Anyone who has had to travel between multiple countries over a short amount of time
knows how overwhelming it can be. Keeping up with customs regulations, cultural practices,
currencies, and time zones, can leave you feeling a bit like you have been thrown into a blender
on “puree” mode. While setting aside a moment to reflect on your surroundings may feel
impossible, clearing the space to do just that will go a long way to making your travels seem
more worthwhile. Whether you are jumping from place to place for work, or for personal
reasons, carving out a few minutes each day to dialogue with yourself about where you are in
the present, can lead to greater insights about the world around you, and your place in it. An
excellent way to take a moment to reflect, is by keeping a journal in which you chronicle your
trip.
The Journal
Journals are as individual as the people who make them, and there is no standard size, shape, or
style for the “perfect” journal. Find any notebook or small book with blank or lined pages, and
you are on your way. If you have the option, make your own. If you are going to be traveling in
tropical regions, invest in a re-sealable plastic bag to hold your book, and if possible, laminate
or waterproof the cover. You can choose to decorate your journal with stamps from every
country, leave the exterior blank, or collect the signatures of people you meet along the way.
Whatever your aesthetic choice, it is actually the interior of your journal that matters the most.
The Pages
When making my own travel journals, I have a tendency to focus on one aspect of the journey.
By recording my thoughts about one particular thing as I move from country to country, I can
track how I change over the course of the journey. For example, I often write a question on the
first page of the journal while I am on my way to the starting point of the trip. The questions
have ranged from “What is the best way to get invited to a wedding?” to “In a respect-based
society, do foreigners exist?” to “What is the key to creating a lasting friendship while on the
road?”. In each city or country that I visit, I attempt to answer the question, clearly notating the
date and location at which the journal entry was written. I often pose the questions to people
I meet while on the road, and hand them the journal to record their thoughts as well. Looking
back at my writings has revealed some interesting things about the places I have visited over the
years, and the ways in which my sense of self changed during the journey.
When time and facilities allow, I also like to keep a photo journal. You do not have to be a
world-class photographer to keep a photo journal. The essence of a photo journal is a visual
record of the world around you. Like my question journals, I have a tendency to focus on one
subject as I travel. Sometimes the search for examples of your chosen subject can lead to
interesting friendships and great stories. I chose to chronicle the different ways people carried
their children around during a trip through Southeast Asia recently. The images ended up being
a fascinating study in the ways in which Eastern and Western childrearing practices have begun
to blend together. I also like to journal in hardcopy, as opposed to leaving my photo journals on
my computer. There is something important about the tactile quality of a journal.
Looking Back
Creating a travel journal that focuses on one subject during your trip engenders a very different
recall process than the standard journal that simply recounts each day’s events. Flipping
through your book of questions, while sitting at home on your leather sofa sipping tea, will
evoke intense memories of what situation or feeling caused you to answer the question in the
way you did. It is a more active form of remembrance, and in some ways, it is more rewarding.
The next time you head out the door, whether it is for a short weekend away, or weeks of
travel, consider taking a notebook along. As “new-agey” as it may sound, by making the time
and space to create a journal, you allow yourself the time and space to enjoy the journey.
0 comments:
Post a Comment