Why Journaling Makes Travel More Memorable

You probably don’t need more photos. You might just need a few words.

I used to think taking photos was the best way to remember a trip, and I still take a lot of photos, probably too many. But here’s the problem: I take them, come home, and then… they just sit on my phone. I’ll tell myself I’ll organize them later, make an album, maybe print a few. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I do... But most of the time, I only get to show them to my friends, and even when I look through them months later, I can remember where I was, but I don’t always remember what was going through my head at the time, and that’s where journaling changed things for me.

You Remember More Than What You Saw

A photo can show you the street you walked down, but it doesn’t tell you that you were completely exhausted because you’d been walking for six hours, it doesn’t tell you that it suddenly started raining, or that you got lost and somehow ended up finding your favorite little café, or that you were sitting there thinking, “I can’t believe I’m actually here.” And by writing those things down—even just a sentence or two—gives the photo a story.

And honestly, those little details are usually what I end up remembering.

You Don’t Have to Write a Lot

This is probably the biggest misconception about travel journaling: You don’t need to sit down every night and write two pages about your day. Sometimes I’ll just write: “Walked around near Ohio for hours. Feet hurt. Had the best latte. Totally worth it.” That’s it, five minutes, maybe less, but when I read it later, I remember the entire day.

It Makes You Pay Attention

There’s another thing that happens when you know you’re going to write something down: You start noticing things, like the weird little sign outside a shop, the way people order coffee, a conversation you overhear.

You start looking at the place you’re visiting instead of just moving from one item on your itinerary to the next.

And that’s when travel gets interesting.

It’s Also a Good Excuse to Slow Down

Travel can become surprisingly exhausting, becasue you’re constantly checking maps, figuring out transportation, deciding where to eat, taking photos, and trying to see “everything.” Sometimes sitting down with a notebook for ten minutes is exactly what you need. Order a coffee, put your phone away, write whatever comes to mind. You don’t even have to call it journaling if that makes it feel like homework. Just write.

Years Later, You’ll Be Glad You Did

This is probably the biggest reason I keep doing it. Photos are great, but when I read something I wrote during a trip years ago, I don’t just remember the place. I remember myself at that time, like what I was excited about (or worried about.) What made me laugh, that’s something a camera can’t really capture. So if you’re traveling soon, take the photos, but maybe keep a notebook in your bag too, and write down the things you don’t want to forget.

Because someday, those five messy minutes might be worth more to you than the hundred photos sitting in your camera roll.