Journal prompts are important for travel journals because they guide what you say about your travels.
And likewise, travel journals are important because they are catalogues of your memories.
Journals hold your take on things…your notes and feelings, your ideas and reflections.
Writing might just be the best memento to take home.
First, any batch of words is the truest reflection of your experiences…linked to memories that grow murkier with each passing day, month, and year.
Writing is a passage to one’s past self–preserving a person’s thoughts and memories. You are writing your own personal history (meaning written documentation)–something no one can incorrectly interpret.
Your writing becomes a time capsule of memories, firsthand thoughts, and feelings that come from your heart. But sometimes, you need prompts that can get you started on exactly what to write about.
Journal Prompts About Past Travels:
- Who was there?
- What did you do?
- What happened?
- Where did you find yourself in this experience
- When did you go? This could be contextual such as after graduation to celebrate or after a tragedy/heartbreak.
- How did you get there?
- What did you order or what activity did you purchase? Rate from 1-10 and explain.
- Rate overall experience from 1-10.
- What will you miss about this experience?
- How was this experience special to you?
- Did this experience meet your expectations?
- One new thing I tried was ___________.
- One color I noticed today was ___________.
- One emotion I distinctly felt was ___________.
- The sky/weather today looked like ___________.
- My favorite memory of the day was ___________.
- This was my menu for the day: ___________.
- What are your favorite beverages from abroad? List them!
- What are your favorite foods from abroad? Talk about them.
- If you could eat your favorite foods for your meals and snacks today, what would your menu look like?
- What are you favorite shoes for traveling? Write about where those shoes have been.
- Tell one of your favorite experiences in a story format.
- Write down a past itinerary schedule.
- Tell a funny story about a place you visited.
- What do you always take on a trip?
- Tell me about your favorite things that you found on your travels.
Journal Prompts for Future Travels:
- If you could be anywhere today, where would you be?
- If you could teleport to 5 places at any time forever, what places would you choose?
- Where is your next adventure?
- Write your TOP 10 locations on your bucket list.
- Would you revisit any locations from past travels? If so, what location would you visit?
- Name 1 location you could easily visit (within 6 hours of driving) that you would love to go. It could be a place you’ve been to or want to visit.
- Write a story about what a day would look like if you could be anywhere in the world. What would you wake up to? How would you spend your day?
Add Travel Items to Write About:
- flyers
- product labels
- coffee sleeve
- pictures, stamps
- postcards
- train tickets
- admission tickets
- pressed flowers (sometimes I tape flowers onto pages and seal the back of the page with tape)
These items are prompts because you can write a snippet, a detail, a date, or a memory about these items.
Traveling does not have to be venturing somewhere far.
Taking a scenic walk, hike, or going to a lake can be traveling and you can use these travel prompts to fuel your everyday travels.
One Post I have is 16 Ways to Add Adventure to Your Everyday. It is filled with ideas about trying new things, incorporating adventures, and being adventurous.
Being an everyday traveler can be as simple as trying foods from other countries, listening to another country’s music, and journaling your bucket list for your first or next visit.
Let’s not get caught up in the idea that traveling very far is “travel.” True travel can be moving yourself at distances you don’t usually go. For more on everyday travels, check here.
Prompts for nearby locations:
- Name 1 place you’ve always wanted to go within 30 minutes/ an hour from you. Look it up. What about this place is intriguing? Plan what you would do if you visited! I’m talking food, drinks, and surrounding locations.
- Where in your town do you go for a much-needed day out?
- Name 10 places in your town you haven’t visited.
- Name 10 places in a surrounding town that you haven’t visited yet.
- Find a museum near you. Have you visited before? If so, write about your experience. Would you revisit?
- Write all the continents you’ve visited. Which is your favorite? Which continent would you visit next?
- Find 1 place in your town that you could go this weekend. Why did you pick that place.
- What do you like about your city?
- Does your town have a special food or beverage they are known for? Have you tried it? Do you want to?
- Make a future travel itinerary.
- Write about a past travel itinerary.
- What do tourists do in your town? List them! Check off what you’ve done.
- Write about your town in a location-sketch: population size, demographics, best known restaurants on TripAdvisor/Yelp, top attractions, etc.
- Do location-sketches of neighboring towns! Get excited about where you live.
- Plan a day trip somewhere nearby for an adventure day.
- Plan a day trip somewhere nearby for your next relaxation getaway.
If you have suggestions or comments about prompts we can all use, I’d love to hear them!
