Going on a road trip and want to infuse some fun and some new ideas in your road trip travel journal? That’s what I was looking for when I went online to find new ideas before a road trip. And truthfully, it was hard to find new and unique ideas specifically for road trip travel journals. So after some research and a bit of trial and error, I came up with my own list of unique road trip travel journal ideas that I found to be really fun on my road trips. Here are 20 road trip journal ideas for you to try on your next road trip:
1. Create a Map of Your Trip
This one is almost a must on a road trip. Before you go, draw a map of your route and mark each stop. Add some color and voile, you have a quick and beautiful reference for your road trip route.
2. Make a spread of each of your favorite activities
With so many stops and change of location, I always want to remember the activities I liked the most in a special way. For those, I like to make a special two page spread. My favorite type of spread for this is collage. Using all of the memorabilia I collected, photos and journal entries, I paste them all in on top of each other, in a way that pleases my eye. I love this style, it looks a bit random and always beautiful. (Photo of collage)
3. Make a spread of each stop, all together
This kind of spread is great to see the whole trip at once. My favorite way to do this is to create a kind of photo album look in my journal, drawing two to four boxes on either side of the page and then pasting one photo or piece of memorabilia in each box. Add a bit of writing on the side and you have your whole trip at a glance.
4. Make a spread of each stop, single
This is similar to the ‘favorite activities’ spread but instead of focusing on one activity, it captures a whole stop in one spread. Use collage, sketches and writing to capture the fullness of each stop. By the end, you’ll have the whole trip captured in your journal.
5. Make a sketch of your favorite part of each day
This is a great way to use your travel journal to help you slow down and be present during your trip. You can either do it in the moment (my favorite way) or at the end of the day. If you do it in the moment, keep your journal and pen with you as you’re in the car or out exploring. Keep this prompt in your mind and be looking for beauty. Once you find yourself looking at something beautiful that you want to capture, stop, take a few minutes to draw it in your travel journal. It will be a beautiful reminder of the day and as each day is drawn, you’ll have a record of the beauty of your trip in your own hand.
6. Plan and pack a special journaling kit
This is a must for all types of trip and depends on what kind of journal you want to keep and what your favorite types of materials are. It’s very unique to each person. The great thing about a road trip is that you can usually bring more supplies since you don’t have to carry your baggage around from place to place like on other types of trips. Here are some of my favorite supplies that are a must for me: an assortment of pens, watercolor kit, Instax camera, glue stick.
7. Record your favorite meal
I love trying new regional food. It’s one of the reasons I love to travel. I never want to forget my favorite lobster roll in Maine, the buttery goodness of it, but captured in my road trip travel journal, I never will!
8. Record conversations you overhear
On the road I hear some strange conversations. And I love to record them. It gives me a flavor of the place and make me laugh when I read them back!
9. Write about one new thing you saw each day
This is a great writing prompt for the end of the day. As you wind down, write about each new thing you saw that day, it could be big or small. Just try and capture the new experiences road trips bring.
10. Write about one new experience you had each day
While traveling I like to have at least one new experience a day. Using this writing prompt daily helps to remind me to go outside my comfort zone and experience something new.
11. Write about your favorite part of the road trip
This is a great writing prompt for the end of your trip as you’re reflecting on the trip as a whole. Spend some time recording your favorite part of the trip. Why was it your favorite? Was it the most relaxing? Most thrilling? Most extremely odd? Capture all the details you can.
12. Record all the souvenirs of the trip and where you bought them
I always forget what I bought and where. I like to list all of my souvenirs in my travel journal and why I bought them, so I don’t ever forget.
13. Make a glossary of illustrations
Want to add some drawings to your travel journal but aren’t super comfortable with drawing. This is where a bit of time, and the internet can be your greatest resource. Make a list of some objects you’d like to illustrate in your road trip travel journal. Some of mine are: a car, the road, billboard, etc. Once you have the list, go to Google or Pinterest and type in ‘(object) illustration how to’ and there will be tons of line by line videos of how to draw that object. Take some time and practice. Practice enough to where you get the illustration to look how you like and you can recreate it without looking. Then draw it in your road trip travel journal under the spread “Illustration Glossary” Once you’re done you’ll have a collection of drawings you can recreate in the moment on any page, adding fun and color to your journal.
14. Record the weather each day
Weather means so much on the road, so I like to start each daily journal entry with a record of the weather and sometimes a drawing. Flipping through the journal, I love seeing the record of all the days.
15. Make a spread of all the colors of a road stop or restaurant
This is so fun and easy and can be done in any location. I love doing it in restaurants while I’m waiting for my food. You’ll need your travel journal and a watercolor set. Look around the restaurant and identify the colors you see. Then try and mix those colors with your watercolor set and make a swatch in your travel journal for each color. In the end you should have a page full of unique colors that capture the place in a super unique way.
16. Save knickknacks and mementos in a special place This is great for paper products especially, Napkins, tickets, business cars. Save all of these in your journal and then either quickly paste them into your journal along with your writing or save them and use them to create a unique spread of the place you found them. Either way, these add texture to your travel journal and are fun to look back on for years.
17. Collect a souvenir from each stop
If you like to collect things along with your travel journal, this is a great idea for you. Bring a small box or container of some kind, and at each stop choose a fun souvenir to commemorate that spot. It could be a keychain or a rock, a seashell or a funny bumper sticker.Collect them in your container and record where each one is from and why you chose it, in your travel journal. Then when you get home, you’ll have a physical travel journal that will remind you of each place.
18. Make a list of all the people you meet in each location
One reason I like to go on road trips is to meet people from around one particular region. I love having small talk and exchanging stories with people at hotels or on the road. Whenever I do, I list them in my road trip journal so I never forget the weird and wonderful people I met on the road.
19. Keep a list of reviews of your favorite activities
This is a great spread to have when you get home and want to tell people about your trip. Sometimes it’s hard to remember all the places you went and activities you did. I like to make a small spread of each, with memorabilia and a review so when I return home I can always remember and share my first impression.
20. Interview your road trip companion and record it
Some of my favorite road trip memories are conversations I had in the car. With some much time to spend, you often end up talking about obscure or deep subjects that you would never talk about in normal life. Capture this in your journal, you’ll be so glad you did for years to come.
I hope you found some of these ideas sparked your creative brain and got you excited to try them on your next road trip. Which will you try? Let me know in the comments! Happy travels!