The Best Travel Journals

When I travel, I love to take notes. I love to jot down what I had for lunch each day or any interesting interactions I’ve had with locals…what my hotels have been like, what my flights have been like…it’s all fair game. That’s why I always have a travel journal on me. But the more I travel, the more important the quality and overall structure of my journal is to me. The best travel journals inspire you to put pen to paper and document your trip. They also make GREAT gifts for anyone about to head off on a whirlwind adventure who might need a little impetus to slow down and write things down. Here are some of my absolute favorite, high quality, travel-focused travel journals. Great as gifts either for yourself or for others!

The Best Travel Journals: Midori Traveler’s Notebook

Midori Traveler’s Notebook is widely considered to be one of the best travel journals or notebooks out there, so I’ll start here. I actually JUST bought my first Traveler’s Notebook but am delaying gratification until my trip later this summer. (Stay tuned!) What I love about the Traveler’s Notebook is that it has accessories available to purchase and you can add additional pages as you go along instead of always buying a new notebook. The leather cover is gorgeous and weathers beautifully. It also comes in a beautiful linen bag to help protect the leather cover. Honestly, this is a fantastic product, if a bit on the expensive side. To me, it feels like the Indiana Jones of travel journals.

Moleskine Passion Journal: Travel

Moleskine notebooks are everywhere and their clean, modern design make them great for bookshelves. The Moleskine Passion Journal is a very special edition of this iconic brand and another one of the best travel journals on the market. There are 5 themed sections to fill in and 5 tabbed sections to personalize, along with space for loyalty card info, checklists, calendars, travel information, budget planners, trip planners, memorable moments and more. It also comes with stickers!! There are 202 adhesive labels for personalizing your travel journal. This top travel journal has pages of checklists, calendars, international airports, time zones, climates and temperatures, followed by subject sections for wish lists, planning, weekends, and planning short trips and long trips. Keeping a Moleskine diary of your trip is a very classic approach to traveling.

Moleskine Voyageur Traveler’s Notebook

This is a new sized notebook for Moleskine in a portable format designed to store printed emails, itineraries and maps. The Voyageur is an essential travelling companion and one of the best travel journals for keeping track of your observations and explorations on the road. This has a canvas cover which is a little different than traditional Moleskine notebooks. You can print out your itineraries and content from any URL in exact Voyageur dimensions using the MSK2 online tool and paste them onto the pages, or fold them in four and slip them into the back pocket so you won’t be searching for that crumpled hotel booking on arrival. Plus, we just like to say “Voyageur.”

Moleskine City Notebooks for 27 Cities

Moleskine also has a series of city notebooks and diaries which are quite fun. They let you organize things you want to keep for future reference or for your records such as the names and addresses of restaurants, shops, friends, hotels, or tourist sites. There’s a map that summarizes the overall layout of the city, including large-scale maps of the city center, an alphabetical street index, and map of the metro system. Many cities are available — check out 27 of the City Notebooks on Amazon here…but here are some of the top cities:

• London
• Paris
• New York
• Berlin
• Milan

Erin Condren Travel Petite Planner with Stickers

In this travel notebook, you can track up to four weeks of stylish travel with 28 daily spreads to log packing lists, reservations, activities, meals, memories, spending and more. This journal is one of the best travel journals for those who are already into journaling and perhaps are already familiar with Erin Condren and her approach. Each bundle includes on travel journal, two sheets of illustrative stickers and two sheets of functional stickers. Within the travel journal, there’s space to capture your favorite moment of the day along with your sightseeing plans. 

You Are Here: A Mindful Travel Journal

You Are Here is one of the best travel journals to use simple mindfulness techniques to develop a happy, peaceful mind. This  journal walks you through a rich variety of exercises designed to help you thoroughly enjoy your gap year, city break, odyssey, holiday-of-a-lifetime, ‘find yourself’ journey or weekend away. You’ll use fresh, creative thinking to save a memory on every page. Some of the prompts are serious and some are more lighthearted, but they will all help you capture things that you may not have noticed otherwise. If you are planning one big important trip, this is perhaps one of the best travel journals for mindfulness during your adventure.

I Was Here: A Travel Journal for the Curious Minded

I Was Here is a guided travel journal. It’s full of suggestions for more fully observing and interacting with your location. For example, there are photography activities, shopping activities, and restaurant “games,” along with activities where you collect street names. The journal also suggests that you do things like sit on a corner for an hour and write down what people are saying or that you ask locals to draw you a map of the area. There is plenty of space to capture addresses, itineraries, reviews, and tips from locals, along with a reference section with time zones, measurements, and other relevant information. This is one of the best travel journals if you struggle with a blank page!

Everywoman’s Travel Journal

So this is aimed at women but I don’t see why anyone couldn’t use it! The Everywoman’s travel journal includes lined and blank pages for making diary entries and sketching, with handy information tailored for female travelers on security, dress, and natural remedies that combat common travel ailments. Lists and tips on packing, shopping, etiquette, and avoiding jet lag round out this conveniently portable journal, and an inside pocket holds postcards, receipts, mementos, and documents for safekeeping. The Everywoman’s Travel Journal is both useful and inspirational.

En Route: A Journal

En Route is from the same creator as I Was Here. This is a more traditional journal with many blank pages. There are some checklists at the beginning of the journal to get you thinking and then there are half-pages for dated diary entries. There are interesting reference pages like different coffees and teas from around the world and helpful references including common phrases in different languages, measurements, and even photos you can point to if you don’t know the word for something.

The Mindful Traveler

The Mindful Traveler is sprinkled throughout with thoughtful prompts and meditations. The journal also provides ample space for free-flowing inspirations and reflections, designated space to set daily intentions, and a keepsake pocket to collect special mementos from a trip. Through a series of activities and meditations drawing on ancient wisdom and current insights, The Mindful Traveler gently guides seekers in their journey on the road.

Travelogue Interactive Travel Journal

The Travelogue Interactive Travel Journal is contained in a beautiful folder to help you store mementos like boarding pass stubs and tickets and other memorabilia.. There is space to plan trips or keep a diary en route, as well as 8 miniature maps which each have a different region covered in gold foil that you can scratch off as you go. (Scratch off maps are the new hot thing! I expect all of the best travel journals and diaries to have them soon!) Record every step of your journey in the 64 page journal.

Summary of The Best Travel Journals

I hope you have enjoyed my collection of the best travel journals, diaries, and notebooks out there on the market today. May they serve as inspiration for your next trip! Enjoy and happy travels.

Check out my other favorite travel products over here, along with…

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