Do you keep a journal as you travel?

Despite all of the digital avenues available to us through apps and social media, an old-fashioned notebook and pen are still my favourite tools to capture my thoughts, feelings, and experiences when I travel.

There are many different methods for journaling. One of my favourites utilizes a meditative technique that grounds you in the present moment. You pick up a paper and pen, and simply answer the three following questions:

I can see …

I can hear …

I feel …

I love working with these three prompts, because it gets me out of my traditional travel journal headspace (where I generally just list everything I did that day), and encourages me to experience the present moment and acknowledge my present feelings.

As an example, here is an excerpt from one of my travel journals. I was staying in Penang, Malaysia, and had just had an incredible and overwhelming day. The entire town had been taken over by the three-day celebration of Thaipusam, a massive Tamil festival that brings thousands of people to the island of Penang, many of which participate in an elaborate piercing ceremony and pilgrimage. It was also the super blue blood moon lunar eclipse, and I was sitting out on the balcony in the cool evening air. As I watched the eclipsing moon and a peripheral lightning storm, I wanted to capture the moment, so I picked up my journal and wrote:

January 31, 2018

I can see
A red moon, slightly brighter on the right edge
Lightning flashing in the distance
Into the resort next door – a family sings happy birthday

I can hear
The Indian boys in the resort next door playing a mix of Tamil music and pop music, sometimes they sing along
Prayers being broadcast from the floating mosque
The sound of the waves crashing on the shore
Thunder
We sang Total Eclipse of the Heart

I feel
Content and happy with all of the decisions that led up to this moment
The twenty-five-degree air, cool compared to the heat of the day

When I look back at what I wrote here, I find myself transported back to that moment of watching the moon and listening to the sounds of Penang. This is not a feeling that I get from reading most of my travel journals – much of which is simple lists of people, places, and things I don’t want to forget.

The next time you travel abroad, try this simple technique to ground yourself in a place and time, and really capture the moment in a way that’s very personal to you.

What prompts do you use in your travel journal? Tell me in the comments below.

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