Today I am so excited to share with y'all my (stuffed!) European Travel Journal from our Viking River Cruise that we took on the Rhine River in December and January. On every single trip I take I make a travel journal but this one was especially sweet to me as it was filled with once-in-a-lifetime memories that I definitely will remember forever.
For this travel journal (we were gone ten days) I used a Molly & Rex Travelers Notebook Cover and added my own Travelers Notebook inserts. I didn't love the "plain brown" look so I covered them with pretty scrapbook paper that went with the theme I was going for.
Because of the time of year that we were going (the winter) I loved the idea of turquoise blues, whites, and greens and golds as my main colors that you will see throughout the journal with some other additional colors that compliment these sprinkled throughout.
I plan to do a whole post on things that you can put into your travel journals, but I have found over the years that I love collecting the simple things (train passes, flight tickets, hotel keys) and even local pamphlets and papers to add into the journal that helps me remember what I saw and trigger precious memories.
I also love to use the bags that you get when you purchase postcards as a way to add depth and dimension to the journal and as a fun insert into the pages.
By adding washi tape to the bottom of the bag you can also "add" an extra page to the journal as you place a postcard behind it and write some extra information. When your journal is as stuffed as this one this extra space is a premium gift to the journal!
As you can see in the picture above I try to do tabs for each day of a trip (with the date) of where we were and then do some writing of special memories with details. One thing that I have learned over the years is that recording some of the silly and mundane things are actually precious memories to look back on and smile about in years to come. Those are the things that are usually forgotten and this gives a great way to remember these precious moments.
Another way to "add space" in the journal is to place postcards and attach them on one side only so that as they open up you can see the page below and write in this area (like it shows in the picture above).
There are some moments where words really are the only way to describe what you have experienced (like you can see in the picture above). One of the most special days of our trip was attending Mass on December 31st in a French Catholic cathedral. It was breath-taking, moving, and one of the most favorite memories from my trip. But there was no way to really photograph that or buy a postcard to remember it so I spent time writing out about our experience. I am so glad that I did now!
Because some items are "bigger" that you may want to add into your travel journal you may want to find some pretty scrapbook paper and fold it to insert in the middle of your travelers notebooks. I did this for this trip and can't recommend it enough. I also love the way it adds a different look by having different page sizes in the journal.
Finally, large paperclips I feel are always my best friend for the travelers notebooks as they can hold extra little things that you don't want to lose or forget!
I hope y'all enjoyed seeing this! Do you make a journal for your trips? I took my Alaskan Travel Journal with me on my recent trip and can't wait to show y'all! Happy Saturday friends!
If you would like to see some flip through videos of this journal you can find them on my instagram HERE. If you are interested in reading about our trip you can do so here:
Viking River Cruise (2017-2018): // Viking River Cruises: Answers to Your Most FAQ's //
// Viking Eir Ship Review // Viking Eir Stateroom 203 Review // Viking Eir Food and Dining Review //
// A Walk Through Cologne Square // A Walk Through Historic Cologne //
// Cruising the Middle Rhine (Part One) // Cruising the Middle Rhine River (Part Two) //
// A Brief History of Old Town Colmar // Saint Martin's Collegiate Church (Place de la Cathedrale)//
// 7 Things You Must See When You Visit Old Town Colmar in the Winter //
// A Brief History of Beautiful Strasbourg // A Walk through Historic Strasbourg //Place Saint Thomas //
// Strasbourg Cathedral (Cathedrale Notre Dame of Strasbourg) // Heidelberg Castle //
// A Walk Through Old Town Heidelberg // Hofgut Sternen in the Black Forest //
// A Walk through Historic Downtown Basel // Basel Cathedral (Basel Munster) //
// Viking Eir Ship Review // Viking Eir Stateroom 203 Review // Viking Eir Food and Dining Review //
// A Walk Through Cologne Square // A Walk Through Historic Cologne //
// Cruising the Middle Rhine (Part One) // Cruising the Middle Rhine River (Part Two) //
// A Brief History of Old Town Colmar // Saint Martin's Collegiate Church (Place de la Cathedrale)//
// 7 Things You Must See When You Visit Old Town Colmar in the Winter //
// A Brief History of Beautiful Strasbourg // A Walk through Historic Strasbourg //Place Saint Thomas //
// Strasbourg Cathedral (Cathedrale Notre Dame of Strasbourg) // Heidelberg Castle //
// A Walk Through Old Town Heidelberg // Hofgut Sternen in the Black Forest //
// A Walk through Historic Downtown Basel // Basel Cathedral (Basel Munster) //
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