You can make a travel diary and/or dictionary from any notebook.
The bigger the notebook the more space you have to write. A large hardback notebook could go in a backpack.
However, a big notebook can be heavy to carry around. Sometimes, when I am away for a weekend, or taking a weekend or day trip by plane or train or ferry, I travel light with just a small notebook in my pocket.
Bulk Buy for Savings
Where to buy a notebook? I buy in bulk, sets of three notebooks. In a cheap shop such as Poundland. Notebooks with ribbon markers.
Same Colours or Varied Colours?
A set of same colour notebooks, for one long trip, or different colours show which country is which.
Flag Cover
You could mark each travel notebook with the flag of the country. Print out the flag if you have a colour printer. (Flags on Wikipedia for that country or under flags.) Or print in black and white to save ink and go over the coloured section with a felt tip pen.) Your home diary has your home country flag. Very quick even to send somebody else to look for your home diary or travel trip diary.
Fancy Covers - Guard Against Loss
Fancy covers are ideal for a notebook to take to a conference, where so often somebody leaves behind their clipboard or notebook or both. So if I leave mine behind on a desk, as I leave a room I glance back and I can spot it at a distance, on the desk or under my chair. I immediately know its mine. Even strangers will remember that I was the lady with the notebook with the peacock or rainbow or cats on the cover, and return it to me, or tell me the room where they saw it left behind.
DIARY BOX AND PHOTO BOX
The First thing I do is label the front and back covers and the spine with the country and date.
Prepare your show box to store the diary and label your shelf so the shoe box always goes back the same place. You might keep your diaries alongside the dictionary and travel guide. Or a photo box. Label the photo box on all sides with the name of the country, and date and possibly also season.
COVER/TITLE, INDEX, PAGE NUMBERS
Your travel diary needs a COVER, TITLE, INDEX and PAGE NUMBERS.
Start with a box for a title, possibly underneath a box for a flag or photo. Alternatively print a flag or photo as background, inserting a box for the title. You can write in the title by hand or print it.
Use the font of your choice and enlarge it to fit the front cover, horizontally. If you print it too big, it may fit long ways or even diagonally.
Label the back cover and spine, if any. Or use a box as cover. Or reinforce the cover with white card stuck on or folded over and attached with glue at the spine, or just with a ribbon like a restaurant menu.
Make an index at the front and another contents at the back. At least write the words index at the top.
Count the number of pages. Ideally you should have that number of lines, one for each page. If the number of pages is, for example 50, but you have only 25 lines per page, you have a choice. Make the inside cover the index and draw lines in pencil. Divide the index page into two vertically and write - or print - small. Continue the index on the back inside cover or back page.
It's important to start the index before you start writing. The first time I wrote a travel diary in a notebook, I forgot the index and then had too little room at the end of the book for a contents list, which was longer than the inside back cover.
PAGE NUMBERS
Rather than counting pages, then numbering pages, number pages, then you get the word count.
If there are a large number of pages, number pages 1 2 and 3, then only the odd numbers. You could write numbers top right. Unless you like to turn down or tear off page corners. I usually number pages in erasable pencil the first time, then go back and write neatly in pen. You might decide to start numbering after the index, rather than have pages 1-3 listed as index.
TITLE PER PAGE
You might write a title on each page - especially if it's a loose leaf notebook, a Filofax, or a ringbinder.
You could write out generic headings with dots such as
Date .............................
Country .......................
City .............................
Printed DIY Diary
You could print your own diary. Some companies will print a dairy for you with a title and cover photo.
Or print pages with headings and dotted or solid lines, boxes for photos or drawings, page numbers. Print a cover. Use a stapler which does up to 6 pages. Or carry the pages in a folder. Later punch two holes and tie it all together with ribbon.
HONEYMOON AND VIP TRIP GIFT BOOKS
For a special journey such as a honeymoon, anniversary, trip to see grandchildren in Australia/overseas, print a book with photos and text. Use your handwritten notes to print off the day's event's each day.
BLOG BOOK
Write a blog on your trip and create a blogbook. Do not reveal you are away if your home is empty. Even if it isn't, you don't want granny, plus children, housesitter, flatmate, neighbours, cats, dogs and budgies, surprised by phone calls and knocks at the door day or night.
You might write up your blog after the event, for example, the Monday and Tuesday after a weekend away. You could even reminisce a month later, or produce a book a year later, or when you retire.
RETURN ADDRESS
You might put your address and return to details on the back cover. For security you might prefer your address on the inside cover, in which case you will probably want your index starting on page 1 and not on the inside cover.
For security, instead of revealing your home address when away travelling, you could give the address of a relative or neighbour or your office - or your hotel.
Angela Lansbury BA Hons, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
If you enjoy my posts please follow me and come back daily to read more.
The bigger the notebook the more space you have to write. A large hardback notebook could go in a backpack.
However, a big notebook can be heavy to carry around. Sometimes, when I am away for a weekend, or taking a weekend or day trip by plane or train or ferry, I travel light with just a small notebook in my pocket.
Bulk Buy for Savings
Where to buy a notebook? I buy in bulk, sets of three notebooks. In a cheap shop such as Poundland. Notebooks with ribbon markers.
Same Colours or Varied Colours?
A set of same colour notebooks, for one long trip, or different colours show which country is which.
Flag Cover
You could mark each travel notebook with the flag of the country. Print out the flag if you have a colour printer. (Flags on Wikipedia for that country or under flags.) Or print in black and white to save ink and go over the coloured section with a felt tip pen.) Your home diary has your home country flag. Very quick even to send somebody else to look for your home diary or travel trip diary.
Fancy Covers - Guard Against Loss
Fancy covers are ideal for a notebook to take to a conference, where so often somebody leaves behind their clipboard or notebook or both. So if I leave mine behind on a desk, as I leave a room I glance back and I can spot it at a distance, on the desk or under my chair. I immediately know its mine. Even strangers will remember that I was the lady with the notebook with the peacock or rainbow or cats on the cover, and return it to me, or tell me the room where they saw it left behind.
DIARY BOX AND PHOTO BOX
The First thing I do is label the front and back covers and the spine with the country and date.
Prepare your show box to store the diary and label your shelf so the shoe box always goes back the same place. You might keep your diaries alongside the dictionary and travel guide. Or a photo box. Label the photo box on all sides with the name of the country, and date and possibly also season.
COVER/TITLE, INDEX, PAGE NUMBERS
Your travel diary needs a COVER, TITLE, INDEX and PAGE NUMBERS.
Start with a box for a title, possibly underneath a box for a flag or photo. Alternatively print a flag or photo as background, inserting a box for the title. You can write in the title by hand or print it.
Use the font of your choice and enlarge it to fit the front cover, horizontally. If you print it too big, it may fit long ways or even diagonally.
Label the back cover and spine, if any. Or use a box as cover. Or reinforce the cover with white card stuck on or folded over and attached with glue at the spine, or just with a ribbon like a restaurant menu.
Make an index at the front and another contents at the back. At least write the words index at the top.
Count the number of pages. Ideally you should have that number of lines, one for each page. If the number of pages is, for example 50, but you have only 25 lines per page, you have a choice. Make the inside cover the index and draw lines in pencil. Divide the index page into two vertically and write - or print - small. Continue the index on the back inside cover or back page.
It's important to start the index before you start writing. The first time I wrote a travel diary in a notebook, I forgot the index and then had too little room at the end of the book for a contents list, which was longer than the inside back cover.
PAGE NUMBERS
Rather than counting pages, then numbering pages, number pages, then you get the word count.
If there are a large number of pages, number pages 1 2 and 3, then only the odd numbers. You could write numbers top right. Unless you like to turn down or tear off page corners. I usually number pages in erasable pencil the first time, then go back and write neatly in pen. You might decide to start numbering after the index, rather than have pages 1-3 listed as index.
TITLE PER PAGE
You might write a title on each page - especially if it's a loose leaf notebook, a Filofax, or a ringbinder.
You could write out generic headings with dots such as
Date .............................
Country .......................
City .............................
Printed DIY Diary
You could print your own diary. Some companies will print a dairy for you with a title and cover photo.
Or print pages with headings and dotted or solid lines, boxes for photos or drawings, page numbers. Print a cover. Use a stapler which does up to 6 pages. Or carry the pages in a folder. Later punch two holes and tie it all together with ribbon.
HONEYMOON AND VIP TRIP GIFT BOOKS
For a special journey such as a honeymoon, anniversary, trip to see grandchildren in Australia/overseas, print a book with photos and text. Use your handwritten notes to print off the day's event's each day.
BLOG BOOK
Write a blog on your trip and create a blogbook. Do not reveal you are away if your home is empty. Even if it isn't, you don't want granny, plus children, housesitter, flatmate, neighbours, cats, dogs and budgies, surprised by phone calls and knocks at the door day or night.
You might write up your blog after the event, for example, the Monday and Tuesday after a weekend away. You could even reminisce a month later, or produce a book a year later, or when you retire.
RETURN ADDRESS
You might put your address and return to details on the back cover. For security you might prefer your address on the inside cover, in which case you will probably want your index starting on page 1 and not on the inside cover.
For security, instead of revealing your home address when away travelling, you could give the address of a relative or neighbour or your office - or your hotel.
Angela Lansbury BA Hons, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
If you enjoy my posts please follow me and come back daily to read more.
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