You know the feeling, you’re on holiday having the best time, and you think you’ll remember it forever. But we don’t. Sure we remember where we went and the overall impression and a few of the highlights. Over time though even those memories start to fade. This is one of the reasons I choose to keep a travel journal, it’s a safe place to keep those memories, to save little details about the trip that I want to remember.

I love to look back on my journals and remember my travels, always the journal sparks memories that I would have otherwise forgotten. Sometimes long after the trip I’ll remember something whilst looking through my journal, a moment or detail not yet recorded, it’s so much fun after the trip to be able to go back and add in more memories, or add more detail to a moment that turned out to be more significant in retrospect. One such moment for me was while travelling by train through the Rockie mountains. I went through to the observation car where all seats but one were taken. I exchanged a few comments about the awe inspiring scenery we were passing through with my neighbour and soon we were deep in conversation. It was only afterwards, while writing in my journal, that I realised talking to that person had helped me with a decision I was trying to make. Our conversation had nothing to do with that decision, but somehow it had connected two separate ideas in my mind which solved my dilemma.

Travel offers a great opportunity for self reflection, you are thrown into situations that force you to try new things and change your view of the world. Keeping a journal helps me process my thoughts and feelings whilst far from friends and family I may otherwise turn to.

Another reason I like to keep a travel journal is that it makes me pay attention to the present moment. I notice more details about where I am, who I’m with, I take note of funny moments or unfamiliar customs.  I remember listing in my journal some of the funny expressions our guide used, I can still hear his voice when I read through those phrases.

Of course there are many reasons to keep a travel journal besides these, do you keep one? What are your reasons? I’d love to hear in the comments below.