Over the years I've found my travel diary to be the best souvenir of my holidays, I've written one ever since my gap year in University, long before smartphones and social media began capturing our every waking minute.
In our media rich age, there are lots of ways to take down your travels from apps to tablets, dictaphones to video. I go oldschool with my own diary, opting for a well-worn leatherbound book and a pen my grandfather gave me, but more important than that, is finding a method to help you takedown the sights and stories from your own adventure.
Here are my top five tips for writing the perfect travel diary.
1. Decide who your diary for
Is it for your uncensored eyes only or to share with family? If you have aspirations for many people to follow your travels and trips, you could publish your diary as a blog. I find Wix and Wordpress two of the best platforms to publish your work on your very own website.
2. Have a framework
What will you capture to jog your memory in years to come? Much like a Great Rail brochure I always make a point of recording the highlights, itinerary, hotels, route taken, flights, restaurants, and sights from my trip. I note the date for each event, to help with the chronology of my trip later on.
3. Bring the trip to life
Take the story down while it's fresh and colour it in later with more leisure. Capture the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of your trip and convey them in detail. Record conversations you've had and any funny and unexpected moments you have along the way.
4. Take photos to enhance your story
I like to include photos to colour-in my story and capture all those views words struggle to describe.
5. Don't just stick to words and pictures
Nothing captures the culture of your travels more than momentos from along the journey. I collect everythting from train ticket stubs, flyers, reciepts and packaging - and pin them to the entry to bring it to life off the page.
Bon Voyage and Happy writting!
