Basics of Travel Journalling

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For any trip there is a lot of planning involved and throughout the trip you'll definitely want to keep track of all the interesting things that happen. Although taking pictures is great, they won't remind you of all the friends that you made and how funny it was when you tripped down the stairs at the airport. In my travel journals, I also like to keep track of the things I buy, my spending (on transport, board etc), things I eat, things I would like to do on another trip, the people I meet, and my own personal review of restaurants, tourist hotspots, hotels and more. 

It's handy to make the first half of your travel journal about prep so you'll have easy access to it throughout your trip and have everything in one book. 

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1. Map 
I would recommend starting by pasting in a small map and outlining your general route on the first page. (Also, you may want to include an address in case you lose your valuable travel journal so someone can mail it back). 

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2. Divide by Country
After outlining your route, make separate sections for each country you plan to travel through. For my trip I will have a section for the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. 

Within each country start by including some important information such as what is the emergency number for that location, what is the climate like at the time of travel, and scribble in a few useful phases in the native language of the place you are visiting. Also look into tipping customs if you're not sure.

Next, make a subsection for each city you will visit in that country. Include any attractions you want to see, where you plan to stay, must-dos, and your timeline in that location. Hint: In some places, attractions are closed on weekends so make sure you research and plan accordingly.

It may also be helpful to include a local map if you can find one online to print and paste. 

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3. Itinerary
If you have a specific itinerary add that to the journal too. Check back on our blog to see our itinerary in the coming weeks. 

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4. Packing List
This is important to ensure you're not forgetting anything for your trip. It's also good to periodically review and ask yourself "do I really need to bring that?". Most things you can buy if you forget, but important items such as prescriptions, a charger or glasses may be harder to replace.  

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5. We're Here!
This section is all about your actual trip. Personally, I like to keep it in a "Day 1, Day 2, Day 3" format. I include a brief summary of my day with details about people I meet, funny things that my travel companions say, favourite part of the day and anything else memorable. I also like to keep track of the souvenirs I buy so I can remember where they're from. Don't forget to review the places you eat/stay so if you go back you'll know where to return or stay away from. 

And don't forget tape! It's nice to tape cut-outs, or tickets into your journal as you go so you can keep them as souvenirs without misplacing or having them clutter your home. 


Do you have any other tips for keeping a travel journal? Would you include any other information/sections? Let me know!

Thoughtfully yours,

Addie 

Trip Planning: Finding a Guidebook

To continue on with this trip planning series, I started to look at guidebooks.  My cousin had one from the last time she went over to London so I started to take a look at that one. 

I was thinking, this is good for London, but I need them for ALL of the places we are going to.  So Addie and I decided to take a trip to our local bookstore (it was a study break!).  Upon arriving to there we found ourselves LOST at the huge selection of travel books, especially for all of the destinations we are planning to visit.  Since we don't have a lot of time, I was hoping to look for something that would be quick and easy.  Remembering that I already have the "Top 10 London" one from Eyewitness Travel, I went in search for all of the other ones.  I also decided to take a look at some travel guides offered by other companies (e.g. The Lonely Planet, Frommers, etc.)  

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When I laid out all the books in front of us... I immediately felt stressed and overwhelmed.  There is so much information.  The best way for us to do it was to do it city by city.  I also picked up a quick guide for "First Time Travelling in Europe."  I had Addie look into that book while I searched through all the other travel guides.

I just skimmed them to see if they were relevant and also to see the general prices of what would be there.  I personally felt that the information from the general "First Time Travelling in Europe" book was much more helpful.  At the end, I did not purchase any of the books (I did consider getting the one that Addie was reading but the line was too long.) but vowed to make sure I come back and pick some up once I have an even better idea of what we needed.

I was really glad that I got a chance to lay out all the information in front of me to start getting an idea.  

So the lesson of the day is to be organized.

Tips for Finding a Guidebook:

1. Determine what you don't know and what you want to know.

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2. Take a look at a variety of guidebooks (for one city) and find one that you like best. 

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3. Take it one step at a time.

Thoughtfully yours,

C.C.

Trip Planning: Making a Plan (Part 2)

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After studying the map and choosing some must-see destinations, planning becomes easier. For a backpacking trip like the one C.C. and I are planning, we needed to outline a route through Europe to ensure we were hitting all our destinations to optimize our trip and minimize the cost of travel and board.

C.C. and I are starting our trips separately and will meet in Paris, France to start the joint portion of our backpacking trip. We decided that from France we would proceed to Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and conclude our joint traveling in England.

For the majority of the trip we will be traveling by train. Europe has a great rail travel system which makes it very easy to get from country to country. Note: when choosing a Eurail pass consider whether you're traveling within a country, to only a few countries or all over Europe. The Eurail global pass for one month (youth rate!) is most suitable for our trip.  http://www.eurail.com/ 

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After choosing Eurail, C.C. and I spent a night reviewing the train schedules to consider how long it would take us to get from destination to destination. This helped immensely with planning our specific itinerary.

(Hint: some train rides ended up being 12 or 13 hours! instead of losing a day to travel, consider paying a little extra for a bunker car and taking a night train. You'll also save on hotel fare.)

Thoughtfully yours,

Addie

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Trip Planning: Make a Plan (Part 1)

We're going to Europe!

After considering the idea of going to Europe, C.C. and I decided this summer would be the perfect time to go for a backpacking trip through the different countries. Check out the travel tab up top, we'll be updating with our research, plans and tips for making the most of the time we're there.

Step 1: Make a plan

The first part of making our plan was to get a map. A big map. We went to CAA and asked them for travel resources and ended up leaving with a large map of Europe and various smaller maps of the countries we are considering visiting.

Not only does CAA/AAA have automobile coverage, but they also carry a wide range of material to make travel easier (travel gear, maps, etc.). Although we could have met with a travel agent, we decided that part of the fun was planning it on our own. C.C. has already decided that the shopping in Paris and Milan are a must so we'll definitely be hitting those cities.

Hope you'll keep reading our trip planning progress! And please share any travel tips or places that are a must-see.

Thoughtfully yours,

Addie

disclaimer: CAA/AAA is not a sponsor.