How to write a travel diary

Most of us are lucky enough to have some pretty wonderful holiday memories, which can keep us going when we are hard at work, dreaming of our next trip away. So how can we keep those special memories alive and share them without resorting to the infamous cliché of boring a roomful of people with endless, irrelevant holiday snaps only really of interest to those who were actually there?

One way is to keep a travel diary, that can be written up and shared when you are back home. It can even be turned into a travel blog to reach an even greater audience. How can you make the most of such a memory so that it can bring pleasure not only to you, but to others?

A thousand words?

Pictures, they say, can tell a far greater story and help convey deeper emotions than just words alone. So don’t get camera shy while you are away. Take as many pictures as you can. Don’t just stick to the obvious ones. By all means, have your photo taken next to the famous landmarks, but keep your eyes open for other interesting details as well: oddly named street signs or advertising boards, local vehicles, buildings typical of the area you’re visiting, interesting flowers or rock formations. Even local people, although you must make sure they are happy for you to take their photo first.

Notice everything

Keep a notebook and pen with you to jot down your experiences as they happen. Pay attention to the five questions: who, what, were, when and why. Don’t forget to record how you felt. Don’t worry about crafting beautiful sentences at this stage – just get the main details down and you can write it up afterwards, once you are in your hotel room that evening, or when you get back home.

Be careful not to document absolutely everything – just because you are in a foreign country or new place, it doesn’t automatically make the mundane fascinating.

Get creative

Don’t just stick to words and photographs to record your holiday. Add in ticket stubs, receipts, food packets – even sketches if you are gifted with an artistic talent. A multi-media approach will help bring things to life even more for those back home. You can always scan these in to a computer if you are planning to put your travel diary online as a blog.

Another idea could be to find an appropriate quote or verse to head up different sections of your diary.

Take the right amount of time

Writing a travel diary or blog takes time, and you can become deeply involved in making sure everything is just right. Allocate set time to devote to it so that you are not neglecting other areas of your life. Ask someone to read it through for typing or spelling errors before you show it to your adoring public. Then, once it is done – start planning your next adventure!