Traveling is often a great adventure. The only thing missing is a way to relive it with later. By keeping a journal, you will be able to recall all the details yourself later on, and share those details with others if you so desire.
Follow these tips to ensure that your best experiences are remembered forever.
Write Daily Notes, and Don’t Wait Long to Do It
When we are experiencing amazing moments, we always feel like we will never forget them. Unfortunately, we are human and forgetting is something we all do. When you are keeping a journal try to do it on a daily basis. Make it a part of each evening to sit down and write about the events of the day. If you don’t have time to fully complete it every day, at least jot down detailed enough notes to help you remember specifics later.
Be Descriptive
No one wants to hear a flat, dry record of what you did every day. In order to make it more palatable to the reader, or to yourself at a later date, think along the lines of “diary” rather than “schedule.” Include a little of everything, but be sure to spice up your account by including plenty of thoughts, humor, and descriptions of people and places.
I can be helpful to look for these moments during the day while you are exploring. Is there something that stands out as a funny moment, something that was surprising, or even disappointing?
Include Photos
It is said that a picture says a thousand words. No travel journal is complete without photos. Try to include at least a few from every day, and more if the day was full of new experiences.
In our digital age, it is easiest to keep our pictures online for later access. Start a special Google Drive folder for each National Park before the trip so you will have a chronological record of your experiences. These will also help you remember what to journal!
Include Keepsakes
If you are keeping a physical journal, save things such as airplane tickets and the maps that are distributed at each National Park. These mementos can add up! It may be easier to take photos of these paper keepsakes and include them with the rest of the photos from your trip.
Don’t Let the Recording of the Trip Overtake the Trip Itself
As much as you want to remember your trip forever, and to share your travels with friends and family, remember the purpose of your trip. Don’t get so caught up in your journal that it becomes an obligation that brings you stress. Don’t sit on your computer while the park you are visiting sits waiting for you to explore it. There will be plenty of dull moments when you get home to write and create an account of your travels.
National Park travel is the adventure of a lifetime and one you will want to remember forever. Keep a record of it through journaling in a timely and exciting manner. Your friends and families will also relish this chance to get a taste of what you experienced on your travels.
Enjoy your travels, and then record it so the experience can continue to bring joy to you and others always.