there.” – Anonymous

“Adventure can be an end in itself. Self-discovery is the secret ingredient.” – Grace Lichtenstein

“Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively, unless you can choose a challenge instead of a competence.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.” – Lovelle Drachman

“Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul.” – Jamie Lyn Beatty

“We live in a world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” ― Jawaharial Nehru

“Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret.” – Oscar Wilde

“Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told.” – Alan Keightley

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote, To travel is to live.” – Hans Christian Andersen

“And then there is the most dangerous risk of all — the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.” – Randy Komisar

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” – James Michener

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” – Anaïs Nin

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

“I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.” – John Green

“Oh, the places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

“Live your life by a compass, not a clock.” – Stephen Covey

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

“At its best, travel should challenge our preconceptions and most cherished views, cause us to rethink our assumptions, shake us a bit, make us broader minded and more understanding.” – Arthur Frommer

“A ship in a harbor is safe, but it is not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” – Anita Desai

“Veni, Vini, Amavi. We came, we saw, we loved.” – Unknown

“This is what holidays, travels, vacations are about. It is not really rest or even leisure we chase. We strain to renew our capacity to wonder, to shock ourselves into astonishment once again.” – Shana Alexander

“Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.” — Erol Ozan

“The freedom of the open road is seductive, serendipitous and absolutely liberating.” – Aaron Lauritsen, “100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip”

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” – Rosalía de Castro 

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” – Henry David Thoreau

“Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God.” – Kurt Vonnegut

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travellers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G.K. Chesterton

“And if travel is like love, it is, in the end, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.” – Pico Iyer

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by.” – Robert Frost

“Take only memories, leave only footprints.” – Chief Seattle

“The greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.” – Hilaire Belloc

“Traveling is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

“Cover the earth, before it covers you.” – Dagobert D. Runes

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Funny Travel Quotes

“The best way to know a city is to eat it.” – Scott Westerfeld

“If you think adventure is dangerous try routine, it’s lethal.” – Paulo Coelho

“Don’t worry about the world ending today, it’s already tomorrow in Australia.” – Charles M. Schulz

“ Jet lag is for amateurs.” – Dick Clark

 “I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.” – Henry Youngman

“I travel a lot, I hate having my life disrupted by routine.” – Caskie Stinnett

“Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s saying ‘I would stay and love you but I have to go, this is my station.’” – Lisa St. Aubin de Teran

“I crossed a time zone and I feel younger already. If I keep traveling west, I can become immortal.” – Jarod Kintz

“If anyone is Christmas shopping for me, I’m a size window seat in plane tickets.” – Anonymous

“I wish I was a postcard. For under a dollar, I could travel to any location in the world.” – Anonymous

“I would totally give up travel, but I’m not a quitter.” – Anonymous

“Road trips require a couple of things: a well-balanced diet of caffeine, salt and sugar and an excellent selection of tunes – oh, and directions.” – Jenn McKinlay

“My fear of flying starts as soon as I buckle myself in and then the guy up front mumbles a few unintelligible words then before I know it I’m thrust into the back of my seat by acceleration that seems way too fast and the rest of the trip is an endless nightmare of turbulence, of near misses. And then the cabbie drops me off at the airport.” – Dennis Miller

Witty Instagram Captions

Rome stole a pizza my heart.

Stuck somewhere between “I need to save” and “you only live once”.

Friend: Let’s go to Bora Bora. Me: Man, I wanna go, but I’m pora pora.

It’s bad manners to let vacation wait!

Travel! Before you run out of time…

Moher photos, please.

Always take the scenic route.

An adventure a day keeps the doctor away.

Catch flights, not feelings.

Enjoy your vacation! Right baguette ya!

Good times and tan lines.

You used to call me on my shell phone…

Seek to sea more.

Eiffel in love in Paris.

I follow my heart … and it usually leads me to the airport.

Maybe you can’t buy happiness, but you can buy plane tickets!

It feels good to be lost in the right direction.

Paris, I hope our paths will croissant again.

Friend Travel Quotes

“A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

“It doesn’t matter where you’re going, it’s who you have beside you.” – Unknown

“Life was meant for great adventures and close friends.” – Unknown

 “ Friends that travel together, stay together.” – Unknown

“There is an unspoken bond you create with the friends you travel with.” – Kristen Sarah

“True friends never apart maybe in distance never in heart.” – Helen Keller

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of the world & the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

“The more I traveled, the more I realized fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine

“Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.” – Izaak Walton

“I get a friend to travel with me… I need somebody to bring me back to who I am. It’s hard to be alone.” – Leonardo DiCaprio

“As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” – Winnie The Pooh

“Life was meant for good friends and great adventures.” – Unknown

“Wherever it is you may be, it is your friends who make your world.” – Chris Bradford

“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than finding your friend whom you trust and can show the way.” – Toba Beta

Anthony Bourdain Travel Quotes

“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.” – Anthony Bourdain

“If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” – Anthony Bourdain

“I’m a big believer in winging it. I’m a big believer that you’re never going to find perfect city travel experience or the perfect meal without a constant willingness to experience a bad one. Letting the happy accident happen is what a lot of vacation itineraries miss, I think, and I’m always trying to push people to allow those things to happen rather than stick to some rigid itinerary.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Plans should be ephemeral, so be prepared to move away from them.” – Anthony Bourdain

“I think food , culture, people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable.” – Anthony Bourdain

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain

Mark Twain Travel Quotes

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

“Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

“The funniest things are forbidden.” – Mark Twain

“It liberates the vandal to travel — you never saw a bigoted, opinionated, stubborn, narrow-minded, self-conceited, almighty mean man in your life but he had stuck in one place since he was born and thought God made the world and dyspepsia and bile for his especial comfort and satisfaction.” – Mark Twain 

“There is no unhappiness like the misery of sighting land (and work) again after a cheerful, careless voyage.” – Mark Twain 

“Take the universe as a whole, and it is a very clever conception and quite competently carried out, but I don’t think much of this globe as a work of art. It would have been better to take more time to it and do it right, it seems to me, than to rush it through, helter-skelter, in six days, just for reputation.” – Mark Twain 

“The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become until he goes abroad. I speak now, of course, in the supposition that the gentle reader has not been abroad, and therefore is not already a consummate ass.” – Mark Twain

“It is a subject that is bound to stir the pulses of any man one talks seriously to about, for in this age of inventive wonders all men have come to believe that in some genius’ brain sleeps the solution of the grand problem of aerial navigation — and along with that belief is the hope that that genius will reveal his miracle before they die, and likewise a dread that he will poke off somewhere and die himself before he finds out that he has such a wonder lying dormant in his brain.” – Mark Twain

Jack Kerouac Travel Quotes

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain. ” – Jack Kerouac

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” ― Jack Kerouac, “On the Road”

“So shut up, live, travel, adventure, bless, and don’t be sorry.” — Jack Kerouac, “Desolation Angels”

“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.” ― Jack Kerouac, “On the Road”

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60 Short Travel Quotes to Inspire Your Next Trip

Home | Travel | 60 Short Travel Quotes to Inspire Your Next Trip

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Short quotes about travel are the easiest way to get travel inspiration since they pack a lot of meaning into very few words. Sometimes, all you need is a short and sweet simple travel quote to start thinking about your next adventure.

This collection of short travel sayings has something for just about every travel lover. You’ll find some of the best short travel phrases , of course, but I’ve also included some short travel quotes with friends , short travel quotes for couples , short adventure quotes , and more. Get ready to be inspired by these incredible short travel quotes !

• Best short travel quotes
• Short adventure quotes
• Short solo travel quotes
• Short travel quotes for couples
• Short travel quotes with friends
• Short family travel quotes

As you’re reading through this list of short vacation quotes , don’t forget to save your favorites and share them with your friends and family to pass the inspiration along. If you’re interested in checking out some longer travel sayings, our collection of the top 100 quotes about travel has exactly what you’re looking for .

Best Short Travel Quotes

The best short quotes on travel exemplify the idea of quality over quantity: you’ll get tons of inspiration from just a few words!

1. “Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage.” – Paulo Coelho

As this short holiday quote points out, you don’t have to be rich to travel. You can have a fantastic trip on a budget as long as you’re brave enough to get out there!

2. “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.” – Hilaire Belloc

This short travel saying is a fantastic reminder of how impactful exploring can be on our lives.

3. “Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” – Roy Goodman

This simple travel quote shows that attitude is everything. The way we approach life, especially when it comes to travel, can make the difference between having a decent trip and having the trip of a lifetime.

4. “Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret.” – Oscar Wilde

These wise words from the famous Irish writer are the perfect inspiration for an adventure. Ready to start planning your next getaway?

5. “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” – Anonymous

As this quick trip quote wisely points out, travel enriches our lives in many ways: culturally, gastronomically, emotionally, and more.

6. “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin

This adventure short quote reminds us that we travel for many different reasons. Whether you travel because you’re curious about the world or because you want to find yourself, any and all travel reasons are valid!

7. “Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote.” – Michael Palin

Anyone who loves travel will relate to this wanderlust short travel quote . I know we do!

8. “To travel is to live.” – Hans Christian Andersen

This short quote on travel is simple but effective: travel really is a key part of truly living life to its fullest.

9. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine

This famous short travel saying is well-known for a reason. The metaphor of the world being a book works so well for expressing the idea that travel expands our minds.

10. “Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.” – Chinese Proverb

This short travel caption provides the ultimate travel inspiration. It’s great to hear other people’s travel stories, but if you’re curious about what’s out there, why not go see it for yourself ?

Short Adventure Quotes

These incredible adventure quotes will inspire you to see the world and keep exploring!

11. “Then one day, when you least expect it, the great adventure finds you.” – Ewan McGregor

This short travel saying reminds us that we don’t always need to go looking for adventure to find it.

12. “Adventure is not outside man; it is within.” – George Eliot

As this short travel quote argues, we all have the spirit of adventure within us. We just have to embrace it!

13. “Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure.” – Bob Bitchin

This short vacation quote makes it clear that a positive attitude can turn a mishap into a grand adventure. Try it the next time you’re traveling!

14. “Adventure is out there!” – Up

This short and simple travel quote from the beloved Pixar movie is the perfect inspiration for your next big getaway. Go find that adventure!

15. “If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.” – Rachel Wolchin

This short adventure saying will resonate if you feel like exploring is in your DNA.

16. “The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.” – Christopher McCandless

This short trip quote encourages us to see adventure as an important part of being alive. Maybe, deep down, we’re all explorers.

17. “Oh, the places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

As this famous short quote about travel reminds us, it’s so exciting that there are tons of amazing places in the world to see. Why not get started on seeing them all?

18. “If happiness is the goal – and it should be – then adventures should be a top priority.” – Richard Branson

This simple travel quote has one basic message: adventures equal happiness. If you have an incurable case of wanderlust, this saying will probably resonate with you.

19. “You must go on adventures to find out where you truly belong.” – Sue Fitzmaurice

Travel can be crucial for helping us understand more about ourselves. Let your adventures be your guide!

20. “Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul.” – Jaime Lyn

As this life is short travel quote shows, adventures fulfill us in ways that money simply cannot.

Short Solo Travel Quotes

If you’re planning a solo adventure and need some motivation, these short travel alone quotes are just what you need!

21. “I wondered why it was that places are so much lovelier when one is alone.” – Daphne du Maurier

If you’re a frequent solo traveler, you’ll probably relate to the idea that places seem more beautiful when you’re by yourself. After all, solo travel gives you the chance to fully appreciate the sights around you.

22. “To travel is worth any cost or sacrifice.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

I love this short vacation quote because I really relate to it. To me, travel is absolutely priceless and always worth it.

23. “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag

As this travel short caption points out, sometimes travel has to get put on the back burner, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop dreaming about or planning where we’ll go next!

24. “I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine.” – Caskie Stinnett

Anyone who likes to stay in motion and keep exploring will relate to this short quote about adventure . Routines definitely aren’t for everyone!

25. “Not I, nor anyone else, can travel that road for you. You must travel it for yourself.” – Walt Whitman

This short quote on travel is all about discovering the beauty of the world for ourselves.

26. “I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

As this short travel phrase shows, travel can and should change us forever. Enjoy the unforgettable memories you make along your journey!

27. “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

This short solo travel quote points out the pleasures of traveling alone, including having a whole bed to yourself!

28. “The more I travelled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine

The best thing about traveling solo is that you can easily make friends along the way. Take the opportunity to spend time with new people so you can turn strangers into friends!

29. “I think one travels more usefully when they travel alone, because they reflect more.” – Thomas Jefferson

This short trip quote reminds us that one huge advantage of traveling alone is the chance to be introspective and think deeply about your trip. It might even be helpful to keep a journal or jot down some notes to keep track of your thoughts.

30. “Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone.” – Anonymous

This quick trip caption is a great reminder that not everyone travels well together. The best travel buddy will always be yourself!

Short Travel Quotes for Couples

These short travel quotes for couples will help set the mood for a romantic getaway. After all, love and travel make the perfect pair!

31. “Travelling in the company of those we love is home in motion.” – Leigh Hunt

This romantic short travel quote makes a great point that traveling with loved ones can turn any place into somewhere that feels like home.

32. “As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was about to happen.” – A. A. Milne

If you’ve ever looked at someone and known you were in for a lifetime of adventures together, then this short travel saying is for you. It doesn’t get any better than having a partner who’s also a fantastic travel buddy – take it from us!

33. “A couple who travels together, grow together.” – Ahmad Fuadi

Travel is not only an incredible way to achieve personal growth, but also a fantastic way to grow as a couple. Spending day after day together in an unfamiliar place can really bring you closer together.

34. “I would not wish any companion in the world but you.” – William Shakespeare

Trust one of the world’s most famous poets to have written a beautiful short travel phrase about love. Be sure to share this romantic quote with your travel soulmate!

35. “In life, it’s not where you go. It’s who you travel with.” – Charles Schulz

As this short quote for travel reminds us, our travel companions can make all the difference in how we feel about our journey. Traveling with a loved one is sure to make your trip that much more fun!

36. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – An African Proverb

This short holiday quote shows that love and support can take us far, both in life and as travelers.

37. “Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” – Ernest Hemingway

This short holiday quote is great advice for anyone planning a vacation. Traveling involves spending a lot of time together, so it’s always best to go on a trip with someone you already know you like!

38. “I would go everywhere and anywhere with you.” – Cassandra Clare

This short travel saying perfectly captures the excitement of exploring the world with the person you love.

39. “Will you give me yourself? Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?” – Walt Whitman

I love this short trip quote because it’s so beautiful and poetic. These lines would make perfect wedding vows for a travel-loving couple!

40. “It’s wonderful to travel with someone you love and we never travel without one another.” – Roger Moore

This simple travel quote is a straightforward expression of the joy and beauty that come from traveling with your partner.

Short Travel Quotes with Friends

Good friends will always have your back, so it makes sense to bring them along on your biggest adventures. These short travel quotes with friends capture all the highs of traveling with your best pals.

41. “A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

As this short vacation saying expresses, in addition to the friends you bring with you, you’ll often make friends along the way as you travel.

42. “A good friend listens to your adventures. A best friend makes them with you.” – Unknown

Share this short trip quote with a best friend you’ll be traveling with soon, and get ready to have the time of your life together!

43. “There is an unspoken bond you create with the friends you travel with.” – Kristen Sarah

As this short adventure saying points out, traveling together is a great way to strengthen a friendship and grow even closer. After all, every night will be like a sleepover!

44. “It’s the friends we meet along the way that help us appreciate the journey.” – Anonymous

Sometimes, you don’t realize how far you’ve come until you look back and see all the friends you’ve made along the way.

45. “Good company on a journey makes the way seem shorter.” – Izaak Walton

In other words, time flies when you’re having fun! This short travel phrase shows how much joy friends can add to an adventure.

46. “You can pack for every occasion, but a good friend will always be the best thing you could bring!” – Unknown

This short quote for travel reminds us that good friends will always make a trip better.

47. “Good friends follow you anywhere.” – A.A. Milne

This short travel saying offers some great advice about friendship: quality friends will always support you, no matter what.

48. “Life was meant for great adventures and close friends.” – Unknown

This short unique travel quote is all about priorities. If you love going on trips with your closest friends, this saying will definitely resonate with you.

49. “Sometimes all you need is a great friend and a tank of gas.” – Thelma & Louise

As this short road trip quote points out, it doesn’t take much to go on an adventure. Grabbing your best friend and hopping in the car is all you need.

50. “A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face.” – Maya Angelou

This short quote about travel offers a beautiful way of looking at the world: seeing everyone as a potential friend rather than as a stranger or enemy.

Short Family Travel Quotes

These short family vacation quotes are just what you need to get the whole family excited for some time away together.

51. “Don’t just tell your children about the world. Show them.” – Anonymous

This short travel quote with family reminds us that traveling is the best way for kids to learn more about the world around them. Exploring is a valuable part of any child’s education.

52. “My ideal travel companions are my family.” – Pharrell Williams

This short, simple travel quote is a very sweet way of expressing your appreciation for traveling with family. Share this with your family so they know how much you enjoy exploring together!

53. “Travel is rich with learning opportunities, and the ultimate souvenir is a broader perspective.” – Rick Steves

This travel short caption applies not only to family, but also to any traveler looking to expand their worldview.

54. “Travel is not reward for working; it’s education for living.” – Anthony Bourdain

This iconic quick trip quote shows how travel and learning more about the world can make us all better human beings. Traveling allows us to make the world our classroom.

55. “Travel in the younger sort is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.” – Francis Bacon

As this short journey quote expresses, children and parents can experience travel a little differently. After all, seeing a place for the very first time is very different from a repeat visit.

56. “Build traditions of family vacations and trips and outings. These memories will never be forgotten by your children.” – Ezra Taft Benson

This short unique travel quote is a great reminder that your kids will cherish the wonderful memories of family vacations.

57. “Vacations are meant to be shared with the people we love the most.” – Unknown

There’s no better feeling than sharing an incredible view or new experience with the people you love the most. Luckily, family vacations are the perfect time to create new memories together.

58. “There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.” – Walt Streightiff

As this short travel caption points out, children are so curious and excited about the world around them that anything new will seem wonderful.

59. “A family vacation is a good time to bond and make memories that last a lifetime.” – Steve Harvey

This short trip quote sums up the best reasons to plan a trip as a family.

60. “Family traveling together means a little bit of crazy, a little bit of loud. A whole lot of love.” – Anonymous

I love this short vacation quote because it captures the many facets of going on an adventure as a family. The crazy and the loud moments are all part of the fun, too!

I hope these short travel quotes have sparked your wanderlust and gotten you ready to start planning your next trip! Whether you’re a solo traveler who’s just found inspiration or one half of a couple trying to find the perfect caption for a vacation photo, be sure to save and/or share your favorite short unique travel quotes .

Let me know in the comments which short travel sayings resonated with you the most. Happy travels!

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156 Best Travel Quotes To Inspire You To See The World

We’ve been putting together some of our favorite inspirational travel quotes as we continue to journey around the world and experience new places and things abroad.

What follows is a complete collection of 156 of the best travel quotes, including some famous quotes from figures like Anthony Bourdain, John Muir, and Mark Twain.

Warning: some of these quotes may give you the travel itch! In any case, I hope you’ll find them inspirational!

Table of Contents show 156 Best Travel Quotes • Famous Travel Quotes • Mark Twain Travel Quotes • Funny Travel Quotes • Short Travel Quotes • Misc Travel Quotes • Inspirational Travel Quotes • Travel With Friends Quotes • Adventure Travel Quotes • Solo Travel Quotes • Anthony Bourdain Travel Quotes More Travel Content & Tips  

156 Best Travel Quotes

• famous travel quotes.

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. — Unknown

Take only memories, leave only footprints. — Unknown

Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. — Gustave Flaubert

Not all those who wander are lost. — J.R.R. Tolkien

Every man dies, but not every man really lives. — William Wallace

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. — Oscar Wilde

Life is a journey. Make the most of it. — Unknown

I’ve traveled every road in this here land… I’ve been everywhere, man, I’ve been everywhere. — Johnny Cash

Paris is always a good idea. — Audrey Hepburn

Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. — Unknown

Collect moments, not things. — Unknown

Today is your day, your mountain is waiting. So get on your way. — Dr Seuss

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. — Unknown

I’m shaking the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I’m gonna see the world. — George Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life

It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to. — J.R.R. Tolkien

Nature is not a place to visit. It is home. — Gary Snyder

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. — Lao Tzu

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. — John Muir

The mountains are calling and I must go. — John Muir

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. — John Muir

To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to gain all while you give, to roam the roads of lands remote: To travel is to live. — Hans Christian Andersen

Oh the places you’ll go. — Dr. Seuss

I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. — Robert Frost

When one is alone at night in the depths of the woods, the stillness is at once awful and sublime. — John Muir

Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own. — Charles Dickens

• Mark Twain Travel Quotes

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one’s lifetime.

To do something, say something, see something, before anybody else — these are the things that confer a pleasure compared with which other pleasures are tame and commonplace, other ecstasies cheap and trivial. Lifetimes of ecstasy crowded into a single moment.

It is the loveliest fleet of islands [ Hawaii ] that lies anchored in any ocean.

No alien land in all the world has any deep strong charm for me but that one [ Hawaii ], no other land could so longingly and so beseechingly haunt me, sleeping and waking, through half a lifetime, as that one has done. Other things leave me, but it abides; other things change, but it remains the same.   For me the balmy airs are always blowing, its summer seas flashing in the sun; the pulsing of its surfbeat is in my ear; I can see its garlanded crags, its leaping cascades, its plumy palms drowsing by the shore, its remote summits floating like islands above the cloud wrack; I can feel the spirit of its wildland solitudes, I can hear the splash of its brooks; in my nostrils still lives the breath of flowers that perished twenty years ago.

• Funny Travel Quotes

Airplanes may kill you, but they ain’t likely to hurt you. — Leroy Satchel Paige

Two great talkers will not travel far together. — George Borrow

I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. — Mark Twain

I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine. — Caskie Stinnett

Did you ever notice that the first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone? — Erma Bombeck

Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. — Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz

• Short Travel Quotes

Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. — Unknown

Better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times. — Asian Proverb

Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller. — Ibn Battutah

We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. — Unknown

One travels to run away from routine, that dreadful routine that kills all imagination and all our capacity for enthusiasm. — Ella Maillart

Half the fun of travel is the esthetic of lostness. — Ray Bradbury

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. — Marcel Proust

There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign. — Robert Louis Stevenson

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. — Neale Donald Walsh

I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list. — Unknown

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. — Louis Armstrong

They say travel broadens the mind, but you must have the mind. — G.K. Chesterton

Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow. — Anita Desai

Life is short and the world is wide. — Unknown

The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land. — G.K. Chesterton

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving. — Lao Tzu

If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere. — Vincent van Gogh

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. — John Muir

A wise traveler never despises his own country. — Carlos Osvaldo Goldoni

You know more of a road by having traveled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world. — William Hazlitt

I love to travel, but hate to arrive. — Albert Einstein

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. — John Muir

A great way to learn about your country is to leave it. — Henry Rollins

Live your life by a compass, not a clock. — Stephen Covey

Some experiences simply do not translate, you have to go to know. — Kobi Yamada

I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world. — Mary Anne Radmacher

At its best, travel should challenge our preconceptions and most cherished views, cause us to rethink our assumptions, shake us a bit, make us broader minded and more understanding. — Arthur Frommer

Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage. — Paulo Coelho

Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost. — Erol Ozan

Travel far enough, you meet yourself. — David Mitchell

The journey itself is my home. — Matsuo Basho

Live, travel, adventure, bless and don’t be sorry. — Jack Kerouac

The saddest journey in the world is the one that follows a precise itinerary. — Guillermo del Toro

A good traveler leaves no tracks. — Lao Tzu

It’s in those quiet little towns, at the edge of the world, that you will find the salt of the Earth people who make you feel right at home. — Aaron Lauritsen

It is better to travel well than to arrive. — Unknown

The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life. — Agnes Repplier

• Misc Travel Quotes

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. — Albert Camus

To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world. — John Muir

When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty. — John Muir

I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana, it is love. — John Steinbeck

Yosemite Park is a place of rest, a refuge from the roar and dust and weary, nervous, wasting work of the lowlands, in which one gains the advantages of both solitude and society. — John Muir

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. — Jacques Cousteau

The Mediterranean has the color of mackerel, changeable I mean. You don’t always know if it is green or violet, you can’t even say it’s blue, because the next moment the changing reflection has taken on a tint of rose or gray. — Vincent van Gogh

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. — John Burroughs

No pain here, no dull empty hours, no fear of the past, no fear of the future. These blessed mountains are so compactly filled with God’s beauty, no petty personal hope or experience has room to be. — John Muir

On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it. — Jules Renard

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. — Albert Einstein

Lighthouses are not just stone, brick, metal, and glass. There’s a human story at every lighthouse. — Elinor DeWire

To almost every man and woman there is something about a lighted beacon which suggests hope and trust and appeals to the better instincts of all mankind. — Edward Rowe Snowe

• Inspirational Travel Quotes

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. — Helen Keller

Never let your memories be greater than your dreams. — Douglas Ivester

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible. — Lawrence of Arabia

Do not dare not to dare. — C.S. Lewis

Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. — George Adair

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. — Unknown

It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win. — John Paul Jones

This is what holidays, travels, vacations are about. It is not really rest or even leisure we chase. We strain to renew our capacity for wonder to shock ourselves into astonishment once again. — Shana Alexander

I beg young people to travel. If you don’t have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack and go to Delhi, go to Saigon, go to Bangkok, go to Kenya. Have your mind blown. Eat interesting food. Dig some interesting people. Have an adventure. Be careful. Come back and you’re going to see your country differently, you’re going to see your president differently, no matter who it is. — Henry Rollins

Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in an office or mowing your lawn. Climb that damn mountain. — Jack Kerouac

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilization, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints. — Robert Louis Stevenson

Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. — Ray Bradbury

We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place. We stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there. — Pascal Mercier

Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to. — Alan Keightley

Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground. — Judith Thurman

Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey. — Pat Conroy

No man is brave that has never walked a hundred miles. If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler, the great teacher, bitter as medicine, crueler than mirror-glass. A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet. — Patrick Rothfuss

It is always sad to leave a place to which one knows one will never return. Such are the melancolies du voyage: perhaps they are one of the most rewarding things about traveling. — Gustave Flaubert

The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human: the desire to move, to satisfy your curiosity or ease your fears, to change the circumstances of your life, to be a stranger, to make a friend, to experience an exotic landscape, to risk the unknown. — Paul Theroux

Although I deeply love oceans, deserts and other wild landscapes, it is only mountains that beckon me with that sort of painful magnetic pull to walk deeper and deeper into their beauty. They keep me continuously wanting to know more, feel more, see more. — Victoria Erickson

• Travel With Friends Quotes

A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles. — Tim Cahill

You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place. — Miriam Adeney

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend. — Robert Louis Stevenson

• Adventure Travel Quotes

Adventure is worthwhile in itself. — Amelia Earhart

If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal. — Paulo Coelho

Most of us abandoned the idea of a life full of adventure and travel sometime between puberty and our first job. Our dreams died under the dark weight of responsibility. Occasionally the old urge surfaces, and we label it with names that suggest psychological aberrations: the big chill, a midlife crisis. — Tim Cahill

Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness. All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter. — John Muir

Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. — Edward Abbey

Once a journey is designed, equipped, and put in process, a new factor enters and takes over. A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless.   We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass-bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip. Only when this is recognized can the blown-in-the glass bum relax and go along with it. Only then do the frustrations fall away. In this a journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it. — John Steinbeck

What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies. — Jack Kerouac

A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for. — J.A. Shedd

Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and make a trail. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any. — Hugh Laurie

Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the Earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white. — Mark Jenkins

The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. — Christopher McCandless

Adventure is allowing the unexpected to happen to you. Exploration is experiencing what you have not experienced before. How can there be any adventure, any exploration, if you let somebody else – above all, a travel bureau – arrange everything before-hand? — Richard Aldington

Be careful because Cambodia is the most dangerous place you will ever visit. You will fall in love with it, and eventually it will break your heart. — Joel Brinkley

• Solo Travel Quotes

To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world. — Freya Stark

Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. — Unknown

I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses. — Bill Bryson

The true fruit of travel is perhaps the feeling of being nearly everywhere at home. — Freya Stark

When you’ve managed to stumble directly into the heart of the unknown – either through the misdirection of others, or better yet, through your own creative ineptitude – there is no one there to hold your hand or tell you what to do. In those bad lost moments, in the times when we are advised not to panic, we own the unknown, and the world belongs to us. The child within has full reign. Few of us are ever so free. — Tim Cahill

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. — Lin Yutang

He travels the fastest who travels alone. — Rudyard Kipling

Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection. — Lawrence Durrell

When the traveler goes alone he gets acquainted with himself. — Liberty Hyde Bailey

The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready. — Henry David Thoreau

I think one travels more usefully when they travel alone, because they reflect more. — Thomas Jefferson

Loving life is easy when you are abroad. Where no one knows you and you hold your life in your hands all alone, you are more master of yourself than at any other time. — Hannah Arendt

Personally I like going places where I don’t speak the language, don’t know anybody, don’t know my way around and don’t have any delusions that I’m in control. Disoriented, even frightened, I feel alive, awake in ways I never am at home. — Michael Mewshaw

I can speak to my soul only when the two of us are off exploring deserts or cities or mountains or roads. — Paulo Coelho

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me. The long brown path before me leading me wherever I choose. — Walt Whitman

• Anthony Bourdain Travel Quotes

If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go.

Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks — on your body or on your heart — are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.

It’s an irritating reality that many places and events defy description. Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu , for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affair you can never talk about.   For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where you’ve been and what’s happened. In the end, you’re just happy you were there — with your eyes open — and lived to see it.

Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.

I know that I will never understand the world I live in or fully know the places I’ve been. I’ve learned for sure only what I don’t know — and how much I have to learn.

I’m a big believer in winging it. I’m a big believer that you’re never going to find the perfect city travel experience or the perfect meal without a constant willingness to experience a bad one. Letting the happy accident happen is what a lot of vacation itineraries miss, I think, and I’m always trying to push people to allow those things to happen rather than stick to some rigid itinerary.

Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? … I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.

It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn.   Maybe that’s enlightenment enough – to know that there is no final resting place of the mind, no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom, at least for me, means realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go.

I think food, culture, people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable.

Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go.

Southeast Asia has a real grip on me. From the very first time I went there, it was a fulfillment of my childhood fantasies of the way travel should be.

I wanted adventures. I wanted to go up the Nung river to the heart of darkness in Cambodia . I wanted to ride out into a desert on camelback, sand and dunes in every direction, eat whole roasted lamb with my fingers. I wanted to kick snow off my boots in a Mafiya nightclub in Russia. I wanted to play with automatic weapons in Phnom Penh, recapture the past in a small oyster village in France, step into a seedy neon-lit pulqueria in rural Mexico. I wanted to run roadblocks in the middle of the night, blowing past angry militia with a handful of hurled Marlboro packs, experience fear, excitement, wonder.   I wanted kicks – the kind of melodramatic thrills and chills I’d yearned for since childhood, the kind of adventure I’d found as a little boy in the pages of my Tintin comic books. I wanted to see the world – and I wanted the world to be just like the movies.

At this point I think my body is like an old car. Another dent ain’t gonna make a whole lot of difference. At best it’s a reminder that you’re still alive and lucky as hell. Another tattoo, another thing you did, another place you’ve been.

I have seen firsthand that things can turn on a dime. Tremendously awful, evil things happen to nice people all the time. I have seen people, again and again, relentlessly grinding under the wheel of poverty or oppression. At the same time, I see random acts of kindness and pride in the most outrageous and most unexpected circumstances. I am grateful. I understand that I am very privileged to see what I am seeing, even when it hurts. I think that people, particularly Americans, need to be more inspired to travel and be adventurous with the things they eat. And if they are curious about the world and willing to walk in somebody else’s shoes—that is surely a good thing.

Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive, and moribund.

Who wouldn’t travel, if they could? It’s unthinkable to me. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy different, new sensations, especially when the world is filled with so much great stuff? I like new things. I like to feel good. I like learning about stuff. It makes me happy. I like being wrong about stuff.

If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.

Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.

More Travel Content & Tips

That’s a roundup of our favorite adventure travel quotes! I hope you’ve found these travel quotes inspirational for your own journeys.

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50 Travel Quotes Sure to Inspire Wanderlust

I am a sucker for travel quotes. I read them and instantly feel inspired. I write them in margins of journals, find inspiration for posts in them and even create travel mantras. I also love sharing my favorites with fellow-travelers. I’ve shared them in various forms here on For the Love of Wanderlust, but today I’m sharing my favorite 50 Travel Quotes.

For the Love of Wanderlust’s Favorite 50 Travel Quotes:

“Most travelers hurry too much… the great thing is to stray and travel with eyes of the spirit wide open, and not too much factual information. To tune in, without reverence, idly– but with real inward attention. It is to be had for the feeling…. You can extract the essence of a place once you know how. If you just get as still a needle, you’ll be there.” Lawrence Durrell

“Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.” Andrew Zimmern

“You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place. Like you’ll not only miss the people you love, but you’ll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you’ll never be this way ever again.” Azar Nafisi

If you’re brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old, resentments and out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you.” Elizabeth Gilbert

“Let’s not travel to tick things off lists or collect half-hearted, semi-treasures to be places in dusty drawers in empty rooms. Rather, we’ll travel to find grounds and rooftops and tiny hidden parks, where we’ll sit and dismiss the passing time, spun in the city’s web ’til we’ve surrendered, content to be spent and consumed. I need to feel a place while I’m in it.” Victoria Erickson

“(Travel is) humbling to the point where you have major regrets about some of the stupid things you said, some of the things you thought were right. You keep going to these countries, and it’s like you forgot the lesson from the last time. But the first person you encounter kind-of bitch-slaps you upside the head in the most wonderful innocent way, and you realize, God, I’m still an asshole . And this guy, by doing nothing except being broke and so incredibly polite – it takes you aback,  you realize, I’m still not there yet. I still have, like, eight miles to go before I can even get into the parking lot of humility. I have to keep going back. It’s like going back to the chiropractor to get a readjustment . That’s me in Africa; that’s me in SE Asia. You come back humbled and you bring that into your life.” Henry Rollins

“When it is over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life, something particular and real. I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument. I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.” Mary Oliver

“I want a life measured in first steps on foreign soils and deep breaths in brand new seas. I want a life measured in welcome signs, each stamped with a different name, borders marked with metal and paint. Show me the streets that don’t know the muse of my wandering feet and I will play their song upon them. Perfume me please in the smells of faraway, I will never wash my hair if it promises to stay. I want a life measured in the places I haven’t gone, short sleeps on long flights, new words to describe the dawn.” Tyler Knott Gregson

“I’d like to repeat the advice that I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” John Krakauer

“The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human; the desire to move, to satisfy your curiosity or ease your fears, to henge the circumstances of your life, to be a stranger, to make a friend, to experience an exotic landscape, to risk the unknown, to bear witness to the consequences, tragic or comic, of the people possessed by the narcissism of minor differences.” Paul Theroux

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you – it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart and on your body. You take something with you… Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” Anthony Bourdain

“People often ask me how I have managed to have so many interesting people – experiences in my nomadic wanderings. It’s because I trust; I always have. It’s not something that has developed with experience, though perhaps with constant reinforcement I do it more often. I’ve never been disappointed, though I’ve sometimes been surprised. I know there’s a risk but it’s one I’m willing to take. My life is constantly enriched because I trust people.” Rita Golden Gelman

Travel is little beds and cramped bathrooms. It’s old television sets and slow internet connections. Travel is extraordinary conversations with ordinary people. It’s waiters, gas station attendants and housekeepers becoming the most interesting people in the world. It’s churches that are compelling enough to enter. It’s McDonald’s being a luxury. It’s the realization that you may have been born in the wrong country. Travel is a smile that leads to a conversation in broken English. It’s the epiphany that pretty girls smile the same way all over the world. Travel is tipping 10% and being embraced for it. Travel is the same white t-shirt again tomorrow. Travel is accented sex after good wine and to many unfiltered cigarettes. Travel is flowing in the back of a bus with giggly strangers. It’s a street full of beard backpackers looking down at maps. Travel is wishing for one more bite of whatever that just was. It’s the rediscovery of walking somewhere. It’s sharing a bottle of liquor on an overnight train with a new friend. Travel is, ‘Maybe I don’t have to do it that way when I get back home.’ It’s nostalgia for studying abroad that one semester. Travel is realizing that ‘age thirty’ should be shed of its goddam stigma.” Nick Miller

It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many place I have still to go, how much more there is to learn. Maybe that’s enlightenment enough – to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom, at least for me, means realizing how small I am, and unwise and how far I have yet to go.” Anthony Bourdain

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.   Explore.  Dream.  Discover.” Mark Twain

 I hope these 50 travel quotes from poets, wanderers, authors and drifters have left you full of wanderlust. Did your favorite travel quote make the cut? Feel free to share yours in the comments below! I hope you feel inspired to get out and explore, to buy a plane ticket or take a hike. 

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About Paige Wunder

Paige Wunder is based in the Ozarks where she lives with her husband. When she's not hiking in the mountains or planning a backpacking trip, she's taking a road trip or sampling some delicious craft beer. She loves sharing her adventures both big & small.

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50 comments.

Megan Claire (@mappingmegan)

Thanks for putting together this amazing compliation of quotes, I think that travel quotes both inspire the passion for travel, and also inspire reflection, on the things we’ve learned through our experiences, and remind us of our memories. I think it’s impossible to choose a favorite from such a long list though!

Paige Wunder

I agree. They’re multi-faceted and there’s a quote for any type of traveler as well. I love a boost of inspiration.

Sandy N Vyjay

These are all so inspiring and bring alive the spirit of travel. Indeed I fee that blessed are the people who travel for they get to see and experience what others don’t. Life is definitely not fully lived if you do not travel.

I absolutely agree with that. I’ve never found something else that has done so much for me. Travel is fun, an educator, trying, beautiful and unifying, all at the same time!

AuthenticTravels

Oh, this is such a wonderful idea and an inspirational post. You know, at the beginning of my blog, I had started to collect travel quotes and I was planning to write + comment one /week. I am very happy to see that you found the time to do this awesome job. I think that the quote I resonate now is the one referring to how small we are in this world. I would add my favorite quote too:”we live to discover beauty, all else is a form of waiting.” (Kahlil Gibran)

That’s a beautiful quote! There are so many. Maybe I’ll have a 50 more post some time! They’re really fun to collect aren’t they?

What a fantastic selection of quotes! I think my favourites are the ones by Gustave Flaubert and Anita Desai. I definitely try to bring back some of the good parts of travelling and I don’t mean souvenirs, but healthier or more relaxed ways of living

I completely agree. Those are the best kinds of souvenirs! I have to admit they usually go by the wayside after time, but that’s a great excuse for a refresher and more travel!

ambujsaxena05

You have compiled my favorite quotes in one post. I cant help but keep going back to pick my favorite travel quote. I think travel shows we need to modest in our day to day lives.

I completely agree. I remember when I came home from my first long-term trip, I came home and purged everything and donated so much to Goodwill. It teaches you how little you truly need to be happy.

Vibeke Johannessen

I love that you created pins for this quotes:) many of these are new to me and it is so inspiring to read. It is hard to pick a favourite though. These quotes makes you really appreciate the wanderlust when people might say travelling is useless etc. Thank you so much for this post 🙂

Thank you! It was really time consuming, but also a lot of fun! I also love to reference quotes when people make judgy statements about travel being useless. Thanks for reading!

Thank you! It was time-consuming but also a lot of fun! They really do make good responses to people who think traveling is foolish or a waste of time/money.

I love travel quotes and they are always so good! My favorite from these was this one from Andrew Zimmern. I never really thought about those two words in depth: traveler and tourist. Now every time I think of those words I will remember his quote 🙂

Yeah it’s an interesting idea. I remember when this sparked a huge debate a couple of years ago. I think everyone has their own styler, but I’d rather travel that take a vacation/holiday so it’s a good reminder to me and my travel-style.

These are some amazing quotes! It’s nice to stumble upon the not so “cliche” ones. I love the one by Jeff Johnson. Definitely saving this list for later when I need a little travel inspo.

I love that one too. It’s from the travel film 180 South. Super inspiring, I would highly recommend it, especially if you’re a Nature-lover.

They are all such great quotes and I can personally connect to more than a few of them ! I am actually saving some 🙂

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed them! I tried to share my favorite, less cliche quotes.

I love reading about travel quotes, especially those non-clique ones 😛 My favourite from this post is the “Travel isn’t always pretty” by Anthony Bourdain. People always think travel is fun (and glamorous) all the time, but it is not! I feel especially so this year!

Anne @TravelTheGlobe (@TTGLOBE4L)

Saved to Flipboard. I love these but when I want one can never find one. What a great resource I now have

I love love love travel quotes and this is a great list that you have put together here. I am definitely going to pin this for later on when I am in need of some motivation or just inspiration. It is hard to pick one favorite as I like so many of them.

Sonal of Drifter Planet

Love this post. Reminds me of my desk job days when I used to print them and pin them on my workstation. I’d spend a lot of time looking at them everyday and then eventually decided to quit my job and to leave. 🙂

A very well compiled list of travel quotes which are sure to tickle the wanderlust in me. This post has just become my source for travel quotes in the near future. Thanks a bunch! Cheers.

abcdefghizzy

“Travel is not a reward for working, it’s an education for living.” Can I just say WOW? My mind is blown! Love that these quotes are not the cliche offering and that there are so many of them I haven’t heard. Revisiting this post so I can bookmark everything!

Claire 🌍 (@clairesturz)

I do love a good travel quote! I was getting tired of the same ones though, but you’ve got some I hadn’t seen here before. I like Anthony Bourdain’s – travel isn’t always pretty for sure, but it definitely has changed me. I’m a different person now than I was when I left, for sure!

Love all these quotes! So inspiring!

nickwheatley

I am with you – I absolutely love travel quotes! When my wife and I were starting our first extended trip abroad I gave her a travel journal in which I inscribed a quote to get her started – now she always asks me to write travel quotes in her journals. This is such a great list and has many I have never heard of before – thanks for compiling!

I love these! There are so many in here that I haven’t ever heard. Not your typical quotes. Love the Angelina Jolie one all the Jack Kerouac ones!

Tamara Elliott

I love these! I think my favourite one is about the stories found between passport pages. So good!

Jenn and Ed Coleman

I really like the construction of this article. Well done. My favorite quote today was “there is nothing that the road cannot fix”. That seems apropos as we are returning back to Tucson AZ this weekend. So much of my life, triumph and heartache has been centered around this city. I can only realize how much the road has set me free when I am engulfed in all of the city’s familiarity and ghosts.

Eric Gamble

I love this. I think I love the Edward Abbey, The Buffalo Bill, & the Mark Twain quotes the most. I am always restless and wanderlusting cause I cant imagine I was put on this gigantic planet just to hangout in one tiny place.

thewanderingcore

The quote by where Azar Nafisi where he says “You get a strange feeling while leaving a place…” That’s my feeling for everywhere I’ve been to and I think that’s what I crave for. What a truly beautiful collection where your described travel not as hobby or even as a passion but as a way to live life fully. Just wonderful post.

Wow, there are so many great quotes! My favorite travel quote Comes actually from the movie “The Hobbit”. “I’m going on an adventure!” Sums travelling pretty much up 😀

forever roaming the world

Some really great quotes here 😀 – I have to say sometimes I have to stop myself reading travel quotes because I want to get back out on the road haha. After reading through these it’s happening to me right now haha.

“All you have to do is dicide to go and the hardest part is over”- So true, so many people talk about traveling but few book the ticket

Traveling Well For Less

What an interesting mix of travel quotes. They really range the gamut. Of all them, the Michael Palin quote is my favorite.

Wow! Amazing how many quotes there are about traveling. Though my vaforite remains: Just go our and travel!

Happy continued travels! C

London-Unattached.com

Some great quotes here! I’ve seen a few of them but some are quite new to me.

WorldGlimpses

Love that one by Gustave Flaubert that “travel makes you modest”. That’s so true! When you see the diversity of the world, you can only get impatient to learn more and stand in awe before that grandeur of the globe! The only way to respect other cultures is to meet them and learn about them. Only then you should ask for respect for the “tiny space that you occupy”. 🙂

Jody Robbins

These are so good! I had no idea there were so many inspirational travel quotes out there. It often comes back to the same thing thought- be open and ready to learn.

WanderingCarol

It’s hard to go wrong with Kerouac and Sylvia Plath! So let’s keep rolling under the stars and follow our crooked paths.

I love your idea of gathering travel quotes! They are so inspirational. I actually never know there are so many travel quotes as I never actively seek out for them. I especially like the one about “travel makes you modest” – travelers really need to remember this!

Patricia Steffy (@PLSteffy)

These are great travel quotes, and most I’ve never read before (double bonus points). I think my favorite is the Anita Desai quote “where you go becomes a part of you somehow” (also amazing picture). It really resonates because I think I really have absorbed, to some degree, some element of every place I’ve been to — even from my travels with my parents when I was a toddler!

Sara Broers (@TravelWithSara)

I love all of these. I am always looking for “that” one quote. I particularly like Mark Twain’s quote, as we all get caught up in our day and in all reality, in 20 years, what will matter? Thanks for putting this together, as I’m bookmarking this for future reference.

This is a great collection of travel quotes. It’s hard to choose a favorite! Can’t go wrong with Twain or Bourdain though. 😉 Explore. Dream. Discover. All the way!

Love the quote by Anthony Bourdain. “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you – it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart and on your body. You take something with you… Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” I’ve been on the road a lot in my life, broke, uncomfortable and heartbroken. Through all that I’ve learned so much!

I’m always looking up travel quotes more than any other! I love the inspiration behind them, and a lot of them seem to work in accordance with my beliefs. Thanks for putting them all in one place!

wow! This was an amazing page. to keep this brief I will share the names of my favorites: Martien Vercruysse, Paul Theroux, Michael Mewshaw, Rita Golden Gelman, Nick Miller, Mark Twain. And I loved the unknown quote: “Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.” Loved this post alot.

Hey there Paige,

A few days ago we received a nomination for the Bloggers Recognition award. One of the conditions is to nominate 15 people ourselves, and since we have been reading and enjoying your posts lately, we would like to nominate you! Keep up the good work!

We wrote a post about it: http://wanderlustvlog.com/blog/our-blogger-recognition-award-nomination/

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31 Travel Journal Prompts + Creative Travel Journal Ideas

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Looking for travel journal prompts and creative travel journal ideas ?

Then you’re in the right place! 

Especially right now as travel is limited and people are searching for ways to travel at home, such as through relaxing staycations , keeping a travel journal can be a great way to relive your favorite trip memories. 

Moreover, it can keep travel alive, allow you to explore the world from home, and help you stay curious. 

Keep reading for a list of fun journal writing prompts related to travel as well as tips for creating something tangible that truly helps you feel inspired. 

Table of Contents

Downloadable Travel Journal PDF

Before we dive into the post, though, I want to offer you the chance to grab my free printable travel journal . 

The trip journal includes 56 prompts in total. 

This inspiring printable and fillable journal is great for exercising your creativity while traveling from home as you remember your favorite trips. 

Grab it, and then feel free to message me on Instagram ( @jessieonajourney ) to let me know which travel journal writing prompts were your favorite and why.

I plan to update the journal in the future — and you’ll get any revisions I make — so your feedback is appreciated!

What Is A Travel Journal?

A travel journal is a place where you can document your trip memories, whether you’re spending 7 days in Cancun , going on a solo USA road trip , off completing the world’s best hiking trails , or something else.

These can be paper or digital, bound or looseleaf, thin or thick. And— when it comes to how to write in a travel journal — it can include just text or a variety of mediums.

The point is, it offers a way to record what happens to you on the road — though you’re welcome to take your entries and give them a fictional twist for fun! 

Choosing Your Travel Journal

I may be a little biased, but if you’re looking for the best travel journal with prompts, I recommend grabbing my free printable journal here . 

Because I made it fillable, you can also use it as a travel journal online!

Additionally, there are loads of inspiring options online if you’d prefer to purchase one. On Amazon, I love this vegan leather option as well as this mindful travel journal .

Creative Travel Journal Ideas

Wondering how to be creative in your journal?

First of all, remember that a journal doesn’t just have to be writing. Use markers, paints, stickers, glitter, and even momentos from your travels to really bring the text to life. 

Of course, don’t forget about travel-themed accents, too, like stamps, tickets, postcards, and maps — you can even cut out sections of a map to showcase your favorite destinations. 

If you’re artistic, you might also consider bullet journaling and other techniques to make your journal more visual. 

In terms of keeping your travel writing fresh, having details to pull from can be a huge help.

When possible, try to experience a place with all five senses so you have more to draw from later. I personally like to take notes right after any experience I think I may write about later. 

Keep in mind, being fully present in this way is also just an overall healthy practice. 

If you’re having trouble remembering details, try to sit in silence and do a visualization. Personally, when I do this exercise I aim to not only see myself in a place, but to put myself back in the place so that I am seeing the scene through my own eyes. 

Feeling writer’s block?

Sometimes all that it takes is a change of scenery to get inspired again. Try going for a walk or trying a new cafe to see if that helps.

If not, put the journal away, give yourself some mental space, and pick it back up tomorrow. 

And if you’re proud of what you’ve written, feel free to post it on social media, share it in an email with friends or, of course, keep it to yourself. 

How To Keep A Travel Journal: Quick Tips 

As an avid journaler myself, these are some of my personal tips for having fun, feeling creative, and staying inspired while writing.

As with travel tips and trip styles, everyone has their own process when it comes to journaling, and something that works for me may not work for you. Feel free to try out this advice, keep what works, and let go of what doesn’t.

Overall, the goal is that you get something beneficial out of these pages.

Tip #1: Journal when you feel most creative.

For instance, you might choose some mindful ways to start your day and have completing daily journal prompts be one of your morning rituals. 

However, if you find you feel more creative in the afternoon or evening, plan your writing for then.

Tip #2: Don’t edit as you write.

Allow your first draft to be all about getting your ideas and thoughts down onto the paper and getting into a creative flow state.

You can always tweak things later.

Tip #3: Remember the power of lists.

This is one of my favorite trip journal ideas!

Writing in lists can be helpful when you’re:

• having trouble getting started
• wondering what things to put in a travel journal
• feeling like your sentences just aren’t flowing together

This way, you can at least get your ideas down and edit them together in a cohesive manner later on.

Tip #4: Write stories.

While this isn’t mandatory, those who are curious how to write a travel journal that’s worth reading should consider writing your thoughts as stories instead of in a stream-of-conscious fashion. 

To write a story, make sure you have a beginning, middle, and end. Actually, if you really want to do it right, you should also consider character, plot, setting, and tension.

For a lesson in storytelling, make sure to check out this video on how to improve your creative storytelling skills for more engaging writing:

Tip #5: Go beyond text.

Wondering what to put in a travel journal?

Realize there is no right or wrong answer to this question!

Keep it text-based, or add paintings, drawings, stickers, momentos from your trip, and more. 

Personally, I’ve started writing out my journal entries and then drawing them to add some additional creativity and really bring the pages to life. 

The Best Travel Journal Apps

Prefer a digital journal option over paper? 

There is an app for that! 

I’ve talked about my favorite travel safety apps before, but here are a few of my favorite apps for keeping a travel journal:

Travel Diaries .  This free app allows you to create both public and private journals. The layouts are customizable, and you can easily add text, photos, and even maps. 

One really neat feature of this app:

You can turn your travel diary into a physical creation to be shipped to your home!

Day One Journal . This is another great travel journal app that makes it simple to record your memories using photos, videos, drawings, and even audio recordings. 

The “On This Day” feature allows you to go back in time to revisit your favorite trip moments, while automatic backups ensure your content never gets lost. 

Unique app feature:

You can handwrite in your journal using your finger or Apple Pencil. 

This travel app has both free and paid premium versions. 

Polarsteps . Dubbed “the personal travel log in your pocket,” Polarsteps is an app that helps you plan your trips as well as record them along the way in a visually-appealing manner.

In fact, this app puts an emphasis on adding experiences to maps and using video to document, so you can really bring your trips back to life later on. 

A feature I love:

You can turn your travel memories into a stunning hardcover book to keep!

Unique Travel Journal Examples

Looking for some travel journal inspiration?

Here are some mood boards with journal examples to help get your creative juices flowing.

These are also helpful if you’re wanting to learn how to make a travel journal.

By the way:

Check out the bottom right photo in the top collage if you’re looking for travel journal layout ideas.

Travel Writing Prompts – Quick Picker 

If you’re like me and often feel indecisive when choosing a prompt, I’ve got a fun little tool that can help:

The above video moves through the list of writing prompts quickly.

To use it as a quick picker, press play, turn your gaze down, and then stop the video at a random moment.

Then, voilà , you’ve got your travel writing prompt chosen for you! 

31 Travel Journal Prompts

Whether you’re physically traveling or at home dreaming of the road, use these travel prompts for your journal.

I love these prompts for when I’m feeling stuck and am searching for things to write in a travel journal:

1. Remember a time when you met people while traveling that felt like family. Describe your time with them in great detail.

2. Write a postcard to a friend from a place you’ve loved visiting.

3. Think about a problem that exists in travel. Now, invent a solution to the problem. Hey, could this journal help you come up with your next million-dollar idea?

4. If you could go on a trip with anyone, dead or alive, who would you go with? Where would you go and what would you do?

5. Share a time you were lost or that you lost something while traveling. 

6. How has travel changed or shaped you? Note: This is one of my favorite self-discovery journal prompts!

7. Start your travel story with the following: “It was a dark and stormy night…”

8. What is the first vacation memory that comes to mind? Come up with your memory in 10 seconds or less!

9. Think back to the most beautiful place you’ve ever been to. Now, describe it using all five senses.

10. Write about a multi-destination trip — from the perspective of your backpack.

11. What is a sticky situation you’ve gotten out of on the road? Hint: Allow this to also be a reminder of your strength!

12. What is a fear you’ve overcome while traveling? How?

13. Take your story from the previous prompt about overcoming a fear while traveling and rewrite it from the perspective of an onlooker.

14. What has been your craziest transportation experience?

15. Write a review of the best hotel you’ve ever stayed in.

16. Write a review of the worst hotel you’ve ever stayed in using humor.

17. Write a letter of gratitude to someone who showed you an act of kindness on the road .

18. Write about the last trip you took — from the perspective of yourself in the year 2600.

19. Write about a hike you loved doing using all five senses.

20. “Travel makes me feel _____.” Why?

21. Write about a trip you took last year from the perspective of your favorite book or movie character.

22. What is the biggest lesson that travel has taught you? Share a story that brings this to life.

23. Pretend that you were given an extra day on a trip you loved. What would that day have looked like?

24. Choose a trip you haven’t written about yet. Now choose a different time period, and write about the trip as if it happened in that time period.

25. In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception about travel?

26. Think back to an interesting conversation you’ve had while traveling and begin your story with that dialogue.

27. Transport yourself to a beautiful beach you’ve visited. Suddenly, a message in a bottle washes up onto the shore. What does it say? How do you react?

28. Here is a road trip journal idea! Write about a road trip you went on, but have someone else from the trip be the narrator. Hint: If you traveled solo, have the car or an onlooker be the narrator.

29. Think of a time you went on a trip that took you out of your comfort zone. Write the end of the story, then the middle, then the beginning.

30. What is one piece of advice you’ve been told by a local while traveling? Have you applied it to your life? Why/why not?

31. If you were to write a travel memoir, what would the first chapter look like?

Bonus: Pair Your Journal Prompts With Self-Care

In my opinion, the best way to enjoy time spent journaling is by pairing it with other self-care activities.

In the video above, I share my top 10 favorite self-care tips and rituals for travelers — though they can also be enjoyed at home!

My recommendation:

Make a day of it! Use the journal prompts and the self-care rituals to create your own DIY retreat .

Want more travel-themed prompts?

Don’t forget to grab my free downloadable Inspired Storyteller Travel Journal — featuring inspiring quotes, writing tips, and 56 fun prompts to help you recount your favorite trip memories and write creatively. 

Do you have any travel journal prompts to add?

What are your favorite creative travel journal ideas, related posts:.

About Jessie Festa

Jessie Festa is a New York-based travel content creator who is passionate about empowering her audience to experience new places and live a life of adventure. She is the founder of the solo female travel blog, Jessie on a Journey, and is editor-in-chief of Epicure & Culture , an online conscious tourism magazine. Along with writing, Jessie is a professional photographer and is the owner of NYC Photo Journeys , which offers New York photo tours, photo shoots, and wedding photography. Her work has appeared in publications like USA Today, CNN, Business Insider, Thrillist, and WestJet Magazine.

Hi, I’m Jessie on a journey!

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These prompts are just the inspiration I needed to capture my thoughts about travel. Not only do they tap into my travel memories, but they feed my creative spirit. Who says you have to actually go anywhere to be well-traveled? 😉

I have trouble keeping a journal, but have always want too – these are such good prompts ill have to give it another try!

Wow, what an incredible article! I’m so grateful to have come across this treasure trove of travel journal prompts and ideas. The suggestions provided here are truly inspiring and have sparked my wanderlust even more. From capturing the sensory details to reflecting on personal growth, these prompts cover every aspect of a fulfilling travel journal. The beautiful descriptions and practical tips have motivated me to start documenting my adventures with a renewed passion. Thank you for sharing such a valuable resource that will undoubtedly enhance my future travel experiences. Keep up the fantastic work!

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Artjournalist

101 Travel Journal Ideas: Page Examples, Inspiration & Prompts

Use these 101 travel journal ideas as prompts and inspiration to fill your travel journal no matter where your next adventure might be.

These 101 Travel Journal ideas will help you fill up a notebook of all sorts of adventures – whether it’s an exotic voyage or the everyday journey in life. 

And of course, please, please, please DO NOT feel like you have to do every single thing I put on this list – especially all in one journal. {That would be one awfully big, heavy book to lug around!} 

Whether you’re off to a grand exotic adventure, dreaming of places you want to go or maybe just enjoying a stay-cation and local points of interest, I hope you will find this post of travel journal ideas inspiring to document your next creative adventure.

101 Travel Journal Ideas: What to Put in a Traveler’s Notebook

1. start with a map.

Maps are always great in a journal. You can paste or tape them in or even make pockets and envelopes with them. Drawing maps can be a lot of fun also.

There are also a lot of ways to get maps:

• Google Maps: You could even print out a satellite/street view version or the directions.
• Maps Category on Wikimedia Commons : Lots of great free maps you can download and print out.
• Old Books & Atlases: If you have an old set of encyclopedias that’s way outdated and not of collector value, there are likely a lot of great maps to use in your journals. I love finding an old atlas at the thrift store or book sales.
• Marketing Maps: Many welcome centers, tourist agencies and travel rest stops have all sorts of maps available in marketing brochures. 

Staying local? Why not make a map of where you live? It could be your neighborhood, the backyard or even your kitchen. Doodles and sketches are perfectly 100% awesome here.

Another idea is to cut out shapes from old outdated maps you have. I sometimes buy old atlases and books with maps just for this purpose! These hearts shown below were cut out using a heart shaped punch similar to this one on Amazon .

I love scrapbook punches for so many different things in my art journals – you don’t even need that many of them and you can get perfect cut-outs anytime. These are great to make in advance before you travel somewhere – and you can get all sorts of different shapes! Circles, tags, you name it.

2. Can’t Decide Where to Go? Make a Mind Map

As creative people, making plans and staying organized is sometimes a challenge. I know when I go anywhere it sometimes feels overwhelming to keep track of all the details or even just decide what I want to do. Sometimes I don’t even know where I want to go or what I want to do. 

Mind Maps are great for easily mapping out ideas, dreams, plans, thoughts – especially if you’re not sure how to really organize them. You can draw them out on paper or even use mindmap software to create one you like and then print out and decorate.

Sometimes just making a mind map of an ordinary place can be fun – this mindmap of things to do in Ohio actually makes me excited to go there this summer. {Living next door in PA sometimes causes me to take all the neat things to explore in Ohio for granted.}

Even if you’re only going as far as your imagination, a mind map is a great way to explore all sorts of different ideas and concepts.

3. Packing List & Trip Prep

If you are using your travel journal as part planner, part journal, making a packing list and a to-do list before leaving is a great idea.

This is not only practical, as it will hopefully help you remember everything, but it can also help document some of the excitement and anticipation for the trip before you even arrive at your destination.

4. What’s In Your Bag?

While similar to a packing list, it can sometimes be fun to either snap a quick photo or sketch and doodle a picture of your suitcase and bags.

This can also be a fun way to document different day trips – it’s always interesting to see what sorts of things you consider essential to carry with you – especially if you find yourself looking back 5 – 10 years later. I am still in awe that fanny packs are coming back in style . 

5. Make a Bucket List

A bucket list is a list of all the things you want to do. Maybe this is a list for while you are at a specific location for a period of time – or this could even be a list of all the different places you want to visit during your lifetime.

Some of the examples of things you could create for a bucket list:

• Places you want to go
• Region Specific Foods you want to try
• Things you want to do
• People you hope to see 

6. Found Things: Collecting Ephemera & Other Treasures

Lately I’ve been keeping my eyes on the ground whenever we go places. I’ve found all sorts of very interesting things by keeping my eyes and my head open to finding stuff at random.

I’ve found old coins and pennies, tokens, dropped business cards – all sorts of interesting stuff. A lot of times people may think this stuff is just trash, but if it’s flat enough it can fit into a journal and a great way to document things you’ve encountered while out exploring the world. You never know what you might find on a sidewalk.

7. Save Those Receipts

Receipts are a great way to keep track of different things you do and need during your trip. Maybe you need a special airline approved travel bag you buy before the trip, or it’s the receipt for lunch at that adorable sea-side cafe you stumbled across.

Usually these sorts of things also have geographic information printed on them, so it can make even the national/international chains a little more interesting.

I always joke that doesn’t matter where we go or how well I plan I usually end up at a Wal-mart buying supplies we forgot – but hey, at least it’s fun to see your Wal-mart receipt has a different city and state printed on it. 

8. Attach an Envelope or Pocket for Collecting & Storing Supplies 

Speaking of ephemera and found things, another great idea for things to include in your journal is an envelope you can use as storage. The pocket for collage supplies is one of my favorite things about Dylusions Art Journals – so handy for holding stuff!

Since most of my journals are either 7×10″ or 6×9″,  I like to use the 6×9″ mailing envelopes and glue them or tape them into my notebooks and journals to use as a pocket for holding stuff. They are great for fitting all sorts of paper scraps and other things you might find on the trip!

If you are like me and realize what a deal it is to buy 100 clasp envelopes on Amazon , you can use the envelopes to make many, many more junk journals and art journals in the future! 

Beyond just envelopes, there are also a lot of other ways to display and store things inside of a journal, and one of the great things to use for this are the pocket page protectors often used in pocket scrapbooks.

If you are trying to keep things small and simple while traveling, Simple Stories is one brand with a wide variety of differently configured 6×8″ Pocket Page Protectors that can be a great way to hold and display items you might find in your adventures. Bonus : No glue stick needed. 

9. Keep a Record/Log of Daily Events

I know sometimes when I actually DO go on a real vacation, I don’t always have time to keep track of everything we do. One good way to get around this, without necessarily having to write a whole lot or spend the day drawing and gluing things in the book is to keep a very simple log each day. 

This doesn’t have to be elaborate. Keep it simple – use the actual date or the day of the week and challenge yourself to j ust write one word for each day . This will help you remember details of the trip long after it happens. 

• Monday – Beach
• Tuesday – Friends
• Wednesday – Museum

Keeping a log helps you remember things so that you can continue to fill the book up with memories and ephemera from the trip long after you return.

10. Method of Travel: Document Your Transportation

There are plenty of ways to get from one place to another. You can ride a bus, take a train, or fly up high in a fancy jet plane! 

Once you arrive at your destination, there can also be a lot of additional things to note about getting around town, especially if you are traveling somewhere that drives on opposite sides of the street or relies primarily on bicycles or scooters for transportation. 

All of these things make for great ideas for stuff to doodle, sketch, and write about!

11. Accommodations – Where Are You Sleeping?

Whether you’re staying in a hotel, airBNB, fancy resort or maybe your RV, there are plenty of things to document about where you are staying during the trip. 

Some ideas for ephemera might be brochures, print-outs of your reservation confirmation, map directions to the location. You can also always do a sketch of your room or view out the window. 

12. How’s the Weather?

Weather is one of those things that might be considered “small talk” but it’s also something I know can really influence what types of activities we do when we are on a trip.

We do a lot of camping – so if it’s warm and sunny, you’ll find us hiking, kayaking, and fishing. If it’s rainy, you might find us playing card games, visiting shops, or checking out area museums.

Sometimes bad weather can even make a trip more fun than expected – you might check out something new you ordinarily would have skipped, or maybe you will come home with a funny story of events.

You can record different weather events bullet journal style in your notebook or just draw different weather related symbols whenever you jot down any notes.

13. First Impressions – Any surprises?

Once you arrive at your destination, take a note of some of the things you notice right away or any different thoughts you might have about the trip there so far. This is especially a good idea if you are going somewhere completely new that is not like anything you have done before.

You might also want to take note of what expectations you had prior to leaving the trip – Is there anything that surprised you once you got there? Did you over estimate or under estimate what it might be like? Sometimes the anticipation before a trip can be much different than the actual reality once you get there!

14. Paint Backgrounds in Advance to Pack Less Art Supplies

Something I like to do in art journals when I’m traveling is to paint the pages before I go with acrylic paints I like to use. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate – maybe some simple stripes for writing on, or you can even use by block-by-block art journal technique to prep different page sections in advance.

This gives your pages a nice background and start for any type of journaling or doodles – and you don’t have the hassle of having to pack or carry around a whole lot of supplies. All you need from there is a couple of favorite pens and maybe a glue stick.

15. Try Watercolors for Compact & Portable Art Supplies

If you do want to paint while you are on your trip, a set of travel watercolors is a great option because they are generally very compact and easy to clean up and carry around – some pocket field sets could literally fit in your pocket and are smaller than most cell phones!

Watercolors are a great fun way to give your pages a little hint of color – and of course you can always use the opportunity to try out some new and different watercolor painting techniques !

16. Portrait Sketches

Meeting new people, or sometimes just seeing new people can be very inspiring to practice sketching different portrait drawing techniques. 

Portraits of new faces and people can be a great way to practice and hone in on your skills in drawing and painting faces – it can also serve as a springboard for additional art to make even when you return from the trip.

If the idea of sketching or painting a portrait makes you nervous, do not worry – there are lots of great resources to help you out here, like Mixed Media Portraits With Pam Carriker – Jane Davenport also has lots of great books such as this one which can be a wonderful resource to start with.

17. Draw & Sketch Landmarks

No matter where you go, there are sure to be landmarks. These can be great sources of inspiration for stories and drawing practice. 

Some landmarks are famous {such as The Statue of Liberty in NYC or The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City} – other landmarks are more of directional markers or might have personal significance to you. One example is a water tower we always look for when we drive past it on the highway.

18. Architecture

Wherever you find yourself, take some time to notice different architectural details such as windows, doors, gates, fences and roofs. Make a page inspired by the different things you see! This can be a detailed sketch or simply a whimsical doodle like the photo shown above.

19. Make a Cityscape

After you pay some attention to the different architectural details, it can be fun to incorporate this into cityscape art.

It can be a very fun challenge to recreate a drawing or doodle of the places you visit in your journals, and of course you can always combine these with other drawings or collage and ephemera.

Many of the Watercolor Doodle Cities here and other city-inspired paintings I make start from inspiration from real-life cities and towns I’ve visited.

20. Capture the Landscape

Sketching or painting the landscape can be a wonderful way to document all the beautiful views in nature. You can also photograph these scenes to inspire you to make more art when you get back home.

Maybe it’s an early morning sunrise or a field you drive past on the highway, the waves at the beach or even the way the mountains look in the distance.

21. Use Whatever You Can Find for Art Supplies  

I like to pack light when I’m traveling, and so that usually means sadly most of my art supplies have to stay at home. The good news is the lack of supplies can push you to try using everyday materials in creative ways.

For example, say you go out for tea – you can use the tea in your cup or a used tea bag to create tea stains on your papers. {Just be careful not to smear any ink from pens unless that is your desired effect!}

Over the years I’ve used all sorts of things to create with in my journal beyond traditional materials. A dandelion can often be used to get yellow coloring on paper – you could even use makeup like lipstick or eye shadow and blush on your pages.

22. Pay Attention to Special Events & Holidays

While you don’t need a special event or holiday as an excuse to explore the world, often times we do go places depending on the season and traditions we like to celebrate. 

If your journaling happens to fall around a certain holiday or you attend a special event in your adventures, there can be all sorts of seasonal things you can add onto your pages – hearts for Valentine’s Day, Flowers in the Spring, Pumpkins for Halloween, Christmas Decorations, etc.

23. Everybody Eats: Food is Never Ending Inspiration

There are some places I would visit again just with the sole purpose of eating amazing food. Food also makes for an endless source of things to put in your journal. You might not need to record every single meal or snack, but if you enjoy something good – make a note of it or use it as inspiration for art.

Another thing you can do, especially if you visit different countries is save food wrappers. Different languages, different wrappers – all these things can easily be added into your journal and will even help you remember what foods and restaurants you like if you should visit that place again.

24. Street Signs & Names

As someone who loves all things words, letters and numbers, I can’t help but feel gravitated towards interesting signs we see in different places. These can be great starting points for drawings, sketches or even things to photograph and add to your pages at a later time.

25. Read any good books?

Sometimes the books we read can inspire our travels – or a book can help us pass the time on a long bus ride or flight. Vacation is also a good time to catch up on books you’ve been wanting to read.

I love books so some of my favorite places to visit while traveling are small bookstores and libraries – I always find some nice treasures that way!

26. Foreign Language

If you’re traveling to a country where English is not the native language, it can be very fun and interesting to find different things that have the country’s language in your journal.

Whenever I’m shopping at used book sales, I often find a lot of foreign language dictionaries. These make for excellent paper backgrounds to use in junk journals, or you can always have fun copying the words to practice your foreign language skills.

Staying local in your own hometown? Have some fun visiting regular mundane places by learning or practicing a different language. 

¡Vamos a cocinar papas en la estufa!

Even a place as mundane your kitchen can be more fun if you learn fun ways to explore it as a traveler. This can also be a great way to help your kids practice their foreign language skills. 

27. Everyday Life

What do the people who call the place you are visiting home everyday? Take some notes, sketches or photos of a day in the life of a local.

Another thing that can be fun to do is to imagine for a moment if this place was your home, and not just a place you were visiting. What might you like or dislike about staying in that one place long-term?

28. What are other tourists doing?

Every time we’ve visited tourist-destination types of places it is always fascinating to watch the other travelers and what they are doing. Maybe you see hundreds of people with cameras, or you see people waiting in line to get their picture taken next to a certain attraction.

29. Trees & Flowers

I spend most of my vacations immersed in nature and I love drawing and painting trees and flowers. You might also want to keep some wax paper in your notebook – this can be a great way to preserve flowers or leaves.

30. Birds of a Feather

When we visit cities I always notice pigeons, and I always see seagulls at the beach. I love photographing ducks! Sometimes places we go have aviaries to visit. When we go camping, we love looking for woodpeckers, cardinals, and other birds.

You can fill your journal with bird related images or just make a list or doodles of the different birds you might encounter.

31. Animals

If you love animals, this is another great source of inspiration while you are traveling. Maybe you go to a nearby zoo, or maybe friends you are staying with have a friendly cat. 

Some places you visit may even have animals you don’t typically see that often. I remember when I visited Toronto in Canada I saw so many moose statues everywhere we went!

32. Notes From History

Most places have historical centers – even small towns often have an interesting past. If you enjoy historical points of interest, there all sorts of ways to incorporate this on your pages.

Use cut outs from brochures or old books, record facts, or even attempt to recreate a scene from history in your journal. This is a great way to use up some of your favorite vintage ephemera also!

33. Famous People / Persons of Interest Who Lived there

Almost every place has people who are famous or played an important role in the history of the area. It can be very interesting to research before you go some different people who have lived in that place – and maybe even tour some of the different things that would have been part of their daily life.

One example of this is when a friend of mine in high school was slightly obsessed with all things Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. She had learned he grew up in boring old Mercer, PA {not so far from the same boring town we lived in} – so we decided to go up one day to check it out.

It was very neat to think hey, here’s this little town in Pennsylvania just like our little town in Pennsylvania, he was a band dork, we were band dorks. It is always neat to see these sorts of places, especially if it someone who is inspiring to you, because in a way you can see the kind of environment that inspired them to become the creative person they are.

34. Music Playlist

Speaking of Trent Reznor – let’s talk about another favorite aspect of traveling for me – plenty of opportunity to listen to music!

I can’t think of a better way to enjoy a long ride than to come prepared with a good music playlist.  If you’re riding passenger on long trips, a good music playlist and a sketchbook is a great way to help pass the time.

I also like to listen to different music that is popular in different areas. It’s way more fun to listen to Blue Grass music if you are in the Mountains of Virgina or a little country music on the city streets of Nashville.

There are so many different types of music around the world, and all of it can be very inspiring to listen to while writing or creating.

Need more ideas for how to incorporate music into your journals? Our list of creative music inspired art prompts can help inspire you!

35. Textures

Make a page about different textures you might encounter on your trip. Maybe it’s the sand between your toes, the concrete on the sidewalks or the familiar softness of your favorite shirt in a place where everything is different. 

You can even optionally include some of these textures into your journal, especially if you encounter things like fabric swatches or handwoven items.

Another idea is to use different textures from objects around you as unique stencils and stamps. You can do all sorts of mark making with different textures in your book!

While I suppose this could fall under “food” – coffee for me is more than just a tasty caffeinated beverage. Draw a Picture of Coffee with the different backdrop of the place you visit. Save ephemera like napkins, coffee stirrer or receipts from shops you visit.

Pay attention to ways coffee is prepared and served. If you are visiting a place that grows and produces coffee, this too can be very fascinating to learn about and try different flavors native to the area. 

37. Souvenirs

Do you collect anything? Some people collect pennies, spoons, key chains, salt shakers – you name it! Collecting is a fun low-stress hobby and traveling can be a great way to find new things.

If you are a collector of something, it can be fun to make a page about different sorts of things you like to collect. If you don’t have a collection yet – what is one you might you be inclined to start or find interesting? 

Many different places you might visit often also have souvenir shops with all sorts of interesting things for the area. Even if you’re not a collector, you may enjoy sketching or making a list of the sort of things you notice. 

 38. Pick Up a Newspaper – Local, National & Global News

It’s always interesting to read the news somewhere you aren’t. It gives you a greater understanding of what types of things the residents who live in a place might experience on a regular day to day basis and what is important to them.

Another bonus is often times when you visit a new area the newspaper may syndicate different feature columns than your papers back home. This could mean new recipes, different horoscopes, puzzles, comments, and opinion pieces.

Newspapers are also great to use in collage and art you might be inspired to create, especially if you have very limited access to art supplies.

What does the place you’re visiting smell like? Maybe you can smell freshly baked bread drifting across the plaza, or it’s the smell of the ocean next to you, or even just the smell of pine trees in the woods. 

Paying attention to how all of your different senses experience the place can help you remember the adventure all that much more.

40. Include Conversations With the People You Talk To

One thing I enjoy doing when traveling is meeting and talking to new people and listening in on what people might be saying at the different places we visit. 

It’s funny, but some of the conversations I remember are not exactly quotable, but totally memorable enough to document in a journal. One time when we were at a beach an old man was talking to us and told us we needed to visit a place that was about 6 hours away.

“They have the most unbelievable peaches! Miles and miles of orchards…” he said. Well, after talking to him we decided to go that way the next day and yes, they did have peaches, but we were mostly awed by the unbelievable beautiful beaches!

Had we not talked to that stranger on the beach that day we never would have discovered one of our favorite beaches in the U.S.

41. The Local Dialect

I live in the Pittsburgh area and we are sorta famous for our unique dialect. Many local shops sell Yinzer stickers and other Pittsburghese types of things that are always popular with tourists and would make great journal fodder.

If you happen to be somewhere, pay attention to different words and phrases people use for things. You might be surprised how many sayings and words you pick up that aren’t in any foreign language dictionary!

42. Quotes About the Area and/or General Traveling

There are all sorts of great quotes that can be a great way to add to the journal. You can include general travel quotes in your journal while you are getting ready for the trip – or of course you can always add these once you are back. 

43. Interview The People Traveling With You

It’s always interesting how two different people can have two different options and memories about a trip! Traveling with kids? Ask them their thoughts – and of course don’t forget to encourage them to create their own travel journals!

44. Hidden in Plain View – Important or Sensitive Information 

It’s always a good idea to have a paper copy of important info while you are in a different place – especially if WiFi access or phone reception might be hard to come by. 

While I don’t recommend keeping sensitive info in plain sight in a journal, sometimes you can give yourself cryptic ways only you would know to have a reference for things like addresses or bank account info.

Some ways you can do this is by drawing the numbers in a certain specific pattern, or you could even make up your own secret code. 

45. Reference Lists & Safety Info

I’m sorta neurotic about safety, so I like to include helpful safety info in my notebooks, especially because we spend so much time outdoors. This might be something as simple as a mini first aid guide or a list of emergency numbers for the area. If you are traveling in a foreign place, you may even want to list some emergency contacts in the notebook.

I also like to print out this type of information to keep in planner binders. For the planner I keep in our camper, I included printed information for dog medications and first aid, since our dog has a habit of finding bees nests, eating fishing rods and getting into all sorts of trouble.

46. Currency From Different Countries

Many foreign countries have different types of currency that can be very interesting to keep in a journal. If you have a few smaller value notes leftover from a trip they can be a great thing to put in a journal or slip into a clear pocket you attach to the pages.

47. Track Your Budget

Budgeting might not seem exciting, especially while supposedly on a vacation! Still, it is definitely an inevitable part of life that doesn’t go away just because you are somewhere different! 

Fortunately, it can be way more fun to do when you find a way to express your creativity in your journal or planner. Keep records of expenses while you are traveling and think about different ways you can save money.

If you haven’t left for your destination yet, there are lots of great ways to plan a trip without spending a lot. Make a page about how you will save for an upcoming trip or make a list of ways to you can see the world without going into debt.

48. Random Fun Facts

Do you enjoy games like trivial pursuit? Something that can be fun to do before you leave is read up on different fun facts about an area, or you can even just jot down these things as you experience them in the place you visit.

Random Fun Fact Example: We can thank computer scientist Scott Fahlman at CMU in Pittsburgh for the widespread use of the smiley face symbol . 🙂 Pittsburgh is also home to another famous smiley face – the Eat ‘N Park Smiley ! 

49. Local Business & Industry

Do you ever need to travel for work? Business travel can sometimes create all sorts of new interesting opportunities to see sights and document parts of a place that don’t exactly make it to the city guides!

Many cities are also famous for different things related to businesses and industries. Factory Tours can be super fascinating and educational – they also make for a great activity during rainy day travels.

50. Movies, Plays & Film

Many places you wouldn’t expect have been featured in movies – other times there may be films or movies that take place in the very same places you visit.

One example is the time we visited Savannah, Georgia. My husband loves the movie Forest Gump so naturally this meant we had to visit Chippewa Square and the famous park bench at the Savannah History Museum when we explored the city.

51. The Clothes We Wear

Just like food and money, most of the time we typically need to also wear clothes. You don’t have to be a fashionista to appreciate unique clothing styles in different places you visit.

Depending where you travel to, the culture and weather can be very different from where you live and so the style of clothes and things people wear and do can be fascinating. 

Don’t forget to also pay attention to the clothes you are wearing. Maybe it’s a raincoat because it’s raining or you bought something special to wear for the trip.

52. Travel Shoes

Going places usually means lots of walking and standing – which means the pair of shoes you wear can make all the difference! Sketch a pair of your shoes and take note of whether they have reliably served you well in your travels, or if they’ve caused you pain, agony and misery. 

53. Hobbies & Interests

When I visited NYC my top must-see destination was the Sketchbook museum at the Brooklyn Art Library of course!

One of the ways I documented that visit was to put a safety pin in one of my pages once I got home because I noticed one of the journals there was completely bound with safety pins and I thought that was pretty unique and I didn’t want to forget it! 

Your different hobbies and interests can always overlap in travel – and sometimes in the most of unexpected ways. If you have a specific hobby or interest you enjoy, take some time to research different clubs and organizations in the area. You can find groups and points of interest for almost anything!

54. What’s Trending Now

Do you notice any interesting trends about the place you visit? Maybe there is an activity that is popular or something you notice everyone is doing.

This could be something like a TV show everyone is watching, something seasonally related or it could even be many of the homes decorated with certain pieces or in a certain style.

55. Funny Stuff

One thing you should always bring along any adventure is a good sense of humor. I love this one picture we snapped while we traveled through VA – antique tables made daily!

There are also lots of great travel-themed jokes you could use in your journal.

What travels around the world but stays in one corner? A stamp.

{Sorry, I couldn’t resist, I love punny bad jokes!} Speaking of stamps…

56. Postage Stamps: Send Yourself Some Mail Back Home

Postcards and foreign stamps can make for an excellent addition to any type of travel journal. You can mail yourself a letter or post card, or even pick up some post cards where you are visiting to add to your pages.

Shown above: A photo of some of the vintage postcards I have in my ephemera collection. If you have friends and family members who travel a lot, be sure to offer to pay for postage and ask them to mail you things!

57. Color Combos

Do you love color? Different places can be great inspiration for unique color combinations or even noticing things you may ordinarily ignore. Take a look at your surroundings and try to create a color palette based on what you see around you.

58. Rainbow Page

Another fun travel journal idea is to try to make a page that includes something of every color of the rainbow you see while you are on a trip. This could be done with ephemera or even just making notes and drawing in your sketchbook to add in photos later.

59. Inspiration is Everywhere

What do you see that inspires you to create while you are traveling? Maybe you notice an interesting pattern on textiles being sold at a shop or you like the way the vase on your table looks at a restaurant.

Take note of these little details that inspire you and sketch or jot them down. These can be great sources of inspiration for those days you need a little kickstart to create.

60. Bottle Caps, Drink Labels and Coasters

Many bottled beverages have labels and unique bottle caps that can make for great things to include in a journal. You may also notice several restaurants have coasters that are nice to save after your meal.

Bottle labels and coasters are two types of things that are normally thrown away but can make for great ephemera to include in your journal and help document the trip.

61. All the Different Shapes

Another idea for different places you visit is to create pages based on different shapes. For example, you could have a page for things that are round, such as wheels, windows, or stones.

You could also easily do this for things that are square, rectangles, triangles, etc.

62. Define Some Travel Words

What does adventure mean to you? What do you consider to be a journey?

There are lots of different travel-themed words and they often mean different things to different people. Write your own definition for words, or you could even find these words in a dictionary and cut them and paste them to the page in your book.

Here’s a couple more words you could use on the page or define:

63. Why do you love travel?

People travel for different reasons, and of course the reasons we enjoy it are also usually unique to us. What do you like the most? Is it meeting new people? Seeing something different? Learning new things?

Write or illustrate your favorite things and the reasons you enjoy discovering new places.

64. Stickers

Stickers can be found anywhere, whether it’s a price sticker on something you buy or even a marketing sticker they give away at a promotional event. Some places you visit may even have shops that sell unique stickers for the area.

65. Technology & Apps

There are many apps and websites that can make traveling a lot easier, and it can be something fun to document in your journal. These apps can help you find new places or even possibly read reviews and get special coupons and deals. 

Another thing to think about is how the place you are visiting uses technology. Do they seem advanced or are they behind compared to where you currently live?

66. Trip Stats

Another fun thing to record in your journal are trip stats. Your might record your odometer reading, number of miles you traveled, or if you have a fitbit you could make a note of how many steps you walked that day.

67. Try Zentangle

Zentangle is a super portable form of art and very relaxing so perfect if you’re going on vacation to unwind. All you need is some paper and your favorite Micron 01 pen.

You can start with basic shapes or just tangle freely on the pages of your journal. Who knows – some places you visit may even be home of certified Zentangle instructors and classes may be available during your trip!

68. Practice Creative Lettering

There are so many great ideas and ways to have fun with creative lettering in your journal. You can try different styles of letters, mix up big and small writing. 

Hate your handwriting? Our post on creative lettering ideas can give you lots of inspiration for ways to add unique text without necessarily mastering calligraphy.

69. Stencil It

Stencils are flat and portable – so very easy to bring with you along your travels and keep right inside your notebook. There are TONS of inexpensive stencil sets on Amazon or you could even try making your own journal stencil templates.

A couple of stencils can definitely can help you with making shapes, layouts, and different designs in  your journal – no fine art skills required!

70. Bodies of Water

Water is always a source for inspiration, relaxing, and feeling refreshed – and where there is life, you are sure to find water! As the author of How to Read Water points out, you can learn just as much about water from a puddle as you can from the sea. 

Create a page in your journal based on what you like to do in the water – whether you go fishing, swim laps in the pool on a cruise ship or just admire the sailboats out on the bay.

71. Make a List of Things to Research

While you are on your trip, you might find yourself curious to learn more about stuff you encounter. Make a list or note of this in your journal so you can read up on it when you come back home.

Before you go somewhere new it’s also a very good idea to research different laws, customs and practices. This to-research-list can be a great thing to add in your journal before you leave to remind you to actually learn about these things before you get there!

72. Visiting a Sports Town?

Sports teams around the world have some very loyal fans and this can be another thing worth documenting if you are in a place that takes their sports seriously. In some areas it’d be impossible not to take note of arenas and stadiums!

Even if you’re not a sports fan, you may notice where you are visiting what important sports games are happening and what teams people proudly wear on their t-shirts, jerseys and hats. If you do visit an event, don’t forget to save your ticket stubs and program with the team roster!

73. Stick to the Grid

Grid lined pages can be nice to have when you are writing or drawing, because they also make it super easy to try to draw things when you want to be mindful of things like ratio and perspective relationships.

You can also have fun just arranging different elements in a grid-like fashion – draw your own freehand grid and fill each box with different memories or images you cut and tear out of a local magazine or newspaper.

74. What Are You Really Good At When Traveling?

Do your planning skills shine as you come up with the perfect trip itinerary? Have you mastered the fine art of packing a suitcase with all the right things? Have a knack for strumming up conversation with the locals? Or, maybe you’re just really good at getting lost! 

Whatever your strengths and skills are when it comes to travel, these should be celebrated and certainly worthy of being documented in your travel journal! Draw yourself an award, make a list of your best strengths, and celebrate all the hard work that goes into exploring.

75. Gratitude

You can never go wrong keeping track of things you are thankful for. See our list of gratitude journal prompts for even more ideas of ways to incorporate thankfulness in your journal pages.

76. No Place Like Home

Sometimes distance makes us all the more appreciative of home. What things do you miss the most while you are away from home? Draw pictures, doodle, paint, or make a list! 

77. Wish You Were Here

Sometimes when we go someplace new we can’t help but think of family or friends back home. Is there anything specific where you are that reminds you of someone? Write about it or tuck those little pieces of ephemera you find on a page.

78. What Went Wrong

It’s tempting to only document the good parts of a trip but sometimes the mishaps of travel become great funny stories after a few years…like my husbands famous melt down over a lack of parking or that time we went camping and got flooded out. 

These sorts of things aren’t exactly fun in the midst of the trouble, but years later we can look back and at least say the trips were memorable!

79. What Did You Learn?

Every trip is an opportunity and discovery is synonymous for learning. What did you learn during your trip?

Maybe you learned something new about the cultures, customs and history of the place. Or, if staying local… maybe you learned to always bring sunscreen or bug spray or how to avoid rush hour traffic.

80. Document Digitally

While I will forever be a pen and paper kind of girl, I know I also enjoy the convenience of digital art journaling – especially when it’s not always easy to pack lots of supplies! This is especially true for trips that aren’t necessarily for fun or I know I’ll be spending a lot of time indoors.

You can edit and arrange photos in a photo editing app or software program, or you can even enjoy the creative fun of painting digitally. I love using my laptop and Wacom Intous tablet to paint with Photoshop. You can also have a lot of fun creating designs with an iPad and Apple pencil. 

81. Draw a Clock

Clocks are fun and easy enough to draw – all you need is a circle! It can be fun to compare clock times all around the world, especially if you have ventured to a different time zone.

Another idea is to doodle clocks for when you want to make note of times on your itinerary and schedule.

82. Make a Chart

Charts are a creative visual way to display information and a great idea for adding some art to your travel journal. You could create a table of train and bus times, a pie chart for how you spent your time on the trip, or a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting your first trip somewhere to the second trip there.

For those who are particularly dorky like me, you might even consider making a histogram or scatter plot in your journal!

83. Healthy Matters

If you are into all things health, wellness and fitness in everyday life, it would only make sense for this to overflow into your journals while traveling.

Whether you note healthy foods you eat, exercise, changes in your mood, how much you sleep, number of glasses of water you drink each day, or have a list of medications to take daily, noting these things in your journal can help you stay on track with all the excitement and routine disruptions from traveling.

84. Design Your Own Travel Symbols & Icons

There are many common symbols and icons used for travel – an airplane, a map, a suitcase, a backpack, a compass, cars, directional arrows, trains, etc. 

All of these things are a great starting point to give you some ideas for things to doodle in a travel journal. You can make them flat, line-art style, or even make them 3-D complete with shading. 

85. Travel Role Models

Do you know someone who is a great inspiration for your travel aspirations? This could be a person who inspired you to be more courageous and explore new foreign places, or could just be someone you know who has real-world experience in traveling the globe and taught you a lot of things. 

86. Favorite Travel Blogs

Speaking of people who inspire us to travel – I know many of the places I find inspiration are various travel blogs I like to follow! Seeing their pictures is always great motivation and inspiration to go to new places I may not have considered on my own.

Whenever I am not sure of where I might like to go or what to do when visiting an area, I also love to read different blogger’s guides on attractions to visit and travel tips to make it a smooth trip.

87. The Road Not Taken – Add Some Poetry to Your Pages

There are lots of great travel inspired poems you can include in your journal, or you can even try your hand at writing your own poems.

Not a natural wordsmith? Prefer to stick to something more visual? Check out our post on found poetry in your journal pages.

88. Challenge Yourself 

Sometimes a little bit of a challenge can make even the most mundane of places a bit more exciting. You could challenge yourself to take a photo every day, or challenge yourself to visit a different neighborhood or part of town each day you are in the city.

You could also challenge yourself to commit to a certain type of art each day – a doodle a day, or a watercolor a day, or a pencil sketch a day.

Challenges should be fun – so if the idea of this sounds like a chore or one more thing to add to already a jam packed schedule, skip it or save it for the next adventure.

89. Paper Clips & Binder Clips Are Your Friends

Paper clips, binder clips and other page fasteners are wonderful and practical things to include in your journal. They are super handy when you are on the go to attach all sorts of papers and notes – no glue stick required!

Also, they make TONS of travel themed paper clips. I mean, I don’t know if you would really need 40 of them, but how adorable are these airplane shaped paper clips ? They also make ones that come in assorted animal shapes ! 

So many different styles of paper clips, I actually made an Amazon Idea List with some of my handpicked favorites – I couldn’t believe I found over 40! See all my favorites on my list: All the Pretty Paper Clips . 

90. Pins, Patches & Badges

I love collecting small novelty pins, patches and badges – but I don’t always have a great way to display or wear them. One way around this is to add them to your journal pages!

You can decide to either pin or sew the item directly onto the page, or you can attach it to a small piece of fabric that you attach into the page. You can often find these at gift shops or even while you are at different places that give them away for free as promotional materials.

91. Have a Stamping Good Time

There are LOTS of ways to use rubber stamps and ink pads in a journal. But… I also like to keep my supplies very minimal, especially when on the road. Something I like to do to prep my journal pages is stamp things in advance. 

You can use simple ink dabbers to create patterns or add a distressed effect to your empty pages – and of course if you already have travel themed stamps this is a great opportunity to put them to good use, whether before or after the trip!

In the page above I tried to use some of my rubber stamps and realized one of my very well-loved ink pads was finally starting to dry out after years of use.

I used the ink pad itself to stamp the page with the remaining ink on the edges to create journaling block areas. I also used the edge of the ink pad to make the lines – perfect for impromptu lists or quick daily notes.

92. Travel Tags

There are all sorts of tags that can be useful while traveling. Luggage and suitcase tags are also a great way to add some interesting stuff to your favorite journal pages. 

You can also opt to use paper tags – I love to start with small round tags like these ones and use them for doodles or quotes. Standard shipping tags like these are also like mini blank canvases waiting for your creative touch! 

93. Travel Bingo: Inspired by My Favorite Road Trip Game as a Kid

A long time ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth without technology, we played a game called Auto Bingo in the car. If you drove past something like a railroad crossing or a cow, you would slide the little marker over the picture when you spotted it and try to get them all before the end of the trip. 

This gave me a great idea to make a list of different things to look for while I’m at a certain place and then check it off if I saw that thing. It’s a like a scavenger hunt game – can you find these things in your surroundings?

94. A Boost of Encouragement

We tend to glamorize travel a lot – but sometimes it can be hectic, chaotic, stressful and even a little bit scary.

As much as I love traveling, I don’t always like the packing & preparing, and I also admittedly have no sense of direction – I still get lost on roads less than 10 minutes away from my house!

If this sounds like you, adding some encouraging words and positive affirmations can be a wonderfully uplifting thing to see if you are in unfamiliar territory or stressed out.

95. Spiritual Sense

If you are a spiritual person, or maybe just someone curious to learning about the different spiritual practices of different cultures, there are many ways this can be reflected in your journal.

You could include prayers and blessings for travelers, visit spiritual places of interest, or even just spend a few moments in quiet meditation. It can also be interesting to explore and document the various practices and traditions in the culture you are visiting. 

96. Which Way Up? Arrows & Directional Signs

I love the treasure-map style dashed and dotted lines with arrows. They really grab a person’s attention when they look through your completed journal. It makes one ask: now where does this lead?

Arrows can be used in so many different ways for a lot of different travel journal page ideas. Call attention to a specific phrase or photo, or add them to continue a story on another page. In some ways, you could make your journal a sort of “Choose Your Own Adventure Book” where the reader {or even yourself} – can explore a place in a different kind of way.

97. Attention Please! Highlights

If you are the sort of person who might fill an entire page with a LOT of words while journaling your thoughts and experiences, highlights are a fun way to call attention to things that are important or most notable.

You can choose to highlight things like dates, or just pick words and phrases you like. If you don’t have or want to use highlighter markers, you could also accent different things by using colored pencils and pens or simply by circling and underlining different things. 

This can also be a very fun thing to do with newspapers or other printed ephemera style things you might find in your travels.

98. If You Had to Do It Again…

Would you go on this trip again? Do you want to go back? What would you want to do differently? What would you want to do the same? These are all great questions to think about while you reflect on the trip on the return back home.

99. Return to Reality

What did you have it do when you got back from your vacation? Sometimes remembering responsibilities and “real life” can make us all the more appreciative and nostalgic for the time spent away!

100. Actually Print Out Your Vacation Photos

I’m totally guilty of taking a bazillion pictures…and then never printing them. They go on my external hard drive/cloud storage to never be seen by another human being again…that’s not good!

One of the things I’m making a more concentrated effort to do is actually print out photos we take. You can choose to print them from home on your own home printer, or upload them to your favorite photo print website.

101. Where to Next?

Did this trip make you want to visit any other new places you hadn’t considered before? Where do you want to go next? Or, perhaps, after all these adventures, maybe you are content to stay-cation for awhile?

I know this is a super long list, and if you made it this far, I hope you found these ideas inspiring and encouraging! Travel journals are a ton of fun to make and I’d love to see what you create!!

And of course, if you have ideas for things to include that aren’t on this list – I’d love to hear your creative ideas in the comments below!

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AWESOME post!

Thanks Andi, glad you enjoyed it!

What an absolutely FANTASTIC list! I do a lot of journaling when I travel and already do several of the things on this list, but there are tons I’d never even thought of. I’m particularly in awe of the color palette idea. Brava!

Thank you Naomi, glad it inspired you!

This is the BEST post – thank you sooooo very much! Although it is overhwhelming how much there is because I am a newbie when it comes to this kind of art form, it has given me so many awesome ideas and inspiration and I will try to do some but not all LOL! Thank you again!

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The 80 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes of All-time

• “We travel just to travel.” — Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, The Motorcycle Diaries, 2004
• “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” — Martin Buber
• “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “A man of ordinary talent will always be ordinary, whether he travels or not; but a man of superior talent will go to pieces if he remains forever in the same place.” — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” — Lao Tzu
• “Don’t be a tourist. Plan less. Go slowly. I traveled in the most inefficient way possible and it took me exactly where I wanted to go.” — National Geographic’s Andrew Evans
• “Not all those who wander are lost.” — J. R. R. Tolkien
• “When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon
• “Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God.” – Kurt Vonnegut
• “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag
• “A person needs at intervals to separate from family and companions and go to new places. One must go without familiars in order to be open to influences, to change.”
• – Katharine Butler Hathaway
• “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G. K. Chesterton
• “A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.” – Gael Attal
• “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” — Mark Twain
• “Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.” – Alan Keightley
• “Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.” – Frank Herbert
• ‎”If at some point you don’t ask yourself, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ then you’re not doing it right.” — Roland Gau
• “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” — Oscar Wilde
• “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” — Aldous Huxley
• “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” — James Michener
• “He who is outside his door already has the hardest part of his journey behind him.” — Dutch proverb
• The greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” — Bill Bryson
• “Home is where the heart is, and my heart is wherever I am at the moment.” — Lily Leung
• “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” — Helen Keller
• “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” — Tim Cahill
• “No matter where you go, there you are.”
• “I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” — Rosalia de Castro
• “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” — Jawaharal Nehru
• “How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterwards.” — Spanish Proverb
• “I travel light. I think the most important thing is to be in a good mood and enjoy life, wherever you are.” — Diane von Furstenberg
• “Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” — Lawrence Block
• “One of the great things about travel is that you find out how many good, kind people there are.” — Edith Wharton
• “To travel is to take a journey into yourself.” — Danny Kaye
• “If you look like your passport photo, you’re too ill to travel.” — Will Kommen
• “Long-term travel doesn’t require a massive bundle of cash; it requires only that we walk through the world in a more deliberate way.” — Rolf Potts
• “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.” – Fitzhugh Mullan
• “The further one goes, the less (he realizes he) one knows.” — Lao-Tzu
• “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.”
• “Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”— Gustave Flaubert
• “Travel is like love, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.” — Pico Iyer
• “Travel is like a giant blank canvas, and the painting on the canvas is only limited by one’s imagination.” — Ross Morley
• “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” — Susan Heller
• “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” — Henry David Thoreau
• “Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming a part of it.” — Eudora Welty
• “You lose sight of things… and when you travel, everything balances out.” — Daranna Gidel
• “The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them.” — Amelia E. Barr
• “Let your heart guide you. It whispers so listen closely.”
• “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” — Steve Jobs
• “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” – Yogi Berra
• “I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” — Robert Frost
• “If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.” — Glenn Clark
• ‎”Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of men, instead, seek what they sought.” — Matsuo Basho
• “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” — Andre Gide
• “Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves.” – Carol Pearson
• “You can see it for miles. Like, it goes over the hills and stuff ….but so does the M6.” – Karl Pilkington on the Great Wall of China
• “Travel, which had once charmed him, seemed, at length, unendurable, a business of colour without substance, a phantom chase after his own dream’s shadow.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald,  The Beautiful and Damned
• “ Every city has a sex and an age which have nothing to do with demography. Rome is feminine.  So is Odessa.  London is a teenager, an urchin, and this hasn’t changed since the time of Dickens. Paris, I believe, is a man in his twenties in love with an older woman.” – John Berger
• “Writing and travel broaden your ass if not your mind and I like to write standing up.” – Ernest Hemingway
• “The ideal is to feel at home anywhere, everywhere” – Geoff Dyer,  Paris Trance
• ” I needed no better reason for the journey than to be exactly where I was, knowing what I knew. Those were the times when I felt full of natural wisdom, scratching at heaven’s very door.” – Ted Simon,  Jupiter’s Travels
• “The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles.” – Rick Riordan,  The Lightning Thief
• “And I wondered, with mounting anxiety, what am I supposed to do here? What am I supposed to think?” – Alain de Botton,  The Art of Travel
• “ What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.” – Jack Kerouac,  On the Road
• “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley
• “A new kind of heat, brutal and hard, carrying the smell of another continent. As I came down the mountain this heat piled up, pushing against me with blasts of sand, so that I walked half-blind, my tongue dry as a carob bean, obsessed once again by thirst. These were ominous days of nerve-bending sirocco, with peasants wrapped up to the eyes… but far down in the valley, running in slow green coils, I could see at last the tree-lined Guadalquivir.” – Laurie Lee,  As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning
• “A journey is like a marriage.  The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it” – John Steinbeck,  Travels with Charley
• “Escape through travel works. Almost from the moment I boarded my flight, life in England became meaningless. Seat-belt signs lit up, problems switched off. Broken armrests took precedence over broken hearts. By the time the plane was airborne I’d forgotten England even existed.” – Alex Garland,  The Beach
• “Venice is a cheek-by-jowl, back-of-the-hand, under-the-counter, higgledy-piggledy, anecdotal city, and she is rich in piquant wrinkled things, like an assortment of bric-a-brac in the house of a wayward connoisseur, or parasites on an oyster-shell.” – Jan Morris,  Venice
• “All travel is circular. I had been jerked through Asia, making a parabola on one of the planet’s hemispheres. After all, the grand tour is just the inspired man’s way of heading home.” – Paul Theroux,  The Great Railway Bazaar
• “I am going away with him to an unknown country where I shall have no past and no name, and where I shall be born again with a new face and an untried heart.” – Colette
• “He won’t fly on the Balinese airline, Garuda, because he won’t fly on any airline where the pilots believe in reincarnation.” – Spalding Gray
• “Gradually the magic of the island settled over us as gently and clingingly as pollen. Each day had a tranquillity, a timelessness, about it so that you wished it would never end. But then the dark skin of night would peel off and there would be a fresh day waiting for us, glossy and colourful as a child’s transfer and with the same tinge of unreality.” – Gerald Durrell,  My Family and Other Animals
• “The border means more than a customs house, a passport officer, a man with a gun. Over there everything is going to be different; life is never going to be quite the same again after your passport has been stamped.” – Graham Greene
• “Walking is a virtue, tourism is a deadly sin.” – Bruce Chatwin,  What Am I Doing Here?
• “Travelling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, ‘I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station’.” – Lisa St. Aubin de Teran
• “Jet lag is for amateurs.” – Dick Clark
• “With the palms zipping past and the big sun burning down on the road ahead, I had a flash of something I hadn’t felt since my first months in Europe. A mixture of ignorance, and a loose, what-the-hell kind of confidence that comes when a man picks up and begins to move in a hard, straight line toward an unknown horizon.” – Hunter S. Thompson,  The Rum Diary
• “We could bore ourselves to death, drink ourselves to death, or have a bit of an adventure.” – Terry Darlington,  Narrow Dog to Carcassonne

Written by Ryan Lum

Ryan is an avid bucket lister. Travel, photography, blogging and adventure are some of his hobbies. He once went on a trip to Spain and was robbed of all his stuff except his clothes. No money, no insurance, no identification and no way to contact family and friends from back home. Did he end his trip? No way! He ended up running with the bulls in Pamplona the very next day.

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33 Terrific Travel Journal Ideas, Tips + Prompts!

Looking for the best travel journal ideas to help you remember your next trip–plus some prompts to help you think of what to write?

You’ve come to the right place!

As a lifelong lover of both journaling and travel, I have experimented with all kinds of travel journals over the years, ranging from the time-consuming to the simple, from the unique to the very basic.

I absolutely love the travel journaling system that I use now (more on that below), but depending on your habits and writing style, there is no limit to the number of ways to preserve your travel memories on the written page.

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more detail.

This guide to travel journal ideas and prompts covers everything from the physical kind of travel diary to use, to tips on journaling effectively, to travel journaling prompts to help you get your writing started.

Remember, though, that the #1 rule of travel journaling is that there are no rules!

Anything that helps you preserve the intense memories of your travel experiences counts.

That being said: here are some of the best travel journal ideas out there!

Table of Contents

Terrific Travel Journal Ideas

Travel journaling tips, inspiring travel journal prompts, planning a trip.

While there are plenty of beautiful travel journals on the market, don’t feel like you need one to keep a memorable travel diary!

I’ve kept travel journals in everything from a $0.99 composition notebook to elaborate leather-bound notebooks to the Notes app in my phone, and I can confidently say that the best travel journals come from the heart–the physical place you put them is the least important function.

That being said, if you are looking for beautiful travel journal examples, I highly recommend these!

One Line a Day Journal

This is my current favorite travel journaling system, and I’ve been using it for nearly 5 years now!

Here’s the format: each page in this diary has a date at the top (say, August 17), and 5 small sections to write 1-2 sentences below it.

For 5 years, keep a daily journal of a memorable moment, and at the end, you’ll be able to look back and, on a single page, see what you did on all your August 17ths.

While this isn’t specifically a travel journal, I absolutely adore using it as one: the tracking of time through both days and years simultaneously is incredible, and the short time commitment is perfect for my lifestyle that already includes lots of writing.

I do still try to keep a long-form travel journal once a week or so, too, but I love my One Line a Day Journal so much that I recently bought two more, just to ensure I have the next decade covered if they stop making them!

Page A Day Travel Journal

Looking for something formatted for you, but with more of a travel theme and more of a long-form approach?

The Page A Day Travel Journal is perfect for that!

In addition to space to write about your day, there are spaces to note your destination and event the weather.

Classic Leather-Bound Journal

What reading-and-writing nerd among us hasn’t dreamed of owning a leather-bound journal to track their travels in?

I have always enjoyed this journal style and have owned a few in my life!

There are tons of similar ones on the market these days, given how popular they are, but I love the compass detail and great reviews on this one .

Postcards To Yourself

Looking for more unique travel journal ideas?

Consider sending postcards to yourself from the road!

In many destinations, you can mail yourself (or someone else) a postcard right from the souvenir shop where you purchase it–so bring a pen along, write some quick thoughts about your day, and drop it in the mail.

By the time you get home, you’ll have a collection of memories delivered right to your front door that you can save forever.

Travel Checklist Journal

If you’re the kind of traveler who wants to make sure they don’t forget a thing, the Travel Checklist Journal is the perfect choice!

With daily prompts covering everything from the restaurants you ate at that day to your most memorable moment of the day, it’s an in-depth log of your adventures.

I’ll be honest: I could never keep up with this much travel journaling on a daily basis.

But, some people absolutely can!

If you find yourself not sure what to put in some sections, though, don’t worry about it–better to skip a prompt than make your journal feel like work instead of fun.

Bullet Journal

A classic bullet journal like this makes a fantastic travel journal idea!

In addition to writing, consider including drawings, hand-drawn maps, charts, and more.

Standard Notebook

You don’t need anything fancy to keep a beautiful, memorable travel journal!

Anything from a simple composition notebook to the back of a receipt will do in a pinch, and I would never recommend putting off writing because you don’t have the “perfect” vessel to store your memories in.

If you’re looking for a fairly standard, lined notebook that is durable without including much formatting to get in the way of your creativity, though, I love these notebooks .

I’ve owned them in various colors and designs for years, going out of my way to replace my old ones with the same brand when they get full.

Buy one on the road!

While I definitely recommend keeping a travel journal from hour one (airports and train stations are great places to write!), there’s also something special about buying a diary on the road.

If you find a journal you love while you’re traveling, consider picking it up and journaling there from then on.

On Your Computer or Phone

I’ll admit, I’m very biased toward analog travel diary ideas–it’s just my style!

But if you prefer typing to writing, or you just don’t want the hassle of carrying a physical journal on the road, you can easily keep a detailed travel journal on your phone or laptop!

Evernote is a fantastic app for journaling on your phone, though a basic Notes app works fine too.

A Word document or Google Doc can work as well.

Alternatively, you can type and send emails to yourself and store them in a certain folder in your inbox!

There is no wrong way to keep a travel journal–whatever works for you, is more than fine.

That being said, based on my personal experience of keeping travel journals over the years, here’s my best advice for preserving your memories!

Try to write as often as possible.

Here’s the sad truth: you will forget much of your vacation.

Even if you remember the basics such as where you went, what you did, and who you were with, the passing years will steal the sensory details from your memory, jumble the order of events, and soften the edges of your stories, making it hard to recapture the emotions of your travel experience.

While some of that is the inevitable result of living a full, exciting life packed with beautiful memories, a travel journal can absolutely help preserve those experiences for you for decades to come.

The period of time that I was worst at keeping a travel journal– the first year of our full-time travels –is also the one where memories have faded the most.

It’s my #1 travel regret that I didn’t keep a detailed travel journal that year!

Imperfection is better than procrastination.

Don’t have time to write pages and pages?

Can’t find the right words to capture exactly how you felt seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time?

Don’t worry about it: a couple of sentences jotted down that afternoon while waiting for your coffee to arrive will capture your emotions far better than waiting weeks to find the right words.

Write what you can’t see.

Photographs and videos can do a lot to preserve visual and even auditory memory–but they can’t capture scents, or the feeling of the humidity lingering in the air, or how soft the dog you stopped to pet was, or the expression on the waiter’s face as you managed to order lunch in a language that you barely speak.

These kinds of recollections, paired with photos and videos, are invaluable for helping place you back in that moment of travel, even years after it has passed.

You don’t have to be a “good” writer.

Forget the English essays of your youth: whether you consider yourself a skilled writer or not, you can absolutely keep the world’s most perfect travel journal for yourself.

Because travel journaling is nothing but a conversation with your memory, and you know exactly how to talk to yourself!

It doesn’t matter if you wouldn’t want to publish it as a memoir or that other people wouldn’t understand what you’re trying to say, because you’re the only audience!

Trust me, as a professional writer of sorts, the things that I write publicly–even in more personal blog posts like this –are not nearly as unguarded as the conversations I have with myself when preserving my own travel memories.

Don’t edit yourself.

This goes somewhat with what I wrote about being a “good” writer, but it’s a solid tip for travel journaling even if you’re a very confident one.

Each of us sees the world in a completely unique way and will use entirely different experiences and criteria to jog our memories.

If none of the travel journal prompts in this blog post speak to you, ignore them.

Write about literally anything you like–anything that speaks to how you experienced your day.

The uniqueness of how we each see the world is never more obvious to me than when I compare the things that Jeremy writes in his travel journal to what I write in mine–many times, we each remember things that the other person didn’t even notice!

Save more than words.

Ticket stubs, brochures, boarding passes, postcards, even foreign currency–anything small and tactile that you can tuck into your travel journal is a fantastic addition.

If you print out any photos along the way or purchase any of the cheesy-but-fun souvenir photos for sale around the world, those can be great components of a travel diary, too.

Full maps are often too big to save in a traditional travel journal, but you can save them separately–or cut out your favorite section(s) and place them in your journal!

Sadly, the ink on receipts tends to fade within a couple of years, but you can try storing a few memorable ones for a while as well.

Depending on your travel journaling style and how much you collect, you may want to tape these extra items to individual pages or keep them tucked into a separate pouch (cheap and fun cloth zip pouches can be found at souvenir markets across the world–maybe you can buy one along the way!).

For something more fun than basic tape, buy a few souvenir stickers along the way and use those to secure your mementos to the page!

Avoid spiral notebooks.

If you want a very inexpensive place to save your memories, opt for a composition notebook over a spiral one–trust me.

Between the spirals being pulled out of place from being moved around so much during your adventures to the fact that they’ll scratch up anything they’re stored near (like your laptop, for example), they’re just not worth the trouble.

I learned this lesson the hard way and will never use a spiral notebook (without a cover, that is) for anything while traveling again!

Always keep your travel journal in your carry-on.

I’ll admit, I’ve broken this rule before, but it’s terrifying checking your travel journal–especially when, like my current one, it contains years worth of irreplaceable memories.

Much better to keep careful watch over it in your carry-on/hand luggage!

Wondering what exactly to write down in your travel diary?

These travel journal writing prompts will get you started!

Choose any of these travel journal topic examples from below and expand upon it in detail, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself jotting down details of memories that would otherwise be lost to time.

As always, the point of travel writing prompts like this isn’t to limit what you write–it’s to provide a jumping-off point.

If you find yourself veering off in a different direction after a few sentences, just roll with it!

What did you do today that you’ve never done before?

Make a list of everything you bought today, from food items to metro tickets.

Describe the most memorable person you interacted with today.

What was your favorite thing you ate today?

What new thing did you learn today? How did you learn it?

Describe your morning routine in detail: what was different from home?

What was your most memorable form of transport today?

What animals did you see or interact with today?

What was the weather like? How did it impact your day?

What were you wearing today? How did it impact your day?

Did you use any words in a language you don’t speak today? What were they?

What’s the big news where you are right now? Is it the same as at home?

What’s the funniest thing that happened today?

What’s the most memorable thing that you physically touched today?

What did you eat for breakfast?

Look up, and describe everything that you see in detail.

If you took a tour: describe your tour guide, including their name!

What did you do today that you didn’t expect to do before your trip?

What’s an interesting story or legend from your destination?

Describe your route from where you’re staying to your first destination of the day.

What’s your favorite word to say in the language of your destination?

What was your least favorite moment of the day?

What was the most surprising thing you saw today?

What interesting conversation did you overhear today?

None of these travel journal ideas or prompts speak to you?

Have something different in mind?

There’s no wrong way to keep a travel diary–whatever feels right when you’re on the road, that’s the best travel journal for you.

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About Kate Storm

In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Since then, I have visited 50+ countries on 5 continents and lived in Portugal, developing a special love of traveling in Europe (especially Italy) along the way. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, I’m working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA.

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62 Best Travel Journal Ideas (And Inspiring Prompts)

Travel expands your world and leaves you inspired.

But these days travel is often a whirlwhind with packed itineraries and long “must-see” lists.

And when you return home, you often have photos that you hardly remember taking.

So how do you slow down and make travel more meaningful? And how do you make time to journal on a busy trip?

I’ve kept a travel journal for decades and it’s made my travels slower and more unforgettable .

And here’s my ultimate guide to start a travel journal. This guide includes everything to put in your journal – and the best prompts, travel journal ideas and tips .

It will inspire you to take a travel journal along on your next trip!

Table of Contents

23 benefits of a travel journal:

1. Increases your self-discovery

A travel journal leads to fresh insights and self-discovery . And it makes travel far more rewarding when you reflect back on what you’ve learned and how you reacted in different situations.

2. Prolongs your pre-trip excitement

Journaling before you leave home gets you excited and prolongs that sweet anticipation. Write about what you’re most looking forward to on your trip. Write about your expectations.

3. Helps you plan an itinerary

A travel journal is an amazing tool to help plan your ideal itinerary. Use your journal to research before the trip – whether that’s finding maps and itineraries or jotting down restaurants to try.

Read books set in your destination and write down your favorite quotes to break the ice if you’re new to travel journaling.

4. Increases your self-awareness

When you travel, you’re thrown outside your daily routine. Self-awareness is easier because you don’t have your everyday surroundings to send you into auto-pilot.

You’re thrown into new situations and meeting new people. Your senses are heightened.

When you journal about your experiences, you get to know yourself. And that leads to more self-awareness and wisdom.

5. Exposes your weaknesses

Travel journaling lets you see yourself at your worst. No trip is perfect and travel tests your patience and leaves you vulnerable.

When you learn what triggers your moods, you learn how to navigate your emotions.

6. Gives you a pastime

Travel journaling is a great pastime when you’re waiting at the airport or taking a long train ride. It fills up time you’d otherwise waste aimlessly scrolling your phone.

Pick up your travel journal and let your thoughts flow. A travel journal is also a great conversation starter and way to meet new people on the road.

7. Helps you remember specific places

A travel journal increases your mindfulness and helps you remember the moment like no photo could.

So grab a seat when you can – whether that’s a park bench, a cafe or your hotel bar after a day of sightseeing.

Sketch your surroundings and vividly describe the scene in front of you. Take in all the details, sights and sounds of the moment you’re in. And capture that in your journal with descriptive language or a quick sketch.

8. Gathers items and mementos

A travel journal is a great place to collect ticket stubs, bits of leaflets and flyers, or anything you pick up as a souvenir of your trip.

Glue and tape in small items into your travel journal. These small everyday items are a powerful way to keep your memories vivid and give you a sense of place.

Carry a glue stick in your bag and keep an eye on anything you could include in your journal.

9. Keeps you organized

Whether it’s the name of that cafe in Florence or the dates of a Brooklyn art exhibit, your travel journal is a place to jot down details when you’re planning your trip.

A travel journal helps you keep track of everything you want to remember.

Your journal can also be an invaluable workbook that helps you arrange your itinerary, keep track of your budget or reshuffle your plans.

10. Helps you remember details

Your travel journal is your personal record of the stimuli that makes your trip memorable – whether that’s the sound of a big city at rush hour or the smell of cotton candy on the beach.

It’s these rich sensory experiences that photos can’t capture.

11. Records your accomplishments

Hurdles that seem impossible are often overcome during travel.

Overwhelming situations later turn into learning experiences.

Your travel journal is a record of all these experiences and a reassurance that – in travel, as in life – everything eventually works out.

12. Keeps you motivated

A travel journal motivates you to change your habits – and your life – after everything you’ve seen on the road.

Whether you return from California and want to get back into yoga, or come home from Taiwan and want to bring more green tea into your life, use your journal to stay inspired.

13. Slows you down

A travel journal forces you to slow down and make the most of your holiday.

When you leave your daily routine behind, it can be difficult to switch to vacation mode. Writing slowly (as opposed to typing) gives you that much-needed time to recharge and observe your thoughts.

14. Boost your mindfulness

A travel journal puts you right in the moment.

When you’re writing, you don’t think about the past or plan for the future. Instead, you’re focused on the present and everything you’re experiencing.

15. Boosts your creativity

A travel journal is a great tool to fuel and inspire your creativity. Include sketches, collages or descriptive writing in your journal to get your creativity flowing.

16. Creates a souvenir

Re-reading your travel journal makes you experience your trip all over again.

17. Makes a great travel guide

Your travel journal makes a great guide if you visit the same destination again or when friends ask for recommendations.

18. Makes you more eloquent

Writing, like any other skill, gets easier with practice.

A travel journal hones your storytelling skills and your powers of description.

19. Shares your experiences

Your travel journal makes a great chronicle to share with friends or pass down to your children.

20. Relieves stress

Science shows that pouring your stress out onto a page helps you process feelings and let go. A travel journal is a portable therapist on the road.

21. Stores important info

Your travel journal holds your itinerary, hotel info, flight info, departure/arrival times, tour company contact information, and more.

This info proves invaluable when your phone runs out of battery – or there’s no Wi-Fi.

Use your travel journal to keep visa requirements, basic language phrases, numbers and currency exchange rates in one convenient place.

22. Keeps your kids entertained

A travel journal keeps your children occupied during long trips. It also helps them reflect on their experiences and creates a souvenir they’ll treasure when they’re older.

23. Helps you network

A travel journal is a great conversation starter with people you meet on the road. It’s also a great place to jot down their contact info or email.

24. Helps you reflect

When you return from your trip, a travel journal keeps expanding your knowledge of the destination you’ve visited.

Reflect back on your trip: what did you learn, what went better than expected and what didn’t.

A travel journal makes your trip more meaningful and lets you experience slow travel even during a short getaway.

Here are 25 travel journal ideas:

• plane, metro, train and bus tickets
• luggage tags
• wine and beer labels
• business cards
• food labels
• tea bag wrappers
• cutouts from local newspapers
• candy wrappers
• sauce packets
• sand and earth rubbings
• foreign currency and coins
• perfume samples
• tags from clothes and souvenirs
• paper bags and wrappers
• paper menus
• dried flowers and leaves
• tickets for museums, galleries, theatres and attractions
• tourist maps

7 travel journal tips for beginners

1. Stay realistic

When you’re starting out, keep things simple.

If you scroll Pinterest and see picture-perfect journals packed with beautiful sketches, you’ll be too intimidated to start.

2. Make your travel journal personal

Buy a simple journal that you won’t mind “spoiling” with awkward doodles or sloppy handwriting.

Remember that it’s better to have an imperfect journal that’s yours than none at all.

3. Don’t mind your handwriting

If your writing feels awkward, remember that it’s still yours. You’ll find it invaluable to reread your journal years from now – and you won’t mind that it’s not perfect.

4. Keep it truthful

Keep your travel journal honest.

Be truthful with yourself and don’t be guided by what you think a travel journal should look like.

Let it be yours – and let it reflect the good, the bad and the ugly of your experiences.

5. Make it comfortable

Go for a spiral-bound notebook if you plan to glue and collect souvenirs into your journal. A spiral-bound notebook gives you more leeway to make collages because it expands more than a tightly-bound journal.

6, Make it art friendly

Pick a journal with thick paper if you plan to write in ink (which can easily bleed through thin paper) or if you want to sketch or do watercolors.

7. Make it portable

Pick a notebook that’s large enough to write and sketch in, but small and light enough to carry easily in your bag.

6 travel journal prompts

Use journal prompts to get your writing flowing.

Here are 6 travel journal prompts to get inspired:

• What were your expectations for this trip? Is it living up to your hopes?
• What’s your itinerary, and what have you done spontaneously?
• Describe a person you’ve met – their character and personality, their mannerisms, their appearance and clothing.
• Write about a new food or restaurant you’ve tried.
• Describe the best and worst part of your day.
• Describe a place you’ve visited. What’s the history, the atmosphere and the smells and sounds of the place?

The benefits of writing by hand

Did you know that the mere act of writing by hand (vs. typing on a keyboard) has countless different benefits – from fighting stress to boosting your memory?

It’s all the more reason to start a travel journal and really unwind on your next vacation.

Read my guide to the Incredible Benefits of Writing by Hand (vs. Typing)   to get inspired on your analog journey.

How to start a journal

If you haven’t written in awhile – or just need some fresh inspiration to start journaling, read my Powerful Journaling Tips For Beginners (And How To Start)  to get your daily writing habit going.

More resources:

18 Incredible Benefits of Journaling  

13 Powerful Journaling Techniques (And How To Use Them)  

51 Inspiring Quotes About Journaling (To Get You Writing!)

Nature Journaling: An Essential Guide (+8 Tips To Start)

Journaling for Mental Health (And 30 Powerful Prompts)

Dee Nowak is the founder of Vanilla Papers. She keeps a daily journal and takes long walks on weekends. After a decade of slow living in Cairo, she's on a mission to help travelers navigate Egypt and the Middle East like a local. She loves simple living, journaling and local cultures.

Travel journal examples and how to get the most out of a travel journal

A travel journal: your new best friend.

Travel journal examples can spark ideas for your own journal. This matters a great deal because a travel journal can be one of your most helpful travel — make that life — tools. It can serve myriad purposes from recording your thoughts, emotions (an important aspect many overlook) and experiences to being a repository of creative ideas and even artwork. You can use it as a scrapbook, planning tool, contact book, organizer, reference book (for vital information such as passport numbers, hotel addresses, places to visit, etc.) and even a place to hide certain valuables.

It’s simple enough to put information into your travel journal. The hard part is being able to find or extract that information easily later on. But don’t worry. I’ll show you travel journal examples, techniques, hacks and tips for that and more based on decades trying a wide variety of travel journals and approaches. You’ll find these useful whether you’re an old pro at journaling or even if you’ve never used a travel journal before. And be sure to read all the way through this article since the Additional Resources section at the end is loaded with inspiring and helpful travel journal examples and ideas.

Getting started

The first and most important thing to remember is that there is no one right way to set up your travel journal. In fact, I’ve found that the best approach is to just start with something and learn as you go. My first travel journal was basically a daily diary: “Today I did this, etc.” Now, however, I use it in a very different matter. But it all comes down to this: What is the purpose of your travel journal?

Two typical entries from my first travel journal on my first trip to Europe in high school. I have upped my travel journal game a bit since then, or so I hope.

This is such an important question because it will guide what kind of notebook/journal/sketchbook you use, how you organize it and how you interact with it. If you’re just starting out, you may not even know your purpose other than to record your experiences. That’s fine. Start there. Then refine over time.

For me, I see my travel journal as a collection tool for travel drawing and notes where I gather ideas, sketches, some to-do’s, trip details and anything else that interests me. But the main difference between this and most journals is that as a tool, I want to use my journal after I return. Not just for nostalgic reminisces on my trip, but to glean from it what I’ve learned, gained and become. I’ll explain this more momentarily.

Picking the right journal

Again, I’m not sure there is a universal “right” travel journal. Your goal is to find what works for you. You can start by determining if you want a blank notebook or a travel journal that comes with prompts, quotes, organizing categories, etc. Here’s a helpful list of 17 travel journals to give you a sense of travel journal examples and possibilities. Mostly, consider if you want to do travel drawing or even painting in your travel journal. If so, you’ll want thicker paper that won’t warp with the water or bleed through with ink. You likely will want blank pages, as opposed to lines, grids or dots.

Just as there’s no right or wrong size (just what works for you), so too is the orientation up to you. As you can see here, I sketched holding the journal in a portrait orientation (left page) but wrote (right page, partial) using a landscape orientation. Both work.

If you want to use it as a form of a scrapbook, get one with pockets or that is expandable enough for when you’ve doubled the thickness with all those tickets, stamps, samples of currency, bottle labels and other elements you’ve glued to the pages.

Buying a nice looking or feeling notebook or journal can be motivating. But getting too nice of a notebook to use can be intimidating: You’ll be afraid to do any travel drawing or mess it up. Thus, I suggest starting somewhere in the middle. Find a journal or notebook that will hold up well (hard covers help in this regard), but isn’t so expensive you’ll only want to use it on special occasions. 

Even fancy patterns on your pages can be fun. I tend to prefer blank pages, but sometimes I’ll try different patterns just to mix things up.

Your travel journal is more of a workhorse than a show pony (though sometimes a bit of that too later on). You’ll get far more out of one you use all the time, where you write, do travel drawing or urban sketching, doodle and record with the intent that only you will ever see it. If you choose to show it to others later, fine. But don’t make that your main goal, at least as a beginner, or you’ll never get the most out of your journal.

How will you use your travel journal?

Back to purpose, you can choose to have a general-use journal or one devoted only to your trips (or to a particular trip). I have done both, and there are pros and cons to each. A journal for all situations allows you to connect everything you do so that if a great work idea hits you on a trip, you can reference back to a meeting about that, etc. You can also find things easier in some ways since your whole life, trip or home/work, is laid out in a chronological fashion in one book.

Here’s a recent journal of mine that I use daily, as well as for trips. You can see the basic outline for this article here that I wrote on the plane on a business trip. How do I know it was on a trip? From the notation that the sketch was done from a photo in the airplane’s magazine somewhere between Baltimore (BWI) and Seattle (SEA)

A really popular approach these days to general journals is the Bullet Journal . Many people swear by this way of organizing their journal and their life. I love many of the ideas found in bullet journaling. But I choose not to follow that approach completely. Why? Bullet journaling is primarily intended as a productivity tool. I personally don’t find it helpful in that regard because, for example, tracking all my calendar events and moment-by-moment to-do’s in a journal slows me down.

Combine digital and analog

Instead, I use a combination of Outlook, Trello , Evernote and Scrivener (the latter two for organizing ideas and writing projects or content) on my phone and computer. The main reason for tracking tasks digitally is that they roll over automatically. I don’t have to constantly move them manually from one day, week or month to-do list to the next.

But the main reason I don’t use the bullet journal methodology for my travel journal is that when I travel, productivity is not my goal. Exploration and discovery are. I use my travel journal to capture what I learn as I explore the world around me and the world within me wherever I go.

On a trip, I’m less interested in productivity than in explaining why this sketch was hard to do well.

In the last few years, I’ve taken up sketching and even watercolors, so for me, I now maintain a separate travel journal for each major trip. I use one that has thicker watercolor paper, so on a three-week trip, I can pretty much fill up the whole book. But for shorter trips, I do use my day-to-day journal. And I’ve even done both: Used my day-to-day journal to record words and a smaller sketchbook for travel drawing or watercolors. Again, no right or wrong way to do this. Just start with an approach and build from there.

Organizing your travel journal

What follows is how I organize my travel journal. It’s the same way I do my day-to-day journal but with some additional pages in the end for travel-specific information. My purpose, remember, is to capture ideas, information and experiences and then to be able to use these later. For that reason, the most helpful part of my journal is the index. I’ll explain that in a moment along with travel journal examples, but here’s what else goes into my journal.

Starting with a brand new empty journal

The first thing I do with a new journal is to put my name, cell phone number and email address on the inside cover.

Next, if the journal doesn’t have a rear pocket, I make one or glue/tape in a small envelope that fits on the inside of the rear cover.

If you glue in your own, consider hiding a few large denomination bills, both dollars and the local currency, behind the envelope or anything else you tape or glue inside the covers. It’s a great place for hiding back-up money. It works because once you start using your travel journal regularly, you’ll find it is one of your most precious possessions. You’ll learn to guard it like your wallet, passport or phone.

These are just some of the many travel journals I’ve filled up over the years.

In addition to the pocket or envelope in your journal, consider bringing a quart or gallon-sized zip lock bag to hold all the small items you pick up along the way. I used to shove them into pockets in my carry-on bag, but having a single location now keeps them from getting lost or mangled. And it keeps my travel journal from looking like George Costanza’s wallet on Seinfeld . This same bag can hold a glue stick, paper clips or anything else you want for adding items to your journal.

Start in the front and work back

I track everything chronologically noting the date at the top of each day’s entry. If it spans multiple pages, I’ll write “(cont.)” after the date on later spreads so I know to keep looking for the start of that day when I review the entry later.

I work in this chronological fashion for recording most of my entries because I find it flows better to write the item down right away and then figure out how to classify it later. I set up indexes in the back for classifying and locating the entry. But that comes as a review step, not a creative or collecting function.

What to write

Starting at the front section of the travel journal, I may use the very first page as a title page if the journal is devoted to a single trip. Otherwise, I skip over that page and then start with the date of the start of the trip and then just keep going from there. Here are the types of content I write/draw along with some of my travel journal examples:

Sometimes, I’ll devote a whole page or spread to nothing but sketches.

• General thoughts . These make up the majority of my journal and are what you’d expect in any journal.
• Sketches . I’m still just a beginner, but I’ve committed to one sketch per day, at home or on a trip. Sometimes they are involved. Others (most of the time), are just a quick gesture. But the discipline helps improve my skill.
• A daily log . At the end of each day, I do a very quick list of summary activities, where I went, who I met, what I did. I actually note it like this: “(Log 11/27/19 – Wed.):” so that I can see at a glance what were log entries versus other ideas. For logs, the shorter the better. Here’s where bullet journal techniques can help: Record a few words as a bullet rather than full sentences. At the end of every daily log, I also record two specific items in addition log entries themselves, gratitude points and what I’ve read or watched.
• Gratitude points : I jot down what I call a Goodness Journal (abbreviated as GJ) entry. This is the highlight of my day for which I am most grateful. On trips, this can often end up being multiple points.
• Read/Watched : The second additional component is what I call Read/Watched (R/W) where I list any books I’ve read that day or any movies, programs, concerts, etc. that I watched. It can include podcasts and anything else you want to track. Before I started doing this, I’d get to the end of the year and couldn’t recall all the books I’d read. Now I can just by referring back to these entries.
• Insights and Ideas . Most of my journal at home is filled with these. On trips, these happen more on plane, train or bus rides than every single day. But they could happen any time which is why I keep a pocket-sized travel journal with me or at least a note card or my phone so I can write the idea down immediately.
• Quotes . These can be formal written ones I encounter or snippets of conversations I overhear. As a writer, I want to always be gathering dialog examples or clever turns of phrases.
• To-dos. Yes, I said I record these digitally for the daily tasks. But sometimes on trips, you have opportunities for dreaming and planning. I mark all to-do’s with a checkbox I can fill in later. I like the bullet journal way they do this as well (a dot instead of a box).

I had a gentleman in China demonstrate his woodblock stamps by stamping some examples in my journal. You can paste in stamps, tickets, receipts, postcards or any other artifacts from your trip onto your journal pages as you go (if you remember to bring some glue or paste).

• Descriptions . These are either quick notes on what I’m seeing, hearing, tasting or tasting, or longer ways to capture the details of a place. See Look Closely for details on how to do this as a way to learn to see details better or to write better based on your travels. I also make sure to write down the names of places, people, food, local expressions and anything else I want to write about later. Don’t assume you’ll remember it or can look it up later. Write it down.
• Miscellaneous . I’ve had artists draw in my journal, had people stamp it (see photo above), record different colors of beverages spilled or intentionally dripped on it and a wealth of other things added. Be open to how you can use your journal. Or for fun, try this exercise: Come up with as many ways as you can think of to use your travel journal on your next trip.

The back of the journal

The front of the journal is used for a chronological input of information each day (or whenever you choose). The goal there is to record the idea, insight, drawing or information just like in a diary. The back of the journal is where you’ll organize it all for later retrieval.

Working from the last page backwards, I set up a series of index or topic pages (see the list below) where I record anything related to that topic either verbatim (if I have the time and forethought to write it down there such as contact info or a quote I came across) or as a page number reference and summary line from the front of the journal (hence the reason these back-of-the-journal pages are called Index Pages).

For me, I find that most index sections only require one page (e.g. for Contacts or Travel Details) but I leave two pages for Ideas or Vocabulary since they tend to have more entries. I write small (some would say ridiculously small), so if you don’t, you may want to leave more room.

Review your entries and record them for easier retrieval

I don’t assign page numbers as I write in the front of the journal. Instead, I jot down a page number later, maybe daily, maybe weekly, as I review my journal. Writing down the page number during the review phase shows me which pages have been indexed. No page number indicates it still needs to be indexed. As I review each page, I also code the entries themselves on the journal pages by highlighting the topic or assigning a word or letter to let me know what it is. For example, if there’s a quote, I will write “Quote” and circle it right before the quote. For blog ideas, I’ll write “blog” and circle that, etc. If  an idea that has distinct merit, I’ll draw a star next to it. Particular project ideas get a corresponding code, e.g. if it’s about  my book on Hidden Travel,   I’ll write “HT” and circle that. The whole point is to make it easier to spot the entry when you’re reviewing the page later.

Here you can (hopefully) see how I’ve written and circled page numbers at the top and put a box around the word “Quote” on the left page and “Visual appeal article” on the right page. Then, on the Quotes index page, I’ll write “108” and circle it with a quick notation like, “E.B. White on saving/savoring the world.” On the Ideas index page, I’ll write “109” and circle it with the notation, “Visual Appeal article questions.”

In case you’re wondering why the index/topic pages go in the back and not in the front like a table of contents, it’s because I often add topics as I progress through the journal. Working from the back gives me room to add new pages whereas if I’d started from the front and I didn’t guess correctly, I’d be out of room before running into my journal entries.

Travel journal examples of Pre-Trip Items

Some of my index/topic pages get filled in (or at least started) before my trip either as planning or to load my travel journal with important information to have on my trip. Here are some travel journal examples of the key sections.

Here’s a travel journal example of a shot list from my China trip journal. I tend to write pretty small in the back section of a journal! The whited out area was my passport number in code. Writing key information on pages with other entries makes it even less obvious this is something valuable.

• Vocabulary. On trips to countries where I’m learning the language, I’ll add new vocabulary words here usually starting long before the trip. These are key words to practice, as well as new ones I pick up as I travel.
• Shot list . When planning my trip, as a photographer, I make a list of specific places, scenes, techniques I want to try or even times of day I want to shoot. Check out my Beginner’s Guide to Making Awesome Travel Photos for more on this and other travel photo techniques. In addition, as I review guidebooks or articles, I’ll add interesting places to this list. Even if you’re not a photographer, you can make a list of “must see” places or “must do” experiences or activities. Writing them down really helps because it makes it so easy to find all these in one place rather than hunting through a guidebook or other pages on your trip.
• Themes and Moments . This is yet another pre-trip fill-in page. I try to come up with a theme or quest for each trip. Writing down ideas about that or defining it really adds to the anticipation of the trip. On this page, I’ll also jot down ideas for creating magic or defining moments for others on the trip. This includes ideas for the activities or contact info for places or people that will be part of the activity.

Travel journal examples of elements to add as you travel

Here are some typical index/topic pages in the back of my travel journal that get filled in as I go:

• Contact information . I keep a separate page to record the names, email addresses, etc. of people I meet along the way. If, in a hurry, I just write down a name and email address in the front-of-the-book journaling section. I’ll later record the page number and contact name on the page here so all I can find all my contacts in one place later.
• Ideas . This becomes a catchall for any creative ideas I’ve had. I normally start with the page number(s) followed by a brief summary such as “27 – 29: Dining room chair design” or “73: Article on architecture styles in Morocco.”

Here’s a specific travel journal example, the Ideas Index Page from my China trip journal. I had started the page on the left as a vocabulary list but made room from more ideas when I ran out of space on the page on the right.

• Books and Movies . This too is a catchall for any form of entertainment I want to read. I constantly get book and movie (and even song or podcast) recommendations as I travel that I add here with an open check box. I also record books I’ve finished to this list noting those with a checked box.
• Quotes . As noted above, these may be written quotes I come across or snippets of dialog I pick up. I either write the quote here directly or reference the journal page where I wrote the quote with a reminder such as “53-quote from Leipzig waitress on timing.”

You can do a trip highlights page on the flight home, but sometimes it helps to record a summary of details in the midst of your trip of things that stand out to you.

• To-do’s. I said I like to keep my travel journal free from productivity and time management, but I always have big-picture to-do activities that arise on a trip. I’ll record these as I go in the journal section, but for longer-term ones I don’t want to lose track of, I sometimes add a to-do index as well in the back of the journal. This can also be a great place to record future planning ideas for things you want to accomplish after your trip.
• Trip highlights . I’ll normally note the big moments in the journal section as they occur. But often on the flight home, I like to review these and capture them all in one place with the page reference and a brief notation. I may also add in additional ones at this point because sometimes, you don’t realize how powerful or meaningful a moment was at the time.

When your journal is full

Eventually, you’ll fill up your journal with entries. You’ll then review and have every page numbered with key entries noted in your index pages. Then what?

I use Scrivener (for writing projects) and Evernote (for others) as software/apps to track ideas over time. Thus, when I finish a journal, I go copy the content from my index pages into one of these digital programs.

There are several reasons for this. First, it helps to have all your ideas over time in one place so you can view them easier. Second, with the online tools, I can tag content by subject making retrieval later much easier. Most of us focus our efforts on having ideas and maybe writing them down. But those ideas won’t serve you well if you can’t find them later. Finally, putting everything into one place helps me see patterns and related ideas which, in turn, sparks new ideas.

It all relates to the concept of Collect, Connect and Share. If all you’re doing is collecting, you’re missing out on the main value of your journal.

Make a copy

This may be overkill to some, but my journals are precious repositories of life. I would hate to lose them. I could dictate the contents and transcribe that, but I don’t have that kind of time. Instead, Evernote comes to the rescue.

The Evernote app has a photo function. I open the app and take pictures of every spread or page of my journal. I save the results as an Evernote file and can even tag it by date, country or other criteria. It then resides on the cloud (and I also do a back-up on a drive at home). That way, if the original gets lost, I know that all those memories are secure.

Let’s review

Here’s a summary of the key points:

• Know the purpose for your journal
• Choose the type of journal based on your intended purpose.
• Start with something that’s not too nice so that you’re not afraid to mark it up.
• Keep daily entries in the front and a list of index pages in the back of the journal.
• Periodically review your journal entries. As you do, number each page and record that page number and a brief reminder on the appropriate index page.
• At the end of each journal, photograph each page and save to a secure location. Then enter the index information into whatever tool you use for tracking all of your ideas over time.

Additional resources and travel journal examples

Here are other resources and travel journal examples to both inspire and help you get the most out of your travel journal:

• A helpful article with visuals of different travel journal examples
• Writer and artist Austin Kleon’s comments on notebooks 
• Travel journal examples (and notebooks) of author Robert MacFarlane 
• Some additional travel journal examples and notebook types
• The Sketchbook Projec t, one of my favorite places to visit in Brooklyn, NY and a great source of inspiration for sketchbooks. If you’re looking for a single place for travel journal examples, it is this one. Here are just a few screen shots of some random travel journal examples I looked up by Julia Yellow . There are thousands of such journals at this site.

• If you really enjoy the travel drawing aspect of a travel journal, you might want to connect with the whole Urban Sketchers movement and see travel journal examples that include urban sketching. Here’s an example of an urban sketch by Stephanie Bower . I took some of her architectural sketching courses online at Bluprint and they were excellent.

Parting thoughts

Finally, if you want even more travel journal examples and information, be sure to read Lavinia Spalding’s excellent book on the subject, Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler. Here’s one of many great quotes from the book:

“If we’re committed to honest investigation, the travel journal can be a cornerstone of growth and a catalyst for great work, providing a safe container for astonishing discoveries and the life lessons we take away from them. We write words in an empty book, and an inanimate object is transformed into a living, breathing memoir. In turn, as we write, the journal transforms us. It allows us to instantly process impressions, which leads to a more examined layer of consciousness in both the present and the future. It’s a relationship, and let me tell you, it’s no cheap one-night stand.”

You might want to consider writing that quote down in your travel journal. Either in the daily entries or on the quotes index page. Or however you want to do it. It’s your travel journal and the possibilities are endless.

Thanks Steve! Informative and creative. Your sketching is lovely, too! Merry Christmas to you and the fam

Thanks, Alan. I was just editing a section in my upcoming book, “Hidden Travel,” on the subject of sketching and the advice I was given by Gabriel Campinario, founder of Urban Sketchers. He told me to never apologize or say, “Oh, I’m just a beginner” when someone compliments your sketching because no matter how bad you think it is, it is still better than that of the 99% of the population who never attempts to draw. So I will leave it at, “Thank you!”

[…] I mainly get inspiration from a Reddit group called Journaling, and also I get a few ideas on making travel journals. Despite it being fun to do having a physical notebook, at times it can be difficult to finish them […]

You’ve inspired me to resume creating tiny travel journals, with scrapbook like additions. I use photo double sided stickies, not glue. Someone asked what do I do with these? As if creating isn’t pleasurable. I often use them as primary sources to create photobooks. Along with my Bird lists.🐦😁.

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Get Inspired With These 50 Travel Journal Prompts

Travel Journal Writing Prompts

Struggling with ideas for your Travel Diary? Try these travel journal prompts to get you inspired and create amazing memories from your adventures and destinations!

There are so many reasons you should try writing a travel journal for your next vacation. Keeping a travel journal is a fantastic way to prepare for a trip, help you stay organized during a holiday and to keep those amazing travel memories alive long after your adventure has finished. 

Trying to come up with ideas on what to write about can be hard work though…especially if you are tired after a day of sightseeing! It can also be hard to know where to start as you have often seen and done so much in a day of travel !

Create a travel journal you are going to treasure for many years to come with the travel prompts below. They will help you capture all the sights, feelings and experiences you have that make your trip worth remembering.  

Table of Contents

Travel Journal Prompts

So, what do you write in a travel journal?

It’s normal to feel a little stuck with writing. Usually just starting is the hardest part and once you begin writing you will find the ideas flow easily.

Using journal prompts like the ones below is a great way to get stop the writing block. 

If you use your travel diary to help plan your adventure then it’s a great idea to get into the habit of journaling before you leave. 

Travel Prompts For Before The Trip

• What are your expectations of this destination or experience?
• What is on your destination bucket list? And why do you want to see or experience these things? 
• What part of this trip have you enjoyed planning for the most?
• Have there been any pre-trip disasters? 
• Why did you choose this adventure or destination?
• Are you worried about anything?
• What advice have you read or been given about your destination?
• What are you most excited about? ( it could be food to try or a tour you have booked).
• What has been your favorite vacation/adventure ever? 
• What  souvenir do you want to bring home?
• What do you want to learn on this adventure?
• How have you saved up for this trip?
• What are some interesting facts you have researched about your destination?

To really make the most of travel journaling it is a good idea to create a habit. Maybe get up half an hour early to write about your day before, or make sure you leave some time at the end of the day to journal. Try to journal every day as it is amazing how quickly you can forget all those small details.  Try the below journal prompts to inspire you while you are traveling. 

Journal Prompts While Traveling

• What was the first thing you noticed/felt when you reached your destination
• What was the most amazing thing you did today?
• What was the worst thing that happened today?
• Did you try something new?
• What made you smile, laugh, cry?
• What did you eat?
• What people did you meet today?
• Did something go wrong today? ( Travel disasters can sometimes end up as funny stories later on)
• What are clear things you remember feeling, seeing, touching, smelling or hearing? Evoking senses is a fantastic way to bring back memories when you reread your travel journal.
• What are you missing about home?
• What cultural experiences have you had today?
• How did you feel waking up in a new place?
• Describe the place you are in detail ( add smells, tastes, sounds, and feelings as well as what you see)
• Write down some interesting facts or history about your destination
• What makes this place similar or very different from where you are from?
• Did something put you outside of your comfort zone? Why? How did you feel?
• What is happening in the news at your destination? Are you seeing/feeling/being affected by this while you travel?
• How did an experience, person or site make you feel today?
• What music are you listening too?
• What books/magazines are you reading?
• Did you learn any new words or phrases today? How did you learn them? Where did you use them?

Writing in your travel journal at the end of your adventure is the perfect way to reflect. You could journal on the flight home, or wait until you are already home and unpacking to see what your lasting memories and emotions are about a vacation. Below are some holiday journal prompts to help. 

Post Vacation Writing Prompts

• Would you visit again? Or change something in your itinerary if you could go back?
• Did you learn anything?
• How would you describe what you did and saw to a friend or someone that was thinking of traveling to the same destination?
• What was your favorite…. ( could add food, tour, place to visit, experience, person you met.)
• Recall something funny that happened on your trip.
• What were the highlights of your adventure?
• What were some low points of your trip?
• How did your trip differ/live up to your expectations?
• Did your adventure change you or help you grow in any way?
• Where do you want to go next? Why?
• What  souvenir did you bring home?
• What item did you wish you had packed? Or things you realized you didn’t need to pack!
• What is one thing you didn’t get to do but wish you had?
• What is one thing you did do but wish you hadn’t?
• Is there a new food, or tradition from the trip that you are going to bring into your everyday life?
• How did you feel coming home from your adventure?

Want these as a printable to take with you on your adventure? Download your FREE travel Journal Prompts HERE

Travel Journal With Prompts

Want to make it even easier? Why not buy a travel diary that already has travel writing prompts?

Here are some travel journals with prompts we love!

Travel with Meraki – Remember, when you are wondering what to record in a travel journal to not just stick with the facts ( I went here, it was hot today). Add lots of descriptions using all your senses! As well as what you saw, you want to remember the smells, textures, and sounds of a destination. Be sure to also write how all these things made you FEEL !

Travel Quotes To Use In Your Travel Journal

Quotes About Journeys

Vacation Quotes For Families

The Best Travel Quotes

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What Is a Travel Journal + How to Make One with Examples

Traveling to new places and journaling about your exciting and enriching experiences is beyond rewarding. Whether you're exploring a bustling city, immersing yourself in nature's wonders, or embarking on a cultural adventure, capturing your travel experiences is a great way to preserve memories and reflect on your journey. One popular and creative way to document your travels is through a travel journal . In this article, we'll cover what a travel journal is, the benefits of keeping one, how to choose the best travel journal among different types, and provide you with tips and examples on how to make your own.

Ready to discover how to capture your travel experiences in different places, explore creative travel journal ideas and travel journal prompts, and more? Let the adventure begin!

What is a Travel Journal?

A travel journal is a personal diary that allows you to record your thoughts, feelings, and experiences during your travels. It serves as a visual and written account of your adventures, providing you with a tangible keepsake that you can cherish for years to come. Unlike a regular journal, a travel diary focuses specifically on your journeys, including details about the different places you visit, the people you meet, the food you try, and the sights you see.

Benefits of Keeping a Travel Journal

Keeping a travel journal offers numerous benefits beyond simply documenting your experiences. Here are some additional reasons why you should consider starting one:

1. Emotional and Mental Well-Being

Journaling has been shown to have positive effects on emotional and mental well-being . When you write about your travel experiences, you have the opportunity to process and reflect on your emotions, helping you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your reactions to different situations via your journal entries. It can be a therapeutic outlet for releasing stress, anxiety, or even excitement, allowing you to better manage your emotions throughout your journey.

2. Enhanced Memory Retention

Writing about your travels helps improve memory retention. By actively engaging with your experiences and recording them in detail, you reinforce the neural connections related to those memories. This makes it easier to recall specific moments, sights, sounds, and even the feelings associated with them in the future. Your travel diary becomes a valuable tool for preserving and retrieving cherished memories.

3. Cultural Exploration and Appreciation

A travel journal encourages you to be more observant and attentive to the details of the places you visit. It prompts you to delve deeper into the local culture, traditions, and customs. By documenting your interactions with locals, sampling regional cuisine, and exploring hidden gems, you develop a greater appreciation for the unique aspects of each destination. Your journal becomes a testament to the richness and diversity of the world around you.

4. Personal Growth and Self-Reflection

Writing in a travel diary allows for introspection and personal growth. As you reflect on your experiences, you gain insights into your own values, beliefs, and perspectives. You may discover new passions or interests, challenge preconceived notions, or develop a greater sense of empathy and understanding for others. The process of self-reflection through journaling can lead to personal transformation and a deeper connection to the world.

5. Travel Planning and Preparation

Your travel journal can serve as a practical resource for future trips. By documenting your itineraries, accommodations, transportation details, and recommendations, you create a valuable reference guide that covers your experiences more fully. You can refer back to your journal to jog your memory or provide recommendations to fellow travelers. It becomes a repository of knowledge that can streamline the planning process for future adventures.

6. Connection with Loved Ones

Sharing your travel journal with friends, family, or future generations can be a meaningful way to connect and bond. Your journal becomes a storytelling tool, allowing others to experience your journey vicariously through your words, sketches, and photographs. It can spark conversations, ignite curiosity, and inspire others to embark on their own adventures.

7. Creative Expression

Engaging in the creative process of journaling stimulates your imagination and artistic abilities. Whether you're writing prose, sketching landscapes, creating collages, or experimenting with different art mediums, your travel diary becomes a canvas for self-expression. It encourages you to think outside the box, explore new artistic techniques, and develop your creative skills.

Keeping a travel journal goes beyond simply recording your experiences. It has profound benefits for your emotional well-being, memory retention, personal growth, and cultural appreciation. It serves as a tangible reminder of your adventures, a tool for planning future trips, a means of connecting with others, and a creative outlet for self-expression. So, grab a journal and embark on your journey of exploration and self-discovery through travel journaling.

Types of Travel Journals

There are different journals for just about any goal or activity you can think of – from travel journals to fitness journals , from gratitude journals to garden journals , and more. Similarly, there are various types of travel diaries to suit different preferences and styles. We cover the best travel journals below so you can find one perfect for you.

1. Guided Travel Journals

Guided journals provide travel journal prompts and structured sections to help you capture specific aspects of your journey. Guided journals often include questions, blank pages to fill in, and guided activities to guide your journaling process. Using a guided journal or planner , can ensure you cover all the essentials, without missing any crucial details you’ll want to revisit later.

2. Traditional Handwritten Journals

These are classic journals or notebooks with blank pages where you can freely write, draw, or glue mementos. Traditional journals offer the most flexibility in terms of customization for creative journal entries.

3. Photographic Travel Journals

For those who prefer visual storytelling, a photographic travel journal focuses on capturing moments through photographs. You can include pictures alongside brief descriptions or captions to narrate your journey visually.

4. Scrapbook Travel Journals

Scrapbook-style journals combine photographs, tickets, postcards, and other memorabilia with handwritten notes and decorative elements. They provide a visually appealing way to preserve your travel memories.

5. Sketchbook Travel Journals

If you have artistic inclinations, a sketchbook journal allows you to sketch and paint scenes, landmarks, and people you encounter during your travels. It's a great way to capture the essence of a place through your own artwork.

6. Digital Travel Journals

In the digital age, many people opt for digital travel journals, using apps or online platforms to document their adventures. Digital journals offer the convenience of easy editing, multimedia integration, and the ability to share your journey with others online.

7. Travel Bullet Journals

A popular trend in journaling, travel bullet journals combine organization and creativity. Based on the bullet journaling system, these journals use symbols, icons, and trackers to help you plan and record your travels. You can create sections for itineraries, packing lists, daily logs, and more, all while adding artistic touches and personalization.

You can also use a monthly planner with ample note pages and customize it as a travel calendar journal.

Whether you prefer the structure of guided journals, the freedom of traditional handwritten journals, the visual impact of photographic or scrapbook journals, the artistic expression of sketchbook journals, the convenience of digital journals, or the organization of travel bullet journals, there's a type of travel journal that will resonate with you and enhance your travel experiences. Choose the one that suits your style and embark on a journey of creativity and self-expression.

How to Make a Travel Journal

Now that you have an idea of the different types of travel journals, let's explore how to make your own.

1. Selecting the Right Journal

Consider the type of journaling experience you desire. If you prefer writing and sketching, a traditional blank-page journal or sketchbook might be ideal. If you want structure and guidance, opt for a guided travel journal. If you're tech-savvy, explore digital journaling options.

2. Gathering Essential Supplies

Depending on the type of journal you choose, gather supplies such as pens, pencils, markers, glue, scissors, washi tape, stickers, and any other decorative elements you'd like to incorporate. If you're going digital, ensure you have a suitable device and any necessary apps or software.

3. Planning Your Journal

Before your trip, plan how you want to organize your journal. Consider creating sections for different aspects like itineraries, accommodation, food, and sightseeing. This will help you stay organized and make it easier to find information later.

4. Documenting Your Journey

During your trip, actively engage in your journaling process with regular (yet not restrictive or rigid) journal entries. Write about your daily experiences, jot down interesting conversations, glue in ticket stubs or postcards, and take photographs to complement your entries. Let your creativity flow and capture the essence of each moment.

Travel Journal Page and Layout Examples

The layout and organization of your travel journal pages play a crucial role in bringing your travel experiences, from all the different places you’ve visited, to life. By incorporating various elements and sections, you can create a visually appealing and informative journal that captures the essence of your journey. From practical pages for itineraries and packing lists to creative spreads for reflections and bucket lists, here are some ideas to help you design engaging and meaningful pages for your travel diary.

1. Packing List and Pre-Trip Planning Pages

Dedicate a page or spread to jot down your packing list and pre-trip preparations. Include essential items, travel tips, and any special considerations for the destination. You can even add checkboxes or symbols to mark off items as you pack, ensuring you don't forget anything important.

You may also want to check out these helpful travel and packing tips .

2. A List of Local Words and Phrases

Learning a few basic words and phrases in the local language can greatly enhance your travel experience. Create a page dedicated to practicing and referring to these words and phrases. Include translations, pronunciation guides, and space to practice writing them. This page can be a helpful tool for connecting with locals and immersing yourself in the local culture.

3. Itinerary Pages

Design pages dedicated to your daily itineraries. Include the places you plan to visit, opening hours, transportation details, and any additional notes or reservations. You can add maps, photographs, or illustrations to make the page visually appealing and easy to navigate.

4. Accommodation and Restaurant Reviews

Reserve pages to review and rate the accommodations and restaurants you experience. Include details like the location, ambiance, service, and any standout dishes. You can even attach business cards, menus, or photographs to accompany your reviews. These pages will not only serve as a reference for future trips but also help fellow travelers discover hidden gems.

5. Post-Trip Reflection and Wrap-Up

Allocate space in your journal for post-trip reflections. Create pages to summarize your overall experience, highlight your favorite moments, and reflect on the lessons learned during your journey. Include photographs, sketches, or quotes that capture the essence of your adventure. These reflection pages will serve as a reminder of the growth and memories you gained from your travels.

6. Travel Bucket List

Create a dedicated page to list destinations, landmarks, or experiences you aspire to visit or accomplish in the future. You can divide the page into different categories like countries, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, or adrenaline-fueled activities. This page will serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for your future travels.

7. Travel Budget, Savings Goals, and Tracking

If budgeting is important to you, design pages to track your travel expenses, savings goals, and tips for saving money during your travels. Create tables or graphs to visually represent your budget and savings progress. These pages will help you stay accountable and ensure you're making the most of your financial resources.

Your travel diary is a personal and creative space to capture the memories, emotions, and experiences of your journeys. Through carefully designed pages and layouts, you can transform your journal into a visual and written narrative of your adventures. Whether you choose to incorporate practical elements like itineraries and packing lists or focus on creative expressions like reflections and bucket lists, the possibilities are endless. Let your imagination guide you as you create pages that reflect your unique travel style and personality. With each turn of the page, your travel diary will become a treasure trove of cherished memories and a gateway to relive your journeys again and again.

Creative Travel Journaling Ideas and Prompts

Stuck on what to write or include in your travel diary? Here are some creative travel journal ideas and travel journal prompts to get you started:

• Write a letter to your future self reflecting on your travel experiences and what you hope to remember.
• Describe the scents, sounds, and tastes that stand out in each place you visit.
• Create a "People You Meet" page, where you can jot down brief descriptions or draw portraits of interesting individuals you encounter during your journey.
• Write a short story or poem inspired by a specific location or experience.
• Make a to-do list of activities or experiences you want to accomplish at each destination. Challenge yourself to complete as many as possible and check them off as you go.
• Write a gratitude list, noting the things you're grateful for during your travels. It could be the stunning sunsets, the kindness of locals, or the serendipitous encounters.

A travel diary is a beautiful way to document and cherish your travel experiences. Whether you opt for a traditional handwritten journal, a photographic account, or a digital platform, the process of journaling will enhance your journey and provide a lasting memory of your adventures. Experiment with different styles, layouts, and prompts to make your travel journal uniquely yours. So, grab a journal and start capturing your travel memories today!

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21 Creative Travel Journal Ideas & Prompts for Your Next Trip

February 29, 2024

Journaling is a great way to make the most of any trip. Here are some of our favourite creative travel journal ideas.

Travel Journal Ideas

Photos and videos aren’t the only ways to capture your travels. A travel diary can help you enjoy the trip you’re on and help you relive all those memories once you’re home. After all, how often do you look back through your phone’s photos?

I’ll be honest. Completing a travel bullet journal is something I often dream about more than I manage to complete, particularly when travelling with young children. But over the years, the travel journals I have managed to complete have brought me great joy and prompted my ageing brain to remember sights, smells and tastes more vividly than ever.

So, don’t get hung up on making it pretty and perfect. Just concentrate on enjoying your trip and use these travel journal ideas to deepen that enjoyment. Don’t let them turn into one more burden or chore to complete!

What is a Travel Journal?

A travel journal is whatever you want it to be, baby! Or in more standard talk:

A travel journal is a personal, written account that documents an individual’s experiences, observations, and emotions during their journeys. It serves as a dedicated space for recording details such as daily activities, cultural encounters, and reflections on the places visited.

Typically, travel journals include a mix of narratives, anecdotes, and practical information. Whether handwritten or digital, a travel journal is a valuable tool for preserving travel memories, fostering self-reflection, and creating a tangible record of one’s explorations and discoveries around the world.

Although, don’t think you need to write reams. We’ve plenty of creative travel journal ideas if writing doesn’t happen to be your thing. We’re all about the easy way to fill those travel journal pages.

Where to Find the Perfect Travel Journal

The romantic in me says that the best travel journal is found on the road. But the practical side of me knows that it’s easier if you pick one up before you go.

In my experience, you want a book that will stay flat when you fold it open and ideally have a tie or piece of elastic to hold it together again, to stop things falling out.

I also like travel journals with a space for a pen as that makes it more likely that you will actually have a pen with you when the time comes to write. In my experience, the best way to make sure that something happens is to remove as many obstacles as possible.

Personally, I prefer blank pages but I know that many prefer grids or lines. And I’ve never got to grips with a digital journal but if they work for you, then great!

A hard cover can protect from the bumps and bruises of life on the road but, then again, a soft cover is lighter to carry around.

Here are some lovely travel journal examples you can find on Amazon:

• Vegan Leather Beechmore Travel Journal
• Adventure Travel Journal with Prompts
• Moleskine Hardcover Travel Journal

Note: if you buy through any of the links on this page, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Why Bother Keeping a Travel Journal in the First Place?

Firstly, because it’s fun! However, keeping a travel journal also has a number of other benefits.

Such as…

Memory Enhancement:

• According to a study published in the journal Memory, the act of writing helps to consolidate and enhance memory. By documenting your experiences, in your own travel journal, you’re more likely to remember details of your journey. And that fits with what I learned when I was studying Neuroscience at Cambridge.

Stress Reduction:

• A study by the American Psychological Association suggests that expressive writing can help reduce stress and promote overall well-being. Journaling about your travel experiences allows you to process emotions and relive positive moments.

Increased Cultural Awareness:

• Research conducted by the Cultural Intelligence Center indicates that keeping a travel journal can contribute to the development of cultural intelligence. Writing about local customs, traditions, and interactions with residents fosters a deeper understanding of different cultures.

Reflection and Personal Growth:

• Psychologist James W. Pennebaker’s research on expressive writing reveals that reflecting on experiences through writing can lead to personal growth and self-discovery. A travel journal provides a space for introspection and learning.

Enhanced Creativity:

• Again, the busy American Psychological Association suggests that engaging in creative activities, such as writing, can boost cognitive function and creativity. Documenting your travels in a journal encourages creative expression.

Capturing Details:

• Studies on eyewitness testimony indicate that people tend to forget details over time. Keeping a travel journal helps in preserving the specifics of your experiences, ensuring a more accurate recollection later on. Not that we hope you’ll end up in court. More, that we hope you’ll remember the highlights of your trip.

Improved Communication Skills:

• Journaling encourages the practice of effective communication. Documenting your thoughts and experiences helps refine your ability to articulate ideas and stories.

Digital Detox and Mindfulness:

• A study by the Pew Research Center found that 85% of adults in the United States use the internet. Keeping a physical travel journal offers a break from screens, fostering mindfulness and a deeper connection with your surroundings. Little details can bring about a big sense of calm.

Goal Setting and Achievement:

• Again, the good old American Psychological Association notes that setting and achieving small goals, such as completing a journal entry each day, can boost motivation and self-esteem. A travel journal provides a structured way to set and accomplish writing goals.

Legacy and Sharing:

• According to a study by Ancestry.com, 77% of adults believe it’s important to preserve their family history. A travel journal can serve as a legacy, allowing future generations to gain insights into your experiences and perspectives.

So, how about that? Not just a pretty page after all.

21 Gorgeous and Creative Travel Journal Ideas

OK, let’s get to the fun part! Creative travel journal ideas!

Collect Ticket Stubs

Ticket stubs may not seem so glamorous at the time but they’re one of those travel journal ideas that’s quick and easy to do, with great rewards later on. If you find yourself too busy on the trip, just shove (ahem, collect) them as you go along in one envelope. Once you’re home, you can then arrange them in a scrapbook or bullet journal along with notes and photos.

Carry Some Lightweight Supplies

It’s easier to keep up with your travel diary if you have the right tools with you. No-one needs to carry about an entire artist’s briefcase but a few pens, pencils and a roll or two of washi tape can help make it manageable.

Not sure what washi tape is? It’s like sellotape only comes with a pattern and is much more forgiving when unrolling and using it. You can pick up some washi tape here . It’s a great option to make sure things don’t always fall out along the way.

Brush up on Some Writing Tips

A travel diary shouldn’t feel like homework. But it will be more rewarding to write and definitely more pleasurable to read if you brush up on some writing techniques before you go.

We run a range of writing courses to get you started, including:

• Freelance Writing Masterclass
• Write Better, Write Now
• The Writing Boost

So, whether it’s a quick weekend away or a road trip journal that spans several months, you’ll feel more confident about what goes into your own travel log.

Pick up Some Postcards

This is one of my favourite creative travel journal ideas.

Now, we’re not talking about standard tourist postcards here (although, obviously, that’s fine if that’s what you want to do. It’s your travel diary, right?!)

We’re talking about flyers and postcards for art galleries, live music, exhibitions and special events. Business cards from cafes. Anything you saw and enjoyed and which gave you a taste of the place.

Collect the Cash

Spend more than a few days in a destination and the local money soon becomes a background event that you stop noticing. But when you’re back home, it’s a connection to the place.

So, if you can spare some of the lower denomination notes, it’s a great idea to tape a few into your travel journal.

Keep the Maps

You know those maps that are folded back and forth, torn, soggy and scribbled over? Keep them! It’s amazing how quickly you forget the detail of a place but a scribbled note and the white fluff along a folded map seam brings it back right away. New places, new maps.

Make the Food to Go

At the risk of sounding like a hoarder, look out for sweet wrapper, chopstick wrappers, beer labels and more that really fit the local food you had in a destination.

I always look out for local flavours in particular, so this method of scrapbooking (sounds better than hoarding) works well for me.

Flower Press Stress

Sometimes, pressing flowers or leaves works wonders. And, sometimes, it just makes a mess. This is one of those travel journal ideas that you need to do just right: ideally with a big patch of sellophane rather than just a strip of washi tape.

Be careful, though. Some countries, most notably New Zealand and Australia, are very strict about flowers and seeds crossing their borders. Probably best to avoid this if you plan on heading there.

Sketch Skills

Small sketches and beautiful drawings can really bring a travel diary to life. If you can draw, that is.

If not, never fear. While we can’t all be the best at everything, we can all master a few basic techniques.

It’s a good idea to just relax and have a go.

Learn the Lingo

As everyone knows, with a few local phrases, you’ll get a better reception wherever you go. Yet, with age, it’s alarming how quickly that knowledge fades.

Write down those phrases while they’re fresh! It’s a fun way to nurture those brain cells.

Stick in Those Lists

Have you used a packing list? A leaving the house checklist? A bucket list? To-do list? If so, stick them in! They’ll be surprisingly interesting to look at come the end of your trip. Don’t let your trip planning go to waste!

And if you don’t? Check out our collection of packing lists and pre-travel checklists here .

Use Some Travel Journal Writing Prompts

When inspiration fails, fall back on these. Don’t worry if you feel cheesy. No-one has to read this but you.

Travel Journal Prompts Before You Go

• Outline your expectations and goals for the upcoming journey. What do you hope to achieve or experience during this trip?
• Share your pre-trip excitement and any pre-travel rituals or preparations you engage in before embarking on a new adventure.
• Detail the research you’ve conducted about the destination, including its culture, history, and notable attractions. What aspects are you most eager to explore?
• Reflect on any pre-trip concerns or uncertainties. How do you plan to address them or prepare for potential challenges?
• Describe the anticipation you feel about trying the local cuisine. Are there specific dishes you’re looking forward to sampling?
• Outline your itinerary and the key activities you have planned for each day. What landmarks or attractions are a must-see for you?
• Consider the local customs and etiquette of the destination. How do you plan to respect and engage with the local culture?
• Share your thoughts on the packing process. What essentials are you making sure to bring, and what strategies are you using to pack efficiently?
• Reflect on any language barriers you might encounter. Have you learned a few basic phrases or expressions in the local language to enhance your experience?
• Write about your overall mindset and emotions as you approach the trip. What are your hopes, fears, and anticipations for the upcoming adventure?

Travel Journal Prompts For on the Road

1. Describe your initial impressions upon arriving at your destination. 2. What local cuisine or dish did you sample, and how would you rate your experience? 3. Reflect on a memorable encounter with a local resident or fellow traveller. 4. Share a moment when you stepped out of your comfort zone during your journey. 5. Detail the sights, sounds, and scents of a particular place that left a lasting impression on you. 6. Write about a unique cultural tradition or festival you experienced during your travels. 7. Describe a hidden gem or off-the-beaten-track location you discovered. 8. Share a humorous or unexpected anecdote from your trip. 9. Reflect on a challenging situation you encountered and how you overcame it. 10. Write about a place that surpassed your expectations and why. 11. Document a day spent exploring nature, whether it’s a hike, day at the beach, or wildlife encounter. 12. Discuss the impact of local art, music, or architecture on your overall experience. 13. Capture the essence of a local market or shopping district you visited. 14. Reflect on how the local history and heritage influenced your perception of the destination. 15. Write about a moment of tranquillity or relaxation during your journey. 16. Share your thoughts on the transportation methods you used and any interesting experiences. 17. Describe a sunrise or sunset that left you in awe. 18. Document a day focused on immersive cultural experiences, such as workshops or language classes. 19. Write about a place you’d love to revisit and explore further in the future. 20. Reflect on the personal growth or insights gained from your travel experiences.

Travel Journal Prompts for Once You Get Back

• Reflect on the overall experience of your journey. Did it meet, exceed, or differ from your initial expectations?
• Capture the emotions you feel upon returning home. What aspects of your routine are you excited to resume, and what do you miss from your travels?
• Share your favourite moments from the trip and how they contributed to your overall satisfaction.
• Write about any unexpected discoveries or surprises that occurred during your travels.
• Reflect on the impact of the journey on your perspective and personal growth. In what ways do you feel changed or enriched?
• Describe the local cuisine that left a lasting impression on you. Are there any dishes you wish you could recreate at home?
• Outline any challenges you faced during the trip and how you successfully navigated them.
• Consider how the cultural experiences have influenced your worldview. What lessons or insights will you carry forward from your travels?
• Share your thoughts on the souvenirs or mementoes you brought back. Do they hold special meaning or memories?
• Write about your plans for future travels. Are there destinations you’re now eager to explore based on this recent experience?

We hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of creative ways to catalogue different places and, more importantly, what they meant to you.

For all we’ve talked about the benefits of travel journaling, the important thing is that it’s fun. Don’t let your travel journal become a chore. Like all goals and tools, it’s just a way to help you fall even more in love with life.

Journal entries should make you think or make you smile. And that’s enough.

Why not bookmark this article on creative travel journal ideas on Pinterest for later?

More on Preparing for Your Next Trip

• The Only International Travel Checklist You Need
• Printable Holiday Packing List PDF: The Only Checklist You Need
• The 21 Best Souvenir Ideas for 2024
• 27 Long Haul Flight Essentials and a Flight Checklist for You
• The Best Flight Booking Hacks For Savvy Travellers
• The 10 Travel Skills Every One of Us Should Know
• The 50 Best Travel Websites and Travel Resources
• The best travel journal ideas for kids

Why not pin these creative travel journal ideas on Pinterest for later?

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20 Best Travel Journals to Document Your Trips

Some include prompts and templates to help get you started.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Last-minute planning of a trip can consist of chaotic lists in your phone's notes app while the chronicling of said trip may look like sporadic photos in your camera roll. But what if there was a collective place you could plan in advance and jot down funny moments along the way? A travel journal can culminate the ups (and downs) of your vacation with guided prompts and templates.

Our experts at Good Housekeeping Institute extended our expertise in the best photo book makers and best wedding planning books to research the best travel journals, a category we have not yet formally tested. We rounded up the best travel journals of 2023, whether you want a self-designed bullet journal or a notebook with fun maps and stickers. At the end of our list, you can find advice on how to start your travel journal as well as read more about why you can trust Good Housekeeping. And if you have a frequent traveler in your life besides yourself, check out our guide to the best travel gift ideas (although a journal is a great idea too!).

The Art of the National Parks: Park-Lover's Journal

Perfect for the outdoors enthusiast in your life, this journal celebrates each of the 63 parks. It's 175 pages long and comes with prompts that'll help them chronicle their journey. It doesn't hurt that this journal has gorgeous illustrations of each park by real artists.

Papier Off Piste

Whether this is your first or fifth travel journal, or a gift for the college student in your life who's about to go abroad, Papier's notebooks will check all of the boxes. One GH editor has the Off Piste journal and loves the cover, a simple design that includes a meaningful quote, and appreciates the helpful templates you'll find inside the notebook. You'll be able to document up to six trips with templates for your budget, packing list, transportation, accommodation, itinerary and a journaling space for freestyle writing. There are also pages dedicated to a travel wishlist as well an illustrative map you can color in as you mark off countries you've visited.

Peter Pauper Press Page-A-Day

Journals can ring in at a variety of prices, but you can find a great travel journal for under $10 that will still give you enough space to write about your wanderings around the world. This leather-bound journal dedicates one page to each day of your trip, with spaces to add in the date, location and weather conditions (we especially like the delicate drawings for types of participation which you can circle with your pencil or pen). Dotted lines on the page will keep your entries neat and organized and an included ribbon bookmark will keep track of where you left off last. Even though this journal is pretty basic in design and on the smaller side, we think it's a great option for someone who doesn't want to spend too much on their first travel journal.

Clever Fox Vacation Planner

Amazon's Choice with a 4.6-star rating across over 900 customer reviews, this travel journal comes with more than just a notebook. You'll also get 150+ fun stickers to embellish your entries, plus the journal also has a pocket to hold the pages of stickers and an elastic band for your pen. But what makes this journal really stand out is its extensive range of templates geared towards helping you plan your trip. For five trips, you'll get pages for research and budget, a packing checklist, transportation and accommodation details and an expense tracker, plus a map and more journaling pages. If you like to plan out every detail, this is the perfect travel journal for your needs. We wish you could fit more than five trips in the journal, but for the price, it's a great value.

Peter Pauper Press Kids Travel Journal

Perfect for the adventure-inclined kiddo, this 96-page travel journal lets young travelers record everything from general entries about a trip to a packing list. Kids can even paste in photos, tickets and more and store the rest in the journal's back pocket. The journal is also full of games, maps, helpful phrases in other languages, metric information, quotes and fun facts. Not only is this kid-friendly journal a creative means to document their early adventures, but its accessories encourage international learning.

Leatherology Medium Spiral Snap Journal

Available in four hues including black onyx (pictured), brown, azure and lilac, this journal is made from gorgeous dyed leather with light gold hardware. You can choose from a spiral or bound format, but note that the spiral option has 130 perforated pages while the bound journal has 265 ruled sheets (or 128 pages). Regardless of which style you choose, you'll will get the benefit of a snap closure and a built-in pen loop, although the writing utensil is not included. We appreciate the versatility of this journal given the blank pages that let you doodle and write freely over the course of your next trip.

Mark and Graham Leather Bound World Travel Journal

This beautiful leather bound journal not only has pages for writing about your trips, but it also includes full-color maps of major cities plus world weather information, international dialing codes and more. A perfect gift for the international traveler, you can also add a foil debossed monogram to the cover if you want to add a personal flare to the notebook. We wish that the journal was available in more than one color, but the rust orange is a versatile enough choice that will stick out in a dark suitcase or bag.

Duncan & Stone Paper Co. World Trip Adventure Book

An almost-perfect five-star rating on Amazon and the titular Amazon's Choice badge is enough to make you add this travel journal to your cart. The layflat design makes it easy to open and write on, and you'll have enough pages to reflect on 15 trips plus a back pocket for extra photos and blank pages for notes and random musings. What we love most about this journal are the helpful prompts that guide newbies through the process of journaling, with questions like "Where did you stay?." and "Something I learned from this destination/culture..." From basic to more thought-provoking questions, you'll have a boost of inspiration to help you document your journey.

Day One Day One

While the majority of picks on this list are physical journals, you can also document your trips through an app if you prefer a digital format or have minimal space in your luggage . Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director at the GH Institute Rachel Rothman , says Day One is a solid choice with ample positive reviews from consumers. You can download the app for free on your iPhone, Android, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. You'll get one journal for one device with the ability to add a photo per entry, plus templates, export capabilities and tags. If you want unlimited journals, devices and photos plus the option to add videos, audio recordings and more, opt for Day One Premium which rings in at $2.92 per month.

Extreme Assistants Classic Notebook

If you travel a lot, or tend to squish as much as you possibly can into your carry-on (we have all been there), you'll want a durable journal that can withstand being tossed around and bumping against other items in your bag. A faux leather hardcover and thick paper ensure your journal will stay intact as you travel to and fro. The manufacturer adds that the cover is designed to be easy to clean, which is helpful if you are journaling on the airplane or train and accidentally spill your drink. We also appreciate that you can add a photo or logo to the cover for an element of personalization, especially since the notebook is more basic in style.

Deanna Didzun The Traveler's Playbook: A World Travel Journal

Journaling of any kind can be intimidating as you don't always know where to start — even a notebook with guiding prompts can lead to partial writer's block. If this sounds like you, then opting for a book that has more structure and a variety of templates is the way to go. This popular travel journal has a 4.3-star rating on Uncommon Goods is designed by explorer Deanna Didzun who created illustrations and lists to help jog your memory of your most recent journey. You can give overall star ratings for each destination and write down food and drink highlights if you so please.

Smythson Travels and Experiences Panama Notebook

There are journals and then there are journals — and this beautiful handcrafted leather journal falls into the latter category. Bound in crossgrain lambskin and available in a light blue or scarlet red, you'll have 128 pages of lined Featherweight paper to fill. This notebook is all about quality and is designed to last, but with that comes a higher price tag. It would be a great gift for the writer in your life who loves to travel, but given its simple layout and lack of templates other travel journals can have, it may not be splurge-worthy for every traveler.

DesignWorks Ink Suede Travel Journal

If you or a friend is traveling to Santorini, Mexico and/or Sydney in the near future, you may want to opt for this travel journal inspired by each of those stunning cities. You can add personal information in the first page of the notebook and the 240 pages are lined with spaces to include the subject and date. Although the journal does not include prompts or templates, we love the eye-catching gold design and appreciate the ribbon bookmark to keep track of your last entry.

Moleskine Traveller's Journal

Moleskine, the established brand that has been around for over two decades, is synonymous with traditional, high quality notebooks — and this travel-specific journal is no different. There are three sections for a travel wish list, short trips and long trips plus two sheets of stickers and a ribbon bookmark. The journal has a 4.6-star rating on Amazon across over 3,200 consumer ratings. One five-star review calls this notebook "the traveler's best friend," and notes how helpful it can be to keep track of places, restaurants and sites so you don't forget.

JB Leather Personalized Travel Notebook

For a personalized touch, this pick lets you choose from over 1,000 charm and stamp combinations including astrological charms, meaningful quotes and more . There are also three different vegan leather hues to choose from: cinnamon, cedar and sandy brown. The notebook has 18 plastic card slots, a zippered pocket for storage and a total of 152 lined pages. You can also refill the notebook as you cross places off your travel wish list. A best-seller on Etsy with a perfect five-star rating, this customizable notebook is popular among customers. Multiple reviews comment on the fast delivery, and its high-quality, beautiful appearance.

Transient Books Custom Travel Journal for Kids

With this journal, you can customize the cover color, font and cover map, as well as choose between 100- and 200-page books with lined, unlined and prompts variations. We love the various ways you can personalize this kid-friendly journal, making little ones that more excited to explore new places. The five-star seller has over 3,000 customer reviews on Etsy. And the travel journal doesn't just have to be a gift for the kids: Adult customers also said they enjoyed using the notebook for camping trips and vacations around the globe.

Compendium Everywhere You Go

We have included travel journals on this list that have prompts but none like the unexpected ones in this notebook that will get your creative wheels turning. The questions may catch you off guard, but prompt thoughtful reflection: they range from "If this place had a perfume, it would smell like..." to, "If this place had a soundtrack, these songs would be on it." The notebook is Amazon's Choice and has a 4.5-star rating, with multiple customers calling it the perfect gift for the traveler in your life, whether you need a gift for a teen or a present for a thirtieth birthday .

PAPERAGE Dotted Journal Notebook

Keeping a bullet journal is a popular trend that can easily translate to an aesthetic yet meaningful travel journal. This popular bullet notebook has a 4.7-star rating on Amazon with over 18 color options to chose from including mustard yellow (pictured), burgundy, lavender, royal blue and more. The 5.7-by-8-inch dotted pages lend themselves to open-ended creativity. While it can be hard to start designing and writing a journal from scratch, you have the benefit of customizing how much space you want for each list or entry.

Polarsteps Travel Tracker

Physical journals are not everyone's cup of tea, which is where an app like Polarsteps comes into play. Available for iOS and Android devices, Polarsteps lets travelers track their journeys. You can utilize over 300 helpful guides created by travel editors, as well as use the itinerary planner to dream up your perfect vacation and check the transport planner when unsure of what mode of transportation to use from one destination to another. Once you begin your trip, plot each site you visit and slowly form a personalized map that you can embellish with photos and videos. From there, share your map with friends and family or turn it into a travel book to look back on for years to come.

Glad & Young Studio The Traveler's Journal

If you have a bookshelf with rows of novels, photo albums and notebooks, you may want an aesthetic-looking travel journal that fits your style. This leather notebook has 60 pages to document your travels, and is available in a neutral shade (pictured) as well as two marbled patterns that are unique to each purchase. We personally love the brightly colored assorted pattern that has swirls of lavender, yellow, fuchsia and blue. The lined pages are great for daily entries and you can also note the day and weather. Note that to clean, you'll want to wipe away and spills or messes with a soft cloth.

Elizabeth Berry (she/her) is the Updates Editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute where she optimizes lifestyle content across verticals. Prior to this role, she was an Editorial Assistant for Woman’s Day where she covered everything from gift guides to recipes. She also has experience fact checking commerce articles and holds a B.A. in English and Italian Studies from Connecticut College.

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100 OF THE MOST INSPIRING TRAVEL QUOTES OF ALL TIME

Words and pictures are intense. They have the ability to move points of view and touch off change. Here is a gathering of the 100 best travel quotes to move and rouse you to gather your packs and begin investigating! From exceptionally old pilgrims to cutting edge truisms, let these words move you to carry on with the life you've generally needed.

Who doesn't love travel cites?! They're a little cut of motivation ideal for any circumstance. Regardless of whether you're getting ready for an outing, recuperating from a trek, engaging post-trip blues or are simply searching for a touch of a comment you a lift, there's a statement out there that can address whatever you require. There are travel quotes about excursions, travel cites about self-disclosure, experience cites, and – my top pick – travel cites that rouse you to live without bounds – with two or three travel tips tossed in for good measure! Prepared for a little hunger for new experiences moving lift me up? Obviously, you are

MOST INSPIRING TRAVEL QUOTES OF ALL TIME

1."The gladdest minute in human life, methinks, is a takeoff into obscure terrains." – Sir Richard Burton

2. "Be valiant in the quest for what sets your spirit ablaze." – Jennifer Lee

3. "Travel makes one unobtrusive. You see what a small place you possess on the planet." - Gustav Flaubert

The second travel quote by Jennifer Lee is one of my untouched most loved expressions. What I adore about it is that it applies to everything-not simply travel. It instructs you to be intense in seeking after your interests and the things you are keen on. For me, it's movement. For others, it might be a business wander, a way of life change, or even only a major life choice. Whatever you are energetic about, seek after it persistently.

4. "Voyaging – it abandons you stunned, at that point transforms you into a storyteller." – Ibn Battuta

5. "Preferred to see something once over catch wind of it a thousand times"

6." Adventure may hurt you however dullness will execute you."

When I was a youngster, I used to peruse books insatiably. I would read page after page and fixate on faraway terrains. Just when I began voyaging did I understand what the movement quote "it's smarter to see something once than find out about it a thousand times." As a movement author, I attempt my hardest to depict spots and goals of my perusers. In any case, there are only a few things and encounters that are excessively wonderful, making it impossible to place down in words.

7. "Our battered bags were heaped on the walkway once more; we had longer approaches. Be that as it may, regardless, the street is life." - Jack Kerouac

8."All you have to know is that it's conceivable." - Wolf, an Appalachian Trail Hiker

9. "To Travel is to Live" – Hans Christian Andersen

10. "The life you have driven doesn't should be the main life you have." – Anna Quindlen

11. "The most excellent on the planet is, obviously, the world itself." - Wallace Stevens

12. "Work, Travel, Save, Repeat"

13. "The voyage not the landing matters." – T.S. Eliot

14. "What you've done turns into the judge of what you will do — particularly in other individuals' psyches. When you're voyaging, you are what you are in that spot and after that. Individuals don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays out and about." - William Least Heat-Moon

15. "Set out to carry on with the life you've generally needed."

16. "Travel and change of place give new life to the psyche." – Seneca

17. "We live in a superb world that is brimming with excellence, appeal, and experience. There is no conclusion to the enterprises we can have if just we look for them with our eyes open." – Jawaharial Nehru

18. "And after that there is the most unsafe danger of all — the danger of spending your life not doing what you need on the wager you can get yourself the flexibility to do it later." – Randy Komisar

19. Nobody acknowledges that it is so excellent to movement until the point when he gets back home and lays his head on his old, recognizable pad." – Lin Yutang

20. "Try not to tune in to what they say. Go see."

21. "Life is either a challenging enterprise or nothing by any stretch of the imagination." - Helen Keller

22. "One's goal is never a place, however another method for seeing things." - Henry Miller

23. "On the off chance that you dismiss the nourishment, overlook the traditions, fear the religion and maintain a strategic distance from the general population, you may better remain home." - James Michener

24. "Go, fly, wander, travel, voyage, investigate, travel, find, enterprise."

25. "All adventures have mystery goals of which the voyager is ignorant." - Martin Buber

26. " Travel improves a savvy man yet a trick more terrible." – Thomas Fuller

27. "The world is a book and the individuals who don't travel read just a single page." - Agustine of Hippo

28. "To my psyche, the best reward and extravagance of movement is to have the capacity to encounter regular things as though out of the blue, to be in a situation in which nothing is so recognizable it is underestimated." - Bill Bryson

29. "Not every one of the individuals who meander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien

30. "Our most joyful minutes as visitors dependably appear to come when we discover a certain something while in quest for something unique." - Lawrence Block

31. "Try not to take after where the way may lead. Go rather where there is no way and leave a trail" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

32. "Voyaging is a ruthlessness. It constrains you to put stock in outsiders and to dismiss all that natural solaces of home and companions. You are always shaky. Nothing is yours with the exception of the fundamental things. - air, rest, dreams, the ocean, the sky. - everything tending towards the unceasing or what we envision of it." – Cesare Pavese

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33. "Each man can change the world from one of dreariness and dullness to one of energy and experience." - Irving Wallace

34. "Life is short and the world is wide"

35."We travel, a few of us perpetually, to look for different states, different lives, different souls."- Anaïs Nin

36. "A decent voyager has no settled plans and isn't determined to arriving." - Lao Tzu

37. "Life is a voyage. Make its best."

38. "He who might travel joyfully should travel light." - Antoine de St. Exupery

39. "I have discovered that there ain't no surer method to see if you like individuals or abhor them than to movement with them."- Mark Twain

40. "Travel is the main thing you purchase that makes you wealthier"

41. "A trip is best estimated in companions, as opposed to miles." - Tim Cahill

42. "Man can't find new seas unless he has the valor to dismiss the shore." – Andre Gide

43. "Like every awesome voyager, I have seen more than I recollect, and recall more than I have seen." - Benjamin Disraeli

44. "Expectation is the main thing more grounded than fear." - Suzanne Collins

45. "Since at last, you won't recollect the time you spent working in the workplace or cutting your yard. Climb that goddamn mountain."― Jack Kerouac

46. "To go is to find that everybody isn't right about different nations." - Aldous Huxley

47. "Favored are interested for they will have experiences."

48. "Keep in mind that bliss is a method for movement – not a goal." - Roy M. Goodman

49. "You can shake the sand from your shoes, yet it will never leave your spirit."

50. "The greatest enterprise you can ever take is to carry on with the life you had always wanted."

so these are the top 100 travel quotes i hope you will love this article if do you have any suggestions then feel free to ask

@ ayoungsummersyouth

4 flight attendants hospitalized for injuries from turbulence

Four American Airlines flight attendants were injured during turbulence last week, the airline said.

American Airlines flight 2905 departed from Tampa at 5:39 p.m. Thursday heading to Charlotte when the Airbus A321 encountered "unexpected turbulence," an American Airlines spokesperson told USA TODAY.

Four of the six flight attendants working the flight were taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. No further information on their injuries has been disclosed.

None of the 154 passengers were injured from the turbulence and the aircraft landed safely at its destination on-time.

Why is turbulence increasing? Rougher skies may be from climate change, scientists say

Learn more: Best travel insurance

"We thank our crew members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding," the airline said in a statement.

This incident is just the latest in a series of turbulence-related events , which is becoming more common, even in the warmer months. Climate change-driven impacts on the atmosphere will likely cause more frequent and severe turbulence, particularly clear air turbulence, which is harder for pilots to predict because there are no visible warning signs. In May, a Singapore Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence that resulted in 30 people injured and one person dead from a heart attack.

Earlier this month, Korean Air announced it would stop serving instant ramen as a safety precaution due to worsening turbulence.

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Travel Journal: Talking to my daughters about body positivity in a South Korean bathhouse

Soh Wee Ling

SEOUL – Elna, my eight-year-old daughter, is shocked that we are about to strip in public in South Korea, never mind that we are in a women-only locker room.

Meanwhile, Llucia, my four-year-old, is all set, prancing about maybe a little too enthusiastically, as I coax her sister and fold our clothes at the same time.

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