Why take a travel journal? To capture, materialize, enrich, disconnect... so many reasons why I never travel without a notebook. Happy reading!
Capturing Future Ideas
Travels are often parentheses, more or less long, between two parts of an adult’s daily life. They are opportunities to take a step back or change perspective. Cliché, yes, but not necessarily false. They are propitious moments to take stock and imagine tomorrow. I readily concede that there are better ways to be in the famous present moment, but like everything, there must be balance. The idea is not to spend the whole time with your nose in your notebook either (unless the goal of your trip is to step away to outline your next book, film, or graphic novel).
Materializing the Trip
Writing or drawing in a travel/sketch notebook means creating a physical souvenir. I don't forget photographs, but only when they are printed. That must represent an infinitesimal percentage of all photos taken by travelers worldwide. In my youth, they disappeared at the same time as a hard drive that died. Nowadays, they take up space in the increasingly expandable memories of our phones.
Enriching Memories
Keeping a travel journal is not incompatible with taking photos. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I have no doubt about the validity of this statement... but not in all cases. A photograph of a landscape, however magnificent, doesn't convey the emotions it aroused in you. It doesn't tell the story of the before and after. Similarly, a selfie with a person met along the way says nothing about the story behind it or the words exchanged.
Disconnecting, Just a Little
"Holidays are for disconnecting." Easier said than done, as there are so many useful applications. Those for sharing souvenir photos with family and friends—modern instant postcards. The perpetually tricky choice of a restaurant on Maps. Contacting your accommodation on Airbnb. And so on... Don't count on me to lecture you; I'm the first culprit. It makes life easier, to the point where we have forgotten how we did things before (that's not true, I still like having my Guide du Routard (travel guide) by my side). All this to say that even (especially) on holiday, the temptations of the phone are omnipresent. Hence the idea of taking a notebook to put down your phone during rest periods. Plus, holidays are often a good time to adopt good habits or break bad ones.
Drawing to Take Your Time
To take the time to look. Even making a sketch forces you to really look at the landscapes and buildings you pass, to look at them from different angles. It may be less shareable than a filtered photo, especially in my case, but it is far more gratifying. If you think you can't draw (well enough) to embark on such an endeavor, I would answer that neither can I, and that's not a bad thing—quite the opposite, in fact. As written above, the goal is not to spend your whole day doing it, but a few minutes to connect more deeply with the subject of your gaze.
How to Choose Your Travel Journal Well?
For writing, drawing, or both, ideally, you want it flexible and lightweight. Everyone will also choose based on the reality of their travel style, whether backpacking or with a rolling suitcase. At Ancre, we offer notebooks in A6 format, easy to carry everywhere, but which also offers 180 pages—enough space for several trips, like true adventure companions.
