When the pandemic started in March 2020, I took out my journal to jot down my feelings and the thoughts that ran through my mind. I was in Namibia.
"Monday, March 16: Catching an early morning flight from Windhoek, Namibia to Johannesburg, South Africa. Nervous to fly after hearing that the country identified two cases of Covid-19.
“Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa will close borders to countries with high infection rates. I can't wait for the flight to be over. I do not know what to expect."
Looking back at those scribbles, it transports me to the stressful time when masks and sanitisers were the new travel accessories, a time when travelling felt scary.
While my travel journals have been inconsistent (I now vlog most of my travels), a travel journal detailing your adventures, whether it is a daycation or weekend away, offers many benefits.
A travel journal, for me, is a perfect way to write down the day’s events and revisit them when you open the pages years later.
The good thing about travel journals is that you can be as creative as you want. You can add pictures, plane tickets, itineraries, hotel brochures or anything that can mark the trip.
Some people even add candy wrappings from a particular country. Journalling is also a great hobby and a sure way to pass boredom during load shedding (yes, we have many of those in South Africa).
Travellers can also use the pages to rant- whether you encountered a rude traveller or hotel staff- or share embarrassing travel stories.
I will admit that keeping a travel journal has fuelled my love for travel. It prompts travellers to be adventurous, especially now that travelling has opened up again in many parts of the world.
How to get started
Invest in a journal (the more pages the better) and some stationery like coloured pencils, stickers and other items that will make your journal stand out.
Date the journal to record the dates and times of travel. For example, you can keep a journal for every trip or every year, depending on how frequent you travel.
All you have to do now is start penning your thoughts.