• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Travel Insurance

Sax Family Travels

Inspiring Family Travel With Teens

  • Blog
  • Americas
  • Europe
  • Family Travel
  • Travel Inspired Lifestyle
  • Travel Tips & Planning
You are here: Home / Lifestyle / Travel Journal / 70 Writing Prompts That Will Inspire Your Travel Journal

Travel Journal · April 8, 2019

70 Writing Prompts That Will Inspire Your Travel Journal

  • Share
writing prompts for a travel journal
70 Travel Journal Writing Prompts Pinterest Pin
Pin for 70 Travel Journal Writing Prompts
map on desk with camera, notebook and cell phone

Travel journaling is a great way to capture all of those special moments and memories from your vacation. All while letting your creative side go wild!

So you want to start a travel journal. You bought a beautiful travel journal, got some great new pens, and a cute bag to hold it all in! You’re super excited to get started but soon start to think twice. What the heck do people write in travel journals?

Don’t worry, 98% of the rest of us are thinking the same thing.

I’ve been there!

  • Your feeling stuck for ideas
  • get home from an incredible vacation only to stare at blank pages
  • you then convince yourself you’ll come back to it later.

And it never happens.

But don’t worry! With these seventy writing prompts you’ll never run out of ideas.

You might be interested in our post about getting started with travel journaling.

Download your free checklist here

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy, we may earn a small commission. (At no cost to you.) Please see our full disclosure for more details.

One of the best things about creating travel journals is that there are no rules.

You can do whatever you want. Draw, paint, add stickers, washi tape, and of course, photographs. Write as much or little as you’d like.

Create a unique journal that tells your stories in anyway you’d like.

And if you feel a bit stuck (like I have) writing prompts will help so much!

Tips For Travel Journal Writing Success

But before we get to the writing prompts, here are a few tips to help make your travel journal even better! They will be quick (I promise!)

1. Be Descriptive. 

This is a great time to be funny, cheesy or let your inner best-selling author out. Don’t worry about sounding silly! It’s just for your eyes; make it fun!

Which of these sounds more memorable to you?

“I watched the most beautiful sunset tonight.”

Or

“We sat together on a tiny wooden bench overlooking the ocean. As the sun sank into the horizon, the sky was painted with shades of pinks, purples, and blues.”

Now combine this with a photo, and you have travel journal gold!

2. Don’t Forget The Small Stuff!

It’s so important to remember your first impression and how you felt seeing that famous landmark or checking something extraordinary off your bucket list. But don’t forget those small everyday moments.

I will never forget how I felt seeing Stonehenge in real life for the first time. It was mesmerizing. (Read my post here)

But it’s also the little things that made the trip so. much. fun!

Like how my husband and I giggled like schoolgirls while secretly woofing down sausage rolls on the “no food allowed” tour bus as it made its way to Bath. Oh, it was so much fun!

A woman with her legs up on the window of a car while she writes in a travel journal.

3. Don’t Just Look. 

It’s so easy to write down what we see. But don’t forget to use your senses as well.

What are you smelling? How did that fancy dinner taste? Do you hear unique music? How does the sun feel on your skin?

I’ll never forget the smell of our hotel in London. It was glorious. I have a whole page in my travel journal dedicated to trying to dissect what exactly the scent was. (In case you’re wondering, I narrowed it down to something herby… I think basil. 🌿)

4. Don’t Forget Before And After

Start your travel journal when you are planning and prepping your trip and after when you are unpacking everything (literally and figuratively)!

Talk about your itinerary, what you want to pack, what you need to do before you leave, make yourself a to-do list. There is so many pre-travel pages you can create!

And after, talk about how you’re feeling since you’ve been home. Are you glad to be home? What do you miss about your holiday? What do you regret not doing? How do you feel physically and mentally?

5. Talk About Not-So-Great Stuff.

Not all holidays are perfect. Write down the crappy stuff too. Sometimes the worst experiences turn into the best stories, and its so fun to laugh about them later.

I could go on and on about crappy stuff that’s happened to us when travelling, but I won’t bore you with my negative nelly stories. But I will say one thing… you won’t find any articles on ocean cruises on our site for a reason.

6. Take pictures, but step out from behind the lens.

I love taking pictures, but it sometimes drives my family nuts. My husband says stuff to me like, “just remember.”

Seriously dude?

But there is some wisdom in his terrible advice.

Don’t get consumed with taking photos. Take in your surroundings and what’s going on around you. 

Get out your little notebook, jot down a few notes, or if time (and your family has enough patience), do a sketch, collect flowers to press (if allowed) or talk to locals, shop keepers or other tourists.

Andrea Bartz has written an interesting article on Psychology Today, all about how we remember moments less when we focus on taking pictures. Weird huh! Read more here.

 “Our lazy brains lean on technology to do the remembering for them; we figure the smartphone will capture the event, so we don’t need to really attend to it ourselves.”

ANDREA BARTZ

a black and white photo of a journal with one side handwriting and the other a sketch of a forest.

Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook

Leather Journal Travelers Notebook

Moleskine Passion Journal- Travel

Travel Writing Prompts

Writing prompts can come in so handy when you feel a bit uninspired or maybe want some fresh ideas to spice up your pages. 

So with no further ado. Here is a HUGE list of seventy writing prompts that will help inspire you to create a personalized memento of your travels!

Download your printable copy of our travel journal writing prompts checklist –> get yours here.

Before Your Trip

Ideas For Pre-Travel Writing

Brainstorming destinations & research.
Travel budget & how you’ll save for the trip.
What is your travel itinerary?
Write down things you need to remember.
Countdown to your departure.
What is your to-do list?
What excites you about the upcoming holiday?
Is there something you are worried about or has you feeling anxious?
Do you have expectations about the destination?
What do you think you will like best?
Do you think there is something you won’t like?
What’s the one thing you are most looking forward to?
What your family excited the most about?
What do you think your family will like best? (Narrow down by family member, if you’d like!)
What do you think your family may not like? (Narrow down by family member.)
What sightseeing or locations do you plan to see?
What does your day to day plans look like?
Have you booked any tours or attractions?
What sights do you want to see?
Write down some simple words & phrases in the language of the destination.
What is the currency conversion rate?
Do you need to buy anything for the trip? What is your shopping list.
What outfits are you planning to wear?

via GIPHY

First Impressions

You’ve arrived! What Are Your First Thoughts?

What are your first impressions?
How was your flight and experience at the airport?
What are your general first impressions of the destination?
What kind of transportation did you take to your lodging? (A taxi, rent a car, etc.)
Did you see anything unusual on your drive?
What are your first impressions of the hotel or lodging?
How does the hotel staff treat you?
How was your check-in? Did it go smoothly?
Describe the lobby or entrance to the hotel.
What type of room do you have? Describe it in detail. (or maybe sketch if you’re artsy like that!)

During Your Trip

So Much To Remember! Write It All Down.

Toss a small notebook into your bag before you head out on your adventures. So when you are out and about, you can jot down all the little details you may forget later.

This is a great time to record your emotions and things your senses are picking up. Then when you get time to work on your journal later, you can reference your little notebook.

What do you smell?
Do you hear anything out of the ordinary?
What colours are popping out to you?
Are you having any strong emotions?
What are the people around me wearing?
What language are they speaking?
Do the locals look happy?
What are they doing?
What am I feeling? How does this place make me feel?
What makes this place unique?
Day by day recap and/or plans.
What did you learn today? Any interesting facts?
Are you feeling inspired?
What type of music are you hearing? What is your favourite song?
Favourite food?
Do you have a favourite drink?
Did you go shopping? Where?
What did everyone buy? How much did you spend?
How’s the weather?

via GIPHY

Keep It Up After Your Trip

What did your family like best? Narrow down by a family member.
What did your family not like? Narrow down by a family member.
What was the best thing about the destination?
What was the worst thing?
Were there any surprises?
What was your favourite tour, activity or sightseeing trip?
Did anything unexpected happen?
What was something funny that happened?
Did anything “bad” happen on the trip?
How do you feel now that you are home?
Did you do everything you hoped? See everything you wanted?
What will you miss about the destination?
Have your preconceived notions changed?
Would you go back? Why or why not?
What was your biggest takeaway from everything you experienced?
Did you work on a collection?

Tombow MONO Drawing Pens

Tombow MONO Multi Liquid Glue

Washi Tape- Travel Planner

A woman writing in a spiral notebook

Conclusion

Travel journals are such a fun and artistic way to record memories from your holidays. There is lots of freedom in what you can put inside of a travel journal. And it’s such a great way to get creative!

Whether you are just getting started or an avid journaler, sometimes you can feel a bit stuck. You’re not sure what to write, where to start or feel a bit stuck can be frustrating. Travel journal writing prompts will help you get unstuck and journaling your travels like a pro!

Want more information? Here is an excellent article on travel journaling by Bullet Journal.

Want a printable copy of this list of travel journal prompts?

Simply fill out the form below and receive a free printable pdf copy of the travel journal writing prompts checklist.

page 1 from the checklist of travel journal writing prompts

Free Printable Download of 70 + Travel Journal Writing Prompts

Download your copy now to help avoid creative block with your travel journal.

    We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
    Powered By ConvertKit

    Save It For Later

    A desk with a map.  camera, notebook and cell phone
    a woman sitting at a desk with a notebook, pencil and cell phone.

    Posted In: Travel Journal

    Get on the List

    You’ll Also Love

    Writing in a travel journalHow To Start A Travel Journal

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Next Post >

    Free Worksheet to Prepare Your Child to Travel Alone

    Search

    Hi! I’m Amanda

    I'm a mom to 3 awesome kids, several pets and married to a big kid who makes me laugh.My goal is to inspire moms like me to find ways to travel and reconnect with their family. We call Alberta, Canada home.

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    About The Sax Family

    We are a family of five who love to travel together. For us one of the best parts of travelling is making memories, spending quality time together and reconnecting through adventures.

    Reader Favorites

    • View of from the deck of our swim out suite at the Royalton Riviera Cancun The Royalton Riviera Cancun: All-Inclusive Resort Review:
    • a woman sitting with her feet up in a car while writing in her travel journal. 70 Writing Prompts That Will Inspire Your Travel Journal
    • beautiful birds found at Xcaret park Five Tips to Have the Best Day at Xcaret Park
    Transport your kitchen with The Chef and the Dish

    TRAVEL BUDGET PLANNER

    Get your free printable here.

      Powered By ConvertKit

      Trending Now

      • View of from the deck of our swim out suite at the Royalton Riviera Cancun The Royalton Riviera Cancun: All-Inclusive Resort Review:
      • a woman sitting with her feet up in a car while writing in her travel journal. 70 Writing Prompts That Will Inspire Your Travel Journal
      • beautiful birds found at Xcaret park Five Tips to Have the Best Day at Xcaret Park
      • Top Ten Attractions To See In Drumheller, Alberta

      hey there!

      I'm Amanda. Mom of the Sax Family and author of the blog. We'd love to connect with you on social media. Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Join Us On

      Legal Stuff

      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclaimer
      • Accessibility Statement
      • Terms and Conditions

      Connect With Us

      • About Us
      • Contact Us

      AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

      Sax Family Travels is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to Amazon.com.

      Copyright © 2021 Sax Family Travels · Theme by 17th Avenue

      We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok