Why And Where You Should Write Down Your Travel Memories

Many times in the day you will read something which will stir up memories of something you experienced on your travels. These little snippets can be written down and have several uses.

1 When you switch countries your memories of the other country will seem quite distant in time or geography from the new country.

2 Your stories could be useful in your family history.

3 They will provide you with endless entertainment. (As Oscar Wilde said. I always travel with my diary. I like to have something sensational to read on the train.)

4 You can add the stories to your photos as captions.

5 You can entertain your grandchildren.

6 Sometimes other people's lives are a warning to you. Sometimes your life is a warning to others.

7 You think you lead a dull life?  If you record the dramas you will find it was not as dull as you thought.

8 Handy little anecdotes to spice up a novel or play or short story or poem.

For example, from a holiday in the USA:

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  Angela Lansbury America has many cases of cars and vehicles going missing found years later. My husband once insisted on taking a road in the USA which had a movable road closed barrier. This route was shorter and the bad weather was yesterday and no sign of any trouble. A mile along the narrow road it was blocked by rocks. He backed a third of the way. This was slow and risky..He then decided to do a U turn. I jumped out of the car.

What could I do with this?

1 Use it as a caption to an old photo

2 Turn it into a short story. A thriller.

3 Turn it into a poem.

4 Talk about it on radio.

5 Entertain after dinner.

7 In a novel, make it the last straw before a divorce.

8 Make it the point at which the hero finds God.

9 Turn it into a short story in which the wife realises how much she loves her children and family.

10 Add a lot more drama. She presumes her husband is dead and walked back along the river valley, encourtering bears, a man with a shotgun and various other dangers.

 Just save it for later.

Here are some places to save your stories and pictures"
Handy Qebsites:
https://www.traveldiariesapp.com/

Physical travel diary in a small notebook:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrALoOPk0lw

Review of Assorted travel Notebooks At All Prices
(I could spend all day on this but why reinvent the wheel)
https://www.travelandleisure.com/style/travel-accessories/best-travel-journals

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.