Top 10 Travel Journals & Apps for Your Next Adventure
Here is a list of the best travel journals for every journaling style, from blank pages to guided prompts and more…
They say pictures are worth a thousand words, but a thousand words aren’t as valuable as YOUR words. Putting what you experience and what you feel as you travel into words immortalizes your adventures. It captures a trip that is uniquely yours, regardless of how many people visit that same destination.
So, while your travel photos are worth a thousand words, you should supplement them with your own words.
The following travel journals help you do just that. They are a great way to catalog road trips, family vacations, short trips, and long trips. Whether you like to journal by writing freely or by answering guided prompts, there’s a journal on this list for you.
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Top 10 Travel Journals & Travel Journal Apps
I’ve done my best to narrow down the many travel journals to the best options for a variety of travelers and journaling styles. This includes printed journals as well as digital travel journal options.
Hopefully, you will find the perfect travel journal FOR YOU out of these top 10.
1. For Minimalists: Dexiliao Lined Journal Notebook
This blank journal is a perfect choice for those who prefer to write freely on lined paper. It’s a hard-cover notebook that’s small enough to slip into your backspace, purse, or travel backpack.
Nice features include an elastic closure, pen loop, bookmark, and back pocket. It includes 72 sheets for 144 pages to write on.
While it is a nice, simple option, you can choose from 27 cover colors and designs.
2. For Efficient Journalers: Page-a-Day Artisan Travel Journal
If you want to notate your memorable moments succinctly, this journal is for you. The simple format saves you from falling behind from trying to write lengthy journal entries. Instead of ending up with an unfinished journal and partially-documented trip, you get a complete journal of all your experiences.
The product description says it best: “A page per day is just enough space to take note of memorable places you’ve visited and explored, but brief enough for you to have more time to experience those places, rather than spending time writing about them.”
Instead of genuine leather, this journal has a soft vegan faux leather cover embossed with a globe. It has 176 writing pages, a bookmark, an elastic band closure, and a back cover pocket.
Each page has simple sections for the date, location, and weather conditions. Plus, enough dotted lines to concisely write about your day on one page.
3. For Adventurers: Maleden Refillable Spiral Notebook
If you want a travel journal that really LOOKS like a travel journal, this is a great option. It reminds me of a ship captain’s log book with a compass embossed on the front cover, which comes in several appealing colors.
The artificial leather cover has leather strings that weave across its spine and wrap around the book to close it.
This journal comes with blank pages, which is great for artists or journalers who like to sketch. However, the best part is the versatility of this notebook. It has a spiral binding, so you can swap out blank pages for lined pages or mix different inserts together for different uses.
The spiral binding also makes it possible to use this notebook for your next trip and all future trips. You can remove the pages after a single trip and bind them together to save. Then, replace pages as needed for your next vacation.
4. For Lifelong Travelers: Wanderings Leather Travelers Notebook
This classic travel journal is bound with hand-crafted genuine leather. It’s designed to last a lifetime with refillable pages and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. It comes with thick acid-free paper to better preserve your best memories.
This journal’s simple yet appealing design has a small compass rose embossed in the bottom right corner and is closed with a simple leather string. Plus, a nice built-in bookmark.
You can also select the perfect size for you. It comes in four sizes: pocket, regular, A5, and large.
5. For Campers: Clever Fox Camping Journal
This is the best travel notebook for campers and RVers. It helps you track your experience at different campgrounds and destinations and helps with planning!
It includes many writing prompts and templates, like a campsite log, meal planner, packing lists, to-do lists, and more. Plus, it gives plenty of space to write your own notes or attach pictures, ticket stubs, and the like. It also comes with fun camping-related stickers.
This high-quality journal comes with a ribbon bookmark, pen holder, elastic strap, and expandable back pocket.
It’s meant to use for different trips… 12 trips, to be exact, with 8 pages per trip.
6. For Kids: Ultimate Travel Journal for Kids
This travel journal for kids makes journaling easy for young travelers. It comes with many games and activities, as well as guided writing prompts. It’s a fun way for kids to get their creative juices flowing while preserving the best moments and favorite memories of the trip.
I think one of its best features is the “Mad Libs” style writing prompts where kids filling the blanks. It’s a much less intimidating approach compared to expecting kids to fill in blank pages.
7. For Junk Journalers & Scrapbookers: MOLNESO Junk Journal Supplies
“Junk journals” are quite popular these days. They give creative freedom to catalog your special memories and attach sentimental “scraps” from your travels. It’s a scrapbooking approach that combines writing, photos, ticket stubs, cut-outs, and really anything you want to add to the journal.
Please note the above link is for junk journal supplies for travelers. It’s not a journal or notebook, but supplement supplies you can use with any notebook or journal you choose.
The travel supply kit comes with scrapbook paper, stickers, and other travel-related scraps to add personality to create your own travel scrapbook.
8. For Backpackers: Rite in the Rain Weatherproof Notebooks
This Rite in the Rain journal is ideal for backpackers or those who don’t let the elements stop them from adventures. Whether you’re going backpacking in the rainy Pacific Northwest or kayaking down a river, or just like to take your journal everywhere with you, this weatherproof option comes in handy.
As the brand promises, you can WRITE IN THE RAIN! That’s how waterproof and durable this notebook is. You just need to use a standard #2 pencil or all-weather pen.
The spiral binding makes it easy to write wherever you are. It’s impact-resistant and won’t lose it shape in your backpack or bag. The cover is also made of tough, flexible material.
It’s also worth noting that unlike synthetic waterproof paper used in other notebooks, Rite in the Rain paper is completely recyclable.
9. For Photo Journalers: Journi Blog App
Journi Blog is a photo journaling app that makes it easy to record and print your travels digitally. You can create maps and timelines and describe your favorite travel memories. You can then share these, print them as photo books, or keep them private for your personal enjoyment.
The app is available on iOS, Android, and the web.
You have full privacy control over who sees your stories. You can keep it private, share with select friends and family, or make it public. It’s a popular option for beginners to professional travel bloggers.
10. For Automated Fans: FindPenguins Travel Tracker App
Lonely Planet Traveler recommends this app saying, “FindPenguins is the perfect network for globetrotters!” It is similar to the Journi Blog app, where you can log photos, track your travels, and print beautiful travel books.
FindPenguins is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
The app automatically tracks and creates your travel route, marked world map, photo albums, and travel statistics. You can blog your “Footprints,” and then the rest is automated. You can also connect with friends or fellow travelers using the app.
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