The Ultimate List Of Thoughtful Travel Journal Prompts from A to Z

Are you ready to rock your travel journal? I have over fifty travel journal prompts and ideas, literally from A to Z, plus eleven bonus tips on getting started. And a comprehensive list of thought-provoking questions to get the creative juices flowing.

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Travel is picking up again, at last. What are your vacation plans? Start writing now.

Even a quick weekender is a good enough reason to document your thoughts and experiences in your travel journal.

If you need a little help with travel journal ideas, or maybe a buzzword for inspiration, I am here for you today with a FREE printable of over fifty travel journal prompts from the planning stage to post-vacation, and even from A to Z.

Sign up below and I will send it to you ASAP.

What is a travel journal?

A travel journal is a collection of your adventures, starting with the planning stage of your holiday. 

Travel journaling starts when you are deciding on where to go on your next vacation. If you know me at all, you are aware that I love the planning process of a vacation.

Researching different destinations, activities, food, figuring out how to get there, where to stay, how to get around. The anticipation of traveling the world is so exciting, and these days (2021) means even more.

The planning stage excites me almost as much as the travel experience itself.

So, where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Eat? Drink?

How do you plan on getting there and where do you wish to stay?

Go grab your journal and start writing.

We will travel the world someday, but for now, we can research and plan and dream.

Your travel journal is yours. There are no rules to follow; just write what you think. And if you are artsy in any way, sketch it out. Your experiences are unique to you, so your journal should follow.

AND you don’t have to hike Mount Everest, visit the Taj Majal, or bike down a volcano in Maui to justify creating a travel journal. Go on a local hike, a weekender out of town, kayaking in the springs, or visiting family.

It is your travel journal; you do you.

Reasons to Keep a Travel Journal.

• To dream.
• For journaling your experiences while they are fresh on your mind. You don’t want to miss important details.
• Document what you learn while in a new place.
• Reflect on your adventure daily.
• Keep track of what you want to do next, so you don’t miss anything.
• Create a “soft” Itinerary because, with family travel, itineraries are ever-changing.
• My favorite reason is so you can keep reading your travel journal for years to come and reminisce about the happiness and excitement you felt while traveling.

Tips to Rock Your Travel Journal.

1) Decide what type of journal you want to keep.

I am old school. I love to write by hand and have everything in front of me, so I use a journal I can write in, one that has a folder to keep things in, and has daily prompts for me to follow. It is not super elaborate, but it is beautiful. I will leave a link below with my favorite journals (I have tried a few).

2) Start during the travel planning stage.

Plan your flights, accommodations, car rental, scheduled tours, and dinner reservations. Also, write down all of the activities and sights that you don’t want to miss while traveling. Create your “soft” itinerary and keep it in your travel journal.

3) Journal every day.

Write in your journal every day to keep the momentum going. Don’t forget to date your entries. Lie down in bed after the family is settled in for the night and write what you did, what you saw, how it made you feel.

How did the bakery smell? How did the veggies and fresh fish at the market look? If you bought food from the market, how did you prepare it, and how did it taste? Was the view from the top of the mountain as fantastic as you dreamed? Was it worth the hour hike to that waterfall in the rainforest? Were the people kind to you?

Another tip to get that entry in every day is to bring your journal with you wherever you go. You never know when you will have some downtime to document your experience — waiting in line at the theatre, restaurant, attraction, or just some time to sit in a lounge chair facing the ocean and reflect.

4) Write down what you learned.

Make it a point to learn something new every day, and write it in your journal. What did you learn about the culture, the food, the geography, the people, the traffic? And what did you learn about yourself?

5) Illustrate.

If you are artistic, or even if you are not, use this opportunity to sketch your views, in addition to writing, OR in place of writing.

6) Stash your memorabilia.

Keep receipts, boarding passes, postcards, business cards, brochures, tickets stubs in the folder in the back of the journal. My journal has a pocket to stash all of these goodies safely.

7) Make it fun.

Your daily entry does not have to be a dissertation. It can be something quick, a sentence, a paragraph or two. Don’t make it a chore. Keep it light and fun.

8) Engage in all of your senses.

How did the local brew taste? How did the sun feel on your face? And the smell of the salty air. It’s not all about what you get to see while traveling, it’s how it made you feel. So don’t forget to document the feels.

9) Involve the kids.

Did they say or do anything funny? Ask them what their favorite activity of the day was and include their point of view in your journal. Or better yet, get them a journal and teach them how to use it.

10) Gratitude.

Always end the day with gratitude. You have had an adventure with people you love in a beautiful destination. Life is good. Write down what you are grateful for in that moment.

11) Continue to journal after the trip is over.

On the flight home, or when you get home, continue to write about your adventure. Look at your uploaded pictures, paste a hard copy into your journal. Remember when I said to write down the expectations of your journey? Now is the time to share in your travel diary if your expectations were met, how and why?

Include how you thought the food would be vs. how it actually was.

Document your favorite experience of the trip. And if you have one, your least favorite experience.

Use this time to put the finishing touches on your journal and make it look pretty, but only if you want to.

Travel Journal Ideas to Get You Started.

Pre-Travel Journal Prompts.

• Where are you going and why?
• How are you getting there and where are you staying?
• Your inspiration in choosing this particular destination?
• What do you expect to find when you arrive?
• List your plans for activities?
• Your reading list? Playlist? Podcast list?
• Create a packing list for you and your family.
• Construct a “soft” daily itinerary.

Travel Journal Ideas During Vacation.

• What was your first impression?
• A favorite moment of the day.
• Write about the people, the markets, the drivers and the traffic.
• Favorite activity, food, and drink.
• Is there a food you tried for the first time? Did you love it or hate it?
• What is different about the culture?
• What is the view from your room?
• Write about how you dressed to stay comfortable while exploring.
• Did you go shopping? See the show? Go on a hike? Snorkel?
• Did you do anything outside of your comfort zone?

Writing Prompts for When you Return Home.

• Did your travels meet your expectations or not?
• Did you experience culture shock?
• What would you do differently?
• Would you go back?
• Create a “travel guide” full of practical travel tips for your friends.
• What did you learn? About your destination? About yourself?
• Gratitude. What were you grateful for most during your vacation?
• Where are you off to next?

Random, Yet Thoughtful Travel Journal Ideas.

Post-Pandemic Travel

• How did you feel while preparing for your first big trip post-pandemic?
• Did the experience of the pandemic change the way you planned your vacation?
• Once you set off on your trip, what were your thoughts and concerns?
• What would you do differently next time you travel?
• What advice would you give to someone who is anxious about post COVID travel?

Thought-Provoking Travel Journal Prompts and Ideas.

• Who is your favorite travel companion and why?
• If you could travel with anyone in the world, who would it be? Why? And where would you go?
• Where is your favorite place to travel? Now describe precisely how this place makes you feel.
• Interview one of your kiddos about their travel feels.
• What is the most embarrassing travel moment you have ever had?  
• Have you ever been in a scary situation and made your way out?
• If money and time were not an issue, what would be your next vacation destination? And why?
• I love this one. Don’t write, but draw.

Travel Journal Prompts from A to Z.

A ~ Anticipation — How excited are you for your upcoming adventure?

B ~ Best Experience — Journal about the BEST thing that happened to you on vacation.

C ~ Culture — What was cool about your cultural experience?

D ~ Destination — Why did you choose the destination?

E ~ Expectations — Did your experience meet your expectations? Or not?

F ~ Food — What was your favorite and least favorite foods you tried?

G ~ Gratitude — What are you grateful for? Practice gratitude daily.

H ~ History — What did you learn about the history of the destination?

I ~ Itinerary — What is on your itinerary? And why?

J ~ Journal Prompts — Add a unique journal prompt every day?

K ~ Kangaroos or Koalas — Talk about the animals you met while on the road?

L ~ Locals — Did you meet any locals? What are your thoughts?

M ~ Missed from Home — Is there anything you missed from home? Or something you did NOT miss from home?

N ~ News — Fascinating news events that occurred while you were traveling.

O ~ Oatmeal — What did you put in your oatmeal? OK…O was a tough one.

P ~ Packing List — Create a packing list. What do you have to bring? And what can you leave at home?

Q ~ Question — What is your biggest questions about your destination?

R ~ Reading List — Create a reading list for travel day.

S ~ Surprising — The most surprising finding of the local culture.

T ~ Tradition — Do they have a fun or interesting tradition?

U ~ Unique Words — What were the unique words or lingo you learned?

V ~ Vino — Did you taste the local and delicious wine?

X ~ Xenophile — Are you a xenophile?

Y ~ Young — Travel is not just for the young.

Z ~ Zone — Did you step out of your comfort zone? Or cross a time zone?

For Printable Travel Journal Prompts from A to Z, sign up here.

Do you have a travel journal?

What are some of the essential things that you document on your travels?

And where are you off to next?