To create a personal artifact from our adventure. Something that is unique, truly ours and tactile that can bring the memory from the special moments we might have had while traveling.
I always try to document our family trip while on the road but this "travelog" from our Tokyo trip came together as something so special. Maybe because all three of us (Eunice, Nerine and me) enjoyed our journaling downtime at our airbnb home... or maybe because our trip was quite condensed with a lot of mini-adventures within and this journal is really helping me to remember all the details...
From home... I brought one last TN Pan Am refill notebook I had saved to use as a main travelog notebook. I carried the notebook always with me while we were in Tokyo inside of my camel Traveler's Notebook. Having the notebook always with me was super awesome since there were so many "stamp stations" in little stores we visited including Traveler's Factory and the size of the TN refill felt perfect. It's not too small but not too bulky.
Aside from my actual notebook, I brought LG Pocket Printer as well as few washi tapes from home so I could print my iPhone pictures on the same day and add them to my journal page without waiting to get photos printed "when I came back" (which never happens... if you know what I mean).
Once we landed in Tokyo, I started collecting bits and pieces of different paper materials from our stops to use as background vignette on the pages as well as a keepsake. I also got a travel watercolor set and few additional washi tapes and stickers at local stationery stores in Tokyo. It's so fun to be able to use the found local materials right away! I feel it adds so much of the "culture" on the pages.
And honestly... I just had fun with it without overthinking the layout, color, composition... And I collected tons of paper bits and pieces along the way (like a piece of wrapping paper from a cake I bought, a shop/cafe card from where we visited, etc.) but tried not to save too many of them if I didn't use it right away because they end up becoming an overwhelming pile of papers if they don't find the place in my journal. So whatever that inspired me..., I added them on my notebook. Sometimes I would add materials on few pages ahead knowing I would like to add few more words or journaling entries in between. Dedicating a page for each "location" felt pretty good to me so that's how I laid out my pages and filled in the details as I went.
I knew once we were home, I just won't have time to go back and finish the entries so I filled in as much information, details, thoughts and reflection on the pages. I was working on the pages all the way until our airplane touched down at LAX.
I think this will be an ongoing style for my future travel journal! Putting together the whole notebook was easy, simple and really unedited... just the way I would like to remember any of our adventure:)
Here is the picture of us working on our journaling over breakfast... chatting and sharing our favorite moments from the day before!
