Travel Gear Review - Notebooks

9/4/2013

I am addicted to notebooks and stationary - even when I travel!

I'm an old fashioned stationary girl at heart and I love to travel with a journal. While I'm not always great at doing daily entries, I love having it on hand for writing down random thoughts, contact information for new friends, directions, opening hours, prices, money spent, confirmation numbers, and more.

Staedtler fineliner pens and recover journals travel

I love traveling with nice pens and notebooks - how about you?

I travel with fine point marker-pens (such as LePen and Staedtler TriplusFineliner) and two notebooks. One is usually a small Moleskine notebook, thin and flexible, with a brightly colored cover. Usually already half full with random trip planning notes, it's small, light size makes it easy to tuck into any carry on bag.

I also travel with a personal journal and these are usually larger and chosen more for their looks or "feel". I've got a love affair with the Halifax, Nova Scotia based Re-Cover Journals, which recycles very old hardcover book covers and makes them into spiral bound journals. The old fashioned charm and delightful range of cover themes and titles makes it easy to find one that speaks to you - or in my case, I usually find several. Their vintage Nancy Drew covers are my absolute favourite!! While it's more expensive than just plain pens and drugstore notebooks, for me the extra expense is worth it (especially when I'm supporting a small business).

I love planning, writing, and daydreaming - my tools are just an extension of my trip. I hope you find ones you love and that inspire you!!

If you enjoyed this article, you'll also like these packing posts:
Is Your Bag Really Carry-On?
Anywhere in the World with Carry-On
10 Tips for Keeping Your Carry-On Safe

This post was brought to you by Mirror Image Publishing. They offer writing, editing, and publishing services to bloggers and self-published authors. Visit their site for more information on how they can help writers.

8 Comments

Anita Mac link

10/4/2013 01:15:44 am

I am totally with you on the journals! I carried crayons across the Camino so that I could doodle in colour as I sat under a tree, journalling my thoughts and memories! (Next time - I think I will bring coloured pencils - the crayons all broke in my pack! Still worth it!)

Christie link

10/4/2013 02:20:35 am

I'm 100% with you on spending more for stationary with the right 'feel'. I hunted around for a journal that I loved (and could easily write in) for a long time until I found one I liked (a large notebook in a long-gone style from Pierre Belvedere, in case you're curious).

Vanessa

10/4/2013 12:04:15 pm

I think art supplies and good stationary are always a good investment on a trip. I'm a horrible artist, but I always look back fondly on some simple sketches I drew in Africa - it seems to really help capture a mood.

Andrea link

13/4/2013 01:17:03 pm

I also travel with art supplies to make my travel journal! I make it a little scrapbook that I stick all of my bus. cards and make notes and drawings. I'm going to start a section on my blog dedicated to my travel journal actually! It's so much fun and such a great reference for when you get home and wonder where it was you had that amazing meal when you were in Rome, or what that hotel was called In Stockholm!

13/4/2013 02:21:57 pm

Oh, I like the idea of making a mini-scrapbook as you go! Good idea Andrea - I'd love to see that blog section when you get it set up!! I usually make a pocket to fit inside the cover of my notebook/journal, but it would be perfect to bring along a gluestick to paste the ticket stubs, receipts, etc in the pages as you go.

13/4/2013 04:16:38 pm

I used dbl. sided tape and my book was a med. sized black covered Moleskin... it has a little pocket in the back which is definitely so useful!

Allie link

8/6/2013 05:08:27 pm

I do the same! I don't go anywhere without a good journal, some coloured fine point markers (stabilo makes a great pack of mini pens) and a glue stick. I also try to print pictures as I go, so even on those days when I don't have time to write in my journal, there's a reminder of where I've been!