Writing Home

A large part of travel is writing home about the adventure. Sharing your experiences abroad with others is dependent on your ability to accurately recall and vividly describe your escapades. If Cheryl Strayed hadn't kept a journal of her physical and emotional journey along the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995, chances are we would not have, 17 years later, her recently published, well-reviewed memoir of her travels: Wild. So before you take off for your next destination, swing by Booksmith to pick up a journal from our selection of travel diaries and blank books.

Molskine has a journal specifically designed for recording your travels, part of their Moleskine Passions series. This is my preferred journal to travel with, both for its durable hard cover and sleek appearance. The black cover of the travel journal is even more exciting because it is imprinted with a railway timetable. Inside you will find the pages conveniently divided into tabbed sections to help you plan, organize, and, most importantly, record your adventures.

Our Bon Voyage Travel Journal by Susie Ghahremani is less durable but a lot of fun. The cute illustrations--owls being airlifted by balloons--make this journal a great gift for the traveler on your list. The lined and illustrated pages  include helpful tips and simple writing prompts to inspire you. "Describe your accommodations." "Something new I tried:" "Save something near you right now and put it in the pocket at the front of this book so you'll always remember where you were."

For the more sophisticated traveler, there's the little black journal series' portable diary. This journal comes with travel tips and with pages designated for the practical information you might need to have on hand for each destination. The diary also encourages you to record your memories with sections like "where I ate" and "favorite moment." This journal is perfect for the business traveler who saves a few days on either side of meetings to see the sites.

And finally, Fordors' Open Road Chronicles is the perfect road trip diary. This slim spiral bound belongs in the glove department of every road junkie. The journal has tabbed sections for Trip Tips, Trip Lists, Chronicles, and Resources. Scattered throughout the pages are fun road trip trivia, just in case you didn't know that Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time, or that there are more dogs than people in San Francisco. Happy Travels!